Spend! Really, It's Ok If......

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Now I am the first one to tell you to save, save, save. But, I do believe in balance. And I do believe that there are some places that you should not necessarily cut. And yes, there are some places where it is actually prudent to spend. Or just occasionally, you just need to allow yourself a little spending to feel, well normal :)

So to be fair, I've now found a reasonable short article to advise you when to spend. Marketwatch.com (a WSJ subsidiary): When it pays to pay: During tough times don't cut back on everything.

A worthwhile read.

Money Saving Tips By Google - A Genius Approach

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Google is really brilliant.

Know what they have done now? They have a site called the Tip Jar: Take a Tip, Share a Tip.

This site is to access and share very quick tips to save money. Here's what is so great about it:

First, it is full of tips in several categories. See below categories and links:

Add new topic

...

Finance

...

Eco

...

Health

...

Tech

...

Shopping

...

Kids & Family

...

Cars & Transit

...

Food

...

Vacation

...

At Home

...

At Work

...

Misc

Second, it is an interactive community of saving. You can vote yes or no on a tip. You are asked to provide tips to share. And you can share tips easily because each tip has its own URL

Third, it always has fresh content. People are providing more tips. People are voting on tips letting you know which are the best or most useful.

So, have a look. Bookmark the site!

Specials on Starbucks, Wrigley, Orbit, Altoids etc.

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It is now March and once again, Amazon.com has some general and specific specials for you in Grocery

General Specials (click here)

Specific Specials:

• Annie’s Homegrown Mac & Cheese – Save up to 30% on eligible Annie’s products; 45% with Subscribe and Save

• Starbucks Coffee - Save $10 when you purchase two eligible Starbucks products

• Altoids, Wrigley, and Orbit - Save $15 when you spend $39 on eligible products

• Pet Food and Snacks – Save up to 50% on eligible pet food and snack products

Don't forget to check for free shipping!

How To Save Money - VIDEO

OK, I ran a poll and it seems you want to hear more about saving.

So, since I am always looking for innovative ways to share information, I came across this video on wikiHow.

I thought this guy was good, and funny. :)

Hope you enjoy it! Let me know:

How to Save Money

Morningstar's List To Cut Expenses

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Investors out there, I know you are familiar with this company - Morningstar - and the work they do as a leading provider of quality investment research.

Well, I came across this great article today from Morningstar.com: 101 Ways to Cut Expenses: Follow These Personal Spending Tips And Watch The Savings Pile Up

And check out the second line of the article: " But before investors can tackle where to put the money, they need to tackle where to find the money. "

Well said. Since I know many of you are tacking this "where to find the money" issue, I thought I would share this piece. This is a great reference. Have a look. I know, not all of them are feasible. I know not all of them are possible. And, yes, I know, not all of them we are even willing to do.

But it's 101 tips!

Out of that you must be able to find even one! And remember, doing even one is a step in the right direction.

And a tip from me? Look at the image in this post. See the Post It Notes on the computer screen? When you pick the expense cutting tips you can do of the 101 listed, there's a nice way to remember to do them - use Post It notes to remind you! :)

BIG SAVINGS! We Did It! IT WORKS!

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Ok! I can barely contain my excitement here.

Do you remember this post: Reducing Bills! Electricity Bills! Phone Bills! Water Bills!

Do you remember me telling you that YOU have control over consumption? Do you remember the tips? And do you remember me appointing myself electricity police?

Well, let me update you.

After one month of being the Electricity Police, I am delighted to announce that our electricity bill came this weekend with a 26.83% reduction in consumption on a kWh basis. Now, that is incredible. We used 26.83% less electricity this month than we did last month. That is not a typo - almost twenty seven percent!

Did we also get a dollar figure decrease? Well, as it turns out, we did!! We got a 20.49% decrease in the dollar amount of the bill. Not a typo - almost twenty one percent! I'm not kidding.

Want to know what that means. Dollar for dollar, we saved more in a month that we can get in ONE WHOLE YEAR in after tax interest on any savings account or reputable investment that I am aware of. And because we've saved that money, it's sitting in the bank earning interest, or available for investment to earn a return. How do you like them apples?

And, do you all know what electricity costs in Jamaica? Well, a 20.49% reduction in the light bill is a nice amount of money. And even if they dropped the rates, we had a 26.83% reduction in consumption - we did that, not the electricity utility company - so we were well on our way to some kind of savings.

If you want to see these savings for yourself, here's what you should do:

• Call a family meeting and let all members of the family know this is a family project, and each person has to do his or her part

• Find out all the big uses of electricity. Other than putting in energy savers wherever we could, we were vigilant with what was already there. We were vigilant in putting the heater on a daily schedule so it didn't stay on all day. We organized the use of the stove, washing machine, the microwave and the iron. There are ways to use all of those, accomplish what you need to without wasting electricity. We kept Air Conditioning use to a minimum, plugged out appliances (and cell phone chargers) when they were not in use, and turned off lights and fans when rooms were empty.

• Appoint an Electricity Police or volunteer yourself. This really works better if someone is willing to do what people forget to do, and/or embarrass and fine those who do not do what they should :)

In no way was anyone inconvenienced. And after seeing this reduction, we are more motivated than ever to keep at it!

In Plain English: What YOU Get From The Stimulus

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Kiplinger.com has done a great piece:

• What The Stimulus Means For You (the article)
  

• What The Stimulus Means For You (the slideshow)

If you want to sift through all the chatter, and all the pros and cons - and especially all the political grandstanding - here is the plain English SHORT version of what is in this for YOU.

Each benefit is described in no more than a paragraph each. Want to hear the first line describing each benefit (their words):

• A bigger paycheck

• A bonus for retirees

• Relief from the AMT

• A tax break on new wheels

• A break on college tuition

• Lifeboats for the laid-off

It's worth reading, and watching. And it's definitely worth sharing! :)

Increase Your Earning Potential. And Have Fun Doing It!

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Tonight, I'm doing something different. I'm talking about increasing your earning potential And I'm telling you two personal stories to get the message across.

Take it from me. Do yourself a huge favor and sign up for a class. I heard that collective "Aargh!" :) No, you don't have to go back to school and read tons of books (although that's one of my favorite activities). What I am recommending is taking one of your personal favorite activities - could be a hobby or an interest - and getting some structured skill development in that area.

Let me tell you what I have done. I've decided to get serious about my hobbies. I've decided to do my own research, practice what I learn, and seek technical training in formal settings. A class is a great way to make new friends with like minded people with similar interests, and also learn a lot of information in an effective way. I'm investing in myself and having a ball doing so by turning a hobby into an potential source of income. Try it. It doesn't have to take up all your time, or replace your main source of income, but in these days of uncertainty, diversifying your skill set is a wise move. Invest in yourself, it's worth it.

Which hobbies did I get serious about?

Well, first, I decided to get serious about photography. What does this have to do with earning potential? Everything.

As it turns out, there are tons of opportunities, especially now with the World Wide Web, to earn a bit of extra income from photography. With a bit of research you can match your interest with a willing market of buyers. Don't believe me? Well, there's stock photos, there's submissions to local newspapers, there's also work as art etc. I went to a great exhibition last Sunday - Just Photographs - and WOW what amazing work by professionals. And some nice prices for the work too. I'm taking a class now and loving every second of it. I have learned so much from my classmates and my instructor. And I have met people who I share a common interest with. It's been awesome!

Second, I decided to get serious about blogging. What does this have to do with earning potential? Everything.

I've been blogging since late last year. I've moved from one blog to two blogs. I blog everyday now. I do tons of research on how to blog, best practices, and how to increase earning potential from blogging. It started as an vehicle of expression - I'm pretty opinionated if you couldn't tell :) But then I started these personal finance experiments to help others in this economic downturn. I knew my readers are looking for ways to earn more money. So when I learned that people make money from blogging, I've tried some of the monetization techniques to see if they work so I can tell my readers how to do it. It's just some ads, really. But there's a whole skill to doing just that effectively. If I get it right, I'll be sure to share.

Blogging - with or without monetization - is actually a real skill and a very hot trend. I can use blogging in my full time job, or call upon that skill one day if I wish to to earn some additional income. So, taking my own advice, I took a one day seminar today and learned a ton! Not only am I investing in myself, I'm doing something fun, I am making new friends who have similar interests. If you like writing and knowledge sharing, and you are comfortable with the Internet, social media and cyberspace, you might want to try this.

But hey, those are just my examples of how I am taking my hobbies and turning them into the potential to be much more.

What do you like to do? Teach? Write? Name it.

Who knows, not only will you be happier if you do more of those things that you like to do, they may just help to pay the bills! :)

Download Tax Software

Image via CrunchBase

FYI:

If you need some help with your taxes, now Amazon is offering Tax Software Downloads.

Need Some Help With Saving?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

So often people tell me that they really understand the importance of saving, feel the need to save, want to save, but just cannot see where the money will come from. They look at their budgets and see fixed and/or rising expenses. And they see fixed and/or decreasing income.

Well, sometimes, it takes a second pair of eyes to see where the savings can come from.

If you are one of those people I described above, and if you feel comfortable in seeking help, talk to a friend or a professional who is not as personally committed to your expense categories as you may be. He or she may be able show you your expenses in another light. Or, you can read this great piece from from Kiplinger.com: Save $50 a day (and feel no pain).

• First of all, the article has tons of suggestions to save more than $50.
  

• Second, the article has sub-sections to "pay less " for banking and loans, health and insurance costs, utilities, food, transportation, investing costs, leisure, high tech and high fashion.

• Third, the article provides a link to actual stories of "super savers".

Now, you don't have to do all of these suggestions. Many of them may not work for you. But there are so many suggestions, it's likely that even one will work for you and adopting even one would be a start. And remember, everything you do not spend but save instead represents an opportunity to earn interest on that saving. :)