The New Year is fast approaching and with it comes the inevitable resolution. As a college student on a tight budget, I have resolved to have money in my wallet at the end of the month. I’ve done the research and discovered that, with a bit of common sense and spending will-power, it is actually quite possible to save money and still enjoy all that college life has to offer. Here are the ten things I plan to do to keep my bank account out of the red:
1. Credit Union: I have two part-time jobs that I work strictly to have spending money. Rather than spending frivolously, I’ll be putting 30 percent of what I make into a savings account each month.
2. Quicken: I’ve already started tracking my spending and have found Quicken to be a great help. I can see exactly where my money is going and where I can cut back.
3. Rent Textbooks: books tend to take a big chunk out of my wallet each semester. I’ve learned from friends that I can save hundreds by renting textbooks rather than buying them new or used from the book store. Even when you take into consideration what I would get at book buy-back, I will still come out ahead by renting.
4. Budget: for me, creating a budget was something my parents did. However, I plan on trying it and setting aside dedicated amounts for food, movies and other entertainment expenses. When I’m out of money for that particular category, I’ll have to wait until next month. I’m hoping this helps me become more conscious of my choices.
5. $20 Rule: this one goes along with the budget plan above. I plan on putting $20 in my pocket when I go out and taking nothing else with me but my ID. For me, this amounts to $20 a week since I only go out on Saturday night. When my $20 is gone, I’m done. For me, it is way too easy to pull out my debit card and keep the night rolling.
6. Dining Card: my parents pay for my dining card and, admittedly, they are wasting their money. I eat out far more than I eat in the dining hall. This will be changing. The dining hall has decent food and it’s already paid for. Eating ‘in’ will save me quite a bit of money.
7. Bicycle: next semester I’ll be leaving the car at home. Realistically, I don’t use it and am paying to park a car that I can park for free at home. Biking to class, work and activities is environmentally friendly and free.
8. Host Get-togethers: rather than hitting the town on the weekends, I plan on hosting get-togethers in my dorm room and am encouraging friends to do the same. Socializing should be about the people we are with, not the places we go.
9. Credit Cards: I did make the freshman mistake of signing up for student credit cards. I currently have two. I’ll be leaving these at home with mom and dad to avoid temptation.
10. Activities: my campus hosts movie nights on the quad when weather permits and has a ton of other free activities to take part in. I’ll be checking these out next semester and finding things to do that cost me absolutely nothing.
I don’t want to graduate college in a mountain of debt. If I can control my spending I’ll have nothing to worry about. Are you with me?
Photo credits: College St – Not so good panning shot by -Kenzie-/flickr;
Peter Harrington is a career counselor and content contributor for Top Online Colleges, a great source for tons of information on expanding your education, from top online colleges for nursing to School Counseling degrees.
A beautiful landscape around a house or apartment complex creates curb appeal and can soften the building to make it look comfortable. Finding an excellent landscaper requires a little work, but ultimately has numerous benefits to the house, garden, lawn and the health of the whole family. By following a few simple guidelines, it is possible to find someone who is affordable and among the best landscapers available.
Budgeting is a vital part of determining affordability. Any landscaper who is charging a higher rate is not affordable and is thus not an option. A budget is the maximum spending amount for the landscaper’s services. This amount can relate to the hourly wage or it can set a limit on the maximum total cost of the project at hand, depending on the way landscapers charge in the area.
Before hiring a landscaper, narrow the choices by determining what the garden needs. Simply cutting the grass and weeding the garden is an option that does not require any specialized skills. For more complicated projects like putting in a new walkway or creating the garden in the first place, the landscaper needs more skills. Having a set project in mind along with a maximum spending budget makes it easier to narrow the choices to a reasonable number of landscapers.
A timeline plan and a basic plan of action is important to get the job done in a reasonable number of hours. This is particularly necessary when looking at an hourly wage or the project has a limited time before it needs completing. When talking to potential landscapers about the project, include the proposed timeline to ensure they know exactly what is expected. If they are not able to comply with the set plan, seek out another landscaper.
Different landscapers are able to perform different jobs. In some cases, the state might even require special licenses to complete the project in mind. Take time to research which landscapers are available in the area and the laws regarding licensing before starting any project or hiring the landscaper. Otherwise, the situation might have legal ramifications or complications that occur.
