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A Beginner’s Guide to Online Couponing
Tweet Share on Facebook April 5, 2013 CommentCouponing has always been a key ingredient when it comes to saving money on purchases. However, coupon strategies have shifted dramatically in recent years. With the popularity of online shopping, you’re no longer required to spend hours clipping coupons from Sunday newspaper. Online coupons allow you to save without leaving your home computer—and eliminate the time required to clip and redeem traditional coupon offers. Here are the basics on the various types of online coupons and where to find them:
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17 Quick-and-Easy Ways to Earn More Cash
Tweet Share on Facebook April 4, 2013 CommentNeed some quick cash? Everyone does at one time or another. Here are some simple ways to fill your wallet:
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Why Card-Linked Offers Are a Good Thing for Both Consumers and Merchants
Tweet Share on Facebook April 4, 2013 CommentThe paper coupon is a holdover from a different era. Despite the fast growth of online shopping and the rise in retail purchases completed over mobile phones and tablets, paper coupons have stuck around—flooding mailboxes and filling out newspaper inserts.
The explanation for the persistence, though, is fairly simple: There’s simply been no better way to redeem an offline discount. There’s also little doubt the typical consumer is still deal-hungry and loathe to pay full price.
However, the card-linked offer is a new technology that has the potential to change how you shop. While relatively new to the scene, card-linked offers have made a splash; you may have seen Bank of America running primetime TV ads for its new BankAmeriDeals. Here’s a crack at explaining a few of the most important things to know about card-linked offers and why they matter:
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Lesser-Known (But Common) Tax Mistakes to Avoid
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2013 CommentThe April 15th deadline is quickly approaching. For those who have yet to file, this can be an overwhelming time. When rushing to get taxes prepared, sometimes things go wrong. Before you sit down to prepare your taxes, relax, and take a few minutes to review these eight common yet lesser-known tax mistakes.
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5 Ways to Save on the Rising Costs of Owning a Smartphone
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2013 CommentClose to half of all Americans enjoy the benefits of a smartphone, but many fail to consider the increased costs to maintain it. While a traditional cell phone could cost as little as $20 per month, a family of four nowadays can easily pay close to $200 per month for data alone.
If you have a smartphone or are considering one, here are five tips to lower your monthly bill:
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How Much Food Does the Average American Waste?
Tweet Share on Facebook April 2, 2013 CommentWe talk about flushing money down the toilet, but Americans really are throwing money on curb every time they take out the garbage.
According to a report last August by the National Resources Defense Council, the average American tosses about 25 percent of food and beverages purchased. For a family of four, the money wasted could total from $1,365 to $2,275. Food spending as a percentage of the overall budget has decreased dramatically over the last few decades, but it’s still the third-largest expense for a household.
What are the best ways to cut back on food waste while saving money?
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5 Ways to Spring Clean Your Finances
Tweet Share on Facebook March 29, 2013 CommentWith the holidays behind us and spring in the air, you should take this opportunity to re-evaluate your finances and give them a good spring cleaning. For those of us who tend to leave things messy year-round, April offers consumers a great time to take an in-depth look at their financial picture, streamline it and making things easier to understand and manage. To get started, consider implementing these strategies:
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When it Comes to Finances, Stupid Should Hurt
Tweet Share on Facebook March 29, 2013 CommentWhether good or bad, there are natural consequences to your financial decisions. If you save for retirement diligently and stay out of credit card debt, your nest egg will thank you down the road. However, if you make foolish, some might say, “stupid” financial decisions, it will hurt—and it should hurt. If it didn’t sting, behavior would never change and the cycle of poor financial choices would continue forever. Here are some glaring examples of faulty financial decisions hurting consumers the most:
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3 Key Lessons For Investing Better Than Most Americans
Tweet Share on Facebook March 29, 2013 CommentIt is widely recognized that Americans are poorly informed about global financial and economic issues, but what about when it comes to a key pillar of their own personal financial management: online investing?
A new study by InvestingNerd finds Americans have alarming financial illiteracy when it comes to the basics of online investing—a key skill in managing one’s finances. The InvestingNerd survey polled more than 800 American adults and find that, when it comes to the basics of investment management, most scored poorly on a series of questions highlighting these key weaknesses in investing knowledge:
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13 Ways to Score a Big Raise
Tweet Share on Facebook March 28, 2013 CommentEveryone wants to make more money, but employers are reluctant to hand out big raises in this shaky economy. A major consulting firm estimates the median raise in 2013 will be a meager 3 percent. Does that mean you're stuck with a paltry raise? Not necessarily.
The smart employee will use some of these 13 tools to get a bigger raise:
