Why You Almost Never Have To Pay Full Price Shopping Online

January 19, 2021 Leave a Comment

Going into a regular store and asking for a discount is something that people do, but unless it’s independent, you’re unlikely to get money off. It’s not at the discretion of the manager. And even if it was, margins in many brick-and-mortar outlets are slim. A lot simply can’t offer big savings.

It’s a different story online, though. Ecommerce businesses tend to have lower overheads and bigger margins. They’re also able to source a lot of goods in bulk, meaning that there are savings to be had.

In this post, we take a look at why paying the full asking price online isn’t usually required.

You Can Use Coupon Apps

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Here’s a little secret from the world of economics: sellers always want to charge the maximum price that consumers are willing to pay. Economists call it “price discrimination” and it just means charging a different price for every customer so they can get the most money.

Usually, price discrimination doesn’t work in practice. Customers can find out that other people paid less.

However, price discrimination still operates in the world of coupons. Sellers know that some people – like those of us who are frugal – will always look for a bargain. That’s why they issue coupons and give people a chance to enter a code at checkout. They know that most people will pay full price, but if they want to get business from savers, they need to offer some additional perks.

These days, you don’t have to trawl through dubious websites to get coupons. You can simply install apps into your browser which search for codes automatically for you. Honey is a good example, but there are many others out there.

These apps save you time, which lets you spend more time earning or enjoying your family life.

You Can Get Cashback Via Affiliates

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Online, affiliates get paid money by e-commerce companies to forward people to their products. Affiliates, however, will sometimes offer you cashback whenever you buy a product they link to. It’s their way of saying thank you and encouraging you to continue using their site.

Let’s say, for instance, you need something from the pharmacy. You can use affiliates for Walgreens cashback, meaning that you’ll get a kickback for any purchase you make.

It sounds a little complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it’s similar to most other cashback schemes.

You Can Always Buy In Bulk

Online retailers love it when people buy in bulk. It’s why so many companies, including Amazon, offer discounts for multiple purchases of the same product.

When it comes to buying in bulk, you have to choose your battles. Does it make sense to bulk order your earrings or fresh vegetables? No. But does it make sense to order dried foods and toiletries in bulk? Almost certainly.

Buying in bulk saves you anywhere between 5 and 40 percent, depending on the product. It’s worth doing if you have a large storage space in your home and you don’t mind parting with more cash upfront.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: Ecommerce businesses, frugal, online affiliates, upfront cash

Say Good Bye To Food Waste With These Easy-to Do Tips

January 18, 2021 Leave a Comment

Food waste is that it is rife in the Western world. The wasting of food is a serious issue because what is truly being wasted are resources such as clean water and energy in food production and transportation. Then there is the problem of greenhouse gases, a byproduct of the energy that is being used to produce the food we are wasting. All of which points to a situation that is very far from sustainable for our planet.

The good news is that even though the system is broken, there are actions we can take to help repair it, live more sustainably, and reduce our food waste. Read on to find out what they are.

Use a weekly menu system

The first step you can take to reduce food waste is to swap to a weekly menu system. This means you plan your entire week’s food including breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and take out.

Once you have this plan you can much more clearly see what ingredients you will need to buy. This then stops you buying too much food, and because you have a plan in place it also holds you accountable to eating and using the food you have for that day.

Of course, what no one tells you is that coming up with 21 meals plus snacks can be hard work, especially if you have to cook for others whose taste is not similar or you like a little variety in your meals. The good news is that you can make this task easier by using one of the following tactics.

The first is to find a recipe and meal planning app. These best ones to choose will not only allow you to plan what you are eating when but also automatically generate a shopping list for you. Something that can save you a whole heap of time and effort.

Another option is to use cookbooks to find your recipes and plan your meals. The good thing about this is that you can plan your food around particular ingredients that you know to be sustainable, and that are transported and packed in a more eco-friendly way.

Of course, there will be some work involved in writing your shopping list. Although you can create five weekly dinner plans and write out a master shopping list for each. Something that means you can just grab the list and go depending on the week you find yourself on.

Use your leftovers

Another important way that you can drastically reduce your food waste is to make sure you use your leftovers.

Don’t panic though, as this doesn’t mean you have to eat meals of cold cuts every second day. Instead, it’s all about getting inventive with what has been left over from the last meal.

For example, if you have roast joint beef at the weekend, be sure to save the leftover meat, cube it and try something like this easy Hungarian goulash recipe mid-week. It’s delicious and all you need are some dried noodles to serve with it, something that makes it wallet-friendly as well as sustainable.

Another option is to choose ingredients in your refrigerator-that aren’t going to be used to create stocks, soups, and sauces. You can then freeze these and you will have a free, instant meal for a busy day.

Finally don’t forget that you can make use of leftover fruit, rather than throwing it away as well. In fact, fruits such as bananas make wonderful ice cream and a leftover carrot of two is the perfect excuse to whip up a sweet treat like this cake?

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Choose a packed lunch

Not only is buying a sandwich when you get to work or school an expensive option, but it’s not very healthy or sustainable either. Indeed, there are all sorts of issues with this sort of eating including all the packaging that is used, and the potential waste involved.

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Fortunately, you can avoid all of this by bridging your own food from home. You don’t even need to craft specially made lunches. Instead, just get yourself a reusable food container and make a little extra of the meals you have in the evening. It’s that simple!

Compost scraps

Last of all if you want to reduce your household’s food waste composting is an essential action. Composting is where you collect the inedible parts of fruits and vegetables you use like peel, skin, and stems, storing them in a bucket in your kitchen and then adding them to a compost pile outside where they break down into nutrient-rich compost.

This compost can then be used in your garden to grow other plants, including other fruits and vegetables. Thus completing the cycle, lowering food waste and ensuring that you are living in the most sustainable way possible.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: fresh goods, Garden, menu, packed lunch, plan entire week, reusable food container

How to Help Your Elderly Parents Save Money

December 16, 2020 Leave a Comment

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When your parents reach their senior years, your primary concern is likely to be their health. However, there is another factor that you should not overlook, and that is their financial health. Unfortunately, many seniors have concerns over money, and this prevents them from being able to fully enjoy their retirement. If your elderly parent is concerned about their finances and wants to reduce their outgoings, there are many ways that you can help them with this. Check out these money-saving solutions for seniors:

Shop Around for Discounts

An excellent way to cut for seniors to cut their spending without missing out on buying their favorite products is to get familiar with senior discount days. Shopping in stores that offer senior discounts, such as Walgreen’s “Senior Discount Day” is an excellent way to pay less for both regular household items and treats.

Making a note of which stores offer senior discounts and which days they offer them will help to make it much easier for your elderly parent to know where and when to shop.

Cut the Cost of Repairs and Professional Services

One thing that many people worry about is the cost of an unexpected repair bill coming in, and for the elderly, this can be even more of a worry. Creating a list of recommended, trustworthy tradespeople that also offer a discount for seniors is helpful and will mean that if issues do occur, your parent will know who to call without worrying about being charged a fortune.

