catd_mitchell / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Seems like every year we make resolutions only to break them, but could it be that in the end we are saving money by not sticking to them? Below I calculate the amount of money spent on meeting New Year’s resolutions and share tips to getting them done on a budget.

I will get fit.

A gym membership costs about $40 a month (if not a lot more). In a year, you’ll spend $480! Can’t afford the gym? Get in shape on a budget with our tips. Heck, you can even make money while you exercise. How about taking up a part-time job as a dog walker?

I will read more.

New books cost $10 – $20 at bookstores. If you buy one every month you’ll spend between $120 – $240 a year. The solution? Head to the library for classics and new books for free – as long as you return them on time. You can also download the classics for free on your iPad, iTouch, or iPhone. I recently downloaded Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice for free! Have a Kindle? Here’s how to get free ebooks for your Kindle.

I will quit smoking.

Not only is this good for your health and those around you, but it will cost you. I did a search online for Nicorette Gum and found it for $68. NicoDerm Patches cost $156. Together it cost $224 and depending on how long it takes you to quit it will keep adding up! Don’t make this a reason not to quit. Smoking costs you lots, too. Bobbi shared a while ago how quitting smoking can save thousand of dollars a year. To lessen the cost of quitting smoking, keep in mind that some health care providers will cover some of the costs of quitting.

I will work on my finances.

Getting your finances in order can be a daunting task that’s why many rely on the expertise of financial advisers. Working with a CPA can cost up to $1,500 a year. Though this may seems like a hefty price to pay, keep in mind that professional advice can save you money. Planning for the future? Here are six cheap ways to stay on top of your finances and financial management tools to track where your money is going.

Although many of these resolutions carry a high price, look at the long-term benefits. To make it easier on your wallet, tackle one resolution at a time. What do you want to accomplish this year?

This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Any other site posting this content is violating the DMCA.

Comment to win this book!

Discovering secret credit cards, unpaid bills, and debt is a blow many couples cannot survive. In fact, money is the number one cause of breakups, says the married authors of “First Comes Love, Then Comes Money: A Couple’s Guide to Financial Communication.” Comment below to win my review copy.

Unlike most personal finance books, this one is not going to teach you to balance your budget or live debt free:

Why? Because without healthy financial communication, without a commitment to putting an end to financial infidelity, none of that stuff works. After more than thirty-five years of combined experience as financial advisers, we’ve learned that if you don’t know how to talk about money with your partner, if you don’t know how to keep financial infidelity from destroying your relationship, budgets and plans and payments won’t mean squat.

The first part of the book deals with discovering each partner’s financial personality, and how they can create conflict. The book divides everyone into five personalities: the saver, spender, risk taker, security seeker, or flyer. I’m definitely a saver or security seeker. Clashing financial personalities can cause major damage, even divorce.

The second section is about uncovering financial infidelity using what the Palmer’s call the Financial Relationship Index. Both partners take a quiz, earn a score of 0-100, then read what that score means. A lower score is best! The third and final part shares three basic financial communication tools to move forward, including a monthly “Money Huddle.”

All this in 189 pages spread over eight chapters and three appendices. The only trick is to be most effective, you’ve got to read it with your other half.

To win my review copy, comment below on why you need this book. Comment by Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m. to win! If you can’t wait, buy a copy from Amazon for $6 (orig. $15).

MyFico.com

Curious about what goes into your credit score? It’s been more than a year since I wrote about this, so it’s time to revisit this ever useful information.

There are five parts to your credit score. Payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%), and

types of credit (10%). FICO, a financial analysis firm, uses these categories to rate consumers’ credit risk with a three-digit score. Within each category, there are up to seven factors.

For example, in the payment history category, credit rating agencies consider how many accounts you are up to date on, whether you have a bankruptcy or lien, and how long an overdue bill has been past due, among other factors.

In the length of credit history category, they consider how long it’s been since you opened an account, how long each specific account has been open, and how recently you’ve used each account. Read all the factors that are considered for each part of your credit score.

