Personal Finance Advice

You are using far too much of far too many things and you probably don’t even realize it. Most of it is simply out of habit although a good portion of it has it’s roots in commercials. No matter what the cause, becoming aware that you may be needlessly wasting money by using too much [...]

If you’ve lived in your house for any length of time, you may find yourself bored by your home. If you watch too many shows on HGTV your own home can start to look unappealing by contrast. Maybe you’re tired of the carpet or paint colors, you hate the yard, or you’re frustrated by the [...]

I don’t go to the movies that often, but when I do I’m reminded that it’s not only the movies themselves that can teach lessons about money. Sometimes you can learn about money simply by going to the theater and paying attention to the whole experience. Here are some money lessons that you might pick [...]

When most people think about New Year financial resolutions, they think about tackling those difficult issues that they know that they should be doing, but have been avoiding because they know working on them is going to take time, effort and probably a little pain. Get rid of the credit card debt. Reduce costs. Make [...]

If you’re like many people, you’ll be making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, save more money, or both. If you’re trying to do both, the good news is that weight loss and saving money often go hand in hand. It’s like accomplishing two resolutions at once. Even if you only choose one, chances [...]

If you followed any of the Black Friday news this year, you know that many stores including Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy pushed their opening times to midnight on Black Friday. Some stores, like Toys R Us and my local outlet center pushed the opening even further back by opening at 9:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving [...]

Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite vacation destination is Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida. Some would say I have an unhealthy addiction to the place whereas I would simply call myself a fan. Either way, my travels to Disney World have taught me quite a bit about money. I know what you’re [...]

This article is written by SB, who blogs at One cent at a time, a blog dedicated to all round well-being for everyone including saving money, smart investments and improving productivity. Subscribe to his RSS feed via email or e reader. One of the most important things to realize is that you rеаllу dо nоt [...]

By Farnoosh Torabi, Manilla Financial Editor With the arrival of so many budget-friendly mobile applications, saving has never been quite so simple. Literally, at the tap of a finger, you can discover where to snag the best deals in town and even download and redeem coupons instantly while checking out at the register. Here are [...]

When we go out to eat, I’m frequently annoyed by the menu. I’m not a big eater but most restaurant menus are designed for people with big appetites. This isn’t always a problem; there are doggie bags, after all. But sometimes I’m in a position where I can’t take a doggie bag. Maybe I’m running [...]

I don’t know whether to classify the following as a strange way to save money, make money, or spend money, but it is definitely strange so I’ll leave it at that. I was out over the weekend with a friend trawling some yard sales. At one sale, the seller had a table set up with [...]

If you have a dryer at home, you know that dryer lint is never in short supply. It seems like one of those things that should just always go into the trash, but there are ways to use it that might save you a little money (after you save money using your dryer), or at [...]

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece about how to master haggling to save money. This week I’m giving tips on how to barter successfully. Like haggling, bartering isn’t often done in the U.S. I think part of it is because, as with haggling, people are embarrassed to barter. Some people feel uncomfortable [...]

At various times in my life I’ve lived in apartments with few appliances, dormitories with no amenities at all, and homes with HOA’s that restricted what I could do on my own property. I’ve also worked in offices that had no free parking. Living and working in these places greatly increased my expenses because I [...]

You probably don’t think that the hours you’re sleeping can possibly cost you that much. After all, everyone’s in bed, everything is off, and no one is out shopping. But the truth is, the overnight hours can be costing you hundreds of dollars per year and you might not even realize it. The biggest culprit [...]

Financial gurus often tout the money saving aspect of paying cash. With cash, if you don’t have it you don’t spend it, unlike with credit cards. But there is a lesser known aspect of paying cash that will save you money in the long run. Paying cash, especially at local mom-and-pop stores will help to [...]

One of the most frequent pieces of advice given to those wanting to save money is to write down all of your spending. Doing this exposes all the wasteful spending that often slips by unnoticed. I have a corollary piece of advice: If you want to save money, start by examining your trash, both at [...]

How many times have you just dumped detergent in the washing machine, or grabbed a swig of cough medicine without measuring? This may be quick and convenient, but likely you are wasting money and product by not measuring. Some products make it easy to measure the correct amount. Detergents, for example, come with measuring cups [...]

When most people first begin to think about overhauling our finances or saving money, they usuallyfocus on issues such as budgeting, cash flow analysis, and how to improve a credit score. But almost all aspects of your life can affect your cash flow, directly or indirectly. It’s serendipitous when a life-change can not only improve [...]

Now that I pay most of my bills online, have email, a cell phone, and a million other ways to stay in touch, I have very little need for envelopes. I rarely have envelopes in the house anymore and, on the rare occasion I need an envelope, I hate having to go to the store [...]