money

Ways to Make Cents at Home

In the midst of all these skyrocketing prices, come the how’s, ways and means to save money and earn extra.

There are creative but practical ways you can engage in to help the family save and at the same time earn extra. The things that have been sitting in your attic for sometime and those that become all too familiar and useless might mean extra bucks. This way, it saves you space, cleaning materials and containers. This reduces maintenance expenses.

Garage sale at home is a save-and-earn endeavor for starters. Look at the success of flea markets where people can buy almost anything at a lower price but large amount of income for vendors.

How to maximize the potential of flea markets and bargain sales to help you save? Primarily, a flea market is a place where almost all who have something to sell can sell for tremendously lower costs but good quality items. If you have the right tools and enough preparation for a day’s trip to a flea market, then you are ready to go with some handy tips:

1.    Ready your tools, maps, measurements and cash:
•    easy-to-carry tool kit with screwdrivers, pliers, tape measure, pencil, ropes, set of swatches, paper and plastic bags and boxes;
•    floorplan measurements;
•    maps, directions and phone numbers;
•    bring enough cash and checks for high-priced items;
•    dress yourself appropriately for bargain hunting.
2.    Early birds usually get the best selections.
3.    Keep a critical eye during shopping.
•    Be ready to negotiate and haggle on the prices of items.
•    Items sold here have greater possibilities, either you can redecorate or repaint them to make it look unique and attractive.

How to make this activity an earning endeavor? After your hands-on training in an established flea market, hope you took note of your observations and ideas; it is time to try out on your own.

Bear in mind five things crucial to garage sale success: location, date and time, variety of goods, organization/presentation, advertisements and prices.

•    Spot a strategic location where people can access and drop by easily. Your house is the perfect venue for this. Weekends are the best to schedule your sale.
•    During your cleaning session, take note of candidate items for the sale, label them (keep, for repair, must go) and give them a brand new look.
•    Organize them well according to prices, use arrangement styles, decide on the tables, baskets and boxes for the items and decorate your venue with fabrics and other helpful materials.
•    Lower your prices. The idea here is to dispose of the things but earn from them reasonably.

money

Guest Speaker today was Kim McGrigg

Wow what a wonderful show we had today! We touched on a touchy subject effecting most Americans right now and that was handling the tough finacial times we are in. Seems no one is untouched by the tough economy between unemployment, foreclosures and more!

Kim McGrigg is from Money Management Inc and she has wonderful blog called Blogging for a Change where she shares great information for you on saving money, tips of getting out of debt and so much more! In this article I will share some of the great tips we talked about but remember you can listen to our full show and interview by clicking here to listen to today’s show!

Some of the great things Kim mentioned was that with the tough economic times that now is the time for planning NOT to panaic. That you need to sit down and really access your finacial situation and look at it realistically. In looking at your finacial situation you need to figure out how long you think you will be in this situation such as lose of employment etc.

Another great tip that Kim shared is that you should definatly grab a FREE copy of your credit report so that you are informed on where your finances truly lie. She recommended using Annual Credit Report site where you can get a FREE copy of all three of your credit reports yearly. This is more reputable site which will not charge for the extras but gives you a reliable FREE copy of your credit report.  By accessing your credit report you are more aware of what you owe and to whom, this helps to give you a clearer picture so you are fully informed.

Another thing she mentioned is that you have to look at what your important daily expenses are such as mortage/ rent, utitlies, insurance home/auto.  Be sure when developing a plan to tackle your debt that you keep yoru daily and realistic debt above in perspective. A common mistake Kim says she sees happening alot is that people tend to live as though nothing has changed for them finacially, instead of facing the reality of their situation and trying to develop a plan to pay off their debt.

We also briefly touched on the impact of the HUGE stimulus bill that passed and how it will effect our daily lives. As Kim reported we may not see a huge change in our finances for awhile, that some of the benefits are:

• $20 extra in your weekly check
• Extra Tax cuts and breaks for your next year tax filing season
• New programs to help those possibly facing foreclosure

We also briefly touched on the subject that now is the perfect time to start teaching your children finacial responsiblity. You should be open and honest with them about your financial situation and touch on how they could save money on their own. This will help to build a solid finacial foundation for their future by educating them on finances. In summing up our interview Kim mentioned that you need to remain flexible for realistic in your finacial situation, and also allow for change in your circumstances. Also to set your priorities and make a plan for change! We want to thank Kim our Finacial expert for her wonderful expertise in talking with us this morning on our show. We are going to try and book Kim for another show in our near future so she can share some more great information with you, in the mean time please be sure to stop by and visit Kim’s blog Blogging for a Change.

money

Set Up A Family Budget

The Amazing Secret To Creating A Family Budget That Leads You Out Of Debt and Fills Your Savings Accounts!

Listen. It hits families all over the world like a punch to the stomach.

You don’t notice it at first, but soon you find yourself living in a paycheck to paycheck world. What you make one month is gone before you have any time to add it to your savings account…

Before you have time to fill your cupboards just one last time (while you wait for your next paycheck)… And definitely before you make any dent on your credit card balance.

Families all over are enslaved by their debt racked up over the years. The burden is immense. You don’t want anyone to know you’re having a hard time making ends meet – especially any kids that might be involved.

You’re afraid to answer the phone. It’s tough to sleep the night through. Life in debt is now a never-ending cycle of anxiety and fear.

