Last week, I decided to have a big splurge. I bought an international plane ticket last minute to go home and visit my family.
I had some time off of work, it was Mother’s Day, and it was also a few days before my birthday.
While I hadn’t planned on seeing my family until the holiday season, I really missed them, and I wanted to go.
Plane tickets to my hometown are pretty expensive, and there are always other costs involved in seeing my family, including meals in the airports, gas, etc....
Frugality gets a bad rap. I’m guessing that it’s because being frugal is often confused with being a miser. You know, those people who won’t spend money on anything. Those people who drive 5 miles out of their way to get gas for 3 cents less per gallon. Those people who take their dates to a restaurant during half price happy hour and will only let the date order appetizers. You know the ones.
Then, there is also the misconception that frugality doesn’t matter. ...
The temptation to spend is all around us. In fact, I would argue that it’s almost inevitable that we want to spend something at least once every day and that it takes self control and forethought to have a “no spend” day.
So, why do we feel the need to spend every day, and what can we do to try to avoid this temptation altogether?
Well, below are 5 ideas that can help anyone, regardless of your age and financial status.
Turn Off The TV
When we watch TV, we are bombarded with mass marketing...
When in the process of paying off debt, you’ll find that you’ll do pretty much anything to try and make more money to pay off that debt a lot faster. Let’s face it—being poor sucks, and watching your hard-earned money go toward debt repayments is a total downer. For this reason, garage sales are often touted as a great way to give your debt repayment morale a boost when you need it most.
If the idea of throwing a garage sale is just too daunting, break it up in these simple to-do chunks to...
Australians have become better savers, with the household savings rate recently climbing to around 10 per cent of disposable income. Yet with the 2012 RaboDirect National Savings Barometer finding nearly half of all working Australians have only a month’s worth of savings in the bank, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
While doing a budget, putting money aside regularly and saving for a rainy day are all sound policies, there are many innovative ways to save money.
Change spending habits
Impulse...
My husband and I recently went on a vacation to New York and we learned some tips for saving money on our New York City vacation. While we’ve been saving for the trip for four months, technically you could say we started saving up for the trip two years ago. Here are our tips for saving money while on a trip in New York:
Book Free Flights
Living in California, the cross-country flight to New York was one of the largest expenses of our trip. New York was definitely on our list of must-do trips since...
The average age of first time home ownership in the United States in the last 10 years has varied from 30 to 32 years of age, depending on the economy (Economists Outlook). My guess is that it might also depend on the area of the country people reside in. Certainly buying a house in rural Iowa is much more affordable than buying a home in the suburbs of Chicago or New York City.
My husband and I are well above the average age for first time home ownership, but we’re finally starting to...
Sometimes it seems that most money tips are just aimed at the pros, so below I’ve included several tips that will work for absolutely anyone. Enjoy!
Track What You Buy So You Don’t Overspend
It sounds hard, but really tracking what you spend doesn’t take much time or effort. All you need is a little notebook or a handy iPhone app that keeps you in check. I personally kick it old school and write down my expenses in my planner, but you have to do what works for you.
Use Credit Cards...
Financial crisis do happen, and one must always be prepared for them. However, there are situations when one has to find cash immediately, and there are almost no options left.
These types of loans work by having the title of your item, usually a car, as a collateral. Processing would be fast. However, one must be aware of certain risks he may have when having it. The payment period is much shorter and interests higher compared to other. The reason for this is that the lenders are considering the...
Getting back in shape after baby is a hard task to do. Not only do you have the extra weight to deal with, but you also have exhaustion and lack of motivation. Who wants to spend their free time working out when you have been taking care of a baby all day?
I am ten months postpartum and have just now been getting into a regular workout routine. It has been hard. There are so many workouts on the market right now, but I have found them not to be very mom friendly. If you are a mom that can dedicate...