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The Importance Of Saving A Little All The TIme!

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:26:53 +0000

Small savings can really add up. If you can commit to saving just a little bit, but do it on a regular schedule, you have a chance to improve your financial life in the years to come.

You need some discipline and patience. But your small, regular contributions can turn into a tidy sum with time. You may not think that putting away $25, $50, or $100 a month will do you any good, but look some simple examples.

If you would like to run your own illustration, you can use this simple savings calculator that we found on the net. It is totally free to use, so you don’t have to worry about more of your savings getting used up!

Can you put away $100 a month? Even if you can only get 2% interest and set aside $100 a month, in 5 years you should have over $6k socked away. Even you can save more, or get better returns, you should do a lot better.

Does a hundred bucks a month sound like too much? That is $25 a week. For most of us, we could exchange one dinner out for a nice meal at home to save that much money.

Why Is It So Hard To Get Mortgage Loan Modifications….Maybe?

Denise — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:05:38 +0000

Short Sales and Tough Terms On Loan Modifcations

Lots of US homeowners are still frustrated because, despite government support, it is very hard to get a loan modifcation. Repeat the mantra. Banks do business. They are not your friends.

Anyway, I could go on, but I think you will be better served by watching this video about how much profit banks make from short sales. Basically, because of arrangment banks that purchase mortgages from other banks make, the business of foreclosing and short selling homes is just making them too much money.

The example here uses a personal real estate loan. The story on commercial real estate transactions may even get uglier.

Deals on Condo Rentals Can Beat Hotels

Denise — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:40:40 +0000

Have You Tried A Condo Rental?

The next time you plan a trip, you may want to consider a vacation condo rental instead of a hotel or a motel. Even though many people do not consider renting condos, they are growing in popularity. More and more people are discovering that condo rentals can offer great value over traditional vacation lodging.

Rates are very competitive. They get even more attractive when you consider that a typical motel room can only sleep 4 people, and that is by shoving 4 people into 1 room. Many condos offer private bedrooms, and some can sleep 8 or more in privacy and comfort.
Last time we took a vacation with our extended family, we choose to rent a condo. Why? We woud have had to get 2 uncomfortable hotel rooms. And that is all they would have been – rooms. For a lower cost, we rented a 2 bedroom condo with a kitchen and living room!
Many condos offer amenities that compete with luxury hotels. Pools are common, but you can also find walking trails, planned activities, walking trails, golf, and more. Of course, the extras will vary by the establishment and location.
Many condo buildings and condo results have been built close to major attractions. If you want to visit a famous theme park, beach, or the mountains, you can probably find condo resorts!

How To Find Condo Rentals For Your Next Trip

You can search online to find your next destination. Try websites like Condo Direct to perform a quick search for rentals.

Advantages of E Cigs

David — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:23:08 +0000

Are You A Smoker?

Well all know that smoking is bad for us, addictive, expensive, and it can even be harmful to the people around us Electronic cigarattes cannot solove all of these problems, but they may be able to take the edge off. That’s why we decided to review e-cigs as a way to smoke less and possibly save money.

Some Electronic Cigarette Advantages

The smoker inhales water vapor so there is no inhaled smoke, CO2, or Tar. We are NOT making health claims here, but just sayin…..
The cartdridges are cheaper. One cartdride is supposed to replace 2 packs of traditional cigarettes. We see these selling for $2 – $3 each, where packs of cigs sell for over $5 each.
You do need to get a starter kit which includes the device, batteries, and a charger. But you can find some good deals on these as the sellers hope you keep buying cartridges from them.
E Cigs will probably not help you stop smoking because you still inhale nicotie, and that is the addictive drug. But they may wean you off of traditional cigarettes for this smokeless alternative.
There is no smoke, and so you will not stink up your hair and clothes. Other people are also not exposed to your smoke. You may be able to use your electronic cigarette indoors, and in places were smoking is prohibited or frowned upon.

Are you interested? You can buy an E CIG STARTER KIT with the current promo code (on the website) to get free shipping.

Cheap Meal Ideas

David — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:06:06 +0000

Do You Need Cheap Meal Ideas and Recipes?

A new Food Network show is called ten dollar dinners. Well, the folks at Frugal Pig started a new section called Dollar Meals. They haven’t posted any $1 meals yet, but they are getting pretty close. The first post is a $5 dinner for 4, and they checked in at about $4.95. It isn’t a fancy meal, but it seems tasty and substantial.

Affordable Health Food

With a similar idea of helping people prepare inexpensive meals that were tasty and healthy, Frugal Mavens posted an article which will give you some great ideas for cheap health foods. If you look at the health food section of your grocery store, you may get the idea that everything there costs twice as much. But you can find inexpensive and healthy food in that same market if you know where to look.

