According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, there are currently 2.9 workers for each Social Security beneficiary. By 2036, there will be 2.1 workers for each. Many short-term economic problems are facing our country. We can’t continue to ignore the current deficit that Generation X will be left paying off more and more debt left by generations before them. FiPath wants to help Save Generation X with their latest campaign. FiPath is an independent site that provides financial education and collaboration for all consumers. The “Save Generation X!” Campaign challenges Gen Xers to take control of their financial future. For each new member, FiPath will donate $1 to reduce Social Security debt. Join the campaign today www.savegenx.orgThis is dedicated content. Want to reach tens of thousands of savvy spenders? Read our blog marketing page.
Is she cleaning or raiding the pantry? hfb / Flickr
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
Pantry clean-up – Learn how to organize your pantry and save cash. (Wisebread)
Money problems – Find out how the national debt could hurt your wallet. (MainStreet)
Saving for retirement – Five minute guide to your 401k. (Fabulous & Frugal)
Paying off debt – Five tricks to paying off your holiday debt. (Time Moneyland)
Prepaid credit card – Is the financial guru Suze Orman’s “Approved Card” worth it? (20 and Engaged)
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Wayan Vota / Flickr
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
Fitness on a budget – How to create your own free home workout plan and exercise routine. (MoneyCrashers)
Wasting money – Ten things you do to save money that end up costing you more. (Wisebread)
Debt reduction – The Silicon Valley Blogger shares three do it yourself debt reduction programs to beat debt. (The Digerati Life)
Money resolutions – Here are five ways to make your money resolutions stick. (Mainstreet)
Movie ticket price hike – The movie business didn’t fare well last year. Experts are predicting movie theaters will charge more for admission. (Time Moneyland)
Fix broken powder make up – A blogger discovers how to “fix” powder makeup that has broken into pieces. Pretty nifty trick!
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Win one of 10 subscriptions to All You!
Today is your LAST CHANCE to enter two contests that are ending today, Dec. 12, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST! Winners will be announced tomorrow.
- Go straight to the post on how to win one of 10 yearlong subscriptions to All You magazine, which are stocked with about $100 coupons each issue!
- Make a bee line for the post to win a $150 debit gift card from DebitSavvy.org
The All You contest has only 160 entries to far!
The $150 Discover prepaid debit card has only 228 entries so far!
It’s been awhile since I made a video, and I’m super excited to come back with ones that involves my preggo belly and a blowtorch. My job rocks!
That’s quite a scowl!
tuxstorm / Flickr
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
Entertainment options – Free and cheap way to entertain your child when they are at home. (Wisebread)
Don’t get harassed – How to deal with debt collection agencies (The Digerati Life)
Halloween decorations – 10 cheap DIY Halloween decorating ideas to get your home looking great! (MoneyCrashers)
Holiday budget – How to create and stick to a holiday budget so you don’t miss anyone on your list this year. (MainStreet)
Car Insurance – Find out how age affects your car insurance rate and what you can do about it. (Free From Broke)
robleto / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
In the beginning of the year I shared three financial resolutions that I was going to tackle for the new year. Now that we are more than half way through the year, I want to share my progress along with tips that have helped me save money, pay down debt and stop using plastic.
Goal No. 1 – Save more money
I had to cut down my entertainment budget this year from $40 to
Free credit score?
Reader Ruth needs help finding a free place to get her credit score. She writes:
i have found places where you can get your credit report for free. do you know of anywhere to, safely, get your credit score? seems like the ones i have checked charge for it.
Ruth, you allude to getting your free credit report through the legit site AnnualCreditReport.com, which is a great place to start. The contents of this free annual report is what makes up your score, so making sure it is accurate is essential to improving your score. But I can understand your desire to know your credit score number.
CreditKarma, which I wrote about in August 2009, provides a score free, but it is not the FICO credit score which you are seeking. The only other offers I’ve seen are “free” when you buy something else. Anybody got an answer?
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
dieselbug2007 / Flickr
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
The Supreme Court put the breaks on a job discrimination lawsuit against Walmart. Find out how this decision will impact private employers and YOU. (CNN)
Want to even out your electricity bills throughout the year? Consider these 10 budget billing disadvantages before changing your payment plan with your electrical company. (Compare Electricity Rates)
Borders plans to sell itself by July 1. Have any Borders gift cards? Use them before it’s too late. (The Detroit News)
Why are you in debt? Learn to control these four problem behaviors to stop spending money. (The Digerati Life)
Is Extreme Couponing hurting shoppers’ self esteem? Those who use coupons can’t realistically keep up with the savings. (Suddenly Frugal)
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?
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
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 (more…)
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
The best and worst states to live in for online shopping. California, it’s not looking good. (Wallet Pop)
Get your weekend started with Bargain Briana’s extensive list of Friday Freebies. (Look for it on her homepage about 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST).
Could you live on $330 a week? A lot of people do. Here is how one woman named Cindy does. (MSN Money)
Credit card debt increasing – The entire decrease in credit card debt was due to write-offs, not to consumers actually paying down their debt, a recent CardHub.com study reveals. How depressing.
Facebook challenges Groupon – Social media giant Facebook just introduced a new daily deals page that will directly compete with Groupon. (Bloomberg)
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
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)
I got so caught up last week with the “I BRAKE FOR BARGAINS” bumper sticker giveaway, that I forgot to pick a winner of Natalie McNeals’ The Frugalista Files. If you missed my book review, Natalie chronicles her desperate attempt to escape debt while still living a fabulous life. She keeps herself accountable by listing her total debt at the beginning of each month. Learning Natalie’s secrets to paying down her $21,000 of debt by about $500 a month are fun to read and very entertaining.
The winner is announced below. Honorable mentions go to Marcia, who shows (more…)
