Websites

Retailmenot:  The king of promo code websites, RetailMeNot offers percentage off discounts and free shipping offers that are up-to-date and valid, and unlike some of their competitor sites, you do not have to log on or sign up as a member to access their discounts.  Retail me not provides users the opportunity to register their savings amounts and successes, and also offers email updates and special deals for those who do chose to register an email address. If you’re about to make a purchase on a website and at checkout they provide a box for a promotion code, don’t complete the sale without first checking on Retail me not.

GasBuddy:  Gas prices just keep going up, and they have a real impact on a family’s budget.  Instead of constantly keeping your eyes out for the lowest possible price in your area, check out GasBuddy – users log and and report low price gas stations by location, and GasBuddy reports them so everybody can take advantage of the low savings – just plug in your location or destination and GasBuddy will take you where you’ll save the most. The site also offers helpful tips on ways to maximize your car’s fuel economy, and gives out rewards to users who report in often. GasBuddy also has an app for your mobile phone that will tell you when you’re near inexpensive gas.

BillShrink:  For overall household expenses, the information that BillShrink provides is truly amazing. Just plug in your sign on information for your wireless service, television/cable carrier, your credit cards or any of a number of other regular bills you pay, and BillShrink will analyze your usage and tell you whether you could save money by switching plans, or service providers, or how to maximize points available.

PriceProtectr:  Though many stores offer price protection guarantees that allow you to access sale prices if the price of the item you purchase goes down within a certain amount of time, few of us have time to actually monitor the prices on everything that we buy. That’s where PriceProtectr comes in. Just register your purchase on the site, and if the item goes on sale you receive notification. The site also has a price watching service, so you can register to receive notifications when the price drops on something that you want to buy, but are willing to wait for.

Apps

ShopSavvy:  The beauty of this app is that you can find something you like and immediately find out how the price stacks up and whether you can get it cheaper somewhere else. Just scan the bar code on the item you’re considering and ShopSavvy will tell you where to find it for less.

RepairPal: This is an app that can save you a fortune, not to mention the pain of kicking yourself later for getting ripped off.  Plug in a specific repair that you need to have done and Repair Pal will instantly give you a report on what the going rate is for that repair in your area, and refer you to service providers who are nearby.

Key Ring Rewards:  If you hate carrying all of those little shopper loyalty cards on your keyring, you’re going to love Key Ring Rewards. Just photograph the barcode on each card and it will keep and categorize them all for you – then you can free up your key ring for your car keys, and when you enter a store where you want to earn loyalty points or get your deserved frequent shopper discount, the cashier can scan or enter your number and you will receive the appropriate credit.

As the cost of energy increases, so do monthly electric bills. Most people don’t realize that there are hundreds of things that you can do around your home to save money on your bill, and most of them are free or very inexpensive to do. Even better than that, many of them are small changes that will make an insignificant difference in how you feel, but you’ll find that they’ll make a significant difference in your overall costs.

Start With Your Heating and Cooling System

More than half of your home’s energy costs come from heating and cooling, so that’s the best place to start. Most people know that raising the thermostat to 78 degrees during the summer and down to 68 in the winter will save money, but they often forget to adjust the temperature further when they’re going to be away for a few days.

Other tricks for reducing heating and cooling bills include:

• shutting doors and vents in rooms that you don’t use,
• caulking around baseboards,
• weather stripping around doors and windows
• smart use of curtains and drapes.

During the winter, make sure that you leave the curtains open to take advantage of the free solar heat, then shut them as the sun goes down to keep that heat trapped inside. Similarly, make sure that on sunny summer days you keep south and west-facing window curtains closed – this prevents the room from heating up too much and making your air conditioning work harder. Give serious consideration to installing ceiling fans, as they can lower the temperature of a room by four degrees, and cost a lot less than air conditioning. Finally, make sure that the air filter is clean and facing the right direction – the more efficiently your air conditioning and HVAC system are running, the less they cost.

