Personal Budgeting/Finance
- Coupons for Your Budget
- Holiday Shopping Coupon Codes
- Which Debt to Pay Down First
- Cooking on a Budget
- IKEA Christmas Shopping Review
- Life After Bankruptcy
- Poor Economy and Holiday Markdowns
- Manage Your Money Online
- Get Free Stuff, Give Free Stuff
- Online Banking Accounts
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Couponing takes a little extra effort that can pay off with big savings.
Coupons have helped me to stick to my budget for years, and if I have a high-value coupon on something that is on sale, I have to restrain myself from doing a happy dance right in the store aisle. Yes, I get that excited about saving so I can stick to my budget!
Is clipping coupons worth your time? If you keep coupons organized, it probably is.
Lena Gott has some great ideas for getting coupons organized and finding the best deals in How to Save Money with Coupons. Add a price book to couponing to realize some substantial savings in your personal budget.
Is clipping coupons worth your time? If you keep coupons organized, it probably is.
Lena Gott has some great ideas for getting coupons organized and finding the best deals in How to Save Money with Coupons. Add a price book to couponing to realize some substantial savings in your personal budget.
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
I found some great deals while shopping for holiday gifts online, and I am passing the savings on to you. Link go straight to website - these are not affiliate links.
I'm finishing up my Christmas shopping, almost all of which I'm doing online on sites that offer free shipping, which is good for my budget. I found these deals so far and I'm passing them on to you so you do holiday shopping from home and stick to your budget.
Amazon.com 4-for-3 promotion:
Amazon.com
JCPenney.com
HearthSong.com
Target Online
LLBean.com
Amazon.com 4-for-3 promotion:
Amazon.com
- Buy any 4 eligible items and get the lowest-priced item free.
- Eligible products include select Books, CDs, DVDs, Single Copy Magazines, Home & Garden items, and Home Improvement tools.
- Find items eligible for Amazon.com 4-for-3 promotion
JCPenney.com
- Free shipping on orders of $49 or more. Use code STNICK. Ends December 17, 6 p.m.
- $15 off orders of $75 or more. Use code BBCURR7B. Ends January 11
- 30% off regular priced items, or 10% off sale items. Use code SANTA. Ends December 14.
HearthSong.com
- Hearthsong has a unique selection of toys and crafts.
- $4.99 shipping on orders over $50. Use code HS49. No end date given.
Target Online
- 10% off $50 or more, free shipping on most items. Use code TGTAFT7R.
LLBean.com
- Free shipping on orders.
- $10 gift card with every $50 purchase - see details.
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
There is more than one way whittle down debt. Check out these ideas to reduce your debt and potentially save hundreds of dollars in interest.
FiveCentNickel.com has a great analysis of three methods of paying off debt. FiveCentNickel took a hypothetical couple with two credit card debts and a car loan, each with a different balance and interest rate, then posed the question, "Which debt should you pay off first?"
From there, Nickel compares three methods of debt reduction: Dave Ramsey's debt snowball, paying down the debt with highest interest rate first, or concentrating payments on the debt with the lowest ratio of outstanding balance to minimum amount due.
Normally, I would pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first, but I like I like how Nickel analyzed the alternatives and I'll refer back to his blog post, Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math then next time I need to decide which debt to pay off first. The post is from a couple of years ago, but the methodology never goes out of style.
For more debt-reduction ideas be sure to read Paying Credit Card Debt Creatively, where Felicia Williams discusses how to pay off debts sooner without paying a higher monthly amount. Great idea, Felicia!
From there, Nickel compares three methods of debt reduction: Dave Ramsey's debt snowball, paying down the debt with highest interest rate first, or concentrating payments on the debt with the lowest ratio of outstanding balance to minimum amount due.
Normally, I would pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first, but I like I like how Nickel analyzed the alternatives and I'll refer back to his blog post, Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math then next time I need to decide which debt to pay off first. The post is from a couple of years ago, but the methodology never goes out of style.
For more debt-reduction ideas be sure to read Paying Credit Card Debt Creatively, where Felicia Williams discusses how to pay off debts sooner without paying a higher monthly amount. Great idea, Felicia!
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Need a cheap and easy idea for extending turkey left overs? Inexpensive and easy-to-make turkey soup is healthy too!
