Money Saving Tips and Secrets

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How to Pawn for Cash
When you are in need of CASH you can pawn your personal items for a quick cash loan. Getting cash on the valuables you already own is easy. Knowing what to say and how much to ask for will get you more money.

Please bring items in good working order, complete with all cords, remotes, manuals, and/or chargers.
You will need to show that your item is in working order.
Be prepa... Read personal finance article



Budgeting
Your budget will guide you through the financial processes that build financial freedom and personal wealth. This guide will help you build security and independence. Without it, you are wandering aimlessly in the dark.

The budget is the main requirement for financial planning. Without it, you can dream all you want, but you will not know how to make dreams into reality. Budgeting helps... Read personal finance article



Money Saving Tips and Secrets
Without completely changing your work lifestyle, here are four ways to save at least $160 per month.

Say "Sometimes" to Starbucks We love our coffees, latte's, and cappuccinos. Whether it's Starbucks, Peet's Coffee, Panama Bay, or a favorite local coffee shop, you can bet you're spending at least three dollars for every drink. While many studies are showing Americans are grabbing latte's two or more times a day, let's assume you only pick up coffee only once on your way to work. That means you would spend fifteen dollars each week. Ok, so fifteen dollars isn't so much, until you multiply that by four weeks. In just one month, you have spent $60 just on coffee. Yikes! That's SIXTY dollars! And this is assuming you don't tip, never buy more than one coffee a day, and it actually only costs three dollars.

If you're completely addicted to your cappuccino, and going to your coffee shop is one of your little joys in life, by all means, don't stop going. Instead, try setting specific days you'll allow yourself to indulge. Maybe you'll pop in for a cappuccino on Tuesdays and Fridays only. If that's too much to bear, be creative in the size of drink you order. Order the big size on Mondays (to get you through the week) and Fridays (to reward yourself). The rest of the days, order the smallest size.

Visit the Gas Station Less With gas prices the way they are, stop driving to work alone! Taking a train or carpooling will cut down on the amount you spend on gas. If you can't find anyone at work that's willing to carpool, there are some websites such as www.carpoolconnect.com to help you find people headed in the same direction. If you're curious to find out how much you save let's assume you drive twenty miles to work and it costs you 28.1 cents per mile for gas. Driving alone will cost you about $120 per month, whereas carpooling with two other people will only cost $40 per month. That's an $80 savings!

Pack Your Food Don't buy snacks from the vending machine. Not only are they incredibly unhealthy and often full of chemicals, they are huge money wasters. In fact, you can get those same foods for much less at wholesale stores like Costco or Sam's Club. If you've got to have your peanut M&Ms, buy them in bulk and bring them from home. If you're a soda or juice drinker, it's still much cheaper to buy wholesale. You usually save a dollar, which isn't much until you realize you've spent at least twenty dollars a month at the vending machine.

If you can, pack your lunch from home too. This can be a little more difficult if lunchtime is your opportunity to network and meet with co-workers. Not going isn't really an option and it's awkward to bring your bag lunch along. Try cutting down on the cost of your lunch. Instead of a whole sandwich, buy just a half. Instead of the large salad, get the small. If it's not enough food, just pack more snacks from home. The goal is to bring as much food from home, which is always cheaper, and spend less at work. Remember, if your lunches are more like business meetings, be sure to look into any tax incentives that may apply.

Look Great for Less It's important to dress well for work, but that doesn't mean you need to go broke doing so. Shop at outlet stores or discounted stores such as Ross or TJMax. Hit the sales racks in Macy's and Nordstrom's for great clothes at a reduced price. Most importantly, when you shop for clothes, pick out things you can easily mix and match with the rest of your wardrobe.

With your newfound money, you have even more freedom to get out of debt, invest, or save for something you've always wanted.

--$----------$----------$----------$----------$-- Alexis Froehlich is passionate about helping others experience success - in health and wealth. For further reading, check out Myspace Cash Machine if you're finding yourself spending hours on the computer without being paid for your time. Be sure to get your FREE ebook that shows you how to boost your income!

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When You Are Spending More Than You Make

It is very easy nowadays to spend more than you make. Credit cards have made it as simple as swiping a little card through a reader. You don't even have to sign at many places, such as fast food drive-thrus.

And you never really realize that you are spending more than you make.

Until you get the bill.

If you can't pay your credit card bill in full each month, you are overspending. How many times have you bought things on your card and never really thought about how they add up until the bill arrives. Oh well, you'll pay it next month.

And credit cards aren't the only way to spend more than you make. Payday loans and car title loans are a great way to spend too much. They are addicting and easy to get. But you are paying almost 400% interest over the year for these loans. They simply aren't worth it.

You have to be careful with credit. It is a way of buying things you can't afford. Now I understand that mortgages and auto loans are very necessary. But they must be reasonable and you must be able to afford to pay them. If you buy more house than you can afford or a too expensive of a vehicle, you will have trouble.

So how do you know if you are spending more than you make? Can you afford what you are buying?

First of all, if you have credit card debt that is carried over from month to month, you are spending more than you make. Cut up those cards right now. You will no longer charge on them. This is it. You have to pay off that debt.

The way to do that -- and the way to figure out what you can afford -- is to develop a budget. List all of the bills and expenses you have. Everything. To the penny. Be honest. Then subtract the amount from your income. You want to see what is left over. If you don't have anything left over, you have some big changes to make.

It really doesn't matter how much you make, after all. It is all in how much you spend.

Martin Lukac represents www.RateEmpire.com and www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate and mortgage rates. We specialize in daily updates, mortgage news, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!




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Money Saving Tips and Secrets
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