Thus, when I look at how much I’m spending on cars- and [...]]]> The cost of driving a car seems to be going up, at least from my vantage point.  When I consider how cheap gas was years ago, there is no doubt that its price has risen at a rate higher than that of inflation.

Thus, when I look at how much I’m spending on cars- and gas in particular – I’m motivated to consider ways that one can save.  Spending over $50 at the gas pump recently – after just filling up the week prior – has a way of motivating someone!

Along those lines, I’ve come up with a list of 8 ways to save on gas, which encompass a wide range of expense types:

1. Carpooling.  This isn’t feasible for many folks, and let’s get real- it might even be annoying depending on the people you carpool with.  However, depending on what your commute to work might be, the savings could really add up over time if you cut your drives by 50% or more.
2. Plan Your Driving Trips in Advance.  Sometimes, we can plan ahead and consolidate our driving trips for shopping and other errands.  If we just run out to a store because we remembered we needed something, that could cost a couple dollars right there.  Not to mention our precious time!
3. Don’t Speed Excessively.  First of all, we have speed limit laws that need to be followed   Second, we can be very inefficient with gas usage if we speed excessively.
4. Empty Your Car Trunk.  Using your car trunk as another storage unit might be helpful in some cases, I get it! However, it isn’t going to help our mileage.  Even though savings may be small by being cognizant of this, every little bit counts!
5. Look for Low Price Gasoline.  I’ve written about this before, discussing apps for gas prices.  Sometimes prices can really vary by a surprisingly significant amount.  Not that it makes sense to go out of our way to drive more to save money, but if two gas stations are equidistant from where you are, and one has prices at 10 cents per gallon less, it would be nice to know.
6. Take Public Transportation.  This isn’t really an option where I am now,  but I know people that do have that option.  Some of them drive instead of taking public transportation, for the convenience (and dislike of commuter trains).  Well, it can save money in the long run by using public transportation in many cases.
7. Keep Tires Properly Inflated.  If tires are low on air, it could impact your mileage.  Also, it might not be safe to be driving on tires that have low air pressure.  Check periodically.
8. Have a Clean Air Filter.  Of course, changing this too much can be expensive.  However, an air filter that is dirty could potentially impact your gas mileage.

Readers, which of these methods for saving money on gasoline do you use? Do you have any others to add?

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Terms such as [...]]]> Many of us care about being responsible with nutrition.  Because of that, the reality that there are so many claims that people might make about food makes it easy to let yourself believe a lot of them.  They might not guarantee that the food is healthy anyway, no matter how much you might pay.

Terms such as the following come to mind:

• Light
• Low Fat
• Low Carb
• Natural
• All Natural
• Healthy

When you think about it, just because something is “low fat”, it doesn’t mean it’s healthy or good for you.  Plenty of candy is low fat, yet loaded with sugar that makes it less than healthy.  Also, big mound of greasy bacon strips might be low in carbs relative to other options, but that doesn’t make it supremely healthy. Not by a long shot.  The same principle applies to the other descriptors.  The “natural” label is one that I find humorous sometimes.

Anyway, if these labels don’t necessarily guarantee that something is going to be healthy, then would they be worth a premium? In other words, would you pay more for food with them?

One label that I didn’t mention above is one that I think many people would pay a premium for.  That is, food that is labeled organic.

I know of a few people that would swear by organic food choices, to the point of seeming obsessed.  Stores seem to oblige by offering many organic options, though quite naturally (there’s that natural word again!) there is often a nice surcharge for the privilege of buying organic.  I’ve seen things like strawberries and spinach for $1 more each, for an organic container versus or non-organic option.  If you want to buy something like organic macaroni and cheese (yes, I’ve seen this), you can knock yourself out and do this too.  The more you buy, the more it adds up the expenses for you, and the revenue for someone else.

Organic is almost a way of life for some people.  It seems like it’s expensive at times, and often I wonder just how much benefit one really gets for the extra money spent. Perhaps there is some, but I’m guessing it varies by product.  The ROI – or return on investment of funds spent on organic food, is somewhat unclear to me.  I don’t doubt that there could be some benefits, it’s just the notion of quantifying them and making sure that they’re worth the extra money that’s the question.

These days, I might go out of my way to buy organic dairy.  Perhaps organic spinach or kale.  Not much else though, at least not that I can think of offhand.  Though some other things I buy happen to be organic, but it’s not a matter of me going out of my way to do so.