Finding Frugal Foods

A lot of the best tips just revolve around simple ideas. Can you use in-season produce, cut back on expensive cuts of meat, and shop the bargain bin? If so, you may be surprised how fun it is to challenge yourself to making tasty, healthy, and cheap meals!

As always, we welcome your ideas in the comments or on the forum!

Three Ways To Pay Less For Car Insurance

David — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:40:15 +0000

Who Wants To Pay Less For Car Insurance?

We were inspired by this great article on a site that lets you compare insurance rates! It had 5 tips to help you find lower auto insurance, and we decided to add 3 of our own! We do agree that sometimes, in our quest to save money, we all concentrate on things that are really inconvenient and do not save that much. Let us look at some things we can do that are convenient and can save a lot of money!

Tip 1 To Save A lot Of Money On Car Insurance: Be sure to review your policy and premiums every 6 months to 1 year. Experts tell us to do this, and it is really a wise idea. My actual agent called me in for a review, which I thought would be a waste of time, but he ended up saving me about $100 a month! If you are not lucky enough to have a good insurance agent like I do, you may have to be proactive.

If you want to change agents or companies, or just get some quick information try this site: Best Car Insurance Quotes. You will get competitive information, plus contact info from some agents who are keen to win your business!

Tip 2 For Cheaper Auto Policies: Are you car shopping? When you figure out your budget for your new purchase, always be sure to do some comparison shopping for auto policies too. Why? Well, the premiums you pay to cover that shiny new (or used) vehicle will probably change. Again, it is free to do some online comparison shopping!

Tip 3 To Get Lower Auto Insurance Premiums: Consider your deductible. If a $500 deductible policy is 30 percent less than a $200 deductible, consider raising it. The caution here is that you will have to pay that amount if you do need to make a claim. But balance that risk against your savings on premiums that you know you will have to pay. This suggestion may not work for everybody, but it can be a smart idea for many.

If you have any good suggestions, be sure and leave them here in the comments. You can register for free and help the whole community with your ideas!

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Mobile Home Insurance – Getting a Great Deal

David — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 04:08:37 +0000

Are You Insuring a Mobile or Manufactured Home or an RV?

We have already discussed how fast and free insurance quotes can help you find a great deal on your premium rates. But not much is published about mobile homes, manufactured homes, or recreational vehicles (RV). But these types of homes are becoming more popular with people seeking affordable housing, a second home, or people who like to travel with a house!

Let us look at some resources so you can find great coverage at a low cost.

Mobile Home Insurance Discounts - Covers some things that earn price breaks, even from the top insurers. Some highlights are for mobile homes which are fixed or anchored (tie down), and for original owners of fairly new ones.
Discount RV Insurance - This is a page where you can find competitive plans and quotes in your local area by just entering your main zip code. The second page, after you enter your zip, should display a selection of well know local companies who do business in your area. This is an easy way to search online for a recreational vehicle poliy.

And it is interesting to note this forum post on RV and Mobile home insurance. It is on a baby boomer website. They had pubished an earlier post on the full time RV lifestyle. This is getting a lot more interesting to retired, or semi-retired people.

If you have had any good or bad experiences with RV, mobile home, or manufactured home policies or companies, we’d love to hear from you. You can register for free and post your comments.

How Much Money Do You Need To Retire?

David — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:22:42 +0000

Do You Have Enough Money To Retire?

Before you get too depressed about retirement, remember that the concept of actual retirement is not more than 100 years old. It started with social security in the US as a federal program to help people pay for retirement. Note that it was never intended, and really doesn’t, to provide enough income for a comfortable retirement by itself.

It is really impossible to make one blanket statement about how much money a person would need to retire. People have different expectations, alternate sources of income, and situations. A common rule of thumb is that a 30 year old should be putting aside 15% of their income, or enough to replace 80% of their income. You could count on social security to replace the rest (we hope).

When planning for retirement, you may also have some goals to have a mortgage and other debts paid off. That ways, you would just have to pay for upkeep, insurance, and taxes on your home. Losing the mortgage would probably give you a big boost in your disposal income.

Do You Even Plan On Retiring?

Some people can still retire early, or at a traditonal retirement age of 65. But many people these days have no real plans to retire totally. There is a trend to push up the retirement age, and a majority of boomers figure they will work – at least part time – well past the day they start collecting social security.

Some may plan to stay at their current job or buiness. Others want to move into part time work or even start a new career or business. It is common to see teachers retire, but then take substitute teaching jobs. It is also common to see engineers or lawyers rertire, but then go into part time teaching jobs in high schools or community college.

Some plan to find work because they are happy with their profession, some want to realize dreams, and probably most people just need the money!