As well as getting discounts on services and repairs from plumbers and electricians, look for hair stylists that also give a senior discount, this is especially useful if your elderly parent likes to have their hair done frequently.

Make Savings on Travel

If your elderly parent has stopped driving in their later years, then ensuring that they get the best deals on the cost of bus and train tickets is crucial. It is worth investigating to see if they are eligible for further discounts on travel and transport, as this will help to keep their regular outgoings as low as possible without them losing their freedom and being stuck in the house every day.

Reduce Bills

As well as saving on your elderly parents’ shopping bills, the most significant savings that you can help them to make is by cutting the cost of their utility bills. Helping your parent go through their utility bills to ensure that they are receiving all the senior discounts and support that they are entitled to is an excellent starting point. Once you have established this, you can help them to make further savings by comparing utility providers. If you find a cheaper supplier that your parent can easily switch to, this is something that could help them to make massive savings over a year.

Helping your parents to save money in their senior years is something that may only take up a few hours of your time but could help significantly reduce their outgoings.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: cost of repairs, discounts, reduce bills, seniors, Stress, Travel, utility bills

Why Bankruptcy Should Always Be an Option if You’re Struggling With Your Finances

December 9, 2020 Leave a Comment

The word bankruptcy is scary to a lot of people. Most people see it as a word that means bad things. It conjures up feelings of being helpless, living on the street, and having no money left to buy food and raise your children. To many people, bankruptcy is the lowest of the low and is something that we should avoid at all costs.

Fortunately, that’s really not the case.

Bankruptcy is an option to help you get rid of your debts whenever you’re in financial trouble. Perhaps you’ve recently had to spend a lot of your savings on emergency expenses, maybe your medical bills are taking a toll on your finances, or you could have even lost your job and are now struggling to make ends meet.

Whatever your circumstances are, bankruptcy shouldn’t be a taboo that you avoid. In fact, it should be a viable option much like any other debt solution. So in this post, we’re going to talk about bankruptcy, explain what it is, and also offer some reasons for why you might want to consider it if you’re in a financial jam.

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Is bankruptcy a common thing?

One of the reasons why people think that bankruptcy should be avoided is because they don’t understand how common it really is. Sure, nobody should be aiming for bankruptcy and it should technically be avoided at all costs. However, debt is extremely common and it’s important to look for ways to overcome your financial troubles.

If you look at bankruptcy stats, you’ll see that there are hundreds of thousands of people claiming bankruptcy every year. In 2019 alone, there were around 774,940 cases of bankruptcy filings with around 97% of them coming from individuals. It should also come as no surprise to learn that these bankruptcies were filed by people that aren’t in a great financial situation. They often have low income and they’re usually struggling with basic necessities. Nobody wants to be in this situation, hence why bankruptcy can be seen as a ticket out of that lifestyle to help you restore your financial health.

Why do people go bankrupt in the first place?

So what actually causes people to go bankrupt in the first place?

Losing income is perhaps one of the most common reasons why people go bankrupt in the first place. If you’re suddenly demoted or lose a source of income, then it’ll negatively affect your financial situation. You might be unable to make mortgage payments on time or you might struggle to pay back existing debts.

Outstanding medical conditions is another common reason for going bankrupt. If you have to undergo many different medical procedures and also spend money on assistive technologies such as a wheelchair, then it’s going to quickly add up in terms of cost.

Credit card debts are another common reason for why people go bankrupt. They often don’t realize how high-interest fees are. This can result in a lot of overspending and it’s important to cut down so that you stay within your financial constraints.

You’ll find that people panic about their finances once the option of bankruptcy becomes a little more realistic for them. Thankfully, bankruptcy isn’t the only option but does still remain as one of the most effective choices.

What are the alternatives to bankruptcy?

Here are a few alternatives to bankruptcy that you might want to consider.

Finding other ways to pay off your debts. There could be many ways for you to pay off your debts. For instance, you could try and save a little bit more money from your paycheck each month so you can make higher than minimum payments. Alternatively, you could sell off some of your belongings to make a bit of extra money. You might also be able to take up a second job or work more hours to pay off your debts faster. A lot of these options sound obvious, but they’re undoubtedly effective ways to help you pay off your debts sooner.

Negotiate with lenders. You may be entitled to various debt settlement options to help you effectively erase some of your debt. This option isn’t available to everyone but can be a fantastic way to ease your debts if they’re low enough or if you can show that you’re unable to pay the lender back.

Consolidate your debts. Some banks and lenders might offer you the chance of consolidating your debts. This essentially means taking out a large loan to pay off every debt and then only having a single entity to repay it to. This usually results in lower interest rates and can be an effective way to reduce your debts,

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Reasons why you might want to consider filing for bankruptcy

So what are some of the most common reasons why you might want to file for bankruptcy?

You’re chaining credit cards into each other. If you use one credit card to pay for another, then you’re probably in a really bad spot in terms of money. Make sure you try and avoid chaining credit cards into each other because it’s going to spiral out of control really quickly.

Your debts are affecting your personal life. Did you know that the effects of debt can also include stress and other similar mental conditions? It’s extremely important that you deal with debt as soon as you can so you can return to a comfortable lifestyle where you’re not stressing out over your debts.

Your interest rates are going up. If you’ve taken out a number of loans in the past then there’s a good chance that your interest rates have increased over the years. If this is the case, then you may want to consider filing for bankruptcy soon or using a method to clear your debts so you can avoid paying higher interest rates.

You’re already working multiple jobs. It’s easy to say “just earn money” if you want to get rid of your debt. However, if you’re already working multiple jobs and are feeling the stress get to you, then bankruptcy may be the best option.

Your wages are being garnished. The term wage garnishment refers to your employer taking money from your paycheck in order to satisfy a lender’s conditions. If you owe someone money, they might try to speak with your employer to get them to pay up on your behalf. However, this results in you getting less money with each paycheck.

The alternatives haven’t helped. If you’ve tried alternatives to debt management and they don’t work, then we’d suggest considering bankruptcy so you can wipe out the majority of your debts in a single blow.

You’re using credit to pay for daily necessities. If you’ve reached a point where you rely on credit to pay for every essentials it’s time to consider debt solutions to ensure you stay healthy and boost your wellbeing. Debt is troubling to deal with, but it should never result in you having trouble with putting food on the table.

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Getting started with a bankruptcy claim

So how exactly do you get started with a bankruptcy claim? If you’ve read through this article and done a bit of research on the implications of a bankruptcy claim, then you might want to consider contacting Leinart Law Firm or a similar bankruptcy expert for more advice. They’ll help you analyze your situation so that you can get a better understanding of the options available to you for dealing with your debts.

In some cases, you’ll be recommended alternate options to help you deal with your debts. However, if bankruptcy does seem like the only viable option to help you get out of debt, then they’ll likely proceed with the process.

