money saving ideas

I believe that cash flow is one of the most powerful concepts in personal finance. People tends to know how they feel about their personal finance — e.g., whether they are comfortable or are struggling. Unfortunately, not too many people truly understand cash flow and how important it is to your finances. When you understand [...]

When it comes to money saving ideas, some people go way out of their way to save a dime while others casually use products that cost hundreds of dollars. For example, is it worth drying a piece of Saran wrap?  Some folks (mostly from a previous generation) would put the wrap on the window to [...]

We in the personal finance blogosphere love to fill the internet with ideas on how to save money and discuss everything under the sun that you should not spend money on. Well, today, I’d like to discuss a few things that I believe are acceptable purchases.

Sometimes you just need to stop spending money for a few days. Maybe you are already over budget, or close to it, and the month isn’t over. Maybe you have savings goals with attached deadlines, and need to kick a little extra towards one of those goals before the deadline comes and goes. Or maybe [...]

The year’s end is quickly approaching, and with it rests the spending deadline of flexible spending accounts (FSAs). What is an FSA? A flexible spending account is an account that employees can use to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses completely tax-free. FSAs are built as employees make equal, recurring contributions from their paychecks to the account.
Why [...]

As we approach the holidays and end of the year, many people are finding their wallets just a little thinner than normal. If you’re trying hard to stay within your December budget, consider some of these winter activities to save money this holiday season. Who said frugal activities cannot be fun and enjoyable?

Enjoy movies or [...]

It’s open enrollment time for many health insurance plans. And that means you are finding out that premiums, deductibles and co-pays are probably on the rise. In some cases, benefits are shrinking as well. Many new health insurance plans won’t kick in until the new year, though, so that leaves a little more than a [...]

Seven words you never want to hear at Christmas: “WHAT!!! YOU GOT ME A GIFT CARD?!?!?!?” On the other hand, if someone really wants a gift card, why fight the crowds and spend hours looking for the perfect gift? It’s easy and it will be easier to have a debt free Christmas if you know [...]

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and for some of us, financial concerns are more prominent this year than any other years in the past. However, that’s not what Thanksgiving is all about. Regardless of your financial means, you could have a wonderful and inexpensive Thanksgiving. In this article, I am going to cover [...]

There is a tug of war going on over your money right now.  When you sit down and think about it, you know that you should save your money, pay off your debt and provide for your future.  Unfortunately there are other forces coming after your money.  Not only do you have to deal with [...]