Tag Archives: Family Finances

Kids and Money: Anticipate the Unexpected Expenses

Kids are all about the unexpected, and that includes expenses. From an unexpected school fee to the discovery that braces are needed, these expenses can take you by surprise at best and leave you having to do without at worst. You can save yourself stress and even financial hardship when you take steps to be prepared. Another reason to anticipate the unexpected expenses related to kids? Things often wind up costing more when you don’t take care of them early. A cavity can turn into a root canal, a library fine can grow out of control, or you can lose … Continue reading →

Can Sweepstakes Get You Out of Debt?

As you look at your pile of bills, at the roof that needs to be fixed, at the fact that at least one of your children may need braces, do you dream of winning a big dollar sweepstakes that would take care of your problem? For “sweepers,” those who make a hobby, or even a living, out of entering sweepstakes, the dream may not be so far from a reality. Entering sweepstakes can pay off and may even be able to get you out of debt, if you don’t spend more than you win, if you apply the bulk of … Continue reading →

Summer Vacation Savings

Spend less this year on your summer vacation, no matter where you plan to go! Compare Rates There is more than one way to go on vacation, so make sure that you do your research before booking anything. Compare costs for both packaged deals and separate travel and accommodations. The only way to know if you are getting a good deal is to compare it to other offers out there. Sometimes you can save quite a bit of money just by choosing to start your vacation on a certain day of the week. While this may not make much difference … Continue reading →

How to Live on One Income

Is your goal to live on one income so you or your spouse can be a stay-at-home parent, pursue schooling, keep house, or another establish another endeavor? Take the following steps to make sure that you are well prepared for your lifestyle change. Get a New Attitude If you are currently living on two incomes, you may need to make some changes, both drastic and non-drastic in order to make the one income work for your family. Embrace money-saving ideas, such as shopping at yard sales or thrift stores, cooking at home, and bargain hunting. Look at these practices as … Continue reading →

How to Gather Items for a Garage Sale

Garage sales can be great ways to earn some extra cash that you can use to pay off debt. Just a few hundred dollars may be enough to pay off the next bill in your snowball or avalanche. (To learn more about the snowball and avalanche methods of getting rid of debt, click here.)  Gathering up items for your sale is often the hardest part about hosting one. Here are some tips that will help you do just that. Allow yourself enough time to go through your home. This way you won’t be rushing around at the last minute, or … Continue reading →

Coupons Can Cost You Money

Coupons can be a wonderful way to reduce your grocery bill. The cost of food can be high these days, and cents-off coupons make sense. Just make sure that when you use coupons, you use them carefully. Otherwise, you may actually see your grocery bill balloon to new heights. How can coupons raise your grocery bill? The basic answer is that coupons are actually calculated to get you to spend money by enticing you to purchase a product. They work really well at doing this, which is why manufacturers continue to offer them. If you aren’t careful, you could get … Continue reading →

Camping the Frugal Way!

Family bonding! Fresh air! Life skills! Fun! No matter why you camp, there is no doubt that you ultimately do it because it is a great activity for your family. And while the expense might be worth the experience, that doesn’t mean that you have to spend more  money than is necessary. Camping can be expensive or inexpensive. It all depends on how you approach it. Here are some tips on how you can cut down the costs on your great escape. Go Car Camping What is car camping? Basically, you drive to the campsite and park your car and … Continue reading →

Major Family Choices that Cost Money

Some choices in life we make because we think they are necessary, others because we think we are doing the right thing, but often there is another way of looking at it. While the following major family choices shouldn’t be made solely on the basis of money, in each case, these decisions will have a significant impact on your financial future, maybe more than you might think. It is important to get tough and objective when you are faced with the following life situations, or at least be prepared for the incoming financial impact. Getting Divorced Divorce causes a lot … Continue reading →

Paying Down Debt? Why You Need a Credit Check

Before even thinking about getting out of debt, you should find out your credit scores and your credit reports. Not factoring in this information can affect your get-out-of-debt success. Seeing What You Owe Being armed with your credit scores and your credit reports will give you a good starting point for your debt repayment plan. You will be able to see all that you owe and who you owe it too. Sometimes when we are in major debt, we concentrate so much on just getting the monthly payments in that we underestimate the amount of debt that we have, or … Continue reading →

12 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Grocery Bill

It is never too early or too late to reduce your regular expenses, especially one of the biggest ones, foo. Here are 12 easy ways that you can reduce your food bill, starting now.   1. Never shop when you are hungry (or with kids, if you can avoid it). Both situations will lead to overbuying, as extra things find their way into your grocery cart. You may have good intentions, but hunger and kids will usually prevail.   2. Look for stores that double coupons and be on the alert for triple coupon days.   3. Use your coupons … Continue reading →