Like any contract, the landscaper will have fine print in the paperwork. Always read these details because it can include clauses that allow the landscaper to charge extra fees without asking for prior approval. For example, a clause that the service price will increase by 25 percent a year or the landscaper can charge extra for trimming bushes might add up in extra fees that make it unaffordable. Work out the details of any clause or information in the fine print that is not agreeable.
Landscapers are professionals, but finding one who works with personal needs and will not charge too much can seem challenging. Fortunately, having worked out all of the details before hiring and then looking for the right type of landscaper can limit the choices and make it easier to find someone perfect for the job. It might take a little time, but ultimately it is worth searching for the best landscaper at a reasonable price.
Photo credits: Landscaping, summer 2003 by Seth Sawyers/flickr
Author Casey Stevens owns his own landscape business and writes for truckertotrucker.com, a site where you can find new and used trucks for sale – even specialty items such as custom Peterbilt trucks.
In today’s struggling economy, families around the world are trying to come up with new and creative ways to save money. Fuel costs are one of the many things currently on the rise. Saving money on fuel can significantly help a hard-working family in their endeavors to maximize overall budgeting. Taking proactive steps to decrease the amount of cash spent on fuel is an excellent start. The following are seven useful tips to save money on fuel expenses.
1. Compare Fuel Prices
Comparing fuel prices is the best tactic for cutting down on fuel expenses. You can compare fuel prices in several ways. One method is to visit at least three of the local fuel stations in your area. Write down the cost per gallon. Another way to compare fuel prices is to either call the establishments on the phone or use an online comparison tool. Not all stations charge the same amount of money per gallon. Use the station that charges the least and you can rack up the savings significantly.
2. Turn off Accessories
Accessories such as heat and air conditioning burn up fuel very quickly. If it is not necessary to run these items, drive to your destinations with them off.
3. Choose the Shortest Route
Before taking a long drive to your destination, check some of the online map sites and try to find the route that takes the least amount of miles. Some destinations have nifty back-roads you can travel and the distance will be cut significantly.
4. Turn the Motor Off
There are some instances when it is just unnecessary to leave a vehicle running. Do not leave the car running in park while you chat with friends. Turn the vehicle off to avoid losing unnecessary fuel.
5. Drive an Economy Vehicle
The vehicle you choose to drive can make a huge difference for money you spend on fuel. Smaller cars (with smaller engines) use less fuel. Try to purchase a used four-cylinder vehicle. Driving an economy car can get you approximately ten extra miles per gallon.
6. Maintain Proper Maintenance
Another reason that cars burn more fuel is lack of proper maintenance. Make sure you take your vehicle in for regular tune-ups. You can find the recommended tune-up time intervals in your instruction manual.
7. Walk
Walking is an excellent source of exercise. If your destination is not far away, you can save quite a bit of money on taking a nice walk. Short trips burn more gas than long trips, so you would be doing yourself a service by walking to close locations such as the corner store.
8. Ride a Bicycle
If your intended trip is only a few miles, you can save money by riding a bicycle. There is no fuel cost to ride a bike, and you will strengthen your cardiovascular system and your legs. Bikes are great for trips that are less than three miles.
9. Carpool
Riding with other individuals to work can also help you to save money on fuel. The more people involved, the more money you will save. The driver will require less money if there are more parties involved. You could also start the carpool yourself to save on fuel. If you get enough people to go in on it with you, you may not have to spend a penny on fuel.
10. Use Gas Rebate Cards
Some debit and credit cards offer customers cash back on gas. Using one of these cards will guarantee savings.
Camille Willis likes to save money by frequently visiting DENTALINSURANCE.NET.
Everybody knows the basic needs for surviving is food, clothing, and shelter but how to get these things? Obviously, we can have these basics needs only when we have money. The most important thing today in life is money. We work hard for giving a better life to our loved ones and it can happen only with money. Without money, survival is not possible.
When people have money and do not wish to spend it, they are called misers, but when you have money and you spend it only on things that are necessary, then it is called frugal living. In other words, it can be called as smart spending.