Summertime Energy Savings

Denise — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 14:00:04 +0000

Beat SummerTime Heat and Stay Cool With Utility Bills

I live in a hot climate, which means my winter utility bills are fairly modest. But it is only June, and my last bill has already spiked up to an uncomfortable level. I am not looking forward to my July bill at all. But I am busy researching some ways to save money on my home utilities so I can save money. I do not expect my summer electricity bills to be as low as my December bills, but I just want to keep it as low as possible.

Let The Government Help You Save Money on Electric Bills

People still overlook some really useful free government websites. Energy.gov is produced by the US Department of Energy, and it has a lot of great consumer solutions. Your tax money does pay for these tips, so you might as well benefit from it.

Simple Tips You Can Do Today To Save Electricity In The Summer

If you can keep your thermostat set at 78 degrees or above, as much as possible, you can save a lot of money over keeping the A/C set at 72 degrees. 78 degrees should be pleassant, right? If you still feel a little warm, especially while you cooking, rediscover the power of fans! Simple fans operate on pennies worth of power compared to a home air conditioning system. They really do help cool the room, at least they make it feel cooler.
If everybody is gone for the day, remember to turn up the thermostat to 80 degrees.If you have pets at home, you may want to evaluate that. But eighty degrees is considered a nice day when you are outside.
Shut off unused rooms. If your kids have left for camp, even day camp, you can close the vents to their rooms and keep their doors closed. It should be simple enough to open everything back up when theyget home.
Also make sure you keep closet doors closed. Lots of those closets are on outside walls. You can provide more insulation for rooms, and there is no need to cool off closets you might spend a couple of minutes using every day!
Are there one or two rooms you spend most of your time in? Why not install a couple of ceiling fans in them. I promise that if you can turn your thermostat up five degrees in the whole house, and use the ceiling fans, you will come out ahead in the end. The idea behind our strategy is to conserve power while staying comfortable.
Make sure your air conditioning filters are clean. Clean filters can reduce energy consumption by five to fifteen percent! If you were getting hit by a $200 cooling bill (modest where I live), that means you could be saving almost 100 dollars during 3 months of summer. You should also be extending the life of your expensive cooling system. Air conditioning filters do not cost that much.
You know your automobile air conditioner sucks fuel too. Try to find some alternative to sitting in your car with the air on, especially if you are in line waiting for a pickup or drop off. You know that when you sit still, running your car, and running the air conditioning, you are not helping you MPG at all.

Do you have more tips to help cut summer electric bills? It is simple to register for free and comment on this post or our friendly money saving forums!

Offline vs Online Stock Trades

David — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:09:08 +0000

Should You Trade Offline or Online?

Online stock trading has become very popular these days. And online brokers like Scottrrade or Sharebuilder do offer

How Should You Trade Stocks?

a lot of services. In addition to cheap stock trades, they have a range of online services that can help market investors watch the market, learn more about the art of trading, and manage their personal portfolios. But the traditional stock broker has not become a dinosaur yet. He or she still brings value to the table in exchange for a higher commission structure. Let us examine the advantages of each method of stock trading.

Offline Stock Trading Versus Online Stock Trading

Offline Stock Broker Advantages

A broker is licensed and regulated by a government authority. He or she should conform to a standard of ethics that the authority insists on. Of course, as we have seen on the news, there are a small percentage of brokers who have not conformed to these ethical standards. When you are seeking an offline stock broker, you should check them out just like you would check out a doctor or auto mechanic.
A broker can help you learn the ropes. They can explain the reasons they recommend a certain stock for an individual like you. As with any service professional, they should listen to your needs and goals, and then tune their counsel to conform with your goals If you are very new to investing, or not interested in taking up trading as a second job, a professional broker can be a very good choice.
Even if you have some stock trading experience, it still may off to consult a professional who does this sort of work for a living. They bring another perspective to the table, and may have some insight into details about the larger economy that you never thought of.
A broker can manage your portfolio. They should keep it up to date, and they should keep you informed of market changes. If you are not into managing your own portfolion, the services of a qualified stock broker could be very valuable.

Online Broker Advantages

These days, online brokerage services usually come with a variety of tool to help you make wise investmet decisions. Some will even have a system that “interviews” you with questions about your financial goals, and then comes up with automated suggestions for your portfolio. They also have online systems to help you analyze and track stocks, manage your portfolio, and access reports.
Trades are cheaper. Online stock brokers can be a lot more efficient because you can automatically place your own trades. The commission structure will be lower, so you will pay less. Keep in mind that you can get hit with some hidden fees, so that online brokerages are not always as cheap as they look. For example, you may be able to take advantage of $7.95 trades, but then have to pay an extra $9.95 to move money from your bank account.

Should You Use a Financial Pro or An Internet Broker?

Really, the choice is up to you. If you would feel more comfortable using an established stock advisor, then it may be very valuable to find a stock broker even if he or she charges more to make a trade. If you are a “do it yourself” sort of money manager, then online brokerages may be perfect for you.

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