Live within your Means and Still Get Good Furniture

You probably hear it all the time. People spend thousands of dollars on a living room, dining room, bedroom, or kitchen set. When you hear how much people pay for their furniture, and still think they are getting a good deal you feel overwhelmed.

If this sounds like you, no need to worry. In fact, the reason you are reading this article is probably because deep down inside you know there is a better way to find quality furniture for less expensive prices.You can indeed live within your means and still get good furniture. The list below will explain how:

Shop at secondhand stores and discount stores. You would be surprised what you find. In fact, some items that are used are often in better condition than new items because the standards for making items used to be so that they would last. Therefore you may be better off with a couch or a table that is ten years or even thirty years old. Check out online auction sales.

Bid on online auction items. Sites like eBay run specials all the time for used and new furniture. The reason that some of the best furniture is sold for so cheap is often eBay sellers find huge lots of closeout items to sell. This leads to the next way to find cheap furniture.

Shop at factory outlets and close-out stores. Numerous models of high-quality couches, chairs, dining room sets, and so on are sold for cheap in these stores for one main reason-to get rid of them. Note though that getting rid of these pieces of furniture-or even whole sets-does not mean that they are low-quality. It usually means that it is one of many pieces of surplus left over from earlier models no longer sold.

Get creative. For instance, perhaps you do not have money to update your furniture but you just cannot stand the look of that 1970s upholstery that stands out like a sore thumb in your living room. You can learn how to restore it with a more update version of upholstery covering. Likewise, you can perhaps learn how to sand, stain, and varnish old wood furniture instead of buying a new piece or set. It would be almost like you had bought new furniture.

Take advantages of one-in-a-lifetime opportunities. It is often easy to find furniture discarded by people who are moving. They often will even give furniture away just because they do not want to bother with the expense of hauling it. Either that or they may sell it for cheap because they do not need it in the new place they plan to move.

Visit garage sales, moving sales, and estate sales. This is another place to capitalize on great furniture buys. You almost always can find something of value at these types of sales for at half or less of the original cost.

Ask around. Perhaps some of your good-hearted friends or family members know of someone who has inexpensive furniture to sell or give away. Word travels fast when they know someone is in need. Sooner or later you are bound to hear from someone willing to give you a deal (best deal is free) on furniture.

Other than that, all you need perhaps is a little patience and persistence. Your quest for the right-looking inexpensive or free furniture is likely to pay off faster than you might think. Not only that, but your friends and family are bound to be impressed. Now, whether you decide to tell them where you really got your furniture is to your discretion. Just remember though, there is no shame in discount shopping if it means you will live within your means.

No-Nonsense Tips for Living Within or Below your Means

All of us, especially in these times, could probably stand to save some money and lower our spending. But if you are heavily in debt or a chronic over spender, what can you do in order to live within, or better yet, below your means? Here are some no-nonsense tips for living within or below your means.

Use up all of your change

There is a good chance that you ignore your spare change. Those few stray dollars floating around in your jeans pocket or stuffed into your wallet does not command much of your attention, nor does that spare change jingling in your pocket. Well, it’s time to start paying attention to those stray dollars. Set up a stray change jar on your kitchen counter, bedside table or wherever you are likely to see it. Every day when you come home from work, school or wherever you spend your days, add a little something to the jar. Do this for a week and it will become habit. Do this for six months and you will find yourself with a cache of extra spending money. Make a deal with yourself to add to the jar for three months before you start taking from the jar. Or draw a line midway around the jar and don’t take from it unless the change and money reaches the line. Or if you are really disciplined, tape a sticker to the jar with a date six months from the date you started the jar and don’t take from it until that date. The trick is to trick yourself into saving money, and becoming more conscious of how you treat your money.

Make your own coffee

If you are like a lot of working Americans, you probably begin your day with a hot cup of joe. And you probably let someone else make the coffee for you. Whether it is Starbucks or a less expensive brand, you are probably spending a good chunk of change just by having others serve you coffee. Remember: coffee is no longer ten cents a cup like it was in the good old days. You are talking about at least three to five bucks a pop for a name brand latte or cup of coffee. Save yourself some hard-earned cash and invest in a good coffee maker (you probably already have one) and a good, sturdy and attractive portable coffee cup or canteen. Experiment with different coffee brands until you find one that you enjoy even more than that expensive café coffee. Simply getting into the habit of making your own coffee two or three times a week will save you hundreds of dollars over a year of coffee drinking.

