Search Results for: blog how to stop overspending

How to Stop Overspending

If you struggle with overspending then you need to take some serious steps to bring it under control. Spending more than you earn or living paycheck to paycheck can cause some serious harm to your finances, your credit history and even your quality of life. Here are some ways that you can get back on track and stop that overspending. Set a budget Budget can be a scary word. But if you could just sit down and right up a budget and then agree not to spend anymore than what is allocated in that budget, you will go a long … Continue reading →

Five Tips to Help You Stop Using the Credit Cards

Have you told yourself that you need to stop using the credit cards, but find yourself pulling them out anyway? Each month you promise yourself that you are going to start paying back the cards, but then find your balance steadily increasing? Here are five tips to help you stop using those cards. 1) The best way to stop yourself is to stop carrying the cards with you. If you do not feel safe without a credit card (to pay a tow truck or to handle a similar emergency) then carry one with a very small limit, so you will … Continue reading →

Ways to Save on Spooktacular Halloween Fun

Forget about bloody fangs, hanging skeletons and cackling witches, if you want a real scare leading up to Halloween, try filling up your gas tank in California. An unprecedented spike in fuel prices has added more than 50 cents a gallon to the Golden State’s pump prices. The AAA reported that gas prices hit a record of $4.67 per gallon on Monday morning, though market analysts say that number should fall in the coming weeks. Still, for many families the damage is already done. Now, it’s a matter of cutting back in other areas in order to stop the bleeding. … Continue reading →

Understanding How You Got Into Debt

For most of us, debt comes softly. Bills sort of sneak up until you are left wondering what happened. Understanding how you go into debt is very important. This understanding will not only help you to get back out of debt, but it will also help prevent you from getting back into it. Try to trace back to a time when you weren’t in debt. What was different? Have you always been in debt? What did you learn about handling money from your parents? Common causes of debt include spending more than you make, or overspending, a sudden or unexpected … Continue reading →

Retailers Hope You Have Frugal Fatigue This Holiday

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that retailers are really hoping that you, the consumer, will be suffering from frugal fatigue this holiday season, and they will be doing everything they can in order to encourage you to let go of frugal habits and spend this season. The holidays are usually a time to spend and indulge, so it really a danger zone when it comes to falling off of the frugal wagon. If you aren’t careful, you may wind up spending more than you planned. If you have solid financial goals, such as to pay down debt, to save … Continue reading →

Taking Inventory to Save Money

Even frugal people can go overboard without intention. Then you wind up spending extra money on things that you don’t need. I used to be guilty of this all of the time, and I still have to be careful about it. By thinking ahead and using a few minutes to take inventory, you can save yourself some money and some hassle. Last weekend, my family and I made a stop at one of the huge children’s outgrown sales in the area. This sale is always packed with tons of clothing, shoes, toys and equipment of all kinds. The sale can … Continue reading →

Save on the Basics

When it comes to spending, what are the basics? What things do you need to purchase each month? These are the things that you should concentrate your saving efforts for right away. Why am I advocating concentrating on knocking down the costs of the basics instead of knocking down the costs of the largest expenses or even of the luxury expenses? Simply because when it comes down to it, all other things can be eliminated in a crisis, while the basics have to remain. Everyone is going to have a different set of basic needs, with some obvious categories that … Continue reading →

Shrinking the Cell Phone Bill

As you may know, I do not currently own a cell phone. However, I have to admit that more and more it is becoming harder not to have one. Still, if I do manage to go over that cliff and buy a phone, it would have to be one that I thought actually saved money instead of eating at my income. I’ve been doing pretty well at ignoring the looks I get when I tell people that I don’t have a cell phone. So many forms today ask for the number. More people have cell phones than computers. And I … Continue reading →

Why I Only Spent an Extra $7 Today

In all of the craziness of black friday deals, deals, deals, I confess that I wanted to spend, spend, spend. First there was the Christmas tree. Ours is pretty old and in a very sad state. We thought we might take advantage of the end of the season clearance deals, but by the time the prices got low enough for our budget, the selection was pathetic. So this year, we have been watching the sales and agonizing over the purchase of a shiny new pre-lit Christmas tree. Rather than rushing out to the store right then and there, my husband … Continue reading →

The Impact of Cell Phones

Personally, I don’t own a cell phone. That is not to say that I have never owned a cell phone, just that I don’t own one now. In fact, coming from the tech world and having (at the time) a boyfriend who worked in telecommunications, I adopted the cell phone early one, when they were large and clunky and practically needed their own suitcases to carry around. Today things are different. Beside the expense, cell phones can pose a large danger to the environment, since so many are thrown into landfills. And while you may not be able to love … Continue reading →