Next, grab the grocery ads. If you don’t get these in the mail or in your weekly newspaper, just jump online and visit your favorite grocery store’s website. Most grocery stores have their weekly ads listed right on their websites now, and some are even interactive (allowing you to create a printable shopping list – very cool!). Once you have your grocery ads in hand, scan them for sale items that can be used for this week’s meals.
Before you get to deep into your menu plan, you might want to look at your calendar for the week. If you have family or work activities that will keep you from getting home at a decent hour, you will want to plan very simple meals or even leftovers for those particular nights.
Next, you should take an inventory of the items in your fridge and pantry. Do you have any food that needs to be eaten right away? This is one of the greatest benefits of meal planning. You waste much less food because you only buy what you plan on using that week.
Continue reading How To Get Started Meal Planning…
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]]>To help you plan your holiday spending budget, I’ve created a free worksheet, which you can download here.
Planning who you want to buy for, what you want to buy and how much you want to spend will help you save money by allowing you to shop around and get the best deals on gifts this year.
I hope you enjoy the holiday spending worksheet. Happy shopping!
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I’m doing something that is very out of character for me… I’m thinking about holiday shopping in the first week of November. Normally, I’m one of those last minute, barely get it there on time Christmas shoppers, so this is…]]>I’m doing something that is very out of character for me… I’m thinking about holiday shopping in the first week of November. Normally, I’m one of those last minute, barely get it there on time Christmas shoppers, so this is very unusual for me.
But like a lot of people, I want to save money this holiday season, and one of the best ways to do that is to start my Christmas shopping early.
For all of you who want to join me and put Christmas on a budget this year, here are some tips to get you started:
Start early – Perhaps the best tip this year will be to start early. It is expected that retailers will be offering deals far earlier this year than in previous years, and starting early will help you plan better and scope out those deals.
Make a list – Make a list of items you plan on buying this year, whether it’s gifts, decorations or food for the holiday entertaining. Having a list will allow you to snag items as they go on sale, and it will keep you from procrastinating til the last minute.
Set a budget – It’s easy to get excited and go overboard on gifts, especially if you don’t have a budget in place. Write down everyone you want to buy for this year, and set a specific dollar amount for each person. You’ll be surprised at how much this will help reduce your overall holiday spending!
Do comparison shopping – Retailers are expected to offer deep discounts this year, so it will pay to do your homework to make sure you’re getting the best deal available. Also, compare the in-store prices to the online prices; some stores offer different prices based on how/where you buy the item.
Ship early – If you need to ship gifts to family members who live out of state, do it early! This is usually my biggest expense each year because I wait til the last minute. Not this year! I’m shopping for out-of-state gifts first, so I can mail them well in advance and avoid those inflated Christmas shipping fees.
Don’t forget the wrapping paper, food and supplies – When you’re making your Christmas budget, don’t forget all the little stuff that goes into making Christmas special. Items to consider, besides the gifts of course, include cards, wrapping paper, food for Christmas dinner, party supplies, etc.
Most people don’t do any planning or budgeting for the holidays, so if you do the above steps you’ll be way ahead of the crowd this year. And you’ll be on track to have Christmas on a budget, without being cheap!
Here are some more articles to help you put Christmas on a budget this year:
How To Plan A Debt-Free Christmas
- months, you can use your card as a free loan for holiday spending. This is recommended only if you pay it off before the interest charges begin. * If you really want to stick to your budget and avoid impulse spending, pay in cash. …
Christmas Countdown Day 9: Set a Holiday Budget!
- to do today … set a holiday budget. A budget is more than just a piece of paper! It’sa dynamic way to allocate funds and track spending. Used properly, a budget provides an at-a-glance picture of where your spending falls against your …
Holiday Spending Relies on One Factor This Year: Price
- Stores realize that many people are working on a strict budget this season and in order to accommodate their needs, they have begun advertising Christmas specials earlier, so consumers have more time to shop and can begin shopping …
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You’d never guess there was any good news in the economy based on the gloomy headlines and the lack of consumer confidence. The economy is definitely in turmoil right now, but I’ve always felt that the media focused on the…]]>You’d never guess there was any good news in the economy based on the gloomy headlines and the lack of consumer confidence. The economy is definitely in turmoil right now, but I’ve always felt that the media focused on the negative news and buried any good news.