We study hard, then graduate, then find a job and work rigorously just to get a good salary. So why not keep a tab on expenses! Mostly people misunderstand frugality with miserliness, but sensible ones will never. They will understand both the differences and the importance of savings in life.
In this modern generation, people who are working with all the possible efforts, sustaining in the world of cutthroat competition, actually understands the meaning and value of money. Such people will obviously think ten times to spend money on anything that is for waste. So there should not be any hesitation accepting frugal living.
Frugal living is nothing but a talent, a creativity to sustain with minimum budgeting. Something that our grannies use to do, something that which our mother is still practicing, so what is wrong into it? To be honest it is a king of managing money.
Money management is very important and should be taught to our kids from a very tender age. So that while growing they understand the importance of things where they need to spend money and this habit will help them throughout their life.
However, this is not practiced in today’s world. When an individual is young, they do not understand why to study and this is the reason the younger generations these days are lacking behind. They survive on their pocket money keeping their studies secondary and enjoyment on priority with which they face problems after entering a family life.
We should train our kids to be successful along with money management. It is said, Satan resides in the house where there is no limits on expenditures. Keeping track of expenses will help you saving and enhancing your business or property. This will add largely for the betterment of your kids itself.
When you earn money with all the effort then why to waste it on things, which are useless? Don’t we need to save money for future? What if we do not have money and an urgent need arises? These are some questions, which prove frugal living as an advantage. But if we earn money for our better life, why not spend it for our happiness, this question contradicts the positivity of frugal living.
So there is nothing to be ashamed of frugal living and one who thinks it as miserliness, why not teach them too.
Saving money with coupons when you are buying something is also a smart idea for frugality. Hosting Coupons strives to provide you with online savings by providing coupon codes for godaddy, hostgator and yahoo to name a few.
Black Friday 2011 falls on November 25, and businesses and consumers alike are asking the question, How will you spend your Black Friday this year. There are quite a few options. Which one will you choose?
The Friday after Thanksgiving has become a cultural shopping holiday that signifies the first day of the winter holiday shopping season. Every year sets new records for the amount of shoppers shopping, the total profits of businesses offering Black Friday deals, the total amount of money spent in that 24-hour period, etc. In 2009, the average consumer spent upwards $300, totalling over $40 billion spent on consumer goods. More than half of the American population went out and shopped on Black Friday, and all those figures are likely to see continuous growth over the next few years.
Large sale events are the biggest draw for Black Friday shoppers. These sales usually last only one day and typically ends when the large but finite inventory runs out. Some stores open early and give preference to any shoppers who get there first, but the trouble that comes with a large, tired and disorganized crowd has forced some retailers to rethink their Black Friday strategy. Many now offer sale events that start later in the morning or the afternoon so that consumers do not have to get up so early and staff does not have to deal with an unruly mob first thing after Thanksgiving.
While Cyber Monday may be gaining traction as the best day to get deals from online retailers, Black Friday still pulls in its fair share of online revenue. Here is the deal: you enjoy shopping from the comfort of your own home at your leisure sans crowds and hassles, but you have to wait for your final purchase to arrive at your doorstep.
If relaxation trumps instant shopping gratification, make your purchases online! Different retailers offer different promotions throughout the day, so you could very well fill up your entire day with scoping out limited edition items on massive discount.
While millions of Americans venture out into the shop-lined streets and shopping malls, many choose to enjoy the day after Thanksgiving by sleeping in, munching on leftovers, watching various parades and football games, and generally taking it easy for the rest of the holiday. Black Friday gets a lot of hype because of its large consumer impact and advertising campaigns, but there are still millions of people who stay home or wait to shop until later in the holiday weekend when the initial waves of shoppers have subsided.
Guest post by Analise Marcus, savvy shopper and functional frugalista. Analise is always looking for the best Black Friday Deals but not at the expense of enjoying a long holiday weekend.
We’ve already discussed some of the methods you can use to save money in Part 1, but fortunately there are more things you can do which will help you to make your money go a bit further.
For most of us, the biggest bills come in the shape of food bills at the grocery stores and supermarkets. We’re used to paying premium prices for the top brands and it often seems that there’s little we can do about food bills if we still want to maintain a healthy diet.