This is important stuff to know, but unfortunately the three credit rating agencies, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax, don’t share specifics. How many points do I lose if I have a bill past due seven months instead of two? How many points do I gain if I am paid up on three accounts instead of one? We don’t know because they won’t tell us.

More information would help consumers improve their score, but getting a copy of your free credit history report (sans FICO score) through the FTC, is a good start. Look for open accounts that can be closed, errors, and mistakes. Fixes can take months, so get started early if you plan to apply for a mortgage or car loan.

Got money on the brain?

Credit: neon_neon/Flickr

Financial psychologist – that’s what Brad Klontz is. I chatted with him recently about why kids should fail financially, how our money problems stem from unconscious beliefs, and the money disorder test that can save us.

What is a financial psychologist? I’m trained as a clinical psychologist and in the last 10 years I’ve developed an expertise in personal finance. I created a treatment program for money disorders.

What is the most common money disorder? This will come as no surprise, but it’s overspending. We have a negative savings rate, credit card debt, and we’re modeling all these behaviors for our children.

So we’re teaching our kids bad habits? Yes. They watch what we do and model it. When kids see parents head down to the store, swipe plastic, and bring home a TV, what do they learn? One thing that I encourage parents to do is to break down the skills of money management. Even if you can afford to buy that TV, put a jar in the living room, put money in it. Talk to your kids about saving for it. 80% of college students have credit cards now. On average they have about $3,000 in revolving debt. Half of college students have four or more credit cards. (My emphasis.) We require kids to take a drivers ed class before they get behind the wheel, but there is no class to get a credit card.

What are three money lessons kids need that they are not learning in school?

We have to teach them self control. We have to talk about money with our kids. We need to model savings. The best way to involve kids in modeling is to use allowance purposely. Most parents give their kids allowance and then complain that it’s gone right away. Kids are impulsive. They want to feel now. Have structure around allowance. You can start this with a four year old. Have them save a dollar, have them spend a dollar, have them give a dollar away.

What’s the biggest complaint you get from parents? My teenager ran up a $1,500 cell phone bill! Get them on a prepaid card. There is a certain number of minutes and then it’s gone. The first month inevitably the minutes are gone in a week. You say, “Wow, you really burned through your minutes. You get 1,000 more minutes next month. Maybe there are ways you can stretch them out.” You can’t bail them out because you’re teaching them that if they are in trouble someone else will swoop in. You have to let them feel some of that pain. Help them fail.

Why would a parent want their child to fail? Because that is a really strong learning experience. Let them fail when the stakes are small. When it’s not repossession of a car or something big like that. Help them see the consequences of not delaying gratification.

You’ve won awards for your work money and wealth issues. Can you make me rich? Oh yeah, sure. Absolutely. Just start saving when you’re five. It’s interesting because if we all had a financial education when we were 18, there’s no excuse for all of us not to have a million dollars when we retire. It’s actually very simple. Save for the future. Don’t spend more than you make.

So are we all just really stupid? I think that we have not been educated. I remember economics form high school, but there was no applied economics, balancing checkbooks and managing money. The other thing is when we are engaged in destructive financial behaviors, which is always the result of money scripts.

What is a money script? A money script is a belief about money, typically unconscious, that drives all our financial behaviors.

Sounds powerful. They have a powerful negative impact. They are typically taught from our parents and they can go through generations. For example, my grandfather watched his family lose all their money in the Great Depression. Watching this he learns you can’t trust financial institutions. My grandfather died at 92 never having put a penny in the bank. He kept all his money in a box in the attic.

And he passed it down. My mother had an intense fear around money and not having enough. She wouldn’t invest in the stock market.

What are the other money scripts? Another is money avoidance: the belief that centers around anti-rich statements. Rich people are greedy. People get rich by taking advantage of others. Money corrupts people. I do not deserve to have a lot of money if others have less than me. You’ve associated having money with being bad so you subconsciously repel money. Or if money comes into your life you spend it or sabotage it in some way. You might be comfortable at a certain socioeconomic level. So you get rid of the money somehow.