How much are you spending on rent?

Are you overpaying on rent? Many people are. Are you paying extra for a pool you never swim in, a fitness center that you never use, or a private clubhouse that you never frequent? If your monthly rent is padded with amenities that you never take advantage of, take a serious look at your living situation and calculate how much you would save if you moved to a house, condo community or apartment complex that better suits your lifestyle. Other things to consider: paying for extra space that you don’t really need or use, or consider taking in a roommate if you don’t want to move but would like to save money on rent.

Take public transportation to work or school

How much are you spending on a weekly basis on just getting to work or school? In these days of record-high gas prices, chances are you’re spending too much on your commute. Just taking the bus or carpooling a few times a week can help you live within your more means more comfortably.

Conserve Energy and Reduce your Bill with this Great Advice

There has been no other time in history when so many people have been so dedicated to conserving energy and reducing their utility bills. With rising energy costs and global warming, conserving energy has never been so important in most of our lives. If you are dedicated to cultivating a greener lifestyle and lowering your utility bills in the process, here are some helpful tips and bits of advice that can help you cut down on your energy use.

Dial down your thermostat in winter

What does it mean to dial down your thermostat? Dialing down your thermostat in winter refers to the act of reducing the temperature in your home in order to conserve heating fuel. This concept is simple enough: the best way to conserve energy is simply by not using so much of it. You would probably be surprised how much you can save simply by dialing your thermostat two or three degrees from your normal temperature. Simply dialing down your thermostat one degree makes a difference. If you dial down one degree in winter, this will generally result in about one to three percent less fuel use, which corresponds to about one to three percent less fuel use which is reflected on your utility bill. In order to stay comfortably cool in the winter, slip on a sweater. At night, cover up with more blankets. This form of personal insulation is a great and efficient way to retain your personal body heat.

Come Summer, Dial Up

Just as you might dial down during the winter, the concept of dialing down can be simply reversed for the summer months. Dialing up is a great way to help conserve energy and reduce the cost of cooling your home during the hot summer months. As with the cold winter months, you want to dial up a few degrees and adjust your clothing for the warmer weather. Make sure to dial up your thermostat for when you plan to be away from the house.

For larger homes, make sure to close empty rooms

If you occupy a larger home or there are many rooms in your house that aren’t currently being used, make sure to shut the doors to rooms. This can help reduce the demand on your heating and cooling system and help keep the rest of the house at a moderate and comfortable temperature. Remember that the less space that needs to be supplied with cool or warm air, the less you will need to spend on energy costs.

Check that your home is well-insulated

You would be surprised what lurks in your home. If your home is not well-insulated, you may easily be losing hundreds of dollars or more each year on keeping your home warm or cool. Check for cracks in the foundation, thin walls or other features that may be keeping your home from staying cool or warm. You can have an expert perform an energy audit on your apartment or home and give you tips on how your specific living area can be better insulated for retaining a comfortable temperature.

Switch to energy efficient lighting fixtures

Most of us already know about the benefits of switching to fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs are long-lasting and can save you hundreds of dollars on your electricity bill over a year. Another great option that you can take advantage of is solar lighting. If you like to keep your house or yard lit throughout the night, consider switching to solar lighting. These lights use the sun’s warmth and energy to stay lit for several hours and can help save you money on your energy bill.

Learning to Live within your Means without Debt

With more people in debt than ever before, living within your means is a concept well worth exploring. First, what does it mean to “live with your means without debt”? Living within your means signifies being on top of your finances. It means knowing at the drop of a hat exactly how much you can afford. It means a low-stress financial outlook and lifestyle where you don’t stay up late into the night trying to figure out how to pay for that new jacket, car, vacation or whatever your weakness may be. Here are some tips for adopting the philosophy of living within your means and learning the joy of living without debt.

Spend less than you earn

This is a simply mantra that you should adopt in your quest to live within your means without debt: spend less than you earn. It really is that simple. Most of us, however, do the exact opposite. Spending less than you earn means you have to sit down and face the cold hard facts of your current financial template. Sit down and do some simple math: how much gross income do you take in a month. Next, subtract how much you need for life essentials. Life essentials include putting a roof over your head, food in your body and clothes on your back. Some financial gurus have come up with specific numbers on how you should ideally be spending your money each month.