Chances are good that you have some Thanksgiving turkey left overs in your freezer. If you don't, you need to get out and shop the sales for Christmas turkeys to save money by having left overs and an extra turkey or two in the freezer to enjoy later in the year.
My Healthy Cost-Cutter Turkey Soup is a simple, healthy recipe with directions for freezing some of the soup to further stretch your budget dollars. Vary the seasonings in the broth, add a splash of wine or use white and wild rice or barley in place of the pasta to make the soup a little differently each time you serve it.
In my house, no meal is complete without dessert, and this time of year we are topping off our delicious turkey soup meal with very easy and budget-conscious Christmas Pretzel Cookies. Yum!
The turkey soup recipe is a meal-stretcher because you get many meals from one main course. Can you share any meal-stretching recipes or ideas? Please post them in the Personal Budgeting Food Stretchers Discussion!
My Healthy Cost-Cutter Turkey Soup is a simple, healthy recipe with directions for freezing some of the soup to further stretch your budget dollars. Vary the seasonings in the broth, add a splash of wine or use white and wild rice or barley in place of the pasta to make the soup a little differently each time you serve it.
In my house, no meal is complete without dessert, and this time of year we are topping off our delicious turkey soup meal with very easy and budget-conscious Christmas Pretzel Cookies. Yum!
The turkey soup recipe is a meal-stretcher because you get many meals from one main course. Can you share any meal-stretching recipes or ideas? Please post them in the Personal Budgeting Food Stretchers Discussion!
IKEA Christmas Shopping Review
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Shopping at IKEA saves money year-round, and buying low-cost, high-quality holiday gifts and decor at IKEA is an excellent holiday shopping strategy.
Have an IKEA store within tolerable driving distance? Go Christmas shopping at IKEA! Save scads of cash shopping at IKEA for Christmas ornaments, lights, Christmas trees and other low-cost holiday decorating. Also check out IKEA for low-cost, high quality holiday gifts like toys, dishes, candles, wall art and all kinds of quality, low-cost kitchen and bath paraphernalia.
I recently did some early Christmas shopping with friends at IKEA. My group arrived at IKEA before the merchandise floors were open, but IKEA's restaurant was open. I had a delicious cinnamon roll with a cup of coffee, with the coffee being free until 10:00 a.m. I noticed that IKEA's restaurant had some good healthy choices and the food prices were all ridiculously low. What a great way to start off this holiday shopping excursion.
I was confused about how to get between three floors with my large shopping cart until one of the IKEA staff showed me the cart escalator that moves between floors right next to the "people escalator". I put my cart on the escalator and held my breath, hoping it would stay upright - which it did!
The selection and variety IKEA offers for furniture and supplies for home and office is nothing short of amazing. There were even some toys, indoor plants, pet supplies, and packaged foods that made great Christmas and holiday gifts.
IKEA furniture is so inexpensive that I expected it to be flimsy or shaky, but everything I sat on or tried to shake was solid. Read more about IKEA and see how you can save money on Christmas shopping this year.
More Holiday Shopping Help
Survive Holiday Overspending
Frugal Toy Shopping for Christmas
Track Your Christmas Spending with Free Personal Finance Software
I recently did some early Christmas shopping with friends at IKEA. My group arrived at IKEA before the merchandise floors were open, but IKEA's restaurant was open. I had a delicious cinnamon roll with a cup of coffee, with the coffee being free until 10:00 a.m. I noticed that IKEA's restaurant had some good healthy choices and the food prices were all ridiculously low. What a great way to start off this holiday shopping excursion.
I was confused about how to get between three floors with my large shopping cart until one of the IKEA staff showed me the cart escalator that moves between floors right next to the "people escalator". I put my cart on the escalator and held my breath, hoping it would stay upright - which it did!
The selection and variety IKEA offers for furniture and supplies for home and office is nothing short of amazing. There were even some toys, indoor plants, pet supplies, and packaged foods that made great Christmas and holiday gifts.
IKEA furniture is so inexpensive that I expected it to be flimsy or shaky, but everything I sat on or tried to shake was solid. Read more about IKEA and see how you can save money on Christmas shopping this year.
More Holiday Shopping Help
Survive Holiday Overspending
Frugal Toy Shopping for Christmas
Track Your Christmas Spending with Free Personal Finance Software
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Have you declared bankruptcy, or are you considering doing so? Start recovering financially before or after bankruptcy with these tips.
