Personal Finance Bloggers Share Their Very Best Money Saving Tips
In July of 2006, I asked my fellow personal finance bloggers to share their very best money saving tips.
My goal was to create a list of tips for getting out of debt, saving money, and living frugally.
Since that time, the number of personal finance blogs has grown. I wanted to give bloggers - new and old alike - the chance to add their tips to the list.
Some of the blogs that used to exist, no longer do, and I’ve removed the links associated with those blogs.
I’ve removed the dead-links and and organized the working-links.
If you are a blogger and you have a tip that you would like to share - and it’s not already listed below - click here to send me the url for you tip. I’ll add your tip to the list. You do not have to be a personal finance blogger in order to participate. Feel free to take one of the tips listed below and expand upon it, or come up with your own, unique tip.
If you are a reader, and you have a tip that you would like to share, leave a comment and I’ll add your tip to the list.
(If you are a blogger and you have linked to my old list of tips, please change your link so that it directs your readers to this post. Also, if you contributed a link in the past, and you don’t see it here, please resubmit the link. I tried to keep everything together, but I may have missed your tip.)
Frugality
- Mighty Bargain Hunter suggests buying used products instead of buying new.
- Frugal For Life suggests checking out the dumpster for goods that you can reuse.
- Beyond Broke suggests that we stay home - and out of the shops.
- A Dollop Of Sour Cream suggests that you make a list - and wait.
- Blogging Away Debt suggests one last look in the shopping cart.
- Udandi suggests that you shop the perimeter of the grocery store.
- Seeking Contentment suggests that you utilize your local library.
- Pragmatic Finance suggests doing some research.
- We’re In Debt suggests taking public transportation.
- Debt Free suggests shopping at warehouse stores.
- Double2Mil suggests visiting a few garage sales.
- Smith’s Trading Post suggests eliminating a few vices.
- Early Retirement Extreme suggests using firewood.
- Dollar Frugal suggests asking for discounts when on the phone.
- BeingFrugal suggests knowing your weaknesses.
- Girls Just Want To Have Funds suggests inexpensive alternatives for pricey products.
- My Two Dollars suggests buying stamps at a discount.
- The Penny Saved suggests eating at home (and buying a yacht).
- Million Dollar Journey suggests eating at home before you eat out.
Saving At Home
- The Good Human suggests buying compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- Simply Us suggests planning your meals.
- Boston Gal’s Open Wallet suggests that you share expenses with neighbors and friends.
- Mapgirl suggests drinking tap water.
- Tired But Happy suggests reusing common household items.
- Easy Change suggests eating half of the pizza.
- Fruitful Words suggests using a blanket.
- Single Guy Money suggests taking your lunch to work.
- Prime Time Money suggests ways to save when going to the movies.
- Motherhood101 suggests 10 things for $10 or less.
- Millionaire Neumes suggests skipping the training wheels.
- Cash Money Life suggests using a programmable thermostat.
Personal Finance
- Lazy Man suggests that you pay yourself first.
- Don’t Mess With Taxes suggests listening to your mother.
- Merle Sneed suggests checking out your insurance policies.
- Confessions suggests that you be more aware of why you make decisions.
- Mortar Board suggests that you volunteer more.
- Beyond The Consumer suggests that you save a percentage from each check.
- Brian’s Money suggests that you start - now.
- Paid Twice suggests a little snowflaking.
- MoneyManagemenAndYou suggests focusing on percentages when saving money.
- Pro Bargain Hunter suggests maxing-out your 401k.
- Chief Family Officer suggests learning about investments that produce income.
(Please bookmark this page - I’ll update it as new tips are received.)
Wise Bread Has Joined The Money Blog Network
I’d like to welcome Wise Bread to the Money Blog Network.
The Money Blog Network is a first-of-its-kind network of personal finance bloggers -
We are excited to have Wise Bread come on board as our newest member.
Click here to visit Wise Bread.
Click here to visit the Money Blog Network.
Day 32 of 33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt: Decide Which Debt To Attack First
Click here to read all of the 33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt posts.
Day 32: Decide Which Debt To Attack First
For the purpose of this post, when you read attack, think ‘send extra payment to‘.
After making minimum monthly payments to all of your creditors, it’s time to pick a specific debt to attack first.