Hot Water Heaters Are Fuel Hogs

The second biggest energy expense in your home is your hot water heater, which works day and night to keep the water in the tank heated for you, whether you need it or not. You can cut ten percent off of the average running cost by turning its heat setting down to 120 degrees – and if you only have one or two people in the household you can probably turn it down to 115 without anybody feeling a difference, and save even more. You can also purchase a water heater wrap, a small expense that can save almost ten percent on costs by reducing lost heat.

Other areas of saving involve adjusting the way you’re actually using your water. Walk around and make sure you don’t have any leaks or drips, and install low-flow shower heads. Don’t let the water run in the shower too long before getting in, and try to keep your shower time to seven minutes or less.

Energy Usage With Laundry

Using cold water when you’re washing your clothes can cut two to four percent off of your water-heating costs, and try to cut down on the frequency of washing bath towels – they really don’t need to be cleaned after every use, especially if you’re just using them to dry yourself off after a shower. Also, make sure that you’re running full loads of wash, and if you have to run a small load, remember to adjust the water level.

The laundry room offers cost savings beyond cutting your use of hot water. Make sure that you are maximizing the efficiency of your dryer by cleaning out the lint vent after every load, and try to do consecutive loads – a lot of the energy that goes into running your dryer is spent heating it up at the beginning of the cycle, so if it’s already warm, you save. Also, check the dryer vent hoses to be sure that they are properly attached at both the dryer end and the exhaust end – minimizing lost hot air cuts the time needed for drying. Finally, check to make sure that the exhaust door that vents to the outside of your house is closed when it’s not in use; if it’s stuck in the open position, you’re losing either heat or nice cool air-conditioned air.

Check Your Kitchen Too!

The biggest energy cost-cutting opportunities in your kitchen involve your refrigerator and the way you cook. The fridge has coils that should be kept clean to ensure efficiency, and it has a thermostat just like your water heater does; turning it to power save, or raising the temperature to between 34 and 37 degrees can make a big difference, as can setting the freezer temperature so that it’s not below zero. When it comes to cooking, most people assume that the microwave uses a lot of energy but it actually uses less than the stove or oven – in fact, you can save up to fifty percent on cooking costs by using your microwave more and your oven less. Crockpots are also an efficient way to cook meals without heating up the kitchen, and their energy use is minimal.

Conserve, Conserve, Conserve. Also, Energy Saving Lights Are the Way To Go

Finally, look around your home at all of your appliances and lights. The easiest way to save on your energy bill is to turn things off when you’re not using them, whether an overhead light or an appliance, and unplug power hogs like computers and televisions completely, especially if you’re going to be gone for a long time. Make sure that you unplug phone and laptop chargers – if they’re plugged in, they’re using electric, even if nothing is being charged. And consider investing in the more expensive but much more cost-efficient LED light bulbs or compact fluorescent bulbs. They cost more but they last considerably longer – in fact an LED light bulb has twenty five times the life span of a standard incandescent bulb, which substantially makes up for the increased cost – and using them can save seventy-five percent of your lighting costs.

Modest Retirement Model

The first question to ask yourself is how conservatively you live, and whether you want to continue to live that way in your retirement. If you live within your means, and plan on continuing in that way, spending about the same way that you currently are, then you can look at the amount of money that you are currently making in a year, subtract out your expenses and income taxes, then subtract out the money you expect to receive annually during retirement from social security and any pensions or retirement funds you’ve been contributing to.   That number will give you the amount you can anticipate spending per year. Now, multiply it by the number of years you realistically think you will spend in retirement – in other words, the number of years from the age of retirement until the age you think you’ll be when you die – and that is the amount you need to have in order to retire.  This is a very conservative number. It does not take into account increases in the cost of living, or additional costs for health care costs, so you may want to multiply by an additional ten percent.

