Personal Finance Advice

We all feel the need to indulge sometimes. Even the most disciplined budgeters occasionally feel the need to spend on something that’s not in the budget, just for the heck of it. The occasional indulgence is fine as long as you can absorb the loss. Even so, some people still feel guilty about spending on [...]

I like adventure and trying new things. Sometimes. I also find comfort in the tried, true and familiar. I tend do do a lot of the same things over and over. I suspect many people are like this. We all have our favorite things to do, places to go, and people we hang out with. [...]

I read a lot of different financial message boards. I’m always amused when someone in a thread gets incredibly defensive over something that was posted. The latest example was a thread about luxury handbags. The original poster inquired about the quality of a certain brand of handbag and wanted to know if it was worth [...]

In an earlier article, I talked about the pros and cons of signing up for a coupon class. While there are some plusses to such classes, much of what you will learn can be found online for free. Even better, it can be found right here at Saving Advice. Below I’ve compiled a list of [...]

Haggling isn’t widely practiced in the United States. Sure, sometimes you haggle at the car dealer or maybe with some local craftsperson at the craft fair, but it’s not a big part of our culture. Most people are too embarrassed or unsure to even try it. However, many more places than you might think are [...]

It seems like daily deals are everywhere these days. Amazon has it’s Gold Box, there are plenty of sites like Woot.com that offer one-day deals on specific items, and the group coupon deal sites like Groupon are proliferating like mad. Even many “regular” retailers have daily specials on their websites. While it is possible to [...]

A couple of years ago, I wrote about some simple recipes for natural homemade cleansers. These are some very simple concoctions that you can make with ingredients like baking soda, white vinegar, and essential oils that will clean and disinfect your home for a fraction of the cost of commercial preparations. I started using these [...]

Furniture is expensive. Even “cheap” furniture is expensive, and if you want high quality furniture prepare for sticker shock. While many people have an ultimate goal of having a nicely furnished home, some people don’t share that desire or have the means to pay for expensive furniture. Those just starting out likely don’t have the [...]

When people find out that I’m an image consultant and personal shopper, they are always eager to hear what the latest hot trends are. While I can surely list them, I also forewarn people that just because something is “in” it doesn’t mean that it’s right for them. The savvy shopper will be aware of [...]

Several ladies in my neighborhood have recently gotten involved with direct selling organizations like Pampered Chef, Tupperware, and Usborne Books. As a result, my mailbox overflows with invitations to all of their “parties.” While I’m happy that they’ve found something to bring in some extra money, these invitations are tricky because I’m just not interested [...]

Someone asked me the other day whether every purchase and financial transaction has to have deep meaning. “To hear you talk sometimes,” this person said, “no one should ever buy anything unless they’ve carefully researched it, dissected it, and tallied the impact on the budget. Doesn’t anyone get to have any fun with their money?” [...]

When a cashier hands you your receipt, you probably just think of it as one more annoying piece of paper. Many people toss their receipts in the nearest garbage can on their way out of the store. It’s particularly tempting to toss it when you paid cash and you don’t even have to enter it [...]

A coworker of mine recently decided to get her finances in order. She admitted her debt troubles and her concerns that they don’t have anything saved for the future, let alone emergencies. While I applaud her desire to fix things, I question the method and the seriousness of her effort. I had to hide a [...]

Most people get many offers for various memberships. Health clubs, warehouse clubs, hobby groups, country clubs, alumni groups, auto clubs, and professional organizations all want us to be members. Unfortunately, very few clubs are free to join. Many come with hefty dues. While you’ll probably get some benefits from joining the organization, the main question [...]

While watching the train wreck that is “Extreme Couponing” the other day, I was struck by how so many of these people seemed to have become confused about the difference between saving money and not spending money. One woman was claiming that she’d saved $40,000 on her family’s grocery bill in one year. But would [...]

When you and all of your friends or family are deeply in debt, you can all be miserable together. You can gripe about your finances, complain about how there’s never enough money for everything, and then go shopping anyway. You can egg each other into further debt by saying things like, “You’re only young once,” [...]

As a wardrobe stylist and personal shopper, one of my jobs is to help people create their seasonal or annual clothing budget. For many new clients, who normally shop here and there throughout the year, they sometimes have sticker shock when they start shopping “in bulk” twice a year. Although they have more than likely [...]

Places like airports, businesses, theme parks, and even the post office are often stuck with property that cannot be returned or delivered to its proper owner. Baggage turns up at the airport and no one claims it. The mail service has packages that go unclaimed or things that become damaged in handling and separated from [...]

Clothing is expensive. When you’re buying clothes for two adults and a couple of kids, it becomes even more so. Enter the idea of sharing a wardrobe. Or at least parts of a wardrobe. While things like underwear should never be shared, it may be possible to share shirts and pants. How? Elastic and unisex [...]

Many businesses are willing to pay you to refer your friends to them. It’s far cheaper for a company to pay you for a referral than it is for them to advertise and discount in order to recruit new customers. Some companies pay you in cash, while others give you a credit on your bill. [...]