A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks
As the holiday shopping season gets underway, there is giddy talk of how much money shoppers are saving this year.
Unfortunately, this is a mindset that is rather common among consumers. We have this idea that we are “saving” money when we get a good deal.
The reality, though, is that you aren’t actually saving money.
You are just spending less.
The words we use have a big impact on our behaviors.
[Read more…] about Spending Less is NOT the Same as Saving Money
When I was a teenager, I went back-to-school shopping with my best friend and got suckered into buying more clothing than I needed or had money for.
The saleswoman was smooth and knew all of the right things to tell a 16 year old girl who was nervous about going back to school and looking just right. That saleslady upsold me on everything—I even bought the matching socks and earrings at her suggestion.
An hour later, embarrassed and a bit angry, I returned everything.
I bought my clothes with my own money from my part-time job, and I simply didn’t have the money to buy that much.
My experience was not unique, but unfortunately, many people now don’t return the items or better yet, stop themselves from buying them in the first place.
We don’t think of shopping as walking through an emotional minefield, but many times that is just what the experience is like.
One of the best ways to combat this minefield is to take your emotions out of shopping, which is easier said than done. However, knowing why your emotions come into play when shopping can help you better control them.
[Read more…] about How to Control Your Emotions When Shopping
We are in gazelle intensity mode paying down our debt, and one of the ways that we can still give our kids a nice Christmas without spending a lot of money is through Swagbucks.
I simply search the Internet as usual using Swagbucks as my search engine instead of Yahoo! or Google; occasionally I will be rewarded with Swagbucks (usually ranging from 7 to 79 points per time).
Swagbucks is an Internet search engine.
You can use it much the same way you use Google or Yahoo. However, as you are searching, you are sometimes rewarded with Swagbucks. These Swagbucks can be redeemed for gift cards or other prizes.
I have won anywhere from 7 to 79 Swagbucks at a time, and because I frequently need to search the Internet as a freelance writer and blogger, I usually win Swagbucks several times a day. All of the Swagbucks I win accrue until I decide to redeem them for a prize.
What I like is that I am getting rewards for doing something I would do during my day anyway—search the Internet.
[Read more…] about Swagbucks Review: Join to Receive Free Gift Cards and Other Prizes
Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970, and it was lead by Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin.
Nearly 20 million people participated and today, 42 years later, we still celebrate Earth Day, but now, 175 countries celebrate Earth Day.
Earth Day 2012 will also be celebrated on April 22nd (and will be celebrated on that date at least until 2015).
The primary purpose of the day is to bring awareness to environmental issues as well as to focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Of course, proponents of frugality recognize that the things we do to keep Mother Earth healthy are the same things we can do to keep our finances healthy. By reducing, reusing and recycling, we become more financially conservative.
When you buy a used car, shop at garage sales or your thrift stores or hold your own garage sale or donate items you no longer use, you are saving money and keeping items out of the landfill, which is a win-win.
[Read more…] about Earth Day Freebies and Deals – and a Little History Too
Every week you clean out the refrigerator, and every week you may find some food to throw away—broccoli you didn’t get to eat before it went bad, leftovers from last Tuesday night’s dinner, lettuce that can no longer be revived…
If you are throwing away food on a weekly basis, you are not alone.
According to The New York Times, Americans throw away 27% of their available food. This includes waste from people’s homes, restaurants and grocery stores. Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona, who studies food waste, estimates that the average family of four wastes $600 in food each year. (TLC)
[Read more…] about The Cost of Food Waste and How to Prevent It
