Author Archives: Jackie Cohen

How Much Halloween Candy Should You Buy This Year?

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Do you have a Halloween candy budget? If not, then you should. It's important to account for all annual expenses, even the little ones. That said, your usual Halloween candy budget might differ this year. After all, Halloween doesn't look the same during a pandemic. What is a Halloween Candy Budget? If you really want to stay on top of all of your finances, then you need to budget. Of course, you probably already know to budget for the big things like rent and groceries. But it's also important Read more [...]

Should You Be More Bullish?

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Most people are bullish about the stock market right now. Some would argue that means it's actually a good time to pull back on equities rather than get even more bullish. It's hard not to notice how well the stock market has been performing -- some have argued that 2017 was a record year for the markets, while others who've been around longer say that it's the strongest performance since the dot-com boom. So does this strong performance mean you should take a more aggressive stance in your Read more [...]

How To Stick To a Frugality Plan

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Frugality becomes its polar opposite if you can't sustain the practice. Get too ambitous about cost cutting and you might have a hard time adhering to it long term. Set your sights on something more realistic -- like the following suggestions. Buy the Best Don't confuse frugality with being cheap. Instead, focus on making smart decisions about your money -- like investing in higher quality items that will last you longer than cheap things you would have to replace every few months. This will save Read more [...]

8 Extreme Frugality Tricks

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Extreme frugality might not be the most sustainable thing over the long term unless you can make a lifestyle out of it. It requires a strong set of values surrounding thrift. That said, extreme frugality might be more feasible as a short-term strategy or at least an experiment. With that in mind, here are eight ways to be frugal in the extreme. 1. Never Pay for Entertainment Instead of paying to keep yourself entertained​, take advantage of all the free resources ​around you. Go Read more [...]

Which Stores and Restaurants Are Open January 1?

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Not everything is closed on the first day of the year, although fewer stores and restaurants are open January 1 than on Christmas.  There are actually plenty of stores open January 1. In fact, it's simpler to identify the one that isn't open than to rattle off the long list of retailers that intend to keep their after-Christmas sales going on the first day of 2018. Would you believe that it's Costco, of all places? If that didn't surprise you, perhaps you weren't aware that the warehouse chain Read more [...]

Is Anything Open on Christmas Day?

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You don't have to stay at home -- yours or your loved one's -- on Christmas. Here's a quick guide to stores and restaurants that are going to be open on the holiday. You probably want to double check that locations nearest you are open by calling ahead.Here's a rundown of which stores and restaurants plan to be open on the holiday -- but you might want to phone ahead to confirm that the locations nearest you are open. Stores That Are Open Christmas Day Although most national retail chains are closed Read more [...]

7 Signs Your Coupon Habit Is Out of Control

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Television would have us believe that anything can become an addiction. Unfortunately, coupon clipping can get to that point. Make sure your "extreme coupon" hobby remains productive by watching for any of the following signs. You've Outgrown All Your Storage Space Do you seem to be spending more money even though you collect and redeem coupons? Has your stockpile outgrown your ability to store it? A "yes" answer could mean you're buying more than you need. Coupon issuers will never admit Read more [...]

Get Out of Debt with This FREE eBook!

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Once your debt load gets to be a certain size, it can seem completely unmanageable, almost like you're never going to be able to pay it down. Well, dear readers, help is here: A brand new ebook called what else but Get Out of Debt. It's free and exclusive to Stapler Confessions. Click on the link below to download a copy and after you've finished reading it, please let us know what you think of it by posting feedback in the comments section beneath this post. Click here to get your FREE Read more [...]

6 Ways To Shop at Costco Without a Membership

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If you can't get past seeing Costco's annual fee of $60 to $120 as cannibalizing the savings, you might want to try one of the following six tactics for shopping at the warehouse chain without a membership of your own. 1. Costco Optical This is the one option that never gets old. You do not need a membership to see the eye doctor within the optical section of Costco, nor do you need one to buy any prescription eyewear there. Of course, this is something you probably won't be doing more than Read more [...]

You Might Win Up to $100 Just by Clicking

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Help us help you and you just might win an Amazon gift card worth up to $100 – it's one of 50 prizes we're offering in a drawing to encourage readers like yourself to give us quick feedback.  All it takes to win is a few minutes of your time. We want to know how we can provide you with even better content that fits your lifestyle and financial situation. Please know that your answers will be kept confidential and are only being used to help us create personal finance articles that meet Read more [...]