What about you?

Readers, do you regularly buy organic? If so, what types of items and why? If not, what are your reasons?

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Maybe I get a bit more excited that some folks do over such things, but sometimes it just feels great to score a deal.  [...]]]> Free = good.  Well, not always, as sometimes we do get what we pay for.  But if you can get something of value for little or no cost, it’s pretty cool.

Maybe I get a bit more excited that some folks do over such things, but sometimes it just feels great to score a deal.  It’s even more fun when it’s something that required a small bit of resourcefulness to make it happen.

I had one of those situations recently, when I was – of all things – planning to see a movie.  It was an evening of going to dinner and movie, and the latter wouldn’t involve any matinee prices.  Rather, we’re talking about full price theater tickets.  In this suburban locale, they weren’t going to cheap, despite prices at this theater being somewhat reasonable.

So, we were at dinner, and it hit me that a few years ago I had earned some “Fandango Bucks”.  Basically, these are dollars that can be applied to a purchase through Fandango, where you can get movie tickets in advance.  I had earned $15 of credit via a work function from 2.5 years ago, a place where I actually no longer work.  Anyway, it was a “reward” for members of the winning team in some type of strategy team building sessions.  Yeah, we were in a big conference room, divided up into groups, trying to brainstorm a strategy to solve a business issue.

Anyway, I recall that my team had won, and they gave us each this email with a code that we could use to get $15 in credit toward use on Fandango.  The thing is, that was a few years back and I had forgotten about it.  All of a sudden, at dinner, I remembered that this was out there.  I then recalled that I had actually sent my self an email (personal email) with that code, just in case I lost it or left that job.   So, I quickly used my smart phone to check my personal email and guess what – I quickly found the code!

Next step was to go onto Fandango, apply the code, and get my free tickets.  Which, I did! The code was STILL valid after a few years!

The whole thing took maybe 6 or 7 minutes.  Don’t’ worry, I wasn’t being a rude dinner companion   It was all good.  Actually, it was great.  Thinking of a credit from a few years ago, then being able to utilize it via smartphone in just a couple minutes was cool.  Always nice to see a free movie!

Readers, have you ever been resourceful in getting goods or services free? Is there a recent example of when you’ve gotten something free that was pretty cool to you?

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To help facilitate our progress toward such goals, we might decide to track expenses.  In doing so, we can have a realistic idea of how much money we [...]]]> Personal finance is, quite naturally, a numbers-oriented endeavor.  The scorecard can contain many different metrics, but ultimately it generally comes down to measures of net worth and cash flow.

To help facilitate our progress toward such goals, we might decide to track expenses.  In doing so, we can have a realistic idea of how much money we are spending.  To the extent that we can know how we’re using our money, we can do a better job of keeping control over our expenses.  And, ultimately, what we are able to save.

Along those lines, how about tracking nutrition?  I’ve actually started to do this of late, with a site called MyFitnessPal.  Now, I’m not getting compensated in any way for posting this – which I feel compelled to make clear up front, because I’m going to say some good things about it   I just think it’s a good resource, and want to share what I’ve found.

Basically, this site allows you to keep track of your nutitional intake each day, as you record everything you eat.  You can record individual items that you consume for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  There is a search feature where you can type in a particular type of food, and results will pop up that show possible matches.  The amount of items that are in the database is quite astounding.  Most things I’ve typed in have been there.  If not, you can enter in the information yourself.

Why did I start doing this? I want to get back into a little bit better shape, and I think that nutrition is a big part in doing that.  Having said that, I think that it’s easy to lose track of what we’re eating, and not be completely aware of the numbers.  When you actually see what your calories, carbs, fat, sodium, and sugar intake is for a day – it really makes you accountable and more informed.

In a couple of weeks, this has played a role in my dropping 3 pounds.  That may not seem incredible, and it isn’t.  However, it’s pretty good for a short period of time, and demonstrates how keeping track can help us make progress with our health.

Just like keeping track of how we spend our money can help our finances

Readers, have you ever kept track of nutritional intake or excercise? What about expenses? If so, did keeping track help you in any way?

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However, I do have a long-term goal of financial freedom, so I’ve been working toward this end recently.  It will be something I’m likely working toward for a while, but starting from [...]]]> First off, let’s get this out of the way: I’m not financially independent at this point, it is a work in progress for now.

