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Avoiding Money Traps

I’m addicted to these things, but at nearly $10 per box, I can’t afford to purchase them on a regular basis. Not just because they put a strain on my grocery bill, but if I ate as many as I wanted, I’d have to shell out additional money to purchase new pants. Mini donuts = money trap… but a dang fine tasting money trap. Thinking before you buy an item is a sure-fire way to avoid money traps. Exercise conscious spending. Before you fill fridge with cinnamon goodness or your den with pricey electronics or your kid’s room with a … Continue reading →

Are You Uncomfortable Being Frugal?

Whenever a lot of money is being spent, I tend to be uncomfortable, even if I am not the one doing the spending. Just hearing about lavish consumption kind of creeps me out. I keep wondering about the mortgage on the friend of a friend’s McMansion or how I could apply the cost of someone’s lavish vacation to building up our retirement fund. I don’t know how to react when friends give their toddlers spa days or I am invited to jewelry parties, or when the suggested contribution to the teacher’s or pastor’s gift is three figures (nothing against our … Continue reading →

Using A Loan To Get Rid of Old Debt

If you have been debating whether or not to take out a loan to get rid of some of your debt, you may be on your way to finding a good solution to the problems of high interest and that nagging feeling that it will take forever to pay off that debt. One of the reasons that things like old credit card debt take so long to pay off is that the debt often keeps growing long after you have cut up the card and stopped using it. For example, I have a few old credit card balances that I … Continue reading →

Summer Cash Savers

Don’t let the calendar fool you—summer is officially here, at least in my neck of the woods. We have been sizzling in 90-degree (plus) heat for more than a week. Despite the crazy hot temperatures, my daughter and I saw a man cutting his lawn with a push mower at 11 a.m. yesterday when the mercury had to be pushing 89 degrees. Come to find out, the guy is not as nutty as I thought. In fact, he’s probably smarter and richer than most of us who use a power mower to cut our grass. According to the Environmental Protection … Continue reading →

Don’t Fall For A Smishing Scam

If you use email, you have undoubtedly heard of phishing by now. Phishing scams have been around for quite some time, and unfortunately they still find plenty of victims. If you have a cell phone like so many people do, you may be targeted by a cousin of the phishing scam – the smishing scam. Smishing is SMS text phishing, and scammers are using it to get bank account and credit card information of unsuspecting cell phone users. Tonight, when my husband came home from work, he was telling me about how he keeps getting these text messages that appear … Continue reading →

Simple Ways to Save This Summer

Be happy with what you have. That’s one of the best ways to save money, according to my dad. He used to employ that line a lot when I was in high school trying to pump him for money to buy designer jeans. Twenty years later, I see his point. When you stop looking for fulfillment in material things, it’s much easier to spend less money and find contentment in the items you already have. Of course, if you just lost 20 pounds and your pants don’t fit any more, then by all means, spend, spend, spend. Now that summer … Continue reading →

To Coupon or Not to Coupon?

When I was married couponing was my saving grace. It saved us close to $100 a month on groceries. Some months it was the only reason we were able to make ends meet. I couponed because I had to. Now as a single mother, money is tighter, but so is my time. The thought of couponing can be overwhelming when you barely have enough time to get dinner on the table before you’re off to one thing or the next. How in the world do you squeeze in the time to coupon when you have so many other things going … Continue reading →

Ensure your Credit Security Through Credit Cards

I realize many people out there shun credit cards entirely. While I can see their point, they are actually bucking a system ingrained in society. By doing this, they are inadvertently hurting themselves. Yes, credit cards can be black holes into debt and financial ruin, except, they are not a loaded gun. You have to use them incorrectly to get yourself in trouble. There is no accidental debt. The problem with not having credit cards is our society has become so reliant on them. Therefore, so have the credit bureaus for their credit reports and scores. By avoiding credit cards … Continue reading →