Retirement Dream Model

If you are anticipating spending your retirement sailing off into the sunset, treating yourself to luxurious vacations and adventures, you need to be more aggressive with your saving. A good way to figure out how much you’ll need is to calculate the amount of money you plan to spend in a single year of your retirement. Look at your regular expenses and add on the costs of the vacations you want to take, the cost of dining in the restaurants you want to patronize, the things you want to buy.  Now subtract from that number the amount you anticipate receiving from Social Security and pension or 401K funds, then multiply that final number by thirty three and that’s the amount of money you will need to have in order to retire and live the kind of life you want to live.  Admittedly, the number will be much higher than the result of the first calculation, but if you save that amount, you should be fine.

Rule of Thumb

Finally, the simplest calculation of all is to assume that you need fifteen percent of the amount of money that you’ve made in every job you’ve ever had. If you haven’t saved in your early years, that means you need to increase the percentage in later years.  There is anecdotal evidence that you haven’t started saving by the time you are forty, it will be nearly impossible for you to start saving enough to fund your entire retirement, but any saving that you can do will help.  Take advantage of any 401K plan that your employer offers, and when you get near to retirement age, try to postpone applying for Social Security for a few years. If you file for Social Security at your earliest eligibility, you reduce the amount of the payout you receive by 25% –  the longer you put off claiming your benefit the better off you’ll be financially in the long run.

Well, times they are a-changing, and hopefully if you’re on a date with someone that you hope to continue dating, they, too, will understand that people just aren’t made of money anymore. So how do you impress a date, or even have fun on a date at all, without spending a fortune? Here are some tips for dating on a budget.

Head to Happy Hour

Assuming you might have some money to spend, let’s start with the idea of happy hour. Generally, restaurants offer tons of food and drink specials during happy hour, so you’ll save a ton and still be able to enjoy some great food and quality time with your date.

Happy Hour is also a social setting, and there’s just something about the thrill of being out with a bunch of other people, but only being focused on one. Don’t rule a happy hour out because it’s too early or too crowded. Give it a chance.

That said, try to avoid hitting up a cheap-o place that has low prices on barely edible food to begin with. Choose someplace nice, and see what kind of specials they’re offering. It will be a great opportunity to try some new foods or drinks, and you’ll have a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation with your date.

Happy hours work great for first dates because they are so social, but they’re also good for couples who have been dating for a while and are looking for a slight change of pace – they want to get out once in a while and have a great date but don’t have a whole lot of money. You can’t go wrong at happy hour, hence its cheery name.

Spend A Night In

While inviting a date over to your own apartment might not be the best idea if it’s a first date, it’s a great option for a second or third or even beyond date.

Rent a movie at a discounted price (RedBox and Netflix have awesome movie rental deals, and they keep their selection pretty up to date) and offer to cook a homemade meal – something classic, like chicken and rice or steak and potatoes or your mother’s best pork chops and chutney.

Everyone loves a good home-cooked meal, and you can set the mood to be a little more romantic with a nice table setting and some candles, maybe even some music. Then cuddle up on the couch to enjoy the movie you rented.

It’s a perfect, romantic, inexpensive date idea that is seriously underrated. It will give you a perfect opportunity to get to know the person better in a quiet setting and then it gives you a chance to get close, too.

Go For A Walk

Walking around aimlessly is seriously underrated when it comes to a date idea. If you can find a crowded area with people shopping and cute little trendy cafes or even some street performers to walk around in, your date will be sure to have a blast. The entertainment is already provided, and you don’t necessarily have to shop or spend money to enjoy the afternoon.

A walk through a local park is another good option. Enjoy the scenery with a date and use it as an excuse to hold hands and have a long talk. You’ll have a good opportunity to get closer with the person and learn more about them while enjoying the great outdoors.

Hiking might be an adventure meant more for people who have been dating for a little while, because you do have to know that you can manage an entire day with the person without getting sick of them or annoyed with them. But once you get comfortable with someone, hiking can be a great and memorable adventure for both of you!

