spendinghacks.com http://www.spendinghacks.com All things financial including money management, saving, and investing. Sat, 20 Jan 2007 06:48:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.1 en Is this the best use of my money? http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/21/is-this-the-best-use-of-my-money/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/21/is-this-the-best-use-of-my-money/#comments Mon, 21 Aug 2006 20:07:08 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/21/is-this-the-best-use-of-my-money/ In Penelope Tzougros’ book, Wealthy Choices, she asks us to consider 3 questions before making a purchase. I’ve addressed the questions What are the Benefits of Making This Purchase? And How Important is Making This Purchase? I think the final question - Is this the best use of my money? - is probably the most difficult, at least for me. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/21/is-this-the-best-use-of-my-money/feed/ How Important is Making This Purchase? http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/20/how-important-is-making-this-purchase/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/20/how-important-is-making-this-purchase/#comments Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:59:28 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/20/how-important-is-making-this-purchase/ Our society seems to confuse “wants” with “needs” all the time. Our family and friends, social group, and marketers for companies have done a fantastic job of tapping into our psychology and convincing us that we absolutely must have this or that to fulfill some gap in our psyche. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/20/how-important-is-making-this-purchase/feed/ What are the Benefits of Making This Purchase? http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/19/what-are-the-benefits-of-making-this-purchase/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/19/what-are-the-benefits-of-making-this-purchase/#comments Sat, 19 Aug 2006 20:55:07 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/19/what-are-the-benefits-of-making-this-purchase/ To curb impulse buying and help us make more conscious financial decisions, Penelope Tzougros advises us in her book, Wealthy Choices, to ask “What are the benefits of making this purchase?” before we buy something. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/19/what-are-the-benefits-of-making-this-purchase/feed/ How Do You Value Your Money? http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/18/how-do-you-value-your-money/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/18/how-do-you-value-your-money/#comments Fri, 18 Aug 2006 08:48:02 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/18/how-do-you-value-your-money/ I often read books and articles that provide common sense tips on how to save money, get out of debt, or build wealth. So why is it so difficult to do so? I’ve been reading the book, Wealthy Choices: 7 Competencies of Financial Success by Penelope Tzougros, and the further into it I get, the more I realize how much of successful financial management is more mindset than habit. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/18/how-do-you-value-your-money/feed/ 9 Ways to Eliminate Debt and 6 Ways to Make Money Online http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/16/9-ways-to-eliminate-debt-and-6-ways-to-make-money-online/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/16/9-ways-to-eliminate-debt-and-6-ways-to-make-money-online/#comments Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:06:24 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/16/9-ways-to-eliminate-debt-and-6-ways-to-make-money-online/ The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Dallas has an article (via Newsweek) on how to get out of debt. Here are their tips: (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/16/9-ways-to-eliminate-debt-and-6-ways-to-make-money-online/feed/ Save Money By Unplugging Your Appliances http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/04/save-money-by-unplugging-your-appliances/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/04/save-money-by-unplugging-your-appliances/#comments Fri, 04 Aug 2006 14:42:01 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/04/save-money-by-unplugging-your-appliances/ If you’re looking to save a few dollars on your electric bill, try unplugging electronic devices like your TV, VCR or Microwave. Any appliance that has a digital clock , LED lights, or a quick start mode is sucking power even when the device is turned off. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/04/save-money-by-unplugging-your-appliances/feed/ Web Searchers Looking for Hybrids and Saving Money on Gas http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/03/web-searchers-looking-for-hybrids-and-saving-money-on-gas/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/03/web-searchers-looking-for-hybrids-and-saving-money-on-gas/#comments Thu, 03 Aug 2006 19:44:39 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/03/web-searchers-looking-for-hybrids-and-saving-money-on-gas/ It looks like Americans are becoming more interested in trading in their gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient alternatives.

According to eMarketer, in Q2 2006, online requests for info for the Toyota Echo/Yaris rose 835% and for the Ford Escape Hybrid rose 110%. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/03/web-searchers-looking-for-hybrids-and-saving-money-on-gas/feed/ Pay It Down!: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/03/pay-it-down-from-debt-to-wealth-on-10-a-day/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/03/pay-it-down-from-debt-to-wealth-on-10-a-day/#comments Thu, 03 Aug 2006 03:58:59 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/08/03/pay-it-down-from-debt-to-wealth-on-10-a-day/ Pay It DownAuthor: Chatzky, Jean
Publisher: Portfolio Trade
Year Published: 2006
Rating:4 Stars
Buy From Amazon.com
The average American has a decent job but $8000 in debt and no savings to speak of. Money keeps them up at night and they wonder how they’ll be paying their bills at the end of the month. Pay It Down offers a simple plan to pay off your debt in three years with only $10 a day. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/08/03/pay-it-down-from-debt-to-wealth-on-10-a-day/feed/ Do Credit Cards Engage In Deceptive Advertising? http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/05/23/do-credit-cards-engage-in-deceptive-advertising/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/05/23/do-credit-cards-engage-in-deceptive-advertising/#comments Tue, 23 May 2006 03:01:35 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/05/23/do-credit-cards-engage-in-deceptive-advertising/ An article from Reuters questions some of the Tricks of the credit card trade - namely, all those offers to give you a rate as low as 8.99%.

It’s the “as low as” that’s the kicker. Your actual rate could be much higher, but you won’t know until you provide them with specifics about your finances and your social security number. It’s only after you apply that you’ll learn your rate and who much you’ll be approved for. (more…)

]]> http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/05/23/do-credit-cards-engage-in-deceptive-advertising/feed/ Stamps.com vs Pitney Bowes http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/05/07/stampscom-vs-pitney-bowes/ http://www.spendinghacks.com/2006/05/07/stampscom-vs-pitney-bowes/#comments Sun, 07 May 2006 02:15:25 +0000 Krista http://72.249.45.164/~spending/2006/05/07/stampscom-vs-pitney-bowes/ One of the biggest time wasters out there seems to be trekking to the post office to wait in line for a half hour (at least here in Philly). On top of that, the closest post office to me has some super grumpy people working for it. I often walk the extra 10 minutes to the other just to avoid having my mood soured. So when I got my Pitney Bowes mailing system a few years back, I was happy as can be. (more…)

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