From the category archives:

Ways to Save Money

These articles outline ways to save money that I have used. Some are quick tips others are longer term things you can do to save money, but they all will help you save money!

What Is The Easiest Way to Save Money? Automate it!

03.05.2010 by Jason Price 12 comments

According to a recent article in Money magazine, saving more money depends on ways to make it easy and automatic. In other words, people just don’t save enough when it’s left up to them to decide. Given a decision of spending an extra $100 a month, or saving it, most of the time it will be spent.

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How to be Frugal and Have Fun

03.04.2010 by Craig 5 comments

To some, the idea of being frugal sounds like a death trap. Where’s the dotted line? If I want to be frugal, I know I need to sign off ever having any fun. To start, you might want to review what I think are the key differences between being frugal and being cheap. Frugality wrongly practiced can feel like a trap. However, frugality practiced properly will be liberating and will allow you to truly enjoy yourself…

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Savvy Ways to Save while Shopping

02.28.2010 by Guest 4 comments

It helps to think of saving money while shopping as a game. It’s simple. You’re pitted against your opponent, the store. He (or she) who has the most money at the end of the game (a.k.a. shopping) wins! The key to winning – and keeping the most money possible where it matters most (your wallet) – is being able to outwit, outlast and outplay the store. Retailers pay big money to experts who do nothing but study the habits and weaknesses of consumers. Make sure you’ve got a few tricks and strategies up your own sleeve to tip the odds in your favor.

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Computer Repair Tips: How To Save Money

02.21.2010 by Guest 13 comments

In the United States in 2009 over 70 million homes had at least one computer. I can guarantee that many of those moms, dads, and teens in those households had quite a few headaches related to their computers. Whether a virus took root, a hard drive died, or the dreaded BSOD (blue screen of death) appeared, millions of Americans were sitting in their desk chair staring at the screen letting out a huge sigh. When it comes to the frustrations above, the average computer user is not only baffled, but they usually end up paying a small fortune to a repair shop, or worse yet- a chain store. The good news is, those charges can be easily avoided.

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Should You Convert To A Roth IRA In 2010?

02.18.2010 by Jason Topp 10 comments

So 2010 is upon us and there is a lot of controversy regarding whether folks should convert their Traditional IRAs to a Roth IRA. Some of you might be wondering what exactly is a Roth IRA, well, here’s the basics:
A Roth is funded with after-tax contributions; the money grows tax-deferred; and withdrawals are TAX FREE!
In other words, you use money you’ve already paid taxes on to fund the Roth, and provided you meet certain qualifications you never have to pay taxes on that money again!

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How To File Your Taxes For Free (or pretty cheap)

02.17.2010 by Guest 4 comments

About 120+ million US taxpayers are expected to file a tax return this year. With the Federal tax code now approaching 72,000 pages, it is nearly impossible for a US taxpayer to complete the process without the help of a tax professional or computer software program. The average taxpayer this year will spend about 26 hours completing the IRS form 1040. Nevertheless, there are many ways you, as a taxpayer, can save some money when filing this tax season…

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How to update your wardrobe on a budget

02.16.2010 by Linda 12 comments

When I first got married, my financial life changed drastically! I was used to living at my parents house and spending more than I earned. But then I met Bob. He showed me that I can’t have everything I want and it has been a good lesson to learn, but a difficult one. So, I drastically stopped spending money on clothes and other things in order to pay our bills and more important stuff like that. I started going through some major life changes and felt the need to completely overhaul my wardrobe, but I had almost no money to spend. (For anyone who doesn’t understand this, clothes are just a way of expressing myself creatively…

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How Much Can You Afford To Pay For A House?

02.14.2010 by Craig 15 comments

…Instead we could ask, how little house do I need to meet our family needs, provide a healthy home setting, and be free from financial restraint? Chances are, you would be better off answering that question than the first question – how much. But, since it is the standard question, let’s address the question …

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8 Reasons Why The Best College Savings Plan is a 529

02.12.2010 by Guest 5 comments

Eight reasons why the 529 is the best college savings plan… The 529 college savings plan is probably the most flexible college savings option out there at the moment. It is named for Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, which created the fund concept and codified it in 1996. 529 Savings Plans function much like a 401k or an IRA – they are accounts into which you place funds that are then put into mutual funds or other mainstream investments. Section 529 plans are administered by state agencies, but the investing, record keeping and reporting is usually delegated to a commercial investment firm. Every state has at least one 529 in place and some have several.

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Planning a Wedding on a Budget: 4 Tips for Saving Money

02.08.2010 by Linda 14 comments

The first way to save money on your wedding is the most important: you have to want to save money. I’ve noticed in the past few years that some things are worth paying for, and some things are not. But just because you don’t pay for something doesn’t mean you can’t get great results (and sometimes better results) by using your creativity. Here are some simple things to do to save money. They all involve creativity, so open your mind and get creative (or call you sister or friend or aunt in the room to help you out)…

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How to Raise a Child on Less Than $266,698

02.07.2010 by Joe 9 comments

How much does it cost to raise a child these days?
According to Baby Center web site, the cost of raising a child from baby to adulthood is $266,698.
Now that you have pulled yourself up off the floor, I want to assure you that it is OK to bring babies into the world even if you [...]

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Save Money with Do-It-Yourself Jobs

02.04.2010 by Jason Price 9 comments

Most people are looking for ways to save money this year to make forward progress on important financial goals such as paying off debt or saving for emergencies. If you’re like a lot of people, you’ve already cut back in spending areas, such as entertainment, that tend to push you over your monthly spending goals. As a spending oriented society we’ve grown quite used to having things done for us (myself included). There are many things your mom, dad, grandma or grandpa used to do themselves (do it yourself jobs) which didn’t cost them anything more than a little extra time. But companies today have learned to capitalize on the quick pace of life many of us tend to lead.

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A bunch of great ways to save money

02.03.2010 by Bob 5 comments

I still remember the day it dawned on me that by actually thinking about and monitoring where my money was going, I could actually have a lot more of it. As a person who spent many years not paying attention to where my money was going, it was quite an eye-opening experience. I remember seeing my credit card bills and wondering to myself how going out to eat a few times and a knick-knack here or there could add up to hundreds of dollars. I would often recalculate the totals because I was sure that the credit card company had made a mistake. Yet I never found a calculation error on their end – it turned out it was just foolish overspending on mine!

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Money Management Advice from Grandpa

02.02.2010 by Guest 10 comments

My grandfather used to say to me “If you take care of your pennies, your dollars will take care of themselves.” And “it’s not what you make, it’s what you save.” He and my grandmother were frugal, I mean frugal. I can remember when I was younger being appalled at their simplicity. My grandparents lived as though they had nothing, absolutely nothing. But here is the catch – they had more financial security than most people I knew back then and certainly more than many people I know of today…

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