Learn Something New

Maybe you have a special skill that not everyone is able to do, or you know a friend who has one and is willing to teach you both, but take advantage of a special skill and use it as an opportunity to either learn something new yourself or teach your date what you know!

If you’re a guy looking to teach your date something you know, you’ll be happy to hear that women love learning new things from their man. Take her surfing or golfing or to a boxing gym and teach her how to throw a punch – she’ll remember the lesson forever.

Women, maybe you’re great at cooking or decorating or maybe you even golf or play tennis or something yourself but your man doesn’t. Take the time to teach him – it will be a humbling experience for him to learn something new that he might not be good at immediately, and it’ll give you a great chance to show off your skills.

If one or both of you have a friend who has something special to offer, ask if they would be willing to teach the two of you together. Learning something new as a couple can be a great experience for both of you as well as a good conversation point, because you’ll be sure to be talking about your lessons for some time to come as you both try to perfect what you learned!

Bring Out Your Inner Child

Who doesn’t love running around without a care in the world like a little kid? The answer is everyone loves it!

Find a local playground or water park and spend the day with your date swinging on the swings or racing each other down slides. Water park tickets could run you up a bit on cost, so if you don’t want to swing it, you can have just as much fun at a community playground.

Play on the monkey bars and make up contests for the two of you to compete against each other in. You can even pack a picnic to enjoy on the lawn in the afternoon while you take a break from playing. Acting like kids loosens you both up and overloads you with fun and memories!

Tour a Brewery or Winery

Brewery and winery tours are usually cheap or at least very inexpensive. They’ll take you all over the brewery or winery and teach you all kinds of awesome knowledge about beer and wine, plus you’ll get a chance to taste new varieties together and decide which ones you like.

These tours are fun an inexpensive and it automatically gives the two of you something to talk about – you can compare and contrast what you like and don’t like and talk about what you’re looking for in a good beer or wine.

If you’re willing to take any beer or wine home with you, you could even pick your favorite drink together that you tasted that day and take it home to share with a home-cooked meal on a later date (nothing like a little insurance for a next date!).

Go To a Local Sporting Event

While your town or city may have professional or semi-professional teams, those tickets can cost some major money. If that’s the case, you don’t have to rule out going to see a sporting event altogether. What about high school sports?

Going back to a high school (any high school will do just fine if you don’t live near your hometown, but if you do, take your date back to your old high school) brings you back to your roots and can make you feel like a kid again. And it’s easy to get into sports!

It’ll be a fun outing for both of you and it will give you a chance to act like high schoolers again. If you’re feeling up to it, maybe try to sneak a kiss under the bleachers or by the snack stand. It will be so cliche but so cute at the same time that your date will be sure to be impressed!

Krista Sampson is a freelance writer and loves coming up with ways to have fun without breaking the bank. She prides herself in her financial skills and offers up her help and advice to many for mortgage loans Wilton NY. She believes that the key to being financially stable is saving money wherever you can!

Some of the most common reasons for having no credit history include:

• Being (or having recently been) a student (however, repaying a student loan will help you get at least a small amount of visibility as far as credit history goes)
• Just starting your first job
• Never having had the need to use credit before (or perhaps having had a card that was in the name of your partner)
• Being new to the UK

So how are you supposed to quickly build up enough of a credit history to get your first credit card (and indeed how much credit history is required?)? Unfortunately, building up a good credit history takes time; there are no shortcuts, and while it can take a few months it can just as easily – if not more likely – take years. So what can you can do to get the credit building ball rolling?

• Get yourself a free credit check – This will help you figure out whereabouts you are and see if there is anything unexpected bringing your credit rating down.
• Make sure you pay everything you need to – This includes both your debt repayments and more mundane bills. Paying more than the minimum amount given by your credit card statement can also help boost your credit score.
• Don’t go over your credit limit – Never a good idea, really; this can be recorded and put on your credit history, thus damaging your overall credit score.
• Register on the electoral roll – Even if there are no elections for some time or you aren’t eligible to vote; it helps you to be identified more easily.
• Talk to your long term bank – Often if you have had a long relationship with a particular bank may offer you additional options.
• Be in employment – Being able to hold down a job – as well as having a steady source of income – always works in your favour. Not moving too much also helps.
• Don’t chain-apply for credit cards – Always leave 3-6 months (the longer the better) between applications.