Bankruptcy isn’t a pass to drop your financial responsibilities

It’s worth mentioning that filing for bankruptcy doesn’t free you from your financial responsibilities. You’re still going to need to save money, you might still need to repay your lenders a smaller amount of money, and you’ll need to develop excellent money management skills to ensure you never fall into debt again.

It’s worth remembering that bankruptcy doesn’t actually cover all loans. For instance, it can’t help you with student loans, so you’re still going to need to pay that back yourself.

What comes after bankruptcy?

So what comes after bankruptcy? Now that you’re free to spend your money and have a large weight off your shoulders, you can start learning to budget your finances so you never end up in debt again. Using preventative measures will help you stay clear of debt in the future. But that’s just the start of your new life with financial freedom. There are many other things to do, such as learning to save money and finding ways to cut down on unnecessary expenses.

In other words, look for ways to secure your financial freedom in the future so you never have to think about bankruptcy or debt again.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: bankruptcy, claim, credit card, debt settlement, finances, financial, financial trouble

Can You Cut Down Your Winter Budget?

October 28, 2020 Leave a Comment

Can You Cut Down Your Winter Budget?

The days are getting shorter, the nights are longer, and the weather is overall cooler. Welcome to the winter months! While there are many things to be excited about, such as a soul-warming Thanksgiving recipe or preparing for the snow of the season, winter also comes at a cost. Your energy bills are going up! For a lot of households, energy bills have already registered an alarming peak during the first wave of the pandemic, as everyone has been staying at home.

Additionally, we all fall victim to mild seasonal affective disorder symptoms. SAD can lead to a depressive mood, making it hard to stay warm. As a result, you are more likely to make “costly” decisions, such as ordering takeaway food or grabbing a coffee on the go to keep your hands warm.

Is there anything you can do to manage your winter costs? Turning down the heater is not a viable solution. But you can use some smart tips and tricks to reduce financial pressure without making the household uncomfortable.

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Create a clear goal

As savings go, you can’t just start putting money aside without any clear objective. Indeed, you are more likely to keep your costs down if you understand what you’re trying to achieve. If you are looking to raise a specific amount, you can use smart tools, such as the Pigly.Com savings calculator, to help design a strategy. Additionally, you can also define how much you want to save throughout the winter, as this will act as your success goal. Say you want to save $2,000 over the winter months. Your savings plan can help you highlight the areas where you can cut down on expenses and the time it’ll take to reach your goal.

What does a goal matter? Because you don’t know what success looks like if you don’t decide what you want to achieve. Start by checking your bills and expenses from the previous years to estimate how much you want to save.

Cut down your grocery shopping

Here’s an interesting question for you: Does your grocery shopping feel more expensive in winter? You’d be surprised to find out that households typically buy more food during the colder months of the year. This has to do with the way the metabolism works. Your body burns more energy to maintain its temperature in winter. Therefore, hearty meals are a good idea to maintain a slow-burning source of energy throughout the day.

Even if you are not familiar with human metabolic functions, most people instinctively eat more in winter. In other words, you can expect to spend more on food. However, you can reduce some of the grocery costs through your backyard garden. Growing your own vegetables and roots in winter can offer a budget-friendly alternative. You can grow squashes, potatoes, carrots, beetroots, turnips, and green cabbages, for instance. These are the ideal components of a homemade stew, without any of the costs!

Insulation 101

Most properties lose some heat in winter. Your insulation is the most likely culprit. Thankfully, you can easily update an old insulation system without breaking the bank. For instance, you can change your attic insulation over the course of a weekend. Indeed, in a poorly insulated attic, cold air can come in. As a result, you’ll need to heat the house even more to compensate.

Another common area that can benefit from getting insulated in your basement. The basement is often humid and cold. However, most homeowners can waterproof their basement and add insulation sheets on the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Embrace spiced teas

Why is spiced tea a better alternative to the traditional cup of coffee? The simple answer is that spices help to warm your body from within. A spiced tea can raise your core body temperature more effectively and significantly than a cup of coffee. The phenomenon is called thermogenesis. Choosing teas that contain cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, for instance, can pack a healthy heat boost!

Make a point of cooking from scratch

Cooking from scratch offers many advantages. Firstly, it means that you are in control of the ingredients. Rather than relying on food-processed meals or heavy sugar and fat loads – which is everything we crave in winter! –, you can cook a hearty meal with yummy thermogenering spices. Secondly, cooking at home increases the temperature indoor. It’s a good idea, for instance, to plan an oven-heated meal in the evening, as the oven will keep your home warm for longer.

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In conclusion, you can help your body stay warm this winter without fearing the high grocery or energy costs. While it’s important to stay comfortable when the weather gets cold, you’d be surprised by how much difference simple switches of your habits can make. Stay warm without the financial burden this winter!

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: Can You Cut Down Your Winter Budget?, cooking, Cost, energy cost, grocery shopping, insulation, pandemic, reduce financial pressure, spiced tea, winter budget

If You Want To Move Home, Make Sure You’ve Got Your Finances In Order

October 14, 2020 Leave a Comment

Moving home is not a simple time by any means. There is so much that needs to be done, and one of the most important things that you’re going to have to do is make sure that your finances are in order. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you’re struggling simply because you didn’t think far enough ahead or plan well enough. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you can do when it comes to your finances. Keep reading if you want to find out more.

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Selling Your Old Home

You should think about selling your old home if this is something you’re going to do. It might be the case that you’re simply buying a second property, but for most people, this isn’t going to be true. If moving home depends on selling the home you have now, this is certainly something that you need to know. A lot of people need the finances from their house to be able to move, and if this sounds like you, then you need to do this before you can get started on the moving process. Speak to an estate agent, have your home valued and see what kind of interest you get when you put it on the market. You don’t want to start looking for a new home, find one you love and then realize you can’t move there because your home is proving difficult to sell.

Work Out The Mortgage

When you do find a new place that you want to live in, you’re going to have to figure out what the mortgage is. Of course, you’re going to need a professional to help you get the mortgage, but that doesn’t mean looking on a site like MortgageCalculator.org to get a better idea of what you can afford is a bad idea. It will help you put into perspective how much you can afford based on what deposit you will have available to put down and the monthly repayments.

Remember that if you are buying a home with a higher value than what you currently have, the payments are going to be higher, and you’ve got to budget for this.

The Associated Moving Costs

Finally, moving isn’t a cheap thing to do, so you’ve got to factor in all the associated moving costs. This means hiring a van to take your stuff from the old house to the new, hiring an attorney or conveyor, an estate agent, cleaning services, and so on. The best way to do this is to make a list of everything that you’re going to need to pay for, find quotes online, and then work it out this way. While it might not be 100% accurate, it will give you a good idea as to what you can expect to pay when the time comes.