However, I do have a long-term goal of financial freedom, so I’ve been working toward this end recently.  It will be something I’m likely working toward for a while, but starting from ground zero I’ve invested enough time thus far to see what has been working and what hasn’t.  Beyond that, I’m very much into the idea of learning from the experience of other people to see what has led them to where they are.

Here’s a list of 10 things we can do to help us grow our wealth and progress toward financial independence:

Develop and Maintain Marketable Skills

These days, having an advanced degree alone isn’t enough to guarantee anything.  With the rate of change in technology, work processes, and how businesses and education is done, it’s important to keep skills current and strong.  We can have all the motivation and desire we want to reach goals, but we have to have something to offer an employer.  Nobody will charitably give work, or at least very rarely will that happen.  Getting money means giving something of value back to the person paying.

Stay Connected

When younger, I have to admit that I couldn’t stand networking.  However, I’ve come to learn that it’s important.  We need others, and we need to build a network before the time of need comes up.  Also, your “networking family” needs some nurturing.  We can’t call on people only when we need them.  Best to actively stay in touch with people, and more importantly, offer help to others.  There’s something to be said about the boomerang effect of giving.

Genuinely Work Hard

Now, I don’t think that there’s any need to overwork and burn ourselves out.  Life needs balance, and being obsessive with time and thoughts with work will likely take away from something else.  However, I’ve found with myself that when I’ve truly worked hard for something, and was really persistent in pushing myself, it’s when I’ve achieved the most.  Work hard and working smart is what I’m striving for.

Realize We Can’t Work Forever

I know some folks say they will work forever, but that’s simply not realistic.  As we get older, we simply may not be able to work.  Who knows how our health will be at that point.  Best to not bury our heads in the sand, and make retirement planning a priority.

Keep Healthy

I see this as important in 2 ways.  First, we can’t actively earn money if we’re not healthy.  Or at the very least it makes it more difficult.  Second, being unhealthy can be very expensive.  Health care isn’t cheap.  Besides, life is short so let’s be healthy enough to enjoy it.

Live Within Your Means

Tried and true personal finance discussion, no doubt!  I think it’s so true though, we can’t live beyond our means.  Sometimes life does hand us tough circumstances, and I realize this isn’t always possible for all people.  That said, we should do our best to spend less than we make.  The more we can save, the better off we will be.

Invest for Good Rates of Return

If we live within our means, and simply keep our money safe, we are missing out on a tremendous opportunity to increase our nest egg.  Rate of return matters, and the math behind it can make that very clear!

Set Ambitious Goals

I like the approach of reaching for the stars – if you land at the top of a mountain instead, that’s pretty good! In other words, if you aim low, you won’t reach heights.  Aim high, and you just might!

Avoid the Big Mistakes

The classic example here is the math behind losing money.  If someone starts with $100 but loses 20%, she will be left with $80.  To get back to $100, she needs to gain 25%.  In other words, losses aren’t always easy to bounce back from.

Some big mistakes can be more costly than others.  Best to be very cognizant of such risks in terms of decisions we make, our behavior, and speculation we take.  We can always recalibrate our goals and live a good life otherwise, but it’s best to avoid problems in the first place.  In other words, manage risks wisely.

Don’t Live For Money

Sounds counter-intuitive to say that, but it’s common sense that there’s more to life than money.  Sometimes I think that if we focus too much on one thing, we might actually be less likely to get what we want.  Rather, it’s good to enjoy every single day, and realize that each one is a gift.  Living our best life NOW can be a great approach!

Readers, what are your thoughts on this list? Do you follow any of these already? Do you have any others to add?

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While that’s the case, there are probably a [...]]]> When it comes to budgeting, there are many different ways people go about allocating money to different expense categories.  We all have different things that we value, or in many cases have very different needs.  Thus, it’s very unlikely that any two budgets will look exactly alike.

While that’s the case, there are probably a lot of similarities to how people actually put together their budgets.  Here are two ways that I’ve actually tried to prepare them:

Based on Actual Expenses

One way that people often prepare a budget is to look at past history, and base a budget on how they have spent money in the past.  I’ve done this before, and have utilized my past records of expenses in order to do this.  If you track expenses regularly, this can be feasible.

Doing it this way, you can make a budget based on your actual, past expense patterns.  That’s a good thing in the sense of realism being a part of it.  We are creatures of habit, so it’s unlikely that we will abruptly change our spending habits all of a sudden with a new budget.  Also, many expenses are due to liabilities we take on, so some of these won’t change.

Zero-Based Budgeting

With this approach, everything starts from scratch.  You make a budget based on – well, nothing as a starting point!

Beginning at zero, we then build a budget based on what we think we need to spend.  No expense is assumed as being predetermined in this scenario.  Rather, we think through each and every possible expense and justify it.  In this case, we try not to get anchored in what we spent in the past, as that really doesn’t matter.

Other approaches:  a hybrid of the two above, and no budgeting.  Yes, I know there are plenty of people who do very well for themselves in terms of saving for the future, yet don’t do a ton of budgeting.

What do I do?  I think that theoretically, zero-based budgeting is a great idea – and probably the best.  Realistically though, I tend to base my plans on past expenses.  I know myself, and yes – I can be a creature of habit just like most of us.  Setting a budget that is sustainable just might mean that we need to realistically look at our life and how we like to live.  Sure, hard adjustments sometimes have to be made.  But not all the time!

Readers, how do you budget? Do you budget?

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While we hear sayings all the time that go over our heads, or simply don’t resonate for whatever reason, this one does with [...]]]> There is a saying that I’ve heard a few times before that I really liked, but don’t think about or act upon enough.  It’s simply this: “Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal“.

While we hear sayings all the time that go over our heads, or simply don’t resonate for whatever reason, this one does with me.  The reality is that life isn’t infinite, and it’s not really all that long when we think about it.  If you’ve seen a loved one get old quickly, it really hits you how short and precious quality years of life can be.

How does this relate to money?  Well, I think it applies to it in a couple of different ways, from different perspectives.  Here are the two that I see:

Get Your Financial House in Order Quickly

It’s easy to procrastinate, and push off a problem to the future.  The thing is, many problems don’t tend to work themselves out naturally.  In the case of money, problems often get worse.

We all need to have money for retirement.  It’s important practice smart, thoughtful retirement planning – especially since nobody will care more about you in your old age than – you guessed it – YOU!

The thing is, unless one is assured of a guaranteed pension, you must ensure that you’ll have cash flow when older.  No matter what anyone thinks, it is insane to plan to work until old age.  You don’t know how healthy you’ll be (or not), and it doesn’t matter if you can state examples of people you know who did work until older.  The bottom line is if you do so by choice it’s fine, but if you have to do so out of necessity, it’s financially risky.

What I’m getting at is that there is no better time to start getting things on track than now.  Not in a few years, not later this year, not next month. Not even next week. How about now?

Don’t Get Overly Consumed by Finances

Okay, this might seem like a weird thing to say after what I just said above.  Not to mention this is a personal finance blog!  However, I think that we need to also keep in mind that money is but one aspect of life.  More important are the people we care most about, and our health.

So, why worry incessantly about finances at the expense of enjoying every day? Don’t get me wrong, I obviously think it’s critical to focus on making smart financial decisions every day.  Being a personal finance blogger, I’m obviously passionate about the topic! However, we need to live every day and make the most of things.  All the time.  Much like anything else in life, we can’t put life on hold to get one aspect perfected.

Bottom line – live your best life now! Let’s make the most of every day, both in terms of our finances and other aspects of life.  Value and enjoy each day, while doing the little things to ensure that future days will be enjoyed too.

Readers, do you truly try to make the most of every day? Are you focused on the need to take care of financial realities, while also not waiting for such goals to be reached before maximizing each day?

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It that’s something you enjoy, why not visit the local library? Really, it’s [...]]]> So many of us truly enjoy saving money.  Not just the big picture, important aspect of having enough money for retirement or other necessary expenses.  We also like to have those frequent “successes” in terms of saving money on different purchases or expenses.

It that’s something you enjoy, why not visit the local library? Really, it’s easy to save money by using the library, as I’ve discovered.  Or, rediscovered is a better way to put it.

Personally, when younger, I didn’t care to go to the library.  Honestly, it was a place that was only someplace I might go if I wanted quiet in order to get things done. But looking to the library as a place of value, where I could save money? No, not so much.

However, it’s been the last 6 or 7 years when I’ve rediscovered the benefits of the library.  At the time my new-found discovery started, I was commuting over 75 minutes to work each way.  Yes, that’s 2.5 hours round trip, and on a good day at that.  Needless to say, I was spending far too much time in my car – certainly more than I wanted to!  There was only so much of the radio I could listen to.

That’s when I got the idea to look for books on tape.  For better or worse, my car at the time actually had a cassette option in addition to CD (yes, an older car!), so I had a chance to choose from both types of media.  Upon visiting the local library, I was happy to discover a wide range of good options that I could listen to.  The commute went from being horrible to being…well, at least much more tolerable!  I actually learned some things, and remember some key points from some of those audio books.

That got me to have a new appreciation for the library.  Here are a few things I’ve gotten from it:

New Release Books

Yes, I’ve been able to read some new releases – ones that I could have otherwise bought at a bookstore.  If you have a reader, you know that these things still aren’t cheap.  If you want to go “old school” with a hard-copy book, the library is a good option for a free read.  You might be surprised at the quality of the offerings at your library.  Of course, if you want older books, I’m guessing most libraries have plenty of those too

Movies

My local library offers a really good selection of DVDs. Sure, it’s not like I’m getting the benefits of streaming – and choosing from home.  But if you want a wide range of movies, including many great titles and some relatively recent hits, my local library has it.  I can keep the movies for 1 week, and I think I can could renew longer if nobody else has a hold on a particular title.

Classes

There has been one class I signed up for, so I suppose this hasn’t been one I’ve leveraged too much.  But I can see how this can be of major use to people depending on the class or seminar offered.

A  Peaceful Place to Work

This has been helpful.  Once in a while, I’ll leave home to get work done outside.  While I like a coffee shop for this, the library is a good alternative as well.  Why? Well, you get free wi-fi, peace and quiet, and you don’t have to spend a penny.  Alternatively, if you did want to bring in a glass of coffee, my library doesn’t mind.  So, you have choices.

The best part? Of course, it’s all free! No additional costs incurred, other than driving there.

Readers, do you ever try to enjoy your local public library? What do you find to be the best benefits of the library for you?

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At one time, I would shy away from doing so.  My reasoning was that the loyalty cards would be more of a burden than a benefit.  For example, one would have to carry the card around in order to accrue any benefits.  For [...]]]> Do you use customer loyalty cards at places where you shop or eat?

At one time, I would shy away from doing so.  My reasoning was that the loyalty cards would be more of a burden than a benefit.  For example, one would have to carry the card around in order to accrue any benefits.  For example, back when these were punch cards, it would require carrying the card with you on the specific instances you visited someplace.  Spontaneous visits wouldn’t gain benefits, and it would be cumbersome to carry cards with you at all times.

Also, there is the concept of being lured into visiting someplace just because of the loyalty card.  That was something I might have been influenced by when younger, but not so much anymore.  Such programs don’t cause me to behave any differently in terms of my purchasing habits, at least I believe that to be the case.

These days, however, we don’t need to be burdened by too much at all when signing up for a loyalty program.  If they ask for an email address – which is normal – I’ll give it to them.  You can always set up a separate email for such programs, so they don’t clog up the inbox of your primary address.  Thus, promotional-type emails aren’t annoying.

Additionally, if you visit a place, you don’t have to actually have your card with you.  Since the days of the punch card are gone with most bigger businesses, you can usually circumvent hassles by simply telling the cashier you don’t have your card with you but you can provide your phone number (or email address, if that’s the identifier they ask for).

Through last year, I estimate I probably got about $50 worth of discounts just by signing up for such programs.  There were a few free meals involved, and a few times when I got discounts when ordering.  All without any extra work, other than simply spending a few moments signing up for a program and then pretty much not doing another thing after that – except checking email a few times.  And I literally mean just a few times, as in around my birthday to get a few free meals.  Otherwise, it’s sign up and forget about it  – just take the discount or freebie when they tell you that you have it, when paying.

I suppose a bigger way to save is to never eat out (or do much shopping), and I would agree to that.  However, if you’re going to periodically grab food outside or on the go, sign up for the loyalty program where you think you’ll go multiple times.  Why give away money?

Readers, do you ever sign up for loyalty programs? Have you scored good freebies this way? Are you able to do so while making sure that such programs don’t cause you to spend more?

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