Fabio Webb recommends extensive credit card comparison before you settle on one particular card.

What Are the Advantages of Having Excellent Credit?

When your credit is excellent, you’ll enjoy the privilege of lower interest rates on credit cards and loans. You also might be able to get loans without needing collateral or a cosigner, which is something people with lower scores often have to deal with. Another advantage of good credit is having the freedom to shop around for loans. For example, a person with a 570 credit score might have to take whatever he can get regardless of the interest rates offered when he needs a loan, but you shouldn’t have to worry about that. However, you should keep in mind that some lenders do look at more than just your credit score.

Is 702 a Good Credit Score For Getting Any Loan?

Even though 702 is a good score, lenders also take into consideration how many credit accounts you have open as well as your current and past employment information. If you have multiple accounts open, this indicates you’re in a lot of debt, which could hurt your chances of getting another loan. It’s also not looked on favorably by most lenders if you’ve had several different jobs over a short period of time. They might view this a sign of irresponsibility or failure to stick things out. Even though there’s a great chance you could still get a loan if these other factors apply to you, the loan terms might not be as favorable. If you’re struggling with debt in spite of having a high credit score, you might want to pay some of it down before borrowing any more money.

Beware of Credit Repair Scams

Just as there are no real fast debt solutions for getting out of debt, there’s also no such thing as credit quick fixes. There are several fraudulent companies out there that would  have you believing otherwise. They’ll promise to patch your credit history up – for a fee. What many people who are taken in by these scams don’t know is that it’s not possible for credit to be patched up instantaneously, and people who attempt this are often breaking the law. To make matters worse, if they get in trouble for it, so could you. Legal website NOLO lists a few ways in which credit repair clinics try to patch up your report, one of which includes stealing social security numbers from people who are either dead or under the age of 18. Never trust any company offering any kind of quick credit fix. You can do it yourself – legally.

Repair Your Credit On Your Own

How does credit repair really work when you go about it the right way? It works when you make an effort to pay down your debts, make timely payments on everything you owe, and avoid applying for credit over and over again. Don’t open up new credit card accounts if you already have several. However, it might not be a bad idea to apply for a credit card if you don’t have one at all just so you can charge small items and then immediately pay them off. This is actually a great way to improve your score. Even if you have a 570 credit score or below, it’s still possible to raise your score slowly and steadily by doing these things. You’ll find that many potential employers, landlords, and lenders will all begin to start trusting you again once your score climbs into the mid-600s.

Changing the Money Saving Mindset

According to respected financial expert Dave Ramsey, people can begin to understand the importance of saving money by changing how they look at saving. The idea that putting money away for later is no fun because it doesn’t provide immediate gratification should be dismissed. Instead, it’s best to view saving money as a way to have things without going in debt for them, ultimately eliminating a lot of money spent on interest and worry over a new bill to pay each and every month. When people begin to look at saving in this manner, they often get excited about the idea of putting money away and might even start looking into all sorts of other practical ways to save money in every area of their lives.

Making Purchases With Cash

When people go into debt for expensive items, it tends to leave them with a sick feeling. People who use money they saved up to buy something they really wanted rarely experience this feeling. Instead, they might feel proud of themselves for setting a financial goal and seeing it through to the end. The idea that going into debt for things like cars, houses, and other expensive items is necessary just isn’t true. There are many people who put aside enough money over the course of several years to purchase or build their own homes without having to go into debt at all. This happens even more often with car purchases. It ultimately comes down to mind over matter. If the importance of saving money is at the forefront of the mind, a person is much less likely to go into debt for something he can’t really afford.