However, there are many ways to save money on foods shopping. One method is to clip coupons from magazines – there’s no real effort involved, just a quick few snips with a pair of scissors. Save the coupons even if they’re for items that you don’t normally buy – you could be pleasantly surprised to find that some of the supermarkets will let you use them whether you’ve bought the product or not. You could try organising a group of friends, neighbours or work colleagues to hold a monthly coupon swap.
If you’re organised enough in your shopping habits, you should be able to make sure that costly essentials (especially bathroom and cleaning products) can be bought at a discount. If you need washing powder – buy whichever one is on offer at the time – and try to do the same with similar products. If you see a great offer (such as Buy One Get One Free) when you still haven’t run out of your current supply, buy it anyway if you can – it’s great to stock up on these products while they’re so cheap – this can save you quite a bit of money over the long term.
If your supermarket has an Instore Bakery Department – try to do your shopping as near to closing time as possible. Many of the products from this department will be radically marked down during the last half hour or so of trading. This way you can make a huge saving – consider buying up a load of extras and freezing them for later in the week/month.
If you’re really feeling the pinch and have some sort of large irregular bill to pay one month, then make a decision to live on all the stuff that’s been in the cupboards or freezer for ages. This is a great way to have a clear out and make space for the next lot of special offers. It will also make you a bit more imaginative about what you’re eating – you could find that you come up with some interesting new recipes or combinations that turn out to be a family favourite!
If you usually buy the supermarket’s “best” brand or one of the famous name brands, then consider trying out the cheaper brands or supermarket own brand option. Many of the foodstuffs that are offered at cheaper rates are just as good as the more expensive equivalents – you’re very often paying extra for the name or the fancy packaging!
Consider clubbing together with a group of friends or neighbours to buy some of your foodstuffs wholesale from a catering supplies warehouse – this could prove to be a really great way of saving money.
Article by Debbie who loves to write about personal finances, foreign markets and currency exchange.
Many people all over the world are really feeling the pinch due to the economic crisis. Chances are that your annual pay rise has been smaller than what you’ve been used to in the past – some of us have had a pay freeze and the really unfortunate ones have been unlucky enough to have to accept a pay cut in order to protect their jobs! We all seem to have less spending power, but the cost of living keeps on going up. This is true in all areas of spending, from groceries and accommodation right the way through to energy costs and luxuries. With this rise in the cost of living, accepting a pay freeze is actually like taking a pay cut.
Most people are on the look out for methods of saving on the cost of living, not in order to pay for luxuries, but very often just to be able to make ends meet. There are things that can be done to save on the cost of living, and some of these don’t need to involve hardship – just a little bit of common sense.
It’s quite possible to save a substantial amount on heating costs over the space of a year by using your thermostat wisely. By turning down the heating as little as one degree in the winter, you’ll hardly notice the difference in the level of warmth, but it could represent quite a bit of money saved. If you opt to turn it down a little more and are feeling quite chilly, instead of ramping it back up, put on a woolly jumper (or a dressing gown) – you’ll be surprised at how much warmer you feel. If you’re sat watching TV, cover yourself with a warm throw or consider using a hot water bottle.
A really old-fashioned way of saving on energy costs is to turn everything off at the plug when you go to bed at night or when you’re planning to be out of the house for several hours. We have many appliances that we leave on standby and the more of them we have, the more we pay to keep them idling. Years ago, every household would turn off everything at the plug as part of the bedtime routine – we’ve become lax and lazy with our gadgets and they’re costing us a lot of money to run.
You can save on water charges by making sure that you don’t have any dripping taps. A constantly dripping tap can add quite a hefty sum to your annual water bill – more than enough to pay a plumber to fix it. If you’re something of a DIY enthusiast, you’ll probably be able to fix it yourself for the cost of a new washer. Another way of saving water if you have an old-fashioned toilet with a large cistern, is to displace some of the water in the cistern with a brick. The saves a volume of water equivalent to the volume of the brick every time you flush – a great way of saving water and money.
These are just a few things that you can do to lower your cost of living without having to really tighten your belt and go without. There are other methods that can be used which will be discussed in the next article.
Article by Debbie who frequently writes about personal finance, foreign markets and foreign exchange.