We hope that you have found this article helpful and now understand some of the ways that you can get your finances in order before you move home. It’s essential that you do this for the success of the entire process so take this advice! Good luck, and we hope that you love your new home.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: agent, Cheap, Family, If You Want To Move Home, Make Sure You've Got Your Finances In Order, mortgage, move, moving cost, Old Home

Protecting Your Money Even When You Are Gone

September 29, 2020 Leave a Comment

If you’ve been planning for the future, like a lot of us, then a lot of your thinking is likely to be fixated on the topic of what’s going to happen to your money assets when you’re gone. You’re going to want to make sure that your wants as to how it is used and where it goes are met. Here, we’re going to look at a few steps you can take to protect your money into the future, even when you’re gone.

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Make sure you state your wishes clearly and firmly

One of the most important steps of thinking about and planning for your future is to write your will. Your will ensures that both your loved ones and those with the legal power to execute your will and pass out your assets and wealth are as fully informed about your wishes as possible. If you have significant assets to pass on, it’s best to write a will with the help of an attorney. For instance, you can stop people from claiming more inheritance than they should by ensuring that your will provides for everyone to a reasonable degree. If you skip out people on your will, they can end up launching legal action that can muddy the waters.

Put it in the hands of someone you can trust

When you have a will or an estate plan, you aren’t going to be there to make sure that everything is divvied out as you want it. However, you can make sure that someone you can trust is put in charge of managing your affairs for you. Take your time to research and learn what you need to know about estate representatives. Effectively, these are the executors of your will that will gather together all of your assets and make sure that they’re kept safe until they have been completely divided amongst your beneficiaries. People often choose a close family member or friend to take care of this for them, but you may also want to hire a neutral and qualified third party.

Know what not to include in your will

There are a few issues that can result in your will becoming easy to contest to the point that it can be effectively thrown out. One of the factors that can lead to this risk is a misunderstanding of your assets, what goes into a will, and what doesn’t. Take the time to learn about what you shouldn’t include in your will and make sure you have other provisions for these if you need it. For instance, a lot of people put together their last wishes for funeral and memorial arrangements into wills, but this isn’t the right place for them. The same goes for any life insurance money or jointly held assets.

Of course, once we’re gone, we’re gone, and we can’t really do too much to affect things then. However, the steps you take now can at least give you the best possible chance of ensuring that your wants are met as closely as possible.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: estate, planning your future, trust, will

How Your Backyard can Help You to Live Frugally

September 7, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Many people try to live a frugal lifestyle, but often find it hard to put their plans into practice, or are unsure how to get started in the first place. Everyone likes to grab a bargain and save money, but to live completely frugally takes a more focused approach. The great news is that saving money is all about getting back to basics, so you don’t need to look far to make your dreams of living a frugal lifestyle a reality.

Are you fortunate enough to have a home with some outside space? If so, are you using it to its full potential? Utilizing your yard is an excellent way to save money. Outdoor space provides you with so many opportunities to reduce your costs; here are some of the ways that you can use your outside area to enhance your frugal lifestyle:

Spending More Time at Home

The pandemic has helped many people to appreciate their time spent in their homes and caused them to realize that they don’t always need to venture out to stay entertained. Many people have found that they have inadvertently saved a lot of cash by merely staying home more during the pandemic. If your attitude towards going out and spending money has changed, you may decide to continue being at home more often. Investing just a little time and money on improving your backyard right now can save you lots of cash in the future. Once you have created an outdoor space that you love to spend time in, you can enjoy life at home even more, saving you money on going out.

Get Gardening

Gardening is an excellent hobby, even if you don’t have a naturally green thumb. Being out in your garden and taking care of your plants is beneficial to your health and well-being. Gardening is excellent exercise, and a whole lot cheaper than a gym membership!

To get your backyard looking beautiful, you will need the right tools and equipment to help you. Finding tools that perform well and last will save you money in the long term, and also make tasks in the garden far easier. To ensure you save money and choose the right tool for the job, it is useful to make an informed purchase by looking at reviews and carrying out research before buying, such as this ego trimmer review.

Grow Your Own

Growing your own fruit and vegetables is not only a really enjoyable hobby, but is also a really simple way to save cash on your grocery shopping. The great news is that it is also good for the environment, as your food miles will be zero, and packaging is eliminated, so you will be actively reducing your carbon footprint while saving money at the same time! Many fruit and veggies can be grown in containers and don’t take up too much space in your yard. Why not get the kids involved too? They will love helping out and watching the produce grow.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: backyard, budget, Gardening, grow your own, Money, Saving

Recuperating After Experiencing a Financial Disaster

August 25, 2020 Leave a Comment

Have you been facing financial disasters one after another? Perhaps you’ve recently had to pay for an expensive necessity such as medical bills, or maybe you’ve lost your job and are struggling to make ends meet. Whatever the situation is, recuperating from these financial issues can be incredibly challenging.

So to give you a hand, we’re going to offer some tips to help you manage your budget and get back on track as soon as possible.

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Dig into your side hustles

If you have any side hustles, now would be a great time to push them even harder. For instance, if you run a side business selling a product, try and get some free advertising on social media or push for some discounts to help get the ball rolling. Side hustles are essential for building a financial safety net should you lose your job. If you’re facing cash flow issues, then it’s a great idea to use your side hustles as a temporary source of income.

Look for debt management help

Don’t be afraid to seek debt management help if you’re struggling to make ends meet. DTSS is one of the number one debt management companies in the country that can help you seek debt discharge and financial freedom. Speaking to experts will enlighten you and help you find the best solution for your financial problems. We highly suggest speaking to an expert if you’re unsure how to proceed or if you’re really struggling with your finances. A lot of financial advice can be had for free as well, making it a great resource to help you learn more about your finances.

Start watching your incoming and outgoing money

If you want to be more careful with your money, it’s crucial that you start thinking about your budget. Take note of how much money you make each week or month and compare it to how much you spend. Don’t hide any expenses because it won’t give you an accurate view of how much money you can realistically spend. This will prevent you from living a life that you can’t afford.

Understanding your financial struggles

Everyone in the world will have money troubles at some point in their life. How you react to those problems and examine them will separate you from other people. For instance, are you struggling with money because you’re spending too much on certain things? Are you buying too many entertainment-related things on a weekly basis? Facing your money-related issues involves digging into your own habits to understand your financial struggles. If you’re having trouble

Keeping your chin up despite the stress

It’s incredibly important that you try to stay positive during this time. Financial disaster can easily start to affect us mentally and will create a lot of stress. This can cause things to spiral out of control, such as being reckless with your money or relying on underhanded methods to make money. If you need help, it may be wise to consult friends, family members and experts to help you with the stress.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: debt management, financial, side hustles, Stress, struggles

5 Ideas To Earn Extra Money Online

August 3, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Most of us wouldn’t mind a bit of extra money each month, and they are plenty of ways that you can earn cash online. For a few options to get you inspired, these five are the perfect place to start.

