Tag Archives: save money

Steps to Zero Waste

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Recently I started reading Anita Vandyke's book, "A Zero Waste Life in Thirty Days." She provides solid reasons about why we should reduce our waste in all areas of our life. Most importantly, it's good for the environment. However, she's the first to admit that she started this journey because she needed to save money. It's a win-win. She also realizes that not everyone can jump to zero waste right away, so she offers three different levels of waste reduction for each of her tips. Reducing, Lowering Read more [...]

10 Places To Find Free Entertainment

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It's easy to spend a lot of money on entertainment. I know that I can quickly slip into spending on fun. However, there are so many places to find free entertainment. It really doesn't make sense to spend a lot when you can do so much for free! Here are our top ten places to places to find free entertainment: 1. Library I am a huge fan of my local library. Yes, it's a great place to borrow books for free. And yes, that's great free entertainment. But they also offer so much more. You can borrow Read more [...]

How To Reduce Meat Consumption To Save Money 

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Meat is a staple in the modern diet. It provides our body with a great deal of protein and other nutrients. The problem with meat consumption, however, is the high costs. While some cuts of meat like ground turkey and chicken legs are cost-effective, many are not. Meat is the most costly item going into my grocery cart and makes up the largest part of my grocery budget. If this is true for you, here’s info on how to reduce meat consumption to save money. Fish When meat kills the budget, Read more [...]

How To Legally Exit a Timeshare Contract

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Timeshares sound like such an appealing idea. You basically get your own consistent vacation home in a destination that you love while paying a fraction of the price of having to own that home. However, timeshares are usually financially a bad idea. If you have one, then you might want to learn how to legally exit a timeshare contract. What Is a Timeshare? There are a variety of different types of timeshare contracts. However, basically, it's a part-time vacation home. You pay an upfront fee Read more [...]

What Would Frida Do (About Finances)?

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This week I'm reading a book called What Would Frida Do?. Subtitled "A Guide to Living Boldly," Arianna Davis's book isn't specifically about finances. Instead, it's a book about the life and inspiration of artist Frida Kahlo. However, I've found over the years that you can get financial insight from almost any genre or medium. Therefore, as I read this book, I thought about how it applies to personal finance. What Would Frida Do? What Would Frida Do? is a really interesting book. It's a biography Read more [...]

5 Major Changes When Transitioning to Single Income

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Why Are You Transitioning to Single Income? There are two situations in which you might find yourself transitioning to single income. In scenario one, you're getting a divorce or separation. Therefore, you're going down to one income but you're only supporting yourself (or potentially you and your children.) As a result, your income will change but so might your financial needs. On the other hand, in scenario two, one person in a two-income household won't be working for a little while. Perhaps Read more [...]

Start Fresh: 5 Things I Want to Spend Out Before Buying More

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Recently I've been working on the idea of trying to "spend out" the items I already have in my house. In other words, I have certain items that I want to use up before I buy new ones. In doing so, I hope to save some money at the start of the year. What Does It Mean to Spend Out? I got this concept from Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project. She talks about how there are both underbuyers and overbuyers, and each has their own challenges. I'm an overbuyer. I stock up. And that's okay in some Read more [...]

If AT&T Reduced Plan Costs But Added Ads, Would You Do It?

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Reuters recently released an exclusive article, quickly picked up by other news outlets, about a plan in the works from AT&T. The idea is that AT&T would serve you targeted ads on your phone. In exchange, they would reduce the cost of your phone plan. Would you do it? For me, it depends a lot on the details. It Hasn't Worked in the Past According to Reuters, several different companies have attempted something similar. Going back nearly phone decades, Sprint's Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile Read more [...]

I Paid For Junk. Then I Paid to Have Junk Removed. Lesson Learned.

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Today, I had a pickup from 1-800-Got-Junk. I won't lie; I was thrilled to get rid of a whole bunch of stuff that had been cluttering up my house. A decluttered space makes me feel like I also have a decluttered mind. However, the cost wasn't cheap. It was a big, fat reminder that buying stuff costs me money, and not just at the time of purchase. 4 Things I Should Have Done Differently I'll be brutally honest: I paid almost $400 to have my junk hauled away. With 1-800-Got-Junk, you pay based Read more [...]