How can you stop the seemingly endless cycle? How can you change the way you think about money? And discover financial discipline?

Let me tell you, it’s not too late with my tell-all guide…

How To Properly Set Up A Family Budget!

If you have had financial problems in the past, you can feel relief when you start over with a (realistic) family budget.

Have you ever heard, “The first step is admitting there’s a problem?” You may or may not have a spending problem – but you can’t create a family budget without first being honest with yourself.

And let me tell you it feels good. No matter what you’re financial situation. Sitting down and figuring out exactly where you stand. How much money you owe. How much money you need to save up each month. How much money you get to spend each month.

Just putting it all down on paper lets you leave the stress behind you. The relief is almost instant when you create a family budget. But you know what the best part is?

When sticking to your budget starts to pay off. Soon you will have a monthly surplus. Soon you will see your savings start to grow. Your debt will start to dwindle. And you’ll notice you’re still able to do the things you love!

Within my 50 page guide, “How To Set Up A Family Budget,” I’ll tell you exactly what you need to do to turn past money-management mistakes upside down. You’ll discover all my tricks, tips, and techniques for putting yourself on the fast track to financial security.

The secret to why we can spend, spend, spend – and never know where the money went

How to sit down with bank statements, checking accounts, stock portfolio’s and a list of assets to find out your true financial status

Why this guide is different than other “budgeting” books. (It has to do with our “hands-on” approach)

26 simple tricks to help you keep to your budget (without grinding your teeth)

12 reasons why starting a family budget will empower you like never before (and help you sleep at night)

3 most common reasons why budgets fail. Know what to look out for and you’ll avoid these budget busters

What to do if your expenses total more than your income

How to handle your paycheck strategically to make sure your bills get paid. Hint: This trick is so good, you won’t notice how responsible you are being

The 17 rules to family budgeting. Print these out and post them on your refrigerator

10 important processes creating a budget must provide for

10 reasons to stop spending now (Or else it might be too late)

Why you must confront your debt now – and how to do it painlessly

12 steps for curbing your debt

25 final thoughts of wisdom on family budgeting to keep you moving forward in a positive (financially free) future

And there’s MUCH more!

What is financial stability worth to you? Here’s the deal, I spent a lot of time putting this report together. It’s saving you a trip to a financial planner that could cost you hundreds. But because I’ve already written everything down, I don’t have to charge nearly that much. Instead, you can have my report, “How To Set Up A Family Budget” for just $8.97!

money

Savings Tip: The Money Jar

An idea that me and my sister came up with was to save all of our loose change and we have been doing this through the use of a “Money Jar“.

We went and bought those Electronic Money Jars that automatically counts the change as you put it in. Huge timesaver! I bought mine on clearance at Rite for under $10 while my sister bought herself a fancy one at Target for about $20. With Christmas right around the corner, these Money Jars are pretty easy to find at an inexpensive price and make great gifts!

Since getting these jars, it actually has been fun, almost a race in fact. It feels great to see the money jar fill up, to the point that we WANT change whenever we make a transaction at a store. Breaking bills have become second nature for us, because we know the benefits it will reap later down the road. Another bonus to saving with these money jars? The kids are eager to get involved! We bought the kids this lovely My Giving Bank, which teaches them how to save as well as give! Its a good idea to teach them now the benefits of giving first and saving for later while they are young,lol!

Where once we scrambled through our pockets for that exact change so as to not break a dollar bill, we now just hand over the bills, knowing full well we have that .13, but all we see is that .87 that will go in the jar. See a penny on the floor, grab it and add it to the jar, every penny does count, literally:)

Our jars have such become a part of our goal setting strategy:

• If we want something or need to pay a bill,we keep adding change until we’ve reached that goal and only then do we touch the jar (we take it to Commerce Bank who will cash the change in for free) and then we start all over. This is a great way not to break a budget!
• The goal can be as small as reaching $20 for a day at Chuck e Cheese with the kids, or $60 to pay a bill, etc…

It is a fun idea and its amazing at how much you really WANT to save when you see the savings adding up so why not start your own Goal Setting Money Jar and watch the money grow!!

In this case, a penny saved IS a penny earned!

PS. Commerce bank also gives a small gift if you can correctly guess the amount of change you are cashing in, needless to say, we’ve gotten a few small gifts,lol!

Do you have a Money Saving idea that you’d like to share? Post it in the comments field !

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The Consumer Queen-Melissa’s Site

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Christmas Barter Board Rules

With the tough economy I know how hard Christmas is going to be on alot of families! So I am starting a NEW Christmas Barter Board! If you would like to barter services such as advertising, graphics etc or products with someone else just post a comment here with the following information and I add you to our barter board.

1. Your sites Name
2. Services or Goods you are offering
3. URL To site
4. What you are looking for in return

Let’s get to bartering!! Good Luck Angie
AngelaWenke@aol.com

money

How to have a Successful Garage Sale

How to have a successful garage sale.

money

Making Money Online: The Proof is in the Pudding!

We all want to make more money right? But how do we avoid the scams out there? Are there truly easy ways to make money that are legit?

My answer is YES!!!!!!!!! Being a working mom of two, my time is precious and safety is important! I have been searching the web for deals like these going on 13 years now. Below are some sites I think you should definatly sign up for that I have had success with! Have questions ? Let me know I would be glad to answer them!

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