So I was thrilled to see ‘10 Things That Are Going Right’ on Kiplinger.com today.
According to the guys at Kiplinger, there are a few reasons to be optimistic about after all:
1. Oil prices have dropped 50% in the last three months. I have definitely noticed this at the gas pumps as gas prices have dropped from over $4 per gallon to $2.33 per gall earlier this week. This will definitely help the old pocket book each time we fill up.
2. Deals on new cars are abundant as carmakers have suffered double digit decline in sales. This is good news for consumers in the market for a new car. In addition, carmakers have finally started developing hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles which should have long-lasting benefits.
3. Interest rates are low and are expected to go lower. So again, consumers in the market for a new car or house should benefit.
4. Home prices are down significantly, which is good news for first time home buyers who were previously priced out of the market.
5. Bank deposits have never been safer. Thanks to the bailout plan FDIC insurance on checking and savings accounts and CDs held at FDIC insured banks has more than doubled.
6. Stocks are on sale. If you have time on your side (10 or more years to invest), you should definitely take advantage of the down market to buy low (remember buy low, sell high?).
7. Technology continues to advance, which means televisions, computers and other tech gadgets are super cheap.
8. U.S. harvests have had one of the best years ever (I didn’t know this, did you?), which means U.S. exports are up, and profits are up, allowing farmers to pay down debt.
9. The November elections mean new leadership for the U.S. and optimism for positive change going forward. After the year we’ve had, who wouldn’t be happy about a change in leadership?
10. Expect bargains and great deals this holiday season. Retail sales are expected to be slow this holiday shopping season, which means retailers are planning on giving deep discounts. If you’re a bargain shopper, this is good news indeed 
So, it’s not all bad news… Thanks to the folks at Kiplinger.com for giving us something to be happy about.
Source: ‘10 Things That Are Going Right’ – Kiplinger.com
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]]>Included in the bill were some new tax credits, and some other tax bills that were set to expire were extended.
Here’s a quick summary of the tax breaks found in the bailout bill:
Mortgage debt forgiveness – under previous tax law, if you had any debt forgiven, the cancelled debt was taxable income to you. The new law temporarily stops homeowners from owing tax on cancelled debt up to $2 million. The debt has to be related to your primary residence. This is actually an extension on a law that was set to expire; the new law will extend this provision until 2012.
Lower property taxes – homeowners who don’t itemize their deductions will be able to deduct up to $500 ($1,000 for joint taxpayers) of personal property taxes in addition to the standard deduction. This is effective for 2008 and 2009.
Energy tax credits – taxpayers qualified for energy tax credits for qualified improvements made to their home, but these credits expired in 2007. The new law brings the credits back for 2009, but skips 2008 for some reason. So if you are planning on replacing windows, doors or your furnace, try holding off til 2009. The new windows, furnace, etc. have to meet certain energy-efficient standards to qualify for the credit.
Tuition help – the tuition deduction of up to $4,000 expired last year. The new housing law extends this deduction for 2008 and 2009.
Sales tax deduction – this was another deduction that expired in 2007. The new law extends it through 2009.
AMT relief – another one year patch has been approved to keep more people from falling victim to the AMT tax. The bill increases the AMT exemption amount to $69,950 for joint filers, and $46,200 for single filers. Without this patch, it’s estimated that an additional 23 million people would pay AMT tax on their 2008 tax returns.
Finally, the new housing law included disaster aid for people affected by hurricanes and tornadoes recently, such as a larger casualty loss deduction, or penalty free IRA withdrawals.
While some of these tax provisions had nothing to do with bailing out the housing market, they will be welcome for the taxpayers who benefit, the most notable being the AMT relief.
