Archive for April, 2008

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Your Vehicle May Be Breaking Your Bank

Forgetting the ever-increasing price of gas, your car may be one of the main reasons you are struggling to make ends meet. Car payments may be wiping out your funds and that does not include the insurance costs, registration costs, maintenance costs, and the other things associated with owning and operating a vehicle. It is [...]

April 30th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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Speak Up to Get A Deal

There are several businesses that like to offer special deals. The only trick of it is – these special deals are on the down-low and you won’t get them unless you ask for them. Businesses will be happy to oblige you with their special offers but take advantage of the fact that many consumers will [...]

April 29th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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To Fight or Not to Fight: The Ridiculous Fee

Companies and industries across the board have had to become more and more creative to stay competitive and still offer the lower price. The lowest price tag usually wins so the companies need to find inventive ways to make a profit. This innovative method that is now employed by many places is known as “the [...]

April 29th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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5 Guidelines for Assessing Your Financial Situation

It isn’t possible to give everyone definitive answers to financial questions in a generic one-size-fits-all article. What we can do, though, is provide a set of guidelines that will apply to most situations, to help you assess your own financial situation and make educated decisions.

Repaying Debt: There are a number of methods for paying down [...]

April 29th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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Carnival of Personal Finance #150

The carnival was hosted by Lazy Man and Money who’s name suggests he’s lazy… but I’m not sure how true that can be since it took him 16 hours to put this week’s carnival posting together!  Thanks for the hard work, and for listing 115 articles from personal finance bloggers all over the net for our [...]

April 28th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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You Can Invest With $100 or Less

Think you can’t afford to invest anything?  Think again! It appears that ING direct, one of the leading online banks offering high interest savings accounts, also has a program called Sharebuilder, which allows you to start investing with very little money.
Sharebuilder offers three different programs for the individual, beginning investor, including:

BASIC: No monthly billing, $4 [...]

April 27th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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What Your FICO Score Doesn’t Say About You

It’s becoming easier to feel as if your credit score defines who you are.  It’s the number one tool used when a lender is deciding whether or not you should be given credit; but it’s also becoming commonly used by the car insurance companies as a factor in how much you pay for your car [...]

April 26th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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Inexpensive and Ideal Learning Experience for the Whole Family

Many people take for granted that there are products in the store, bought at convenience and typically always available. For kids and parents alike, there are plenty of great opportunities, often just a short drive away, where they can develop a deeper appreciation for the things we buy and the things we need.
An inexpensive, and [...]

April 25th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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BOOK REVIEW and GIVEAWAY: High School Money Book by Don Silver

The title of this book tells me it’s geared towards High School students, but even though I’m technically an adult (and way beyond my high school years), when I was reading my copy, I couldn’t seem to put it down.
The sentences are short and written in language that’s easy to understand the first time through, [...]

April 24th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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8 Ways to Save Your Money Buying Airline Tickets

Higher gas prices coupled with the higher price of everything else has lead to astronomically priced airline ticket. However, there are still ways to save cash and find a deal.

When you are ready to purchase a ticket, shop online. Start first by comparing ticket prices of competing sellers before selecting a fare.

Find the lowest prices [...]

April 24th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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A Month of Groceries for a Family of Four – Under $150

Everywhere you look, people are complaining of the rising prices and the difficulties of keeping up with their monthly expenses.  The average family of four spends over $500 a month on groceries (including paper products and cleaning supplies) with some families spending over $800 monthly.
If you are in need of some extra cash and are not sure [...]

April 23rd, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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WEBSITE REVIEW – MakeMoneyFromWriting.com

I am so glad that I can finally write about this coaching program – the one that started my career as an online writer. This is the program that got me started doing what I do.  I am a full time writer, and I make money by writing articles, e-books, blogs and other web-related content. 
Like [...]

April 23rd, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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How to Maintain Your Lawn on a Budget

Everyone has a neighbor with a perfect yard.  You know the one- their grass looks like a thick, green carpet that covers their entire property and they have landscaping you see in magazines.  Most of these people probably spend a good portion of their monthly home maintenance budget on their yard care, but there are [...]

April 22nd, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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Cheap Vacation Idea: Don’t Leave Home

With seemingly the cost of everything rising in price and leaving families in a bind, an expensive vacation may not be in the cards for many. However, there is a perfect vacation awaiting you and you don’t even have to leave your house.
While it may sound odd and not much like a vacation at all [...]