The second pattern is money worship, what my family had. Things would get better if I had more money. Money is power. Money will solve all my problems. You either become a hoarder where you save religiously, or you spend money as soon as you get it. I’m never going to have money anyway, so get what you can when you can get it.

The third one is money status. Your self worth equals your net worth. People are only as successful as the money they earn. If you are good, your financial needs are taken care of. If you really believe that money is going to give you all these things, you take unreasonable risks in your business ventures or become a workaholic. You’re likely to overspend because it has to be new. You want everyone to see you in that car because it raises your status.

So if we could just uncover our personal money script? There are some questions you can ask yourself. I created a money disorder test. The assessment code to take it is mindovermoney.

Post-interview: I took Dr. Klontz’s 4-minute test and was told I had two issues:

• Your response style suggests that you are at-risk of developing a problem with workaholism.

• Your response style suggests that you exhibit one or more symptoms of financial infidelity.

I can certainly relate to the money avoidance script. I save intensely, but then am distrustful of financial institutions so I may be losing money by not properly investing it. What did your test say? Do you think it’s true?

Briana is a saver and blogs at 20andengaged.com

Briana is 20, works as an online marketer, and has her mind on money so completely it dictates her every move. We talked about stealing change, how debt happens to savers, and her plan to get on track. I edited and condensed our recent talk.

How the heck did you become so aware of saving money so young? I had a piggy bank when I was younger and was obsessed with getting it really heavy. There was always change lying around so I took the liberty of picking it up myself.

Having to pay for college kick started your quest to save? I was a peer counselor my senior year in high school. One requirement of the class was to apply for three scholarships a month. I applied for over 150 on my own.

You commented on BargainBabe.com that you had a financial plan. What is your plan? [Growing up] we didn’t have a luxurious lifestyle, but we never went without anything we needed. I knew that I needed an emergency buffer, especially because of what happened with my mom. After my mom got sick, I was out of work for awhile so I had use my savings to keep me afloat. I got into credit card debt. I didn’t have the money for my textbooks so I used my credit card. It got really frustrating.

Wait a minute. You’re a saver. How did you get into credit card debt?
Putting every living expense on it. It’s really hard to say now exactly what everything went to. A lot of it went towards food. This was my first and second year of college. I should be in my third year, but so much stress, a family death, I just need to find something where I can work full time and pay off this debt. I worked really hard at getting a paid internship.

How much credit card debt did you have? Now its down to $2,000 where it was up to almost $5,000. I was living at home so I was able to put most of my money towards it, but I still paid for gas and things like that. I had it pretty much manageable so I decided to move in with my boyfriend. Can I still pay this debt down and pay utilities and rent if I’m living on my own? I made five different budgets about it.

What will you do in the 12 next months for your financial plan? My first plan is to pay off my debt. I don’t want to be in a situation like that again. Then I’m going to rebuild my savings. Right now I’m paying about $200 a month toward my debt but I’m working on a plan where I can double that.

Briana is a saver and blogs at 20andengaged.com.

Where did you cut back? Driving. I got laid off from Go Banking Rates in January. But I had such a strong network I bounced right back with freelancing. I was commuting an hour each way [to Go Banking Rates] so that helped cut down on gas. That was a blessing in disguise.

What budgeting tools, programs, and software do you use? I love Budgets Are Sexy. JMoney has a few simple tips for keeping a budget. I went with one of his and it was so much easier. I update it in Google Docs.

How long do you spend managing your money every week? I look at my account balance everyday. At the end of every week I look at what I spent, where I spent it, and make sure there’s no weird activity. That takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes.

How do you and your fiance differ in the way you handle money? He’s very wishy washy when it comes to money. I’m single-minded. I am planning even before I get the money. Once I make a decision on what I want to buy, then it’s made up.

How did you two compromise? We have a hybrid system. Our paychecks go to our individual accounts, but the first thing we do is put in money to pay our bills. We keep our money separate so we are free to buy whatever we want but we still consult each other about it. We don’t necessarily ask permission, but we bring it up.