How are you spending your money?

Here are the numbers on how the experts say you should be spending your hard-earned money each month. You should be spending 35% of your monthly income on housing and housing related costs. Transportation costs should equal around 15% of your monthly income. Shopping, food and entertainment should come in around 25%. According to financial experts, around 15% of your monthly income should be directed at quashing any lingering debt. Finally, don’t forget to pay yourself. Roughly 10 % of your monthly income should be directed into a savings account.

Study your numbers

Now that you have the numbers, do the math and see how your monthly spending stands up. Are you spending way more than you can probably afford on your monthly rent or mortgage payment? Are you splurging on your entertainment budget or spending half your income on shopping sprees? Are you paying off enough debt each month to really make a dent on those credit cards, or are you merely paying off interest? Are you saving anything for emergencies and the future? These can be hard questions to answer, especially if you have a sinking feeling that the answer is a resounding “no” on all accounts. But this is also a very important step to take if you are serious about living within your means without debt.

Secrets to living within your means without debt

These are not really secrets—most people who are debt-free or serious about becoming debt-free can find these out for themselves. The true secret is to live below your means. That is, spend less than you make. A lot less. How can you do this? Try to attack the problem from the angle that you already know needs attention. For instance, if you are a shopaholic, work on curbing your shopping sprees by making a written list of only the items you need before stepping out the door. Cross off each item as you shop. Also, consolidate all of your shopping needs into one trip, rather than smaller shopping trips spread throughout the week. Always buy the store brand, which is usually just as good as the name brand and a lot cheaper.

Get Back to Work with these Money-Savings Childcare Options

There’s no doubt about it: finding affordable and trustworthy childcare options is one of the biggest challenges facing many working parents today. What can you do in order to reduce your childcare costs? Having a baby can be a huge financial stain on first-time parents, and many don’t realize how many affordable childcare options there are out there. Here are some tips for finding ways to save money with different childcare options. Some of these may seem like common sense, while others may force you and your partner to make some hard decisions.

Financial aid can help you subsidize childcare costs

There’s no getting around the high cost of child care in the United States. In some cases, you may find yourself paying more for child care than your rent or mortgage. There is some help to be found with financial aid. Take advantage of flexible spending accounts offered by your employer, such as the dependent care account. These accounts allow you to save pre-tax dollars specifically for such things as day care and elder care. You can save thousands in taxes each year by taking advantage of these flex spending accounts. If you pay for child care expenses with your after-tax dollars, you can take advantage of the Dependent Care Tax Credit on your income tax return. You can claim from 20% to 35% of up to $3,000 for one child.

Check with you child care center for ways to offset costs

Some child care centers are willing to work with their parents to help offset costs. If you are having trouble keeping up with payments, talk to your child care center before things get worse. Let them know your financial situation and see if there are things you can do in order to offset your child care costs. Volunteering, donating goods or other kinds of contributions are sometimes an acceptable way of offsetting your child care bill. Some child care centers have the resources and information to refer you to government agencies that can also help with grants and financial aid.

Offset costs with family help

Traditionally, extended families have always been around to help offset the cost and responsibility of child care. If you are fortunate enough to have caring and supportive family members, see if they can help you with child care. Many couples or single parents work with their relatives to coordinate a child care schedule that works for both parties. Of course, you should do your best to compensate your relatives for this care.

Do you have a flexible work schedule?

Many parents rearrange their work days in order to take care of their children. With some finagling and juggling, many parents can reduce their day child care costs significantly by flexing their work schedules.

Start a home business or telecommute

With today’s advanced technology, it is easier than ever to work from home. If you or your partner has the option of working from home, take advantage of it. Even if you can only finagle a couple of days of telecommuting a week, this will still give you a great advantage. If there is simply no way that you can bring your work life home, consider starting a sideline business that can help you cope with the high costs of day child care.

Use student child care

If you are located near a college or university, there is a good chance that you can find adequate child care close to home. Many students charge less for their services than a professional day care business. If you are looking for a nanny, consider hiring from an au pair service.

Avoid These Major Money Missteps and Stay Out of Debt

What you can do to avoid getting into debt? Experts say there are certain money missteps that many of us are likely to make. Here are the major money missteps that can easily land you in debt. These are very common missteps that many of us fall into without even knowing it.