How do you feel about your personal finances? It may be the case that your situation is so bleak that you prefer to avoid thinking about your circumstances if you possibly can!
The problem with attempting to avoid the issue, is that it’s only likely to get worse. Few people are ever able to rise above financial strife by doing absolutely nothing. In fact, it could be said that inaction is just about the worst possible choice at this point in time.
Most of us know when the family budget isn’t looking good. We know because we’re struggling to pay the mortgage, running out of money at the end of the month, unable to afford a few luxuries and desperately waiting for pay day. Does all of this sound familiar to you?
It’s not a nice situation to be in. The first thing to say is that you’re not alone and that you can deal with these problems if you’re prepared to face them. Many families encounter these problems each year and discover that they can have a better future. The first step is to realise the extent of the problems that you face.
Although it may sound like a dispiriting task, noting down the realistic position is the ideal starting point. You may find it helpful to gather together details of all financial transactions relating to the last month or so. That means everything from pay slips and bank statements, to credit card bills and restaurant receipts.
Fortunately, the Internet is your friend when you’re looking to gather this information. Many of us have access to bills and statements online these days.
Having pulled together the information, you should be able to use a spreadsheet to quickly gain a picture of how much you’ve spending, compared to your income levels. If you’re spending more than you’re receiving, then it’s clear that you family budget is in a bad place.
So how do you set about making things better? For most of us, the starting point is to try and reduce how much we’re spending. The reason for attempting this first is that it’s usually easier to get quick results with this approach.
You’ll need to carry out an honest appraisal of your spending habits. Have you been buying a few too many luxuries? Do you always carry out price comparisons before making purchases? Could you be using coupons and discount codes to save more? Are you making use of credit card balance transfers?
The fact that you’re even thinking about these issues is great news. It shows that you’re already on the path to reducing your spending levels. Remember that getting your spending under control will be a real benefit for your whole family. If nothing else, it will certainly reduce your stress levels.
But how about if you still can’t get your spending levels down low enough? You may simply feel that your income levels aren’t high enough to deal with what you need? In this situation, you may want to consider your employment options, as well as any additional assistance that may be available from the Government.
Until you take the time to appraise your situation fully, you won’t be able to start improving your financial standing.
Keith Barrett loves getting bargains. He uses Dixons discount codes to save on many purchases and likes to help others to save too.
Creating and managing a budget can feel overwhelming, but it’s not as difficult as you might think. In this tough economic time, invest the time needed to bring you and your budget onto solid ground in three easy steps.
Simply put, you can’t know how to structure your budget until you know where your money is going on a consistent basis. Start creating your budget by simply tracking what you spend. On your computer or in a notebook, make a chart with two simple columns, labeling the first column “date” and the second column “money spent.”
Take the next month and write down every single penny you spend onto this chart. A month might seem like a long time, but it will be worth the effort to see exactly where you’re money is going each month.
“Also, things like Starbucks trips should be listed, since 250 trips a year at $4 each equals $1,000! You don’t want this overlooked,” states Damon Winter, a financial advisor specializing in insurance in Portland, Oregon. “To make this work over a month’s time, put cash and debit receipts in an envelope to help keep track of each penny you spend.”
Once you have a healthy list or a full envelope of expenditures, you can go through it and put them into categories, which may include:
If you come across expenditures that don’t seem to fit into a category, see if any of them can be sorted into their own group or consider adding a “Miscellaneous” category.
Once you have the list of expenditures and the categories in front of you, take some time to create a budget on your computer or on a piece of notebook paper. Create a simple chart with three sections, one for Budgeted Bills, the Date Due, and Actual Money Spent.
Prioritize your monthly bills first, which include housing, transportation, insurance and utilities. Add up the cost of those bills, subtracting the total from your monthly income. Using the rest of the money you have and your list of expenditures, sketch out how much you can spend each month for different categories – you may decide that eating at a restaurant twice a week is important to you, so put that into your budget.
Once you’ve figured out how your money is spent and where you want it to go per your budget, it’s important to manage whatever budget system you’ve set up. Track your expenditures every couple of days, and evaluate whether or not changes need to be made in your budget. It’s important to remember that our priorities adjust as our lives change, and budgets are no different. As you continue to track your budget and expenditures, maintaining your monthly budget and deciding on your financial priorities will become much easier.
