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Summer Money Makeover
It’s not yet ‘officially’ summer but Memorial Day’s been and gone so I thought we’d kick off a summer financial makeover. What gave me the idea? Over at my writing site, I’m setting up a summer writer’s retreat where we’ll get books started or half-finished ones will get completed. It’s running from June 1st through September 1st. Three months to get something done that maybe you’ve been talking about or even just dreaming about doing. So I thought how about something similar here at BSG. What would your financial makeover look like? Maybe you want to finally set up a budget? Perhaps you want to get started on saving…
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The Added Cost of Fear and Uncertainty
What if it breaks, what if the car breaks down, or I lose my cell phone… We all have one of those days, sometimes one of those weeks. Put it down to bad luck or the universe not being on our side. We’re human so that makes us worry and companies know that. Sometimes it’s the fear and uncertainty of everyday living that costs us more money than it should. What got me thinking about this? I’ve been reading a couple of financial books (I’ll be reviewing them here on BSG at a later date), and both of them mentioned that oftentimes we pay more because a company…
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Compound Interest-Friend or Foe?
Compound interest… Two words that make me think about my maternal grandmother. I know what you’re probably thinking why would something connected to money make her think about grandma? Let me explain… My grandmother was widowed when she was just 51 years old. She was a very independent lady, didn’t rely on her family, didn’t want to burden my parents so she’d adopted a mindset that made sure she was financially secure to the day she died (at 87). She had two ways of looking at money and debt. First one was, make money work for you and save up for something you want and then buy it. Never buy it and…
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The Added Cost of Being on Auto-Pilot
We all know being disorganized can cost us money. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rushed out to buy something I know I already own but can’t remember where I put it. I’m getting better at being organized but one thing that can also eat away at your budget is payments that are on auto-pilot. I’ve signed up for services, memberships to sites etc. without thinking about how payments are made during the second year. A couple of times I’ve been sent e-mails saying thank you for staying on as a customer for another year. But what, you say, I didn’t make a payment to you. In fact, I wanted to…
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Going Green Means Saving Green
Earth Day is this Saturday and here are five easy ways I’ve found to go green and save money at the same time- Showers You can buy low water flow shower heads or even buy adapters to go on your current one. Neither are that expensive and if you’re think the water will just dribble out of the showerhead, you’d be surprised how the new versions are so good that you hardly notice the difference. Dirty Laundry Where I live, putting laundry outside to dry isn’t something I can do year round but when the temperature heats up a great way to save money on electricity (and your…
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YouTube a Goldmine for The Budget Minded
I don’t know how many of you ever spend time on YouTube but over the last year or so I’ve discovered there’s a goldmine of information there for budget savvy people like us. With that in mind, I decided to put together a list of some of my favorite channels in various categories so here they are- For the Budget Minded A YouTuber based in Utah has this fun and informative channel called The Melea Show- https://www.youtube.com/user/Freebies2Deals Another one of my favorites is the Do It On A Dime https://www.youtube.com/user/DoItOnaDime And who can leave out The Krazy Coupon Lady https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Or even discovering free stuff…free is always good. https://www.youtube.com/user/freestufffindercom/about?…
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Friday Round Up-Organizing and Decluttering
Happy Friday to you. The weather took a downward turn and it looks like winter is back. I guess last week’s 60 degree temperature spoiled me and I have to face up to reality. Roll on spring and summer. Speaking of which… Getting Ready for Canning Season I’ve been on a decluttering and organizing binge. One of the areas in the basement that was in most disarray was the section where I keep all my canning jars and equipment. After searching online for some ideas, I stumbled upon an item called a Jar Box that’s not only a way to organize your canning jars, but keeps dust, dirt…and…
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Friday Round Up-Save Money On Soap (that’s ugly)
Good Friday to you and it’s the last one in February. The weather’s taken a winter like turn but I know spring is around the corner. The Ragu Giveaway I don’t know if there was a glitch in the system last week or what, but no one entered the Ragu sauce giveaway so I’m running the contest again. The first person to e-mail me, gets the Ragu sauces. Ugly Soap I’m a huge fan of artisan soaps and if you’ve tried buying them you’ll know they’re pricey. However, as every Budget Smart Girl knows there’s always a way around the price. While I was doing some research…
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Friday Round-Up-Substitute Pie Crust
Just a quick Friday round-up. First up, congrats to Cheryl who won the China Study All Star Collection cookbook. Lots of strawberries are already in the produce department. I can’t wait to see how my own strawberry plants (and the blueberry plants) do this year. Last year was the first time I planted them so I don’t know if I’ll have enough to make any jam or pies. I’ll probably use them just for snacking. Speaking of snacking ,one of my favorites is homemade hummus on cucumber slices. It’s filling and keeps the hunger pains away until mealtime. Plus, with cucumbers soon to be in abundance and chickpeas always on…
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Friday Round Up-Saving Money While You Eat Well
I finally squeezed in some time for a Friday Round-Up- First up, two links I found today with a money saving theme- Five products you can get for less this month-https://homes.yahoo.com/news/5-products-deep-discount-april-162008234.html If spring has you wanting to decorate your home, this might be of some use-https://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/10-easy-ways-decorate-less-193400078.html As many of you know I’m working on a budget focused cookbook and as I’ve been developing and working my way through the recipes I’ve learned even more about cooking and eating on a budget. Here are some things I’ve discovered- Homemade Isn’t Always the Best or Cheapest One chapter of the cookbook focuses on foods you’re better off making at home rather than…