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]]>Here are some more articles on how to save money with meal planning:
Quick Ways To Save and Be Frugal With Meals – Make a list. Always keep a list on hand for what you need and what’s on sale. This will…
]]>Here are some more articles on how to save money with meal planning:
Quick Ways To Save and Be Frugal With Meals – Make a list. Always keep a list on hand for what you need and what’s on sale. This will also help with your meal planning. Plan your meals around sales. If pork is on sale that week add it to your menu for the week. …
7 ways to save money at the grocery store – Fresh, frozen or dried, fruit makes a satisfying, sweet end to any meal. It will add vitamins, minerals and fiber that aren’t found in cakes or candy. Working some small changes into your grocery shopping habits will not only save money …
Tightening my belt… – In fact, two of the blogs that I subscribe to (both totally unrelated) are launching a “save money” challenge for themselves this month and have invited others. Check them out at Kath Eats Real Food and I Will Teach You to be Rich. …
That’s our list and we’re sticking to it – Being further away has also forced us to plan our meals a little better as well. Again, before we just ran to the grocery store before dinner to get whatever was needed for our meal, now we can’t. My wife has been pretty much planing …
Healthy Eating on a Budget – Menu Plan. Having a menu plan for the week allows you to save money, time and brain power. 2. Coupons. Clip, clip, clip from your local paper. Print, print, print from money saving websites like Freebies 4 Mom, Money Saving Mom, …
Recommended Resources:
Dine Without Whine – A meal planning service for busy families. If you understand the benefits of meal planning, but need help implementing it, this is a great service to have. Get menu plans, grocery lists, recipes and more to help you save money and time!
Meal Planning on a Budget – Tips on how to get started with meal planning and how to slash your grocery budget with meal planning.
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The recent volatility in the stock market and economy has finally got people asking how they can save money.
Well, I’m not the most frugal person in the world, so I decided to search some of my favorite personal finance blogs…
]]>The recent volatility in the stock market and economy has finally got people asking how they can save money.
Well, I’m not the most frugal person in the world, so I decided to search some of my favorite personal finance blogs to find the best “money saving” tips I could find.
- How-To: Save Money on Heating This Winter – Recently, heating expert Chris Cooper shared some advice for thrifty Winter heating. Check out these ideas for reducing your Winter heating bill with these tips, which may surprise you. Even small adjustments in everyday life and habits …
- How to Save Money on Movie Rentals – One of the things I have mentioned is to watch movies at home instead of going to a movie theater. Here are some tips on how to save money on movie rentals or … Recent Article published on 10/10/2008 by vmarge2001.
- 11 steps to save money by taking better care of yourself – I think that as a doctor, we take things for granted. We say one thing but do another and I myself am guilty of this as well. We self diagnose and self medicate and hardly find the time to do all… [[ This is a content summary only. …
- 25 Ways I Save Money – This is a list of common things my wife and I do to save money on a regular basis. Luckily, we are both frugal by nature, and we actually do most of these things without needing to discuss it much. Note: in most cases, …
- Save Money Round-Up – Not too long ago, I ran a series of ways to save money on many things. I’ve found that it helps keep them fresh in my memory if I review them from time to time. I decided to consolidate them here. If you missed any of them, …
- Things I Actually Did (And Do) To Save Money – A LOT of sites will tell you what you “should do” or “could do” to save money. Here are some things that I actually did (and do) to save money. (If you want to get out of debt, there are two ways to have more money for debt reduction. …
While I’m not happy that the economy had to get so bad before people decided it was time to save money, I am glad that people are finally paying closer attention to where they spend their money and how to cut their spending. There’s never been a better time to start saving than right now.
I hope you enjoyed these saving money tips. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to share, please leave a comment. Thanks!
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Don’t forget that October 15 is the final deadline for filing your 2007 tax return. In addition, it’s your last chance to file for the economic stimulus rebate check.
As a reminder, if you file a 2007 federal income tax return,…
]]>Don’t forget that October 15 is the final deadline for filing your 2007 tax return. In addition, it’s your last chance to file for the economic stimulus rebate check.
As a reminder, if you file a 2007 federal income tax return, and have $3,000 or more of qualifying income (including amounts received from Social Security and certain veterans benefits) you may be eligible for a stimulus payment. Other criteria that you must meet: you must have a valid Social Security number and you can’t be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
Rebate checks can be as much as $600 per individual, plus $300 for each qualifying child under the age of 17. If you don’t have any tax liability but otherwise qualify, you may be eligible for a stimulus payment of $300, also with an additional $300 for each qualifying child.
While most people have already filed their 2007 tax returns, there are still millions who filed extensions who have not filed yet filed their tax return. You must file by October 15 to recieve the stimulus payment this year.