If you want to pay the lowest amount of total interest - attack the debt with the highest interest rate.
If you want to receive an emotional boost and see en entire debt paid off - attack the debt with the lowest current balance.
If you want to feel good about being out of a specific type of debt (regardless of balance or rate) - attack the debt that ‘bothers you the most‘. (Think personal loan, payday loan, credit card debit, IRS debt, etc.)
You can send one extra payment every month - or you can make multiple extra payments every month. Either way, pick a debt and attack it!
I look forward to reading your comments -Click here to read all of the 33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt posts.
Observant readers will note that this series has taken much longer than 33 days. I can assure you, I am blogging as often as life permits.
Bought A Few Things For The New Baby
Our little girl is due to be born in April and my wife and I have been buying a few new things for her.
Today, we purchased -
a new white changing table
some Avent bottles
and some pink fabric storage bins
It’s fun to be able to pay cash for baby stuff. I can remember how I felt when our other kids were born. While I was excited about being a new dad, I was super-worried about ‘how are we going to be able to afford this?’. Now, we have a budget in place and emergency savings in the bank and I can focus, really focus, on just being a dad and enjoying having a newborn in the house.
We are using the same baby bed that my daughter - 8 and my son -4 once slept in, but almost everything else in the baby’s new room will be different. First, the baby’s room, the nursery, is actually a converted living room. My dad came up a few days ago and helped me install a set of doors. Our house is a ranch-style home, and the living room is ‘attached’ to the den. For Christmas, we received an ambient noise-maker for the baby’s room. At night, we’ll turn it on when we put her down for bed, so that she won’t hear as much noise from the den. Our son has a fan that we turn on in his room - and we find that the steady-noise from the fan helps him to sleep.
We decided to purchase the changing table for two reasons - It is smaller than a twin-bed, which is what we used in my son’s room for when we changed him, and it is white, which is the color of the baby’s bed and wardrobe. We chose the stroller / cars seat travel system because, in the words of my wife, ‘it is safe, convenient… and pink!”. We chose the Avent bottles because we had great success with them with our son. Finally, we chose the pink storage bins because they matched the room decorations, they were small enough to fit into the shelves of the changing table, and, again, ‘they’re pink!’.
Babies rock!
I Forgot To Register My New Debit Card To My Upromise Account!
I recently opened a new checking account. I have a new debit card, associated with the checking account. I’ve been using the debit card for a couple of months, mainly for smaller purchases like gas and food. Well, I logged in to my Upromise account today - and I realized that I had forgotten to register my new debit card. I quickly grabbed my card and registered it. In 4 or 5 days, I’ll start earning rewards from Upromise, whenever I swipe the card.
I was reviewing my Upromise account - I’ve been a member since 2004 - and I have accumulated a decent amount of money. My parents and my wife’s parents have added their cards to our account - so our entire family is earning rewards for college.
So, if you have a Upromise account, and you have a new debit {or credit (boo!)} card, you might want to make sure that you have registered it with them.
By the way - I am a Upromise “affiliate” - so, if you don’t have an account with them and you would like to sign up for one, click this link - Upromise. I’ll make a few bucks and you’ll start earning free rewards.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. If you don’t want to transfer your Upromise rewards to a 529 plan, you can get them to send you a regular old check. Click here to read an article that I wrote about how to get Upromise to send you a check.
2007 - No Credit Needed Year-End Review (August)
2007 has been an amazing year for me, NCN, and my site, No Credit Needed. I thought that it would be fun to take a month-by-month tour through my favorite posts from the last year. If you are a new reader, I hope these posts will give your a sense of who I am, where I’ve come from, and where I’m trying to go. If you are a long-time reader, thank you for your support.
Here are a few of my favorite posts from August of 2007
August 2 - Am I Really Ready To Get Out Of Debt
August 3 - Store-Branded Credit Cards: A Shocking Look Back
August 7 - Is It Really Possible To Talk With Your Spouse About Finances Without Getting Into An Argument?
August 11 - Introducing The No Credit Needed Notebook
August 17 - Envelope System Video Tutorial
August 27 - Preparing For The Birth Of A New Baby
Throughout January, I’ll continue to highlight my favorite posts from 2007.If you haven’t done so, please consider subscribing to No Credit Needed. (It’s free!)
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