One of my favorite websites is Allrecipes.com. I go there anytime I’m looking for a new recipe or just need inspiration for something to cook for dinner.

On my most recent visit, I noticed a section called ‘Cooking on a Budget’. Since inflation and rising food prices are at the top of many people’s minds these days, this was a great find!

In ‘Cooking on a Budget’ you’ll find articles on smarter meal planning, budget friendly recipes (the lemon garlic tilapia looks awesome!), tips on how to buy in bulk and how to freeze food, and videos on how to prepare “cheaper than takeout” meals for your family.

Did you miss the ‘Learn How to Avoid the Top 4 Mistakes Small Business Owners Make With Their Cash Flow’ teleclass? No problem… the recording is now available to download!

To download the teleclass, go to:

http://www.onlinebusinesstaxtips.com/TeleclassEPWDownload.html

In this call you will learn:

- How to learn the simple System to control cash flow in just 15 minutes per week.

- The 4 secrets why you are not in control of cash flow, even if you are doing what all the “experts” say you should do.

Earlier this year, Rick and I were planning on driving to Colorado for a week of camping, hiking and canoing. After watching gas prices rise, we have decided to vacation closer to home this summer.

While I was looking forward to the scenery in Colorado, we have plenty of good rivers for canoing and camping right here in Missouri, so it doesn’t make sense to spend the extra money it would cost to drive all the way to Colorado.

What about you? Have rising gas prices changed your vacation plans this summer?

“Learn How to Avoid the Top 4 Mistakes Small Business Owners Make With Their Cash Flow”

Attention Coaches, Virtual Assistants, Internet Marketers and Other Small Business Owners…

Join me for a free teleclass with special guest Elizabeth Potts Weinstein on Tuesday, May 20th.

Title: Learn How to Avoid the Top 4 Mistakes Small Business Owners Make With Their Cash Flow

If you’re a small business owner, then you know that ‘cash is king’. Unfortunately, most small business owners don’t have a good handle on their cash flow, which could lead to business failure down the road.

With gas prices above $3 a gallon (and more, depending on where you live), you may be wondering what you can do to save on gas.

Some of the best ways to save on gas include:

* Combining shopping trips
* Downsizing to a smaller car
* Carpooling or taking public transportation whenever possible

There are many ways to save on gas, but this one might surprise you…

Did you know that just by slowing down, you can save on gas? According to this article on CNNMoney, in a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon.

I love cooking with my crock pot, so when I saw Cara’s (of TheHouseholdHelper.com) article about how cooking with a crock pot can help save money I just had to share…

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.

Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:

1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.

Continue Reading Save Money By Cooking with Crock Pots

by Cara of The Household Helper

What does it
mean to be frugal?  The answer will depend on who you ask; some
people will say that it means to be a penny pinching person who washes and
re-uses ziplock bags.

Other people
feel that being "frugal," is simply learning how to manage your money in a
smarter, more productive way so you are able to live a life that you want to
live. Now that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

I just ran across a debate on a personal finance forum about cash vs. debit cards.  In my experience everyone is different, and some people are able to manage their finances better using cash while others do a better job using debit cards.  Personally, I prefer debit cards, but that’s just me. 

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of each:

Cash:

• less likely to overspend because you are more aware of what you are spending
• spending cash makes you stop and think "do I really need/want this?"
• less likely to impulse buy with cash

One of the biggest obstacles to budgeting is the fact that your paycheck is usually not monthly, but your expenses are. 

This mis-match of income and expenses can be enough to stop most people from even trying to budget.

I recently found a free calculator at DinkyTown that allows you to enter your paycheck and it will create a monthly budget from your weekly, bi-weekly or semi-monthly paycheck.

You can find this home budget calculator by clicking here.  DinkyTown has many other calculators including mortgage, credit card, budgeting, taxes, retirement and more.   

Ah the holidays… a time for parties, over eating, and over spending.  Americans routinely overspend during the holidays, often resulting in increasing credit card debt to go along with that increasing waistline from too much pumpkin pie. 

The holidays are stressful enough.  Don’t add to that stress by overspending your holiday budget.  Here are ten tips to help you save time, money and stress this shopping season: