Personal Finance Advice

Everyone would like to save money on food if it means they can still get the same quality for a better price. One are where most people can save on their food bill is to reduce the amount of food they waste. Americans through out as much as 40% of their food according to a [...]

It’s pretty hard to lose me as a customer. I am usually quite forgiving and realize that everyone has their bad days and things can go wrong that are not the fault of the person I’m dealing with. I almost always give a company a chance to rectify the issue at hand and in most [...]

Target is one of those stores you visit when you’re looking to do most of your shopping in one place. They have food, clothing, furniture, and most household amenities. However, even though many of those items are fairly inexpensive, your final bill can still end up being quite high. Fortunately, there are some good ways [...]

A membership to a warehouse club like Costco, BJ’s, or Sam’s is something that you have to evaluate carefully, both before you sign up and each year at renewal time. If you’re going to pay to shop somewhere, you need to make certain that your savings will offset the membership fees. When we first joined [...]

Farmer’s markets are wonderful things. They range from fresh, local produce to homemade sweets and breads to interesting craft products to brighten up any room in your house. It can be a great way to pick up healthy food and fresh food from local vendors. Unfortunately, if you’re not careful, you can end up spending [...]

Going out on a regular basis with friends to the local bar can get expensive quite fast (see the beer calculator to just see how much). While there are some expenses that can’t be avoided when hitting the bar, there are quite a few things that you can do which will reduce the overall cost [...]

Ah, hurricane season is here again. That means it’s time to check over the emergency kit and make sure I have enough water, food, and other supplies to make it through several days if we should lose power. Even if we don’t get a hurricane this year, there’s snow and ice season to look forward [...]

It’s lunchtime and you’re craving delicious burritos from Chipotle, but you’re wary of spending too much money. Food prices have been rising and if you eat out often enough, you’re probably searching for cheaper available options. While it may not be apparent at first, there are a number of ways to save money when you [...]

I should probably point out right away that the subject of this article isn’t for the faint of heart. I’m sure that the idea of sorting through garbage probably conjures up some awfully nasty visions for some readers. Dumpster diving, sometimes referred to as trash trawling, is becoming more commonplace and even something of a [...]

One of the reasons that people often give for eating out a lot is, “I don’t know what to make.” (That, or “I don’t know how to make it,” which can be overcome with some simple cooking lessons). Yet many of us have recipes for wonderful, simple dishes scattered all over our kitchens. Some may [...]

As an avid gardener one of my favorite things to grow is herbs because they have so many uses and from what I’ve found can actually help save money. Yes, herbs like thyme, lavender, citronella, mint and many others are a lot more than just scented plants that add a certain flavor to our surroundings. [...]

Chances are that you’ve had at least one disgusting experience with food that’s been lost in the back of the pantry or in the bottom of the freezer. Mine was the time I excavated the pantry to discover that a can of pineapple had gone so far beyond its expiration date that the can had [...]

When it comes to grocery store shopping, there are certain items that you probably want to avoid purchasing if you’re on a budget. In most cases, these are convenience items where there is a large mark-up simply so you don’t have to do something yourself, but sometimes it’s simply because there are better outlets to [...]

When I was first learning how to be frugal and save money, I used to do monthly financial challenges all the time. I’d pick a goal, like cut down or eliminate eating out, and pursue it with gusto for a whole month. At the end of the month I’d tally up my savings. Usually it [...]

Once all of the big items in a budget are under control (things like lowering debt payments, cutting out unnecessary expenses, negotiating better deals on services, eating at home more, buying store brands, etc.), people often find themselves wondering where to go from there. If cutting the big things has solved your financial problems or [...]

We all know that we’ll likely face increased costs as we age. Most of those will come from healthcare costs as we fight diseases ranging from cancer to arthritis to dementia. While we’re aware of those increasing expenses, we assume that life won’t get more expensive until we’re “much older.” However, I’m finding that life [...]

It’s summertime and that means that the kids are out of school. And they’re hungry. If you live in a neighborhood where the kids play together all day long, you’ve probably found yourself facing a horde of hungry kids. Even when practicing ways to save money on food, feeding a lot of kids can get [...]

Babies are expensive. Really expensive. Most couples quickly determine that they need to save money wherever they can, and wish they knew before hand nonessential baby items. When it comes to saving money with a new baby, breastfeeding can be a great way for women to save money. While breastfeeding is a personal choice and [...]

The big news in my neighborhood this year is that someone has planted a vegetable garden in their front yard. Gasp! More than a few of the neighbors are bent out of shape about it, saying that gardens belong only in the backyard. However, the neighbor in question has a problem with that. The way [...]

When I was in college and, later, working my first jobs, I never had a regular schedule. The jobs I had back then were either temporary or service oriented. Sometimes I’d work nights, sometimes days, and sometimes both. I worked holidays, weekends, and other times when no one else could or would work. It wasn’t [...]