When do you think you’ll be able to retire? My grandparents were able to retire in their 50s, but they have social security and pensions. If I save $100 a month I’m probably not going to be able to retire at 50. Hopefully between 50 and 60. I really don’t want to go over 60.

Do you have a plan to go back to school? Yes, definitely. My mom works for Los Angeles County and they have partnerships with a few different universities where you can continue to pursue your bachelors or even your masters. One of the partners is Trident University. They are completely online and I can get a discounted rate. So I can still graduate debt free while I’m saving up.

What advice would you give to other 20-somethings? Save what you can. There are so many misconceptions that you have to save a large amount of money every time. $10 here, $20 here. Save anything that you can. You will be amazed at how much it ads up.

A screenshot of a comparison between Mint and CommonSense from FindTheBest.com

This post is sponsored by Cash Advances US providing fast payday cash advance online.

Do high-priced financial software programs manage your money better than free ones? A new site called FindTheBest.com says no. FindTheBest compiled reviews of 146 financial management programs and created a comparison that is useful and easy to digest.

A chart like the one above lists basic info about each program like its name, features, and how many stars it received. Click on a few programs that interest you and compare them in detail. The detailed comparison page has color coding to make the information easy to absorb. Each program’s star rating is an average of the reviews it received on CNET, CBS MoneyWatch.com, and PC Magazine.

FindTheBest is an aggregation site that also ranks topics as diverse as colleges, ski resorts, and dog breeds. My email exchange with Brandon Coakley, the site’s business development manager, is revealing:

Me: How does FindTheBest make money?

Him: We have investors, but are not taking in revenue yet. We are strictly focused on building a great service that can be trusted. Ultimately, we want to be peoples go to resource for comparing their options on products, services and the big decisions of life (college, work, etc).

Me: Does site make money through referrals?

Him: No we do not. We will make money from ads in the future, hopefully, but as of now we are not worried about revenue. We are strictly focused on finding the best products and services based on the data that matters for our users.

Consider it a major bonus is that FindTheBest does not receive kickbacks for recommending one software program over another. A rarity among software and credit card comparison sites.

As for free versus high-priced money management software, the No. 1 spot for financial management programs on FindTheBest is currently being held by the free site Mint.com.

FindTheBest is based in Santa Barbara and was founded in Aug. 2010 by Kevin O’Connor, the founder of DoubleClick. Hope you find this site useful in managing your money.

wrestlingentropy/flickr

My son has officially become an adult. I know because he gets credit card applications almost every day. I’m amazed at what banks are offering a teen who does not have a job or any way to pay off the debt he might incur. Juxtapose this against the tremendous scrutiny that my credit report underwent recently when I applied to get a mortgage and you can see that something is amiss. Why is my penniless son being lured into debt while the banking industry is making great credit-scored working adults pay huge fees to get a fully collateralized mortgage? Sorry, I don’t have the answer to this question, but if anyone else does, be sure to enter a comment so that I find out the answer.

What I DO have the answer to, is how to save a lot of money by being on time with your bills and keeping on top of paperwork.

As I stated, my son has been getting frequent credit card offers. I don’t shred them. I read the fine print with my kids as a way of educating them to the perils of over-extending your credit. THEN, I shred them.

Instead of going into the fine print of your credit card contract, I will state firmly that if you are a person who wants to keep out of debt, sit down with a dictionary, a magnifying glass, and something to calm your nerves as you make your way through the maze of fees and penalties that can befall you if you miss a credit card payment. Although the contract does not state that the bank will send someone to break your knees with a tire iron, they will produce a similar result by raising your interest rate to a sky high amount AND possibly informing your other credit card companies that they should do the same as well.

Granted, the reforms of the Credit Card Act of 2009 have caused the credit card companies to make their type faces bigger, their words more comprehensible and their fees less hidden. However, the truth of the matter is that if you fail to pay a bill on time, you will pay more than necessary. Sometimes you will pay LOTS more.

