It s never too early to develop a healthy relationship with money. Whether you ve got your financial life handled well or you struggle to stay on budget and to save, you can teach your kids to be money-conscious with a few regular activities and practices like these.
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Credit Card: Pros, Cons, and Tips
Flipping through the mail you find another invitation to apply for a credit card with an incentive printed brightly on the front of the envelope: 50,000 points with first purchase, earn a $50 gift card at XYZ (insert your favorite store here), etc. It s mighty tempting to fill out that application. Especially when all the other mail is bills, maybe even one you forgot about that puts going shopping this weekend out of the budget.
How-to Keep Your New Year’s Finance Resolution
Spend less. Save more. Get out of debt.
Financial resolutions are some of the most common promises we make to ourselves at New Year s. It s a great feeling to be in control of your finances and debt free with a healthy savings account. But having that stability takes more than a resolution to save more sealed with a champagne toast. Many resolutions don t make it past the first week of the new year.
5 Last Minute Gift Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank
If you ve left your shopping for the last minute, there s no need to panic. You can get out of this pickle easily with a card and cash. But if you don t want to give cash, you still have many budget-friendly options (yes, even if it s Christmas Eve). Choose any of these five ideas or use them as a jumping off point to inspire your own creative gift solution.
10 Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas
A great Christmas gift doesn t have to cost a lot of money. It s easy to get swept up in buying craze of the season and feel pressured to fork over a lot of money for video games, fancy candy, hefty gift baskets, or the latest techie gadget, but for just a few dollars and with a bit of time you can make meaningful gifts that are sure to bring smiles. Try one or more of these ten ideas to accomplish your holiday gift giving frugally and thoughtfully.
Five Ways to Cut Your Transportation Budget
Many people spend thirty to forty percent of their income on transportation. This can put an enormous strain on your budget. But there are many ways to cut your costs.
Make A List and Check it Twice – Holiday Budgeting
This is part two of a four part series on holiday budgeting. Part 1, Eight Ways to Save Money for Christmas for tips on finding cash to fill out your budget.
The key to successful holiday spending debt-free is knowing how much you have to spend and carefully allocating those dollars to the things you most want to do or give. Use these four steps to plan an accurate, affordable, and pleasing holiday budget.
Cash in Your Closet – Trade in Your Clothes
Open your closet door. What do you see? A favorite dress, some nice shirts, your shoes, a few random items you shoved in there to get out of the way, and a few items that don t really fit or you don t really like but they ve just been hanging there so long you re used to them? That s what my closet looks like anyway or it did until I cleaned it out for cash.
Eight Ways To Save Money For Christmas
The best way to avoid those hefty January credit card bills, give the Christmas gifts you really want to give, and enjoy some of the fun (but sometimes costly) activities that happen in December, is to save for the Christmas season early. With a little discipline, by December, you can have a slush fund to draw from for holiday expenses.
Cold Hard Cash – Stay in Budget
With credit cards accepted almost everywhere these days, it s easy to just pay with plastic and never exchange bills and coins. Just swipe, sign, and go. You don t even have to think about it.
But that s the problem.
