Stale Green Light » Money Saving Tips

Saving on the Purchase of Airline Tickets

FinancialGuru — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:26:39 +0000

When you are traveling there are many ways that you can save money. One of the ways that you can save money is on your airplane tickets. If you have traveler’s miles, be sure to use them. In addition, you can often get lower prices by purchasing the tickets as far ahead as you can. You will pay much higher prices if you purchase these tickets at the last minute. At the very least, you should purchase airline tickets at least two months in advance, or you are probably paying too much. This is particularly important if you are going to be traveling during the holiday season.

Choosing a Used Car

FinancialGuru — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:07:27 +0000

One of the best ways to save a couple thousand dollars is to purchase a used car instead of a new one. A new car loses most of its value as soon as it is driven off the lot. As a result, you can save a lot of money by purchasing a car that is already used, but in nice condition. There are some really great deals on used cars out there if you look for one. Take some time to look over Creigs List before you consider purchasing a brand new car. The couple of thousand that you save could be a nice addition to your retirement fund.

Developing a Plan

FinancialGuru — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:48:48 +0000

One of the most important things you can do financially is make a plan. Without a plan, you will not be able to make goals that will help you get anywhere. You probably have many dreams for the future. Perhaps these dreams include an early retirement, a huge house, or a boat. No matter what your financial goals are, you will want to make sure that you have developed a plan that will allow you to reach them. If you do not plan ahead, you will never save enough money to enjoy the dreams you entertain.

Cutting Bad Habits to Save

FinancialGuru — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:48:50 +0000

One of the best ways to cut your expenses is to cut your bad habits. Many bad habits are very expensive. Alcohol, tobacco and other substances are very addictive and very expensive. As a result, you will spend thousands and thousands of dollars on these things every year if you are using them. Think of everything that you could use this money for if you were not spending it on these expendable items. In addition, many of your bills will come down. For example, your health insurance rate will be lower. This can also help you have more money to spend on other, more worthwhile things.

Purchasing What You Need

FinancialGuru — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:45:07 +0000

One of the key factors to personal finance success is only purchasing what you need. If you only purchase what you need and if it is less than your income, you will be able to avoid debt. You may also have some leftover money to put into savings. There are probably many things that you purchase that you do not need, even though you think that you need them. You will realize what these things are as you try to cut your budget.

Becoming Financially Free

FinancialGuru — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:56:37 +0000

There are many things that you should do that will help you work towards paying off your debt. Here are several things that you should consider doing:

Stop using credit cards to pay for things you need, use your paycheck instead
Do not over pay your debts and then have to take out more debt to pay for necessities
Do not eat out
Be creative and find cheap things to do for fun
Do not pay off your credit card balance using your emergency fund, or you will have more debt when an emergency hits
Plan ahead for expenses that are coming up
Make a budget and stick to it
Pay the minimums on all of your debt, and focus the rest on the smallest debt
Talk with your spouse to make sure that you both understand what needs to happen and that your interests are the same

Limit Checking to Increase Savings

FinancialGuru — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:37:12 +0000

One great way to limit the amount you spend is to only keep so much in a checking account. If you only keep the amount that you budget for the month, or week, in the account, then you will be limited to how much you spend. You will have to be careful to make sure that you do not spend too much at any given store. Of course, you will have to be resolute in the fact that you will not move more money into that particular account until you actually are supposed to.

Saving Through Using Coupons

FinancialGuru — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:57:57 +0000

There are many ways that you can save money on your monthly budget. One of those ways is through using coupons. Here are a few tips for using coupons:

Shop with strategy: Find out what is on sale and then use coupons to decrease the price of those items even more
Go generic: Generic brands are often just as good as brand names, but significantly cheaper
Know you can keep to your diet by using coupons: Use coupons to save money on non-food items and then use the money on vegetables that you cannot find coupons for
Make your shopping list before you go to the store: This way you will be able to look up and print off any coupons for items you are buying before you leave.
Do not use coupons for items you were not already planning on buying: Otherwise, you will end up spending more than you intended in the first place

As you do these things, you will be able to save a lot of money. This will help you pay for other necessities.

Deciding If You Are Ready to Buy a Home

FinancialGuru — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:56:19 +0000

One of the biggest purchases you will ever make is buying a house. You will carefully want to decide whether or not you are ready to take this big step before you commit to it. Here are three things you will want to consider before you sign a contract:

Whether you have enough savings: You will need a big down payment as well as three to six month worth of living expenses in case something goes wrong

If you have a credit score below 620: You will not be able to get a loan if you have a credit score that is too low, which can make getting a house impossible.
Your relationship with your spouse is unsteady: It can be a huge financial mess to be in the middle of purchasing a home when you decide to get a divorce

If you are experiencing any of these things, then it is best to wait a little while to buy a house. Try to rectify the situation before you make this big commitment.

Saving on Your Dreamhome

FinancialGuru — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:24:02 +0000

When you are building a home, there are several things you will want to keep in mind. One of the most important things that you will want to keep in mind is the cost of the project. Here are a few ideas for how you can cut how much it costs to build your dream home:

Add on to the existing home instead of starting over completely
Simplify your blueprints or decide on a smaller house
Do not add extra rooms unnecessarily (ie. A pink playroom for the girls and a blue playroom for the boys)
Leave some of the details for later (you may find a great sale on these things in the future)
Buy readymade items, such as furniture, whenever you can