Whether you had to take the plunge into declaring bankruptcy or you are considering doing so, you can recover financially starting with some simple measures.
Budget Templates for Spreadsheets ~ Create Your Budget on Paper ~ Budgeting in College
- Develop new spending habits and new attitudes toward money. Make a list of everything that brings you joy and then focus on bringing more of the inexpensive things into your life. This sounds simplistic, but you need to start somewhere with redefining financial habits. Who says that start has to be complicated or difficult?
- Whether you have declared bankruptcy or not, read up on debt reduction planning starting with Plan to Get Out Debt: Six Steps to Pay Off Credit Cards and Loans to learn how to start eliminating debt.
- Learn about great online tools for reducing debt in Stephanie Gallagher's Debt Relief Tools: Five Calculators To Help You Reduce Credit Card Debt Now
- While declaring bankruptcy is not to be taken lightly, once it has become a necessity you need understand that there is life after bankruptcy. Take control of rebuilding your finances and let yourself feel good about doing so. As Felicia Williams notes in Life After Bankruptcy: How to Regain Financial Credit-worthiness, with patience, planning a developing new habits there is life after bankruptcy.
Budget Templates for Spreadsheets ~ Create Your Budget on Paper ~ Budgeting in College
Poor Economy and Holiday Markdowns
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Can the economic downturn in the United States save you money this Christmas?
Retail analysts and Wharton School scholars both have proclaimed early Christmas sales for everyone! That's because with the economic downturn in the United States, many consumers are either strapped by debt, burdened by energy costs or less confident about future earnings -- or all three. This leads the majority of consumers to spend less or at least to take more time shopping around for the best prices.
When people do not buy, retail inventories pile up and this cost combined with the lack of sales does not make for profits. In response to this situation, the best thing the retail industry can do is to follow Wal-Mart's lead and slash prices by offering holiday sales in hopes of generating profits. I have noticed more free shipping offers from mail order and online retailers as well (great news for someone like me who avoids stepping into a bricks-and-mortar store if at all possible).
Price-slashed Christmas and holiday sales bring in less profit, but price cuts give retailers a chance at some profit at the end of the holiday shopping season.
Sounds kind of dismal, doesn't it? That is not the case for you as the consumer. Watch for great holiday sale prices and for drastic after-holiday clearance prices, and enjoy less expensive holiday giving. And take advantage of lower holiday sale prices by stocking up on items you use or plan to give later in the year. The advice in How to Shop Clearance Sales applies to this frugal shopping strategy, and to get into the nitty-gritty of finding the best holiday sale prices, start keeping a price book now.
Read The Holiday Shopping Outlook: I Saw Mommy Dissing Santa Claus from Knowledge@Warton to learn more about holiday shopping trends.
Knowledge@Wharton is the online free-access business journal published by Wharton University.
When people do not buy, retail inventories pile up and this cost combined with the lack of sales does not make for profits. In response to this situation, the best thing the retail industry can do is to follow Wal-Mart's lead and slash prices by offering holiday sales in hopes of generating profits. I have noticed more free shipping offers from mail order and online retailers as well (great news for someone like me who avoids stepping into a bricks-and-mortar store if at all possible).
Price-slashed Christmas and holiday sales bring in less profit, but price cuts give retailers a chance at some profit at the end of the holiday shopping season.
Sounds kind of dismal, doesn't it? That is not the case for you as the consumer. Watch for great holiday sale prices and for drastic after-holiday clearance prices, and enjoy less expensive holiday giving. And take advantage of lower holiday sale prices by stocking up on items you use or plan to give later in the year. The advice in How to Shop Clearance Sales applies to this frugal shopping strategy, and to get into the nitty-gritty of finding the best holiday sale prices, start keeping a price book now.
Read The Holiday Shopping Outlook: I Saw Mommy Dissing Santa Claus from Knowledge@Warton to learn more about holiday shopping trends.
Knowledge@Wharton is the online free-access business journal published by Wharton University.
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Free Online Personal Finance Software is quickly becoming popular due to its convenience and safety.
