Saving Money

Holiday shopping doesn't have to be stressful or expensive. See our holiday gift guide below with gift ideas, tips to saving on holiday shopping & more. Finding the Right Gift for the Person You Love Finding the Right Gift for the Person You Love We all have those people in our lives that you have no idea what to shop for, try to stick with gifts that everyone can use. Obviously, not everyone wants a generic gift card, because they are impersonal, but there are some ways to make those obvious gifts a little more personal.

Online shopping has become a major part of our lives, offering us convenience and the ability to find great deals from the comfort of our own homes. However, with so many options available, it can be easy to fall into the trap of overspending or buying things that you don't really need.

With so many stores in the palm of our hand, it can be difficult to manage your “splurge spending” into a small fixed amount. Of course, you deserve to spend money on yourself, every once and while. But the ease of shopping and simple spending can lead you to lose track of that splurge spending, turning it into regular spending.

The age of cable is coming to an end and streaming is booming! Many millennials have found ease in simply subscribing to a channel. There are so many to choose from you can quickly rack up a bill rivaling that of Comcast. Bundling your streaming services is the smartest way to get the most content for the best value.

You’ve started to budget your money, but how are you tracking your spending? If you’re not tracking and checking your spending habits you can’t effectively manage your budget. Some banks help keep track of your spending habits, however, you can better analyze your spending habits with these tools. Now that checkbooks are dead some of us have to adapt to new methods.

Budgeting is an essential skill a beginner can have. Being equipped with proper budgeting skills will lower stress levels and will make you smile with less stress. Creating a spreadsheet or tracking expenses through an app will help you take control of your spending habits. When I was younger, I did not know, nor did I care about tracking each of my expenses. My spending habits were out of control. I would spend money on countless items such as clothes, courses I would never use again, and eating out impulsively. Guess what? I learned the HARD way!

Couponing has a powerful lure. Years ago, my interest sparked by reality TV shows, I decided to try “extreme couponing” in order to score free groceries. Free? Hardly. It did not work out that way. I did save money - maybe 40% or 50% or more off of my total tab. But it took hours of meticulous planning (with spreadsheets and coupon binders) in order to make a grocery store run. Trips that once took 30-60 minutes were taking 2.5 to 3 hours. (Takes time to read and reread all the fine print. I need to buy how many to get the savings? What color? What flavor?) And then checkout would be a nightmare. The scowls and dirty looks of shoppers behind me. The terrified cashier who needed my emotional coaching in order to get through the mountain of paper deals. I still clip the occasional coupon, but my extreme couponing days are done. For most people, it’s not worth the time and energy. But there are other ways you can still score mega deals when you shop in-store or online.

The honeymoon period after you graduate from college is amazing, and for many people, the first time in your life you truly feel like a real, genuine adult. However, after the honeymoon phase comes the harsh truths about adulthood, especially when it comes time to come face to face with the state of your finances.

Now is the time to either freak out or take a sigh of relief when looking at your emergency savings. Reports from over the last couple of years have shown that 2 out of 3 Americans don’t have at least $1,000 dollars in savings. Now those who did not prepare are feeling the pain as we end the eleven-year bull market and face a very unpredictable recession.

By the time you read this, almost 6.6 million Americans will have filed for unemployment benefits. This number is larger than that of those on unemployment during the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, and now, after four years of low unemployment and a bull market, even people in relatively secure jobs are uncertain as to what the future holds. For some people reading this, even maybe you, the fears of losing your job has become a reality.

As Social Security among young people is treated as a pipe dream and more and more Americans nearing retirement age don’t seem to see a financial rainbow at the end of career tunnel, many conservative spenders and savers across the nation wonder why they haven’t seen the wealth accumulation from years of hard work result in something larger. So what gives? CNBC’s Jill Cornfield explains exactly why you’re so far off from the retirement track of your dreams, and the answer why is pretty obvious. “Savings alone can’t get you there,” writes Cornfield, “investing can.”

Imagine your current budget. Now add an extra hundred dollars per month. It's nice, right?    And while it is easy to imagine how to spend the money, sometimes it can be a challenge to dream up ways to make it happen. So let's take a look at a few ways that you create some extra wiggle room in your monthly budget.