People usually pay their bills late for only two reasons:

1. They don’t have the money.
2. They forgot or didn’t know the bill was due.

No. 1 can often be avoided by only using your credit card to purchase things that you already have saved money for. When the bill comes, you have the cash. Of course, there are other reasons that people don’t have money to pay their bills, such as losing their jobs or an unexpected emergency. An emergency fund is one way to safeguard against this.

No. 2 is easily remedied. Set aside time once a week to work on your finances. I don’t want to sound too simplistic here, but if you make at least 30 minutes each week to balance your checkbook, pay your bills, go over your budget, and plan out your financial actions for the week, you will avoid most penalties and fees associated with lateness or being overdrawn. I’ve been doing this for decades and I attest that it works.

By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.

nicolas.boullosa/Flickr

Big News! I just bought a house. Did you know that buying a house has been noted as one of the most stressful experiences in life? Now that I have done it, I totally agree.

I am so very, very grateful to my fabulous Realtor, Rachel Baroth, without whom, this sale would not have happened. Until this purchase, I had no idea how important it was to choose a really great Realtor. I thought I could do it myself. After all, I have found and rented several houses and procured several loans with no difficulty.

So, how hard could it be to buy a house? Oh my dear! Buying a house has gotten so complicated, the rules of the game so changeable, and the amount of paperwork so overwhelming; I can’t imagine going not having a trusted and knowledgeable expert by my side. Finding the house you want to buy is, in fact, the easy part.

Therefore, I wanted to share the top five things to look for when choosing a Real Estate Agent:

1. Choose someone who you really trust and whose knowledge of the industry you respect. You will be turning to that person to explain tons of paperwork and options. It is vital that you feel that the information you get from your real estate agent is accurate and trustworthy. If you don’t already know someone, then survey your friends and coworkers. Then go and interview each Realtor. Ask how long have they been in the business? How many sales have they made? What is their experience with the type of sale you are looking to do? If they are good at what they do, then they will be willing to share this information.
2. Experience in the field of real estate is a big plus. There are times that I will go with someone new to their field, but not in real estate. There are so many changes to the rules of the game that you want someone that has already done lots of deals and understands the possible problems that will come up. Also someone with experience will have lots of contacts for the various workers you will need – inspectors, contractors, repairmen, movers, etc.
3. Look for a Realtor who has lots of vendors that they are happy with.  You are going to need a mortgage broker, a title company, an insurance company, an inspection company, an escrow company, and more. Although you do not need to use the mortgage broker or other vendors that your Realtor uses, it does make things easier if you do. Several times during negotiations on my sale, we ran into obstacles. Because my Realtor worked well with the mortgage broker, it made it much easier to come up with workable and fast solutions.
4. Find a Realtor with a strong intention to close your sale. You want someone who is going to have lots of “umph” to get over the rough spots. It is important that when you start to get burned out or when you can’t see how to overcome some barrier, your real estate agent is there to move forward and handle the complexities.
5. Most importantly, make sure that you can communicate easily with your Realtor. You will be talking a lot and spending much time with this person. It is important that you feel that they understand what your priorities are and can really get what it is that you are looking for (even if you aren’t quite clear on this point yourself.) I think is vital to have someone that you don’t feel intimated by. Will you be able to express your true feelings to this person? You don’t want someone that pushes you into something that you don’t want. Buying a house can be scary. You don’t need your Realtor to be scary on top of that.

For most people, buying a house is the biggest financial decision they will ever make. It is essential that you have a seasoned guide at your side.

Have you bought a house? How did you find a good real estate agent?

I’m not a payday lender. But I play one on TV. If you only read one post today, make it this one loaning money to a hard up friend from Surviving and Thriving.

Grocery coupon aggregator - Lozo.com, one of my favorite money-saving sites, has launched a new tool that lets you search and find coupons from Coupons.com, Redplum, and SmartSource from one page! They’re calling it a coupon bundler and you can click and print whichever coupons you want from all three sites without having to go to each individual site. Pretty nifty!

