Food for Thought

Many people have a love/hate relationship with grocery shopping – my guess is that most people fall into the latter category, myself included. It can be time-consuming and frustrating, but we all need to do it – food is the most basic necessity of life, and we can’t forget to allocate room for it in our monthly budgets! Check out the following suggestions for some of the easiest and most common ways to cut down on your grocery bill.

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It’s the Thought That Counts

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and you may or may not be in the market for a thoughtful gift for a loved one. It seems like most people fall into one of two categories: those who think the holiday is a marketing ploy used by the greeting card industry, and those who treat it as a day to show a little extra love for their significant other. Regardless of what you believe, gift-giving during any holiday can be stressful if you’re on a tight budget. Why not work with what you have to show you care?

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The Naked Truth

When planning a budget, most people generally remember their typical monthly expenses – bills, groceries, savings, etc. But there are two commonly forgotten about items that should definitely be on your list: clothing and personal care. This can include seasonal clothing items, haircuts and color, manicures, massages, you name it! These are things we all spend money on, but not necessarily frequently, so we tend to let their cost slip our minds.

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Houses, Cars, and Money – Oh My!

Like many others in their 20’s (and even 30’s), I’m feeling the pressures of adulthood – college is over, a career has been obtained, and it’s time to be a real-life grown-up! Friends are getting married, buying houses, and starting families. As excited as I am to join this elusive club of workaholics and soccer moms, it’s hard to not be at least a little intimidated by all of the dollar signs associated with some of those things. However, for the first time in my life, I don’t feel like these things are so far out of reach. With a little planning, larger purchases are most definitely attainable, and with a new car and a house on my horizon, I’ll spend the next year proving just that! So where do I even start?

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Beware of Credit Monitoring Services

Recently I was looking around for credit reporting services to recommend on BudgetSimple when I realized that almost every company that offers these services is really just a shady subscription service in disguise.

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