April 22nd, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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Home Efficiency Improvement Tips for the Home

Most often it is the little things gone awry in your home that jack up the cost of your utilities. It may be well worth it in the long run to implement changes now in order to reap the monetary benefits for years to come.
There are several simple things you can do in your home [...]

April 21st, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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How to Get the Most Money Out of Your Paycheck

While many people are having more and more trouble living on their current salary, there are a few things you can do to get the most from what you are currently making.
Use Direct Deposit – Utilizing the direct deposit service to deposit your payroll will help keep you from spending the cash in your hand. [...]

April 18th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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Lunchtime Lessons: Cheap Fixin’s and Good Ideas

The final school bell will be ringing soon, ending the convenience of in-school lunches and making family lunch time another important meal of the day at home. Kids may always want the expensive conveniences now found in the grocery isles but there are some great substitutes that will make them happy.Here are some tips that [...]

April 16th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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The Carnival of Personal Finance is Available

Carnival #148 is up and running and ready for you to get your fill of the week’s personal finance articles.  You can visit the entire listing on the Gather Little By Little Blog: http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com/2008/04/14/148th-edition-of-the-carnival-of-personal-finance/
Here are a few of the articles I was most interested in this week:

My Family’s Money: Outsource to  Your Kids Already
FiveCentNickle:  Credit [...]

April 14th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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7 Ideas for Your Income Tax Fund

 You may be relieved to hear the tax accountant tell you that not only do you not owe in to taxes but that you are, in fact, getting a refund. The word refund means basically that you lent the government money and they must give it back to you sans interest. There are several things [...]

April 13th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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7 Ways to Save for a Great Last-Minute Vacation

Making the ends meet and even trying to get ahead financially all year long, families may often postpone thinking about vacation planning until summer has already begun. Even if you haven’t been saving all year long, you can still plan and afford a great family getaway.Here are 7 tips to help you find a little [...]

April 13th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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Six Ways to Save Money at The Gas Pump

Every time I put gas in my 1997 Cavalier I just about have a small heart attack.  I think it has a 13 or 15 gallon tank, and when I first got the car during my college years, I literally could fill the thing up for about $20.  Now, I regularly fill her up with [...]

April 12th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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You Can Live More Green and Save More Green at the Same Time

For most people, saving the environment is more of a question about whether or not they can afford to live a little “greener” or not.  Luckily, there are many ways you can live greener to help the environment and save money at the same time.

Replace your doors with weatherproof, insulated versions.  These doors offer 1.5 [...]

April 11th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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Ideas for Family Entertainment When There’s No Entertainment Budget

If you’re working to pay off debts and stay afloat, the last thing you want to do is listen to your children complain they’re bored.  Even the best behaved children sometimes get a little tired of playing with their same toys and need a change of pace to keep it interesting.  How do you entertain [...]

April 10th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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Personal Loans: Should You Borrow Money from People You Know?

There is no bigger potential for a family rift than borrowing money from a relative or even a friend. If you find you are in a financial crisis and decide to ask for help from a loved one, there are ways to make it legitimate and hopefully pain free. You can not jut take it [...]

April 9th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued
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How to Budget for Hidden Travel Costs

Many people take vacations or short trips, and have just enough money available to fund the expenses.  While this is a good technique to avoid overspending, it can also cause problems when you run into hidden travel costs that you hadn’t anticipated.
More often than not when you stay at a hotel now, during the check-in [...]

April 9th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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See the Value with Contact Lenses 70% Below Retail Cost

Anyone who’s ever had to get an eye exam and either glasses or contact lenses understands that it can be quite the expense.  Especially if you don’t have adequate health insurance to cover your eye care costs.  You can now order Acuvue Oasys contact lenses online, and reduce some of the costs of your contact [...]

April 8th, 2008 | Debbie Dragon | Comments | Continued
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10 Things to Remember When Canceling Your Credit Cards

 We’ve all seen images of people wielding a pair of scissors and slicing up their credit cards, promising to never go into debt again. However, truly canceling a credit card takes more than cutting up a piece of plastic. It may also not be a smart idea if you want to stay credit worthy.Here are [...]

April 8th, 2008 | tisha | Comments | Continued