Posts Tagged ‘budget’
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Forbes recently posted an article entitled 13 things you can get for free. If you can navigate around all the flashing ads embedded in the article on msn, I highly recommend everyone take a read. Some of my favorites included free (legal) TV show viewing, last minute cruises, and legal advice, but the most interesting by far had to be the “cyber grandparent.” Just check it out!
Franco
In my very first post I talked about the advantages of using a credit card with rewards for everyday purchases. Recently, a frugal fan sent me a link to a great online tool to help people chose the best cash back reward card. One need only input their annual expenditures into each category and decide whether to use multiple cards to maximize the rebate or a single card for convenience. For those that are running a budget, this exercise should be easy. For those that do not have a budget, it’s time to start!
The fastest way to tighten the belt and fatten the wallet is to cut down on what I like to call “fringe spending.” Fringe spending encompasses all the little pleasures in life we choose to spend our money on that go beyond meeting our basic needs and instead fulfill our wants and desires. One of the biggest contributors in this arena is the cup of coffee many people purchase on a daily basis. As an inconsistent (non-daily) coffee drinker, I’m not sure how qualified I am to weigh in on this topic, but with that disclaimer, here it goes.
How long do things stay new? It depends on your definition of “new,” but technically it is the moment right before you get your grubby little paws on it. So if that’s all it takes to label something “used” instead of “new,” people should consider buying discounted used products rather than their fully priced brethren. Sure, there is a whole litany of things that you don’t want to buy used (underwear, mattresses, and bathing suits come to mind), but many of the larger ticket items people purchase can be obtained at a bargain price in the used market.
Look…everyone likes going out to eat, so here are a few tips that Frugal Franco likes to use to make the experience a little easier on the wallet.
There is so much to say about this topic that I don’t know where to begin. I’ll start with a time sensitive deal that everyone should take advantage of if possible. Many grocery stores in my area (and I believe around the country) are offering a 10% bonus when you put your stimulus package (wait…this is suppose to be a kid friendly blog) rebate check toward an in store gift card. You don’t have to cash the physical check at the store. Instead you can put it on your shiny new cash reward credit card (that you had overnight delievered to you after reading yesterday’s post…very un-frugal of you) and save up to an additional 5% (depending on the reward structure). The Mrs. and I went hog wild with this one since grocery shopping is something we have to do every week. I wouldn’t recommend buying more credit that you can easily pay off when the credit card statement comes in the mail (or email) at the end of the month. Remember, if you’re going to use a credit card, make sure you pay it off IN FULL every month. Getting a couple percentage points back on all your purchases is great and all, but it’s never worth the double digit interest charges the credit card companies charge you if you carry a balance.