4 ways to sneak in vegetables - Mrs. Accountability shares four dishes where she routinely sneaks in vegetables that are about to expire. These also apply if you are trying to get your family to eat more greens!

Grocery checklists – The grocery planning and shopping site Ziplist just added grocery checklists, so you can create your own list of items you regularly buy or use one of their themed ones (like a Steeler’s Super Bowl Party or a Packer’s Super Bowl Party).

10 signs you are spending too much - Are you spending too much? Find out how many of the 10 signs of overspending are true for you. (The Digerati Life)

The winner is announced below. Honorable mentions go to Marcia, who shows it is never too late to learn about managing your money. She writes “I’d love to get a copy of this book, if only to show my 22 year old daughter that I too can be money-smart [emphasis mine]. She has almost completed Financial Peace University offered by Dave Ramsey. He offered it at a cut rate price to members of the military on Veteran’s Day. She is in flight school at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. She only uses her debit card and is a maniac about sticking to her budget. Puts me to shame! Love your column in the NJ Star Ledger.

Reader Marilyn has the best of intentions for this book. I hope you can find it in your local library! “This book sounds like it would be a fun way to learn a valuable lesson. I’ve been unemployed for 20 months so I have the inclination and the time to read. If I win I promise to pass this book on to a unemployed person.”

Ultimately I declared Kathy the winner because she sounds like a pre-Frugalista Natalie who stands to gain a lot as the winner! She writes:

Oh My, When I read that line including the words “spending slut” I had to read on.. That is me. I make a list go to the store and then loose control. I cannot just get whats on the list. I am a sucker for every little end aisle special and so on. I really need to start doing the cash envelope way. Even though I only use a debit/credit card… it still has allowed me too much freedom. My goal for 2011 is to get my financial ways under more control, and I would love to read on about how she lives and maintains her finances! Thanks for considering me for the review copy!

If you didn’t win, I can’t urge you enough to buy this book on Amazon for $8.62 or check it out at your local library. The Frugalista Files is a fun way to learn about getting out of debt. Buying a copy supports BargainBabe.com!

Adam Pieniazek/Flickr

A postcard from ING Direct dangled $83 for opening a new “electric orange” checking account. To earn the $83, use a debit card tied to the account three times in the first 45 days, and get $50 on the fiftieth day. Have two paychecks of at least $250 deposited directly by March 31 and get another $33 on April 8. All this could be mine, or yours, with ING coupon code JAN724.

I’m tempted by the offer, even though I’m perfectly happy with my current free checking account. What appeals to me is the money – $83 would go a long way to increasing the total annual interest I earn on my checking account. And the specificity of the offer makes it clear that I would be able to satisfy both their conditions quite easily. The $83 bonus is within reach!

Pros: The account allows you to use 35,000 ATMS across the country for free (I suspect ING reimburses your for the ATM fees you incur.)

Cons: The interest rate on the account is very low. For balances up to $50,000, you earn one-quarter of one percent, or .25%. If you sock away $50,000-$100,000 the APY is 1.2% and the interest rate climbs to 1.25% if you have $100,000 or more in the account. The deposits are FDIC insured. Checks are not mentioned as being free, so I suspect customers have to pay for them.

The fine print: ING’s electric orange account cannot be used for business, power of attorney, beneficiary or individual retirement accounts. Accounts holders need a valid Social Security number and be at least 18 years old.

Knowing this, would you open a new checking account to get $83?

When I received Natalie McNeal’s The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life I was scared. As a blog friend of hers, how would I write about her book if it was awful? And if it was awesome, how would I convince you I really, really liked it and wasn’t pandering to a friend?

Lucky me, because there are so many funny and true moments in this book that I can share them and you’ll know how much this book deserves your $8.56 (on Amazon.com, anyway). Incidentally, I read the entire 179-page book on a flight from Providence, RI to Phoenix with time to spare. The Frugalista Files is fun.

