Frugality & Budgeting: Squeeze That Last Dollar
We all want to save money. It’s always wise to keep watch of our dollars, seeing how the economic tides seem to shift on a whim. For many folks, every dollar needs to stretch as far as it will go. But how do you do it? Do you clip coupons? Should you work on a detailed budget where you watch each expense with an eagle eye, or perhaps chase credit cards that sport lower rates? How about trading in your gas guzzler for a more modest vehicle? The answer is — there’s no one right solution for everyone. In fact, it may take a combination of such approaches plus a change in our lifestyle or habits to get us completely in the black. But we’re here to provide you tips, ideas and even support as you work on your savings plans.
Our articles cover a lot of ground, from stories that dish out concrete savings tips to those which analyze the psychology of saving and behavioral finance. For instance, we help you determine if you’re spending too much. We write about how to save money at the grocery store and how to spend less on great gifts, auto repairs and your monthly cable bill. We share with you frugal stories and budgeting tips to help you make the most of each dollar you earn. Why not join our frugal community today?
How much are you willing to pay for sentiment? What do you do for Mother’s Day? As the day approaches, I receive junk mail (for flowers, jewelry, figurines(?)) and see the commercials, which strongly encourage me to do my share of giving and gifting for yet another celebratory opportunity that involves nice, sweet and sometimes [...]
Why earn a college degree abroad? Have you considered sending your kids (or yourself) to study in a different country? Besides some relatively cheaper options for schooling, studying abroad may also offer a lot of rich and new experiences. In this article, we explore Mexico as a potential place to get an education, but the [...]
When a friend of mine got married some time ago, he gave me some details about how much it cost him to cover a 200 guest wedding. His number came up to between $22,000 and $23,000. This gave me a chance to compare weddings in the Bay Area during the 00′s vs the 90′s, when [...]
Can’t we all lose weight and do what some determined people have done without having to stretch our budgets in the process? Sure we can. Why am I harping so much about health? It’s because health problems can spiral into huge financial nightmares quite easily. Leading causes of bankruptcy are the twin demons of poor [...]
Do you spend on your pet? I used to think that it was silly (or even crazy) to spoil a pet like you would a person, until I found a pet that really connected with me. At that point, we fell into the clutches of the pet product industry and bought into toys and trinkets [...]
Here’s one “secret” for finding anything under the sun for half price or less. Well, many things anyway. Part of running a household involves performing regular maintenance. You’ll notice that over time, you’ll eventually need to replace a whole bunch of things at home. Stuff breaks all the time. So for instance, in my case, [...]
Doing simple, cost effective things to stay healthy today will keep you from spending more money down the line. The truth is, the cost of treating chronic disease can be debilitating enough to cause job loss; it’s cited as one of the top reasons why people go bankrupt. The high cost of poor health is [...]
When we’re in a financial bind, it’s easy enough to cut back on the higher priced items and luxury goods. But when the prices of necessities jump, then that’s when some people may get worried, particularly if they’re living on fixed income. And this will be an even bigger problem if and when we begin [...]
Who wouldn’t want to score free airline tickets or travel for free? I’d consider travel as a big ticket expense, especially because I deal with a 5 member family and have to figure out how to transport an entire household from one point to another. One way I save? I just don’t travel too often. [...]