Excelle

So, have ya heard the economy is bad? Seriously, I wanted to encourage everyone to just take a deep breath. There are ways to survive this. This too shall pass. I have a few tips for saving a few bucks and cutting corners, but first let me share the following stories. Back in 1997, I was one year out of college ...

If you could ask ten wise women for advice on what to do (and what not to do) with your money, what would they say? They might offer the ten financial tips below, culled from our wise and money-smart contributors. 1. Saving For Retirement Is a Must Unless you don’t mind eating cat food in your old age, you have to ...

Everyone can learn to adjust to cutting back, be it through a local ski trip instead of Vail or the Alps, waiting for the Black Friday sale to buy that flat screen TV for 30 percent off, or opting for a classic purse you can coordinate with year-round instead of a seasonal designer bag. But real savings don’t start with the ...

Overspending is easy to do. Everyone falls for it every now and again because sometimes you just feel the need to spend. However, there may be things that trigger our overspending even when we know that we are on a budget and cannot really afford to spend money. 1) Stress – Work, family, friends, sickness, money…all these things (and many more) ...

To help lighten the blow of Tax Day across the nation, various dining establishments and retailers are offering consumers freebies, deals and discounts — just for today!Here are a few we dug up, but be on the look out for local deals in your area! • Chick-fil-A is offering a “Tax Relief Day Special” that, according to a SmartMoney.com article, ...

Budgeting isn't always easy - but it doesn't have to be impossible. And it's worth it. You'll live with less worry now, and endure less headache later on. Luckily, the Geezeo blog has come up with some basic money management strategies that are as simple as ABC. Follow their guidelines to squash your debt, start saving, and stop wasting money. ...

Over my lifetime, I have come to recognize that my understanding of personal finance was greatly impacted by the attitudes and practices of my parents. It is impossible to overestimate the influence this lifelong home economics course had on me. My parents truly left their imprint on the psychic money manager toiling inside my head. So let's talk about spending money. ...

Learn how one business saved this amount each month by cutting back on non-essentials. Your business can use these methods to decrease expenses, too. There's no escaping it: The economy is officially dismal. Many companies are being forced to increase sales and/or decrease costs in order to remain competitive or, in some cases, survive. That's why we decided to do ...

If you want to spend less time worrying about your money, then it’s time to get your financial act together. These six strategies can help improve your financial situation and simplify your life at the same time. h4. 1. Put Your Savings on Autopilot If you haven’t maxed out your 401k or other retirement plan at work, add an extra $50 ...

by Nicole Crimaldi, founder of MsCareerGirl.com It’s a Friday afternoon and you are walking home from work. You’ve had a super stressful week at work. Not only are your superiors on you about a plethora of issues at work, your best friend cancelled on your girls night and you are in a fight with your boyfriend. Enter . You walk past ...

It's always great to get a raise or bonus. But it's even better when you use the extra cash to make smart financial moves that can increase its value exponentially over time. "A bonus or raise is cause to celebrate, and the lucky recipient can certainly spend a small amount of that bonus or raise on a special meal or new ...

The average American home will spend $990 on heating this year, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Add that to the rising costs of food, clothing, and travel, and almost every individual and family will feel the pinch. Fortunately, you can make your utility bills more manageable. Many steps to reducing your bills apply to everyone, even those living in ...

Take a look at the top 2 reasons businesses fail: inadequate capital and excessive cost overruns. Don’t let your business fail because of these two things. Since most of us don’t have lots of capital available to us to start our operation, we must use what we have wisely. Here are 10 ways to use that capital wisely and manage your ...

When we asked Monster readers what they’d be most likely to splurge on if they got a big salary bump — a new car, wardrobe or home entertainment technology — the car topped the list with 51 percent of the votes, followed by the wardrobe with 30 percent and the home entertainment center at 18 percent. But quite a few readers ...

I happened to catch a news segment about how Starbucks is being affected by the recession and it got me thinking. First, I love Starbucks and if I could have a dream office, I’d place a desk in the middle of my Starbucks and work happily. Second, I admire their business model and branding (my favorite book about this is The ...

We’re a nation of spenders and we spend unconsciously for all kinds of reasons. But, with the price of gas going up daily and food prices escalating, most of us are struggling to make ends meet. How can we survive the tough economic times? Begin by tracking your spending for at least two weeks. Try not to spend any differently, just ...

“The problem with saving,” the woman on the elliptical next to me at the gym the other day told me upon learning that I am a financial planner, “is that it’s so boring. I feel like I can never do anything fun.” This, fortunately, couldn’t be less true. Try the tips below to save tons without missing out on a thing. ...

The battle for a secure retirement is about to get even tougher. Several new surveys of company executives show that they plan to reduce or suspend their company's retirement-plan contributions this year. Dozens of employers in the past year have already slashed such costs. The trend means one important thing for workers: smaller nest eggs, unless they save enough to make ...

Ever wonder how much money you can save by cutting your commuting costs? How about enough to pay for two trips to Ireland plus several major home improvements? As chief of marketing for the Maryland Transit Administration, Buddy Alves set out to see how much money he and his wife could save on their commute from the Baltimore suburbs to their ...

As the economy weakens and prices soar on everything from gas to groceries, Americans are looking for quick ways to cut their expenses and hold on to more cash. Fortunately there are plenty of ways to chop your spending without a lot of time or hassle. Some of these cuts will save you just a few dollars, while others can net ...