1 . Litecoin Mining

There are several ways to make money using cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin. One example is Litecoin mining. The process involves solving an algorithmic puzzle, and once the puzzle is solved miners get a 25 coin reward. You can also make money with Litecoin trading, there are several sites where you can purchase Litecoin and sell it. There are many benefits associated with purchasing Litecoin. For instance, Litecoin generates blocks faster than Bitcoin. There is also much potential for market capitalization, as Litecoin is usually in the top rankings.

YouTube

Starting a YouTube channel is a fun way to make top dollar online. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, ‘On average, the YouTube channel can receive $18 per 1,000 ad views. This equates to $3 – $5 per 1000 video views.’

The highest earning YouTuber is currently Ryan Kaji, the eight year old kid who runs the channel ‘Ryan’s World.’ In 2019 Ryan made a whopping $26 million!

To get started on YouTube, you’ve got to put in the research and planning first. Think about which content is the most popular? What do all the high-earners have in common and what are their techniques? YouTube content has got to be educational, fun and above all creative.

Teach Online

If you’ve got some spare time at the weekends you might want to consider becoming an online teacher. Web teaching is an increasingly popular service, and you’ll have the flexibility to choose your own hours. There are many companies who hire teachers all year around. To look into this idea further check out services such as QKids, English Hunt and iTutor Group.

Virtual Assistants

A part time virtual assistant role is a fantastic way to earn extra money in your spare time. As a virtual assistant you’ll be expected to perform a variety of tasks including social media tasks, ordering processing, writing and bookkeeping. Working from home has many perks including setting your own schedule and no commute. If you’re keen to build your own business as a VA it’s simple to set up a WordPress site and promote your services using Facebook.

IZEA

With the IZEA platform you can earn money by tweeting, blogging, taking videos or photos. The bigger following you have the more you can earn, so it helps to build up your following before you get started. If you’re on your way to becoming a nano-influencer, and looking to work with brands, IZEA has all that you need to get started. If you’re a blogger you can also make money blogging by purchasing affiliate links to use on your site.

With so many fun and creative options, you’ll be adding to your bank balance in no time!

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: Izea, Litecoin Mining, teach online, virtual assistancts, Wordpress, youtube

The Mindset About Money: Preparing For Retirement Right Now

May 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Everybody has their concerns about the future, whether it’s undergoing a lot of planning for a happy retirement or making sure that you are financially sound, there’s a lot to consider. But with this in mind, when it comes to the financial aspect of preparing for retirement, is there anything that we can do right now? Of course, we can all pay into a pension pot, but there are so many of us out there that haven’t been able to do so for various reasons. Either you’re self-employed or you have just not been able to catch a break financially. So what are the best ways to prepare for retirement if you do not have the perks that so many others have?

Start Investing

Whether it is an investment property or something within your financial abilities, investing is one of the best ways to start getting onto a nest egg. Investment, even something like day trading schemes, all goes towards putting money towards your future. When we get into the mindset of putting a little bit of money aside, rather than looking at what we’ve got and thinking that it’s “not enough,” this “little and often” approach is what will help us to prepare for our twilight years.

Altering Your Lifestyle

If you’ve not been able to catch a break in a financial sense, it’s now the opportunity to look at where you are going wrong. For so many of us, it’s our lifestyle that causes considerable problems. We either get into the habit of relying on credit cards to get out of debt or we spend above and beyond our means. It’s as much about mindset as it is about money. And when you start to tackle your lifestyle and figure out what the key issues really are, you can then begin to cut corners without it affecting you drastically. An excellent example right now is that so many people have to limit their financial capabilities. As we are struggling financially, it also makes us realize just what we really need to get by. Once you start to think about conserving certain areas of your life, whether it’s in terms of batch cooking meals or figuring out how to live cheaply, you will see the difference. But the most important thing to remember is that the money that you are normally spending on your life when you start to look at what is leftover, you need to put this money towards a pension pot or retirement funds because you are used to seeing the money go out of your account in this volume. So in this respect, rather than it going towards paying off a credit card bill, if it goes towards something productive and worthwhile, you will feel the benefits later on.

Your finances are inextricably linked to your well-being. If you worry about money a lot, you’ve got to start figuring out what you can do right now to take considerable debt out of your life. If you are looking towards the future and considering your best plan of action, right now is a good opportunity to pay off debt.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: finance, investing, Meals, planning, Property

10 Ways To Lower Your Water Bills

April 22, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Just been hit by an expensive water bill? While other utilities can often cost us more overall, water is an expense that can still have a tendency of sneaking up on people (especially given that many of us pay it in annual or bi-annual installments).

Fortunately, water bills are one of the easiest utility bills to reduce. It’s largely a case of reducing your water consumption in and around the home. Here are just several ways in which you may be able to spend less on water.

Fix any leaks

A leak could have a significant impact on your water bill. This could be anything from a dripping tap to a corroded pipe to a damaged seal on a washing machine.

Most leaks are easy to pinpoint – it could be a simple case of following the dripping sound or looking out for water damage. In other cases, a leak may require a bit of detective work to solve. A plumber should be able to help you find the source. Indications that there may be a leak besides unusually high water bills include unexplained damp, unexplained trickling sounds or low water pressure.

Upgrade old plumbing fixtures

You may also be able to reduce your water consumption by upgrading any old water guzzling fixtures. Old toilets, old washing machines and old showers could all be worth replacing.

Sites like Plumbers Stock sell modern toilets and showers that can help you to save water. You can meanwhile shop at appliance stores for energy-efficient washing machines. While buying new fixtures isn’t cheap, you’ll likely save money in the long run. This could be particularly the case if old fixtures are already starting to leak.

Don’t leave the tap running

Do you leave the tap running while brushing your teeth? Or do you leave it running while doing the washing up? If so, you could be wasting unnecessary water.

You only need to run a tap while rinsing your brush. As for doing the washing up, it’s much more economical to fill a bowl with water and wash all your utensils in this bowl rather than to wash each utensil under a running tap. This can be a hard habit to kick, but could save you some money.

Buy a dishwasher

On average, most people use up more water when washing dishes by hand than they do when using a dishwasher. As a result, these appliances can be worthy investments.

A decent dishwasher should be able to clean all its contents with one cycle. Some machines have economy settings, but these may not always provide a thorough clean. You can find guides at sites like Expert Reviews that list the best dishwashers on the market.

Certain utensils such as pots and pans may still benefit from being soaked in hot water to get rid of tough food debri. It’s best to leave pans to soak immediately after cooking so that food has less of a chance to harden up.

Wash full loads

In order to reduce water consumed by your washing machine, make sure that each load is full. If you’re only washing half loads, you’ll be having to use your washing machine twice as much to get through all your laundry.

Don’t worry too much about separating colors – it’s a good idea to separate whites and to be careful with new clothes (they’re more likely to run), but otherwise most colors won’t affect each other.

It is possible to overload a washing machine, but generally this involves stuffing it until nothing else will fit. Fill up the drum, but don’t try to squeeze clothes into it like a suitcase.