Kelly Wilson is a freelance writer who is obsessed with saving money. For additional guidance regarding money management, contact the friendly staff at Majestic Eagle Agency, specialists in financial health and insurance in Portland, Oregon.
A fantastic party can really put a smile on someone’s face. But with the pesky recession biting at everyone’s heels we have to watch the pennies. If you’re planning a party, never fear, our top tips will make your celebration just as special and memorable as the most expensive blowout bash.
You don’t have to hire a venue to have a great celebration, there are loads of options for the budget-conscious party planner. A party at home is great for close-knit gatherings, barbeques, intimate dinner parties and a whole lot more. If the weather is fine, why not take a trip to a local park and have a barbeque?
If you’re not up for a house party and you really want to make the celebration a surprise, why not scour the internet for discount coupons? There are loads of voucher websites that could give you money off fun days out. You might even stumble upon something fun on your doorstep that you never knew existed.
If you’re working to a tight budget, the guest list can be your best friend – or your worst enemy! A small gathering will mean you won’t have to spend too much on food and drink, but if you ask everyone to bring a bottle, or some party snacks, a large gathering will make sure no-one goes without!
If you’re having a celebration at home, decorations are really important to make your place look like party central. But, while looking amazing, party supplies can be really pricey. Homemade decorations give a really personal touch and can be done quite cheaply. Simple paper chains, streamers and posters look wonderful teamed with simple, block colour plates and cups. Don’t forget you can always ask some of your guests involved to help decorate.
Themed parties are great for birthdays – and not just for kids parties either! Come up with a fun theme and co-ordinate your home-made decorations to go with it.
Why not put a new twist on the classic costume party, ask all your guests to make their own costumes. You’ll have a room full of cardboard-robots, superheroes with bed sheets tied around their necks, Greeks wearing togas and all sorts, your friends will have great fun coming up with creative ideas and no-one has to spend a penny.
Speaking of getting your friends to help, your guest list could hide an unlimited resource of party knowhow. Perhaps you have a friend with a massive music collection – could they DJ or set up a playlist? Is one of your friends a domestic god/goddess? Maybe they could come up with some great cocktails or even make the cake. If you’re celebrating a landmark birthday, anniversary or wedding, perhaps you could get together with the guests and come up with a ‘this is your life’ book full of photos and memories from their life.
Hiring a DJ is great for when you haven’t got time to come up with a playlist. But they’re really quite pricey. Why not make a playlist on your MP3 player, and shuffle the songs throughout the party. If you really don’t have the time, why not rope in one of your guests? They’ll feel special as they have something important to do, and you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
If your celebration calls for a small group of close friends, why not have a ‘Come Dine With Me’ style dinner party. About a week before the day, assign a starter, main course or desert to each guest and ask them to arrive with their dish and a bottle of wine. You could even give each course a score out of 10 and award a special prize to the winner.
Everyone’s on the web now, so forget about sending invites in the post. Paper invitations can cost a fortune, not to mention the postage costs! Use some designing software on your computer to make a really awesome invitation and email it out. Alternatively, you can use facebook to make an event and invite all your friends.
Kids parties can quickly make your budget spiral out of control, especially since at the end of the party, everyone expects a party bag. Instead of wasting money on little thigs to put in each bag, why not incorporate a crafty activity into the party. Essentially, the guests will make their own goodies and everyone will be happy (your wallet included)
It’s true, you can’t have a celebration without cake but delicious, cakey goodness doesn’t have to be ordered from the bakery. You can seriously cut the costs by making it yourself. You can find loads of recipes online, and even if it goes completely wrong, it doesn’t matter because you took the time to do it yourself – the personal touch goes a long way.
There’s no need to break the bank to celebrate a special occasion so follow our tips and you’ll put on a truly memorable celebration that’s even better and more memorable than a big-style blowout. It doesn’t matter whether you’re marking a birthday, anniversary, kids party or simply celebrating for the sake of it, make it a good one and above all, have fun!
Whether you are looking for a gift just to make someone smile or show that you care, or to truly spoil them with something special, the Prezzybox’s birthday gifts is the place to be.
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