The funniest thing I ever heard coming from an airplane intercom was NOT on a Southwest flight; it was on an American Airlines flight.
Sometimes, there's more than just a single item that's standing between us and total bliss. It's human nature; if you've felt this way the good news is, you're normal.
The old-fashioned layaway program is coming back. The program, where a store holds specific merchandise for a customer until they pay it off, became popular during the Great Depression.
Congress passed a cut on the Social Security tax in 2010, effective January 1st of 2011. Most people didn't even recognize the increase in their take-home pay.
With the economy still on the sliding, we seem to be regaling ourselves more and more with sweets, purses, chocolate and wine. Actually there's an arguement that purses and shoes can be cost cutting!
Instead of buying at the moment desire strikes, start putting money away; don't even think about buying it until you have the money for it.
Knowing where your money goes is the first step to being liquid. Recently we had a post about creating a savings plan. In order to do that, you need to start with a spending plan; today we'll delve more deeply into the necessary steps of creating a spending plan so you can live the life of financial freedom.
Cleaning the house is a chore; it falls in the category of yard work. It HAS to be done, the question remains: who will do it: you, or will you pay someone to do it for you?
Access to student loans has been the path, and the only path, to higher education for many students, escpecially those who want to attend prestigious private universities. In 2008, 60% of college students carried some form of student loan and low-interest student loans from the federal government have been a huge source for funding; however, with the upcoming deficit reduction, this could be an area that is cut.
Starting in the 80's, the American consumer has been caught up in, well, consuming. As a matter of fact, the consumer makes up over 67% of our economy. What has really taken hold is the increase in our standards; more than ever, starting a couple of decades ago, we all want high-end items, and with the rise of credit, that has been possible for most to attain.
Although the Dow Jones Industrial average posted a 125-point gain on Friday, it was down a bit for the week. The massive drops on Monday and Wednesday of 635 and 520 points respectively, indicate that the market feels exactly what businesses and consumers are already thinking: we could be headed for another recession.
My late father was in the Oil Business; he was known as a "Wildcatter." He drilled oil wells on speculation, in areas not known to be oil fields. Gambling was in his blood; it served him well. At the time I was born, my father was a wealthy man. We lived in an 8,000 square foot home on five acres of land in Dallas, Texas. Life was great.
People who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones. Not only do most Americans criticize the government for escalating the federal deficit, but according to the most recent polls, they are in favor of increasing the ceiling. Most people understand how catastrophic it would be if the government didn't raise the ceiling.
Money is there to be spent. Sometimes we spend because we have to (food, gasoline and utilities.) Sometimes we spend because we want to (vacations, Starbucks and iPads.) Regardless, the only use for money is to spend it.
It has never been easier save money online. There are a whole slew of websites dedicated to giving you better deals then you'll find in any retail store. And most websites have a "promo code" box where you can get discounts just for taking the time to look.
Today as we celebrate the 235th birthday of the Land of the Free, let's take a load off and talk about we can get good free stuff. We spend so much money in our society, it's not just on things, but events as well. Going to a major league sports game requires nothing short of getting a second lien on the house. We think we have to spend to do anything. Think again.
The latest numbers from the government indicate the median length of unemployment is 5 1/2 months. Going without a paycheck for this amount of time can do considerable damage to your financial well-being. If you had an emergency fund, it is depleted, if not completely gone; otherwise, the only way to cover your shortfall is to either increase your credit card balances substantially, or cash in your investments, or both.
The things you buy are influenced by many things around you. One of those things is people. Of those people, there are your friends, those you know from your religious affiliation, your co-workers, your neighbors and acquaintences. In today's world with social networking, you have even more contact with them than ever, thereby having them influence you to an even greater extent.
Conscious spending is all about actively choosing to spend on the things that are important to you. You evaluate every purchase, no matter how small.
We all know that working out can improve your health as well as improving your finances. Just like working out, using cash as opposed to plastic at the register can also improve your health and your finances. Huh? Really...