Shower more, bath less

You can also save water by taking less baths and more showers. The average person uses 30 gallons when filling a bathtub, while the average 10 minute shower uses up no more than 20 gallons.

If you prefer longer showers, then baths may be more economical. However, for most people showering uses up less water.

Avoid ironing

If you do a lot of ironing, you could be consuming water every time you fill it up (although admittedly not a lot in the grand scheme of things). Ironing isn’t always necessary – if you hang up clothing to dry immediately after washing, you can usually prevent most creases from setting in. Besides, ironing is a chore that most people don’t want to do anyway. So why do it?

Use your vegetable water

Most of us chuck away the excess water when boiling or steaming vegetables, however there are times when it could be reused. Vegetable water makes a great base for broth and it can even be used to cook pasta in straight after, helping to add flavor.

There’s also the option of letting it get cold and using it to water plants with – it will be full of nutrients that could benefit your shrubs.

Harvest rainwater

When it comes to watering your lawn and plants, you can save a lot of money on water by harvesting rainwater. While you shouldn’t drink rainwater without purifying it first, it can be ideal for watering plants with and will save you using your mains water supply.

You can collect water by using a rain barrel. Many of these have taps attached from which you can fit a hose or simply fill up a watering can.

Consider recycling greywater

It’s possible to re-use waste water from your taps and shower for toilet flushing. This could help to save you a lot of water and a lot of money. Fitting a greywater recycling system isn’t cheap so this is definitely a long-term investment, but one that could be well worth looking into if you plan to stay in your home for the foreseeable future.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: dishwasher, flavor, Leaks, plumbing, recycling, showers, Stock, tap, toilets, upgrade, Water

5 Questions to Ask About Disability Finance

April 14, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Confused about disability finance? Worried about disability lawyers? Try our mini-guide to disability finance, to help clear things up.

1. Am I eligible for benefits?

It’s straightforward to figure out if you’re eligible for any support from Social Security, and if so, which kinds. You can try the handy tool here to see how much support you could claim. You can also ring their hotlines for advice, or get impartial advice in your community, for example, at a legal clinic. A good lawyer or disability attorney can also advise you on disability benefits.

2. What about insurance?

Disability insurance is something anyone can purchase. It works like any other insurance policy you have, like dental or auto. Some employers will offer you disability insurance as part of their benefits package, but if they don’t and you want it, you can set it up privately. It’s designed to cover you if you become disabled (short-term or long-term), and can no longer work. Elite packages are available if, for example, you’re an athlete or footballer — anyone with a job depending entirely on their physical status.

3. What will disability insurance do for me?

Usually, you’ll get a percentage of your monthly income paid out to you by the insurance company. Most companies offer this monthly. You may also get rehabilitation services and possibly return-to-work incentives (which may be financial). If you’d like rehabilitation or other aspects of your disability insurance, make sure this is included in your policy before you agree to anything. If in doubt, ask an attorney to look over your policy for you before you’ve committed to it.

4. What kinds of disability insurance are there?

SSDI: This is sometimes known as disability benefits. Whether you get it or not can depend on how much you’ve paid into SSDI, how many work credits you have, and the state of your disability.

State: Some states have made a certain level of employer-sponsored disability insurance, mandatory. This means your employer will have to offer you some disability insurance, but it depends where you live.

Private: This is where you take out an insurance policy yourself, which you pay for. It is designed similarly to any other insurance policy. If you become unable to work, your insurer should pay out a percentage of your wages.

5. What about disability lawyers?

Most disability lawyers work on things like denied claims, especially of disability insurance claims. Disability law requires a specialized disability lawyer due to the continually changing laws around disability. A personal injury lawyer is a very different type of lawyer and will not have the right skills. Be wary of hiring the wrong type by accident. If the lawyer you’re hiring exclusively deals with disability insurance cases, they will be experts in navigating that field, and you’re sure to be in the best hands.

The world of disability finance is ever-changing and can be very confusing. Make sure to get all the advice you need from reputable sources before entering into any legal agreements or financial commitments.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: disability, finance, insurance, lawyers, Social Security

What You Need To Know Before Lending Right Now

April 10, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Are you in a jam and require money quickly? Normally, in terms of making an application for any kind of financial support, a poor credit rating can be a disadvantage. However, there are now loans that will look at other areas aside from your credit history, but you need to proceed to caution.

Short-term loans are definitely the go-to-loans in times when you want fast access to cash, whether for a medical crisis, an unexpected bill or something different. For those who have low credit scores, it is possible that some lenders will consider you, although usually a guarantee will be wanted or the APR will be high. It is important to know this when comparing personal loans. Typically, an individual with a poor credit rating wouldn’t be suitable for most kinds of loans, because of their credit score and the specifications to meet the loan eligibility criteria. There was an extensive procedure involving paperwork and a set of data, like utility bills, credit history verification, previous loans, and plenty of other things. All these, and then in the end, only tell you what you previously know – you have a low credit history, and, therefore, you’re too much of a hazard to lend money to.

However, don’t lose hope, as a payday advance is one type of loan wherein a low credit history doesn’t keep you from being accepted. The most vital criterion that any lender will be seeking is whether you’ve got an occupation and also how much income you make monthly. They are searching to verify whether you’re capable of paying the loan back. After this information is confirmed, you will be given the funds in your bank account once approved.

How To Find The Cheapest Lending Solution

If you want to take out a loan, you will want to find the best deal financially. There are many factors that must be considered when determining how cheap a loan actually is, and so we will reveal how you can find the cheapest solution.

So, how do you find the cheapest loans for your situation? After all, you want to make sure you are paying back as little as possible. You need to get a true reflection of what you will be repaying first and foremost. More often than not, people find a company that is willing to provide them with the money they need, and thus they accept the deal with no second thought. This is ill-advised, as you must ensure you can afford the repayments.

The first thing you should look at is the APR, which is the percentage of what you have borrowed that you are going to have to pay back as well as the money you have borrowed. Aside from this, you need to determine whether there are any extra fees, such as application fees. This is something people can easily overlook, yet costs can mount up if you don’t look into potential fees. There are even some companies that charge fees for those who wish to make early repayments.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: APR, finance, paying back, repayment

Managing Life on a Smaller Budget

April 9, 2020 Leave a Comment

It can be quite tough to raise a family and run a household, whilst also being economical with a tight budget. From food to utility bills, clothes and more. Costs can easily mount up and become something of a stressful situation. But alas, it does not have to be this way! This article is here t help give you some helpful tips and guidance on how to be more economical at home.

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Repair Before you Replace

The best way to be more economical is to repair before you replace it. Not only does this reduce waste in the home, and therefore better for the planet. But it also is better for your wallet, with most things able to be repaired. From clothes to appliances. When it comes to appliances, it can be quite tough and scary if one of them starts to sound a little rough. The thought of buying a new one can also be quite scary with many of them being quite expensive. What you need to do is research, and get someone to tell you what the matter with it is. Then, once you know the problem, try and obtain and find a spare part and repair the problem! Not all problems can be repaired, but if it can, it can save a lot of hassle.