Have you noticed the free personal finance software popping up all over the Internet? Using online software means you never need to download or install software, and you never install updates and need to restart your computer when you are in the middle of working. This is because online software is used through your web browser like Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Some free online personal finance software automatically downloads your financial account transactions and they require you to enter your financial account information to do so. These sites generally maintain the tightest security, but if you do not want to enter financial account information, you can still use free online financial software to manage your money.
Read Free Personal Finance Software: Top 3 Free Online Personal Finance Software to learn more and to read about the differences between my favorite online money management software.
Some free online personal finance software automatically downloads your financial account transactions and they require you to enter your financial account information to do so. These sites generally maintain the tightest security, but if you do not want to enter financial account information, you can still use free online financial software to manage your money.
Read Free Personal Finance Software: Top 3 Free Online Personal Finance Software to learn more and to read about the differences between my favorite online money management software.
Get Free Stuff, Give Free Stuff
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Just about anywhere you live, the Freecycle Network™ is a great way to get rid of stuff you no longer use but that is in too good of condition to throw away.
The Freecycle Network™ started to reduce waste in landfills and save the environment, which is a very worthy cause, but online Freecycle communities can save you a lot of money while providing a way for you to get things out of your house that you no longer need.
I read about Freecycle communities a year or so and joined the online Freecycle group in my community. The free stuff being given away includes coupons, computer monitors, furniture, clothes, a sand box, toys and perennial plants. Really, you can find anything for free with a Freecycle group, as long as that free stuff is legal.
I moved several months ago and had planned to sell an entertainment center that did not fit in with my new decorating scheme. Months passed and I never got around to putting an ad in the paper, so I decided to just post it on my Freecycle group and give it away. It was in great condition and someone would be happy with it. While I was at it, I posted the bike my daughter grew out of last year which also was practically new. Within hours, the free entertainment center and bike was out of my garage, freeing up space and being used by someone else. Today I gave away VHS work out videos I did not need just because I updated to DVD versions.
There are Freecycle communities in over 70 countries, so chances are there is one close to you and if there isn't, you can start one for your area. Get the details about how Freecycle groups work.
Related:
20 Ways to Go Green: Preserve Our Ecosystem Using These Environmentally Friendly Ideas
Which do You want to Spend? Your Time or Your Money
I read about Freecycle communities a year or so and joined the online Freecycle group in my community. The free stuff being given away includes coupons, computer monitors, furniture, clothes, a sand box, toys and perennial plants. Really, you can find anything for free with a Freecycle group, as long as that free stuff is legal.
I moved several months ago and had planned to sell an entertainment center that did not fit in with my new decorating scheme. Months passed and I never got around to putting an ad in the paper, so I decided to just post it on my Freecycle group and give it away. It was in great condition and someone would be happy with it. While I was at it, I posted the bike my daughter grew out of last year which also was practically new. Within hours, the free entertainment center and bike was out of my garage, freeing up space and being used by someone else. Today I gave away VHS work out videos I did not need just because I updated to DVD versions.
There are Freecycle communities in over 70 countries, so chances are there is one close to you and if there isn't, you can start one for your area. Get the details about how Freecycle groups work.
Related:
20 Ways to Go Green: Preserve Our Ecosystem Using These Environmentally Friendly Ideas
Which do You want to Spend? Your Time or Your Money
Posted by
Shelley Elmblad
Moving a savings account held with a local bank to a high-interest online savings account keeps slipping to the bottom of my to-do list. Time to stop procrastinating!
Alright, I have an admission to make as I hang my head in shame: I, the personal budgeting feature writer, have allowed my daughter's savings account to languish at a local bank while it collects 0.5% interest.
This week, I will move this savings account to an account at an online bank. Why would I want to use an online bank? Primarily for the higher interest rates these banks are offering - up to 5%, which is a significant difference compared to what a savings account earns at the local bank we are using.
This Week's Best Online Savings Account Offers:
FNBO Direct
This week, I will move this savings account to an account at an online bank. Why would I want to use an online bank? Primarily for the higher interest rates these banks are offering - up to 5%, which is a significant difference compared to what a savings account earns at the local bank we are using.
This Week's Best Online Savings Account Offers:
FNBO Direct
- 5.05% APR
- No minimum balance
- 4.75% APR
- No fees, no minimum balance
- 5% APR
- $300 minimum balance or $4/month service fee
- Avoid minimum balance/fee requirement if you open a WaMu free Checking Account™.