On changing her life: “Being a spending slut is ruining my life. I am not going to buy anything for 1 month. Nothing. One whole month. Starting February 1 – the first day of the shortest month and my birthday month. My credit cards will go in my desk drawer. I will pay my rent, my school loan, my car loan, and my credit cards. I will buy food only to be cooked at home and gasoline. With cash. Yes, that’s it. I am going to boycott buying crap.”

On groceries: “I am working on the cooking thing. I know that not cooking has made me less marketable in the dating scene. Men like a woman who can cook. Heck! I like women and men who can cook, so they can cook for me! My mom can cook. I love it. I wish men valued women who can edge the lawn, because then I’d be “the woman!”

On style: “I refuse to not look good. But I also refuse to pay too much to look good. Frugalista tip: Before you shell out the cash, ask yourself if this is something you really need or just something you want. You’d be surprised!”

On freebies: “Enjoy freebies, but make sure they remain as close to free as possible. If you have to pay $20 parking fees, is it really free?”

On staying focused on saving: “I just started [The Frugalista Files blog] as a 28-day adventure in trying to manage my expenses and now it’s a lifestyle. That I like! Yay! I’m feeling so good. I should check my bank balance to make myself feel better. (Imagine feeling better when you check your bank balance!)”

In 12 chapters, one for each month, Natalie chronicles her desperate attempt to escape debt while still living a fabulous life. The woman loves fashion and lives in Miami, so looking the part at celebrity-studded parties is a must.

At the beginning of each chapter, Natalie keeps herself honest by listing the balance of each of her debts. January reads:

• $9,785 credit cards

• $8,600 car loan

• $2,636 student loan

A total of $21,021.24! Each month, Natalie finds creative ways to pay down that ugly number by about $500. By December, she has paid down her debt by more than $6,500. Along the way, she learns to do her own hair and nails, shop from her own closet, and say no to fun that is out of budget. (She finds plenty of fun for free or cheap!)

To win my review copy, leave a comment on this post about why you want to read Natalie’s book. If you don’t win, you MUST MUST MUST buy it or request your local library get a copy. Amazon has The Frugalista Files for $8.56. Buying a copy supports BargainBabe.com.

Identity Photogr@phy / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Coming up with resolutions for the new year was difficult. I easily added the No. 1 resolution to lose weight onto my list, but when it came time to think of my financial future, I was paralyzed. While I’ve always saved my pennies, this year is different. In the spring I’ll be graduating into a less than idea economy and assuming the adult reality of earning, managing, and spending money wisely. I would be lying if I said I was not anxious about my future.

My three financial goals, which may be similar to yours, are simple so I can stick to them.

3. Save more money – I’ve been putting aside 20 percent of all my earnings and will start putting away 25 percent this year. To meet my goal, I’ve set up my bank account to deduct 25 percent automatically from my paychecks and transfer the money to my savings account. Since I’ll be saving more, I’ll be cutting down on my entertainment budget. There will be less movie nights and dinners out.

2. Stop using plastic – A while back I wrote about an addiction that cost me a lot of money. I was using my credit card to pay for coffee when I didn’t have cash on me. Since then, I’ve stopped using it to pay for food or coffee, but there are still times when I pull the darn thing out. My credit card debt is low because my credit card company has given me a major incentive to pay off my bill in full every month, a high APR. I’ve actually thought of canceling the card and opening up another with a lower APR, but this would be a big mistake because I’m trying to build my credit and my student credit card has a long history. Instead, I’m giving the credit card company a call to ask them to lower my APR. I will also put it away this year because I’ll be tempted to charge movie tickets. Bargain Babe went without a credit card for a month, which drastically changed her mind about using cash.

1. Pay off debt – I want to start living life debt-free and paying off my hefty student loan on time is my main priority. I did not receive financial aid so all expenses where out of pocket. Aside from the 25 percent I’ll be saving, my plan is to take 10 percent of my income each month to pay down my loan. The 2 percent interest rate is fixed, but if I default it will balloon up. I can afford to save money instead of putting it towards my loan as long as I pay the minimum on time. I’ve set up my checking account to automatically pay my bill each month, leaving no chance for me to waste the money on frivolous things or default.