Family life can be an Expensive One

The idea of starting a family, or adding another child into the world is a beautiful one. However, unfortunately with that comes many new expenses that you need to be ready for. Something that could also happen, is maybe not expecting a baby but finding yourself pregnant. It can be a scary time. What to do if you are a new parent? What to do if you already have a family unit? Many questions can swirl in your mind. Something that is always the best choice is to do what is best. If you feel you want to go down to the path of something like an abortion clinic then that is your personal choice. Never do something someone tells you, do it because you feel its the best option. There are also a lot of materials on the web on how to prepare for a new baby, and what expenses you need to prepare for. There is also a lot of financial help available to new mothers, so also keep that in mind.

Research and Plan Before Any Treats!

Managing life on a smaller budget does not mean you have to deny yourself and your family fun, exciting experiences. You can still enjoy the occasional treat, it just might be even more important that you thoroughly plan these expenditures so you can factor them into your budget, and you aren’t surprised by any hidden costs! By all means, go to a restaurant to celebrate a birthday, but check the menu beforehand and remember to use a tips calculator to work out roughly how much you’ll be spending before you go. As a conscientious person, you’ll always want to celebrate within your means whilst giving your family the best experience possible, and preparation is definitely the best way to achieve this.

DIY (If you know how!)

Last but not least, DIY! Some people love it, and some people hate it, but something that can be agreed upon is that it is both time and money-saving to do a job yourself rather than wait for a professional. If it involves heavy work, then, of course, it is better to leave the big jobs to someone who knows exactly what they are doing. But, if you just want to paint the house, or do some basic jobs around the house, then these can be easily done by yourself. You can also source the parts cheaply from a variety of stores, and they serve a variety of price points.

So, do you feel after reading these handy tips that you can become a little more economical, whether it is reducing your waste or being a better spender whilst on a budget? Well hopefully these tips have helped you realize how easy it can be to become economical, and it really isn’t that scary to try something yourself, and see the benefits!

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: #repair, calculator, DIY, expensive, Family, household, Repair before you replace, Replace

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Money Problems?

March 12, 2020 Leave a Comment

Money problems are one of the biggest causes of stress in our lives, and we all experience them at some point. But if you want to manage your money more effectively, it is important to know what the most common financial dangers are. These are some of the most common reasons that people experience money problems.

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Reckless Spending

The most obvious cause of money problems is reckless spending. If you are prone to impulse buys and a huge percentage of your paycheck goes on things that you don’t really need, you will find it hard to save money and cover all of your necessary expenses. Often, bad spending habits go unnoticed because money is wasted on small things that quickly add up, like buying lunch or expensive coffee every day. If you really want to avoid long term financial problems, you need to find ways to cut waste out of your budget. If you go through your budget and identify all of the non-essential spending, you can cut things out and you will find it easier to manage your money.

Accidents and Injuries

Sometimes, money worries are not your fault and they happen because of unexpected life events, like accidents and injuries. If you are involved in a car accident, for example, and you are out of work for a while, it is tough to manage your money and pay all of your medical bills at the same time. You can get around this if you hire a car crash attorney and make a compensation claim. That extra money will help you to manage your living expenses and avoid borrowing and getting into debt. Having a healthy emergency fund in place is also important because this gives you a buffer to fall back on while you recover from your injury.

Decrease in Income

The economy is unpredictable and there is always the chance that your company may downsize and you could lose your job, or they may be forced to reduce your salary because they have hit hard times. A decrease in income is tough to manage if you continue with your normal lifestyle. In this situation, it is so important that you go back to your budget right away and rewrite it. Take a look and see if there is anything that you can cut back on for a while so you are living within your means.

Family Issues

Family issues are a very common cause of financial problems. A divorce, for example, is incredibly expensive and when you break up with your partner, your financial situation changes a lot. You can avoid some of these issues if you keep your own personal savings account that you can use to keep you going while you get back on your feet.

Caring for elderly parents can also lead to a lot of financial issues. As your parents get older, it is important that you start putting some money aside to pay for their care and make sure that the whole family pitches in so it doesn’t all fall on you.

Now that you know the most common causes of financial issues, you can be prepared to deal with them when they come up.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: accidents, decrease in income, expensive, family issuese

Building Wealth vs. Making Money: What’s The Difference?

March 7, 2020 Leave a Comment

If you want to make sure you have plenty of money for your family to live the life you want, then you might be wondering what the difference is between building wealth and just making money. Surely if you’re making money that’s enough? Sometimes, but not always. Here, we’re going to look at what the difference is between building wealth and making money so you can make some informed decisions and have as much money for your family as possible. Take a look.

Swapping Time For Money

Making money usually means swapping your time for money. More often than not, this is at a 9-5 job, 5 days a week. This is a substantial amount of time. Some people may not be making much money for doing so, but they feel they have to if they are going to survive. Some may be making a decent salary, but the fact remains that they are still swapping the most valuable commodity that they have.

While swapping your time for money at a 9-5 job might seem like a smart, secure way to make money, it’s almost certainly not the best way.

Building Wealth

Building wealth is something you need to do over time. You won’t have a substantial amount of money by the end of the month, or even by the end of the year. You need to play the long game. However, it’s effective because it means swapping as little time as possible. You won’t get immediate rewards, but the choices you make can make a huge difference over time. In general, the more methods you use for building wealth, the better. This means you never have to rely on one source of income to support your lifestyle, and that if something goes wrong with one method you won’t really have anything to worry about.

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Now that you know the difference, you can begin looking at various methods of building wealth. Your ultimate goal should ideally be to continue making money even while you sleep!

Make Smart Investments

Building wealth is mainly about making smart investments. You could get this started now by looking into xrp purchase swyftx – however, there are many ways you can get started with this. Apps can do it for you, or you could hire somebody to help you. It can be confusing at first, but starting early means you can take advantage of compound interest.

Create Products That Will Continue To Make Money

Create products that will continue to make money even once they are out there. For example, Youtube videos, courses, webinars, and eBooks. This can be particularly lucrative if you have knowledge in a specific area that you would like to share. They take work at first, but when they are complete, you will keep on making money.

Other things you should do include:

Paying off debts so you don’t have to pay high interest rates
Avoid lifestyle inflation at all costs
Create a budget so you never feel the need to spend your entire paycheck

How will you start building wealth?

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: budget, debt, paying

Ways to Act Now in Order to Save Later

February 20, 2020 Leave a Comment

If you act now, you can save money later, and who doesn’t love the idea of saving money? It’s something we don’t really think about because we tend to take a short term approach to money and finances, but that’s often the wrong way to go about things. Instead, you should think about how best to save money over the next 5, 10 or 25 years.

There are many ways to do it. Some involve spending a little money now in order to save later, and other ideas allow you to start spending less both now and in the future ahead of you. Find out more about these ideas below.