Even if you’ve already filed and received your stimulus payment, you may want to check with your parents and/or elderly relatives who might be eligible, but do not normally file a return. If they qualify, but haven’t filed a 2007 return yet, they have until October 15, 2008, to do so in order to receive an economic stimulus payment in 2008.
Filing information is available on the IRS website, including a Free File return preparation option for qualifying individuals. Individuals who are eligible but do not receive a stimulus payment in 2008 won’t lose out–but they’ll have to wait until 2009 to claim a credit on their 2008 federal income tax returns.
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I’m always nagging at you to check your credit report, which you can request for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. But up until now you always had to pay for your credit score.
Well, I recently discovered a website called CreditKarma.com, where you…
]]>I’m always nagging at you to check your credit report, which you can request for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. But up until now you always had to pay for your credit score.
Well, I recently discovered a website called CreditKarma.com, where you can request your credit score (the actual 3-digit FICO score) for free.
I was concerned that there might be strings attached, so I had to check it out for myself.
The registration process was very quick and easy, and the application to retrieve your credit score was much easier than the process to request your credit report from one of the three reporting agencies.
Credit Karma does not provide a copy of your credit report. They provide your 3-digit FICO credit score only.
Immediately below your score are credit offers from partners of Credit Karma that are based on your credit score. These offers are how Credit Karma pays the bills, so they are necessary and may even be beneficial if you are looking to establish credit or make a purchase soon.
So, while you still need to check your actual credit report at least once a year (to check for fraud and/or errors), if you are just wanting to check up on your credit score, check out CreditKarma.com.
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A few years ago I learned an exercise that is designed to de-clutter your mind. While this exercise was really created to be used when you have too many things to do, I found it to be a great stress…]]>A few years ago I learned an exercise that is designed to de-clutter your mind. While this exercise was really created to be used when you have too many things to do, I found it to be a great stress reliever, and use it anytime I’m worried about something and need to reduce my stress about whatever’s bothering me.
Given the state of the economy and the stock market, I thought it would be a great idea to share this exercise with you to help reduce any stress you may have related to your finances.
To get started… For 15 minutes, write down everything that’s on your mind. In this case, I want you to focus on writing down everything that’s on your mind about your finances. It doesn’t matter if you use pen and paper for this exercise, or use a computer (I use a computerized journal). The purpose is to write down everything that is on your mind about your finances. Keep writing until you run out of things to write.
When you’ve written down everything you can think of, review your list. Put an “X” next to everything on your list that you have no control over. You can even cross these items off if you want. Things that you have no control over… well, you have no control over them, so you should not spend your time worrying about them.
Next, review the remaining items on your list. Put a star next to everything that you do have control over and that is a priority to you. When you have a problem or a concern about something, you should always determine what you have control over and make plans to change those things for the better. After you have put stars next to each item that you can control and that are important to you, start making plans to improve these items.
For example, you may have listed “I need to save more” on your list. This is something that you can control, and it’s important to you. Now that you are aware of that, you can make plans to do things to improve this area. You might make a note on your calendar to transfer $10 from your checking to your savings each week, or you might start a change jar, or you might start watching how much you spend so that you can save more. The point is, this is something on your list that you can control, and by taking control and taking action, you will reduce your anxiety around your finances.
Here’s an example of what your list may look like after completing this exercise:
My 401K tanked yesterday
I’m worried that I may not ever be able to retire
I’m worried about how I’ll take care of my mom and my own family at the same time
*I need to pay off my debts
*I worry that I may not be saving enough
I’m mad about the $700 bailout plan
I’m worried that the stock market won’t go back up
In this example, I have crossed off everything that I do not have control over. I can’t control the stock market or whether or not Congress passes the bailout plan, so I’m not going to worry about those things any longer. Items that have a star next to them are things that I do have control over, and that I want to prioritize. I know that I can take steps to pay off my debt and to save more, so I’m going to focus on those items now. Items that are not crossed off and do not have a star are things that I can control, but they aren’t my highest priority right now. They will move to the priority list later on.
After doing this exercise, I feel much better because I know what I can and need to focus on, and I know what I can let go of and not worry about anymore.
In this economy, it’s more important than ever to do what you can to improve your finances. That means stop worrying about the things you can’t control (like what the stock market is going to do today or tomorrow or next week), and start taking action around the items that you can control (watching spending, saving more, etc.). I hope you found this exercise helpful!