Stop Drinking Bottled Water

If you’re someone who is still drinking bottled water each day, you should think again about that decision. Does it really make sense for you to be drinking bottled water when you could be drinking tap water instead? Not only is this better for your bank balance but it’s better for the environment as well. If you hate the taste of your tap water, simply buy a filter and it’ll taste the same as the bottled water you spend so much money on.

Spend Money to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Your home is the thing you probably spend the most money on. From bills to the mortgage and general maintenance and upkeep, there’s a lot to spend your money on when you’re trying to run a home. By making it more energy efficient, you’ll reduce your bills and make it more eco-friendly. You can spend money on things like insulation and other energy efficiency measures in order to make this happen.

When Buying New Items, Choose Quality

Whenever you’re investing in new items for yourself or for your home, you should think about what they’re really offering. Are they offering quality or a fast and cheap solution to a short term problem you have? If it’s the latter, you might want to step back and think again about that purchase. You should instead look for quality even if it means spending more now. You’ll save big in the long term.

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Realize the Importance of Servicing

When it comes to running a car or owning appliances in your home that are costly, you should always make sure you’re getting them properly serviced. Doing so will allow you to save money later by avoiding breakdowns and other similar issues that can be very expensive to deal with. A good trusted auto repair will offer affordable servicing and it’ll help you avoid having to pay for big repairs later.

Lighten Your Car’s Load

Another good way to ensure running a car doesn’t cost you more money than it needs to us to simply lighten your car’s load. You can do this by removing things that you’ve been unnecessarily storing in your car for a long time. When a car is lighter, it’s also more fuel efficient and less of a financial drain for you. It’s one of those small things that can actually make a big difference in the long term.

Look for Hidden Charges in Your Recurring Bills

If you have bills that you pay every month or every few months, you should look for hidden charges that could be stopping you from getting a fair deal. Any charges that are hidden and that you don’t know about can be a real drain. Look to assess your regular outgoings so you can streamline them and remove any expenses you don’t really need or want to be paying. So many of us pay more than we think we’re paying.

Put Savings Goals in Place

Putting all of your saving goals together and really focusing on them can really help your general finances going forward. Put these goals in place and think about what you can do each day to ensure you reach them. That way, you’ll always have something to work towards each day. That level of focus can help you; we all need goals to be striving towards in life because it can be highly motivating. The sooner you start doing things like this, the sooner you’ll yield the benefits.

By taking the right steps now, you’ll put yourself in a better financial position heading into the future. Thinking ahead is something that most of us don’t do very often, but maybe we should. You’ll be in a stronger position and much more financially secure if you start acting now with the future in mind.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: auto, bills, budget, energy, Fuel, quality, water bottle

How the World is Set Up For Your Financial Success

February 12, 2020 Leave a Comment

Of all the challenging aspects of adult life, there are none more challenging than the financial aspect. Indeed, it can seem like the world is intentionally set up to make it difficult to be in a healthy financial situation, right? Well, perhaps not. The idea that money is a difficult thing to get to grips with is commonly expressed, but it might not be true. Though it’s far from easy, there are a lot of systems that can help us to reach our financial goals, or at least give us a solid platform upon which to build.

Below, we take a look at just a few outlets that can help you.

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Finding Work

It’s true that there is less job stability than there was in the past, but that doesn’t mean that there are fewer ways to make money. Actually, the reverse is true — there are more ways than ever before to get money in your bank account. You can work multiple part-time jobs if you want, or find full-time work, or have a regular job and set up a side business that generates passive income. If you’re struggling to find stable work, it’s recommended that you look at studying for one of the many jobs that are expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

Legal Systems

Bad things happen in life, just as they’ve always done. The difference between the modern world and the past is that, if something bad happened a few hundred years ago, you’d just have to live with the problem. The responsibility would be all on you. Today, that’s not the case. If you experience a life-changing problem that isn’t your fault, then you’re able to hold the people who were responsible to account. If you suffer from a brain injury due to the negligence of someone else, you can hire a BIL, and get the money that’s rightfully yours. The legal system is often taken for granted, but it does have real benefits for people who end up in financial difficulties through no fault of their own.

Where to Invest

Investing money used to be a money-growing scheme that was only accessible to people who already have plenty of cash in the bank. Not so these days, and that’s all thanks to the internet. Today, anyone can educate themselves by reading up about the best practices online. This, of course, doesn’t mean that anyone can get rich — the same old pitfalls still exist — but money and access is no longer the prerequisite to investing. If you’re smart and can educate yourself, you can get started relatively quickly.

Help With Problems

Finally, it’s worth remembering that there is also more help available for people with financial problems than there was in the past. If you’ve fallen into money difficulties, then you can work with non-profit organizations to try and get yourself back on track. As well as direct help, it’s also easier to connect with people who are in the same position as you are.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: budget, educate, finance, problems, reading, struggle, work

Stop Struggling With Money: 3 Things to Try

February 5, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Do you struggle to make ends meet? Most of us feel like this at least some of the time, but if you’re constantly living hand to mouth then things need to change. Struggling with money can be really stressful, and it prevents you from living the life you want. You don’t need to win the lottery or even land your dream career, making a few simple changes can make a big difference. You’ll be happier, you’ll have a little more money in your pocket and won’t be stressing quite as much about the bills. Here’s what you need to know.

Get out of debt

Being in debt is expensive, not only are you paying back what you’ve borrowed but every month you carry a balance, you’re paying interest too. If your debt is out of control, you might find that all you’re able to pay back each month is the interest, and you’re not bringing down the balance at all. Getting out of debt might involve using savings or making cutbacks in your budget, but if it’s out of control you may need to speak to a debt management company. These can speak to creditors on your behalf and work to get interest frozen and repayments reduced to a much more manageable amount. It can mean a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders and you can get your finances back under control. This allows you to start getting other areas of your money sorted again and puts you in a much better position.

Claim everything you’re entitled to

Did you know you may have money available to you which you’re not getting right now? If you’re on a low income, have a disability or even are entitled compensation from an accident that wasn’t your fault, it’s important to find out what you’re owed. This can compensate you for time you’ve had to have off work, or help you to make ends meet if you’re unable to work. It’s not always a smooth journey, for example you might need an attorney for disability appeal if you feel you’ve been wrongly rejected but keep at it until you get what’s rightfully yours.

Earn some money from home

Making changes and cutbacks in your budget is always going to be useful, but if you can earn some extra money too then even better. This day in age, it’s perfectly possible to make cash from home, in your spare time and in a fun way. You could start and monetize a blog or YouTube channel. You could become a freelancer and monetize your skills, or you could take on a flexible job as a remote worker in the evenings. All of the money you earn could be used towards debt, to save up or just to make everything a little easier financially. You don’t even need to leave the house, and can hugely improve your situation with money.

Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: attorney, budget, debt, disability, expense, expensive, Home, Money