Buying a new car

OK, this is not so much a money misstep (unless you really can’t afford a new car, or finance it with a high interest rate) as a preference that can easily get you into debt. Sure, you love that new car smell, the feeling that you are the one adding up the miles, but it is a known fact that new cars depreciate several thousand dollars as within the first year. Save yourself all that money that you’re paying for the privilege of the new car smell and buy a high quality pre-owned vehicle. Many used cars still carry the original warranty—even more incentive for buying a quality used vehicle.

Borrowing from your 401(k) or 403(b)

In most cases, you won’t get a great deal at all. Your 401(k) deals are pre-tax, which means that eventually the money that you put in will get taxed when you withdraw it. Taking out a loan from your 401(k) or 403(b) means that you will be borrowing from pre-tax dollar which will eventually have to be repaid. When you eventually retire and begin your withdrawals, you will be taxed again. If you borrow money from your 401(k) or 403(b), you will effectively be getting taxed twice. Did you know that you are also required to repay the loan in only a few months? If you don’t happen to have the money for repayment, your loan will be treated as a withdrawal. You can expect a whopping 10 percent early withdrawal penalty.

Using your home equity line of credit to pay off your credit card debt

You can lose your home if this doesn’t work out. Credit card debt is often described by unsecured debt, because there’s no real collateral that the credit card company can force you to sell in order to collect on the debt. A home mortgage and home equity loan is known as secured debt because your home is the collateral. But if you fall behind your payments, the lender can easily require you to sell your home in order to collect on the debt.

Avoid buying a variable annuity

When you buy a variable annuity you are making a contract with the insurance company and the money is used to buy mutual funds. Salesmen may try to pitch this kind of investment as a way of buying and selling funds inside the annuity without the tax bills as long as the money is invested. But did you know that you will have to pay income tax on any withdrawals? Plus, if you withdraw any money from your variable annuities before you are approximately 60 years of age, you will also be penalized with a 10 percent fee. So watch out for what may seem like a great deal on that tempting variable annuity. There are often many buried fees that are attached to variable annuities. Make sure to read all the fine print.

Do not finance your new home purchase with a variable interest loan

Avoid those low initial teaser rates for financing your new home. If you can’t afford the home otherwise, you should probably not buy the home. Avoid option adjustable rate mortgages too. This will usually cause your loan balance to become bigger each month as the lender adds the unpaid interest on the balance of your home loan. Watch out for those great introductory rates—they can often turn out to be not-so-great.

Freecycling a Great Way to Avoid Accumulating Debt

If you are in need, "freecycling" may be the option for you. In fact, there is actually an official organization (The Freecycle Network, or TFN) that bears this name.

Freecycling Defined

Freecycling is the act of recovering items to be thrown away for future use. Unofficially, freecycling is called "dumpster diving" when done in informal settings. Both freecycling as an action and as an organization has been created to prevent useful items from being thrown away.

The History of Freecycle Network

This organization was officially as a RISE, Inc. project in Tucson, Arizona about 2004. It was slow-going at first but then this company and concept grew to become a worldwide effort. The Freecycle just launched its website this year (2008).

However, since its launch it has expanded to mean much more than that. It is now a helpful service to those who want to recover perfectly good furniture and other household items that others throw away.Currently Freecycling Network is home to over 4,702,000 members from every continent. In all this organization has thousands of local chapters stationed around the globe. Local groups are moderated by a volunteer. Benefits of Freecycling

You can find quality household and personal items for far less money. Sometimes you can even obtain them for free-whether you join an official Freecycling organization or not. People have saved hundreds and even thousands of dollars per year by obtaining free items in this way.

Many people have avoiding going into debt as they prepared to start a family using Freecycling services. Instead they are not saving money instead of spending it. All in all everyone wins when they take advantage of this program, and environmental resources are preserved.

Where to Find Freecycling Chapter Location Information

This particular phenomenon has become a worldwide effort. Therefore, Freecycling organization locations are likely to be available relatively near you. You can visit this organization's official website and you can find local freecycling groups within your immediate area via Yahoo groups.

You can also browse your specific location within the Freecycle Network official website. There is a site serving persons in the U.S., UK, France, Germany, and many other countries of the world. Items Recovered from Freecycling

Besides furniture items, you also acquire items such as a piano, an old door, a fax machine, and other items still useful. Just about anything imaginable has been made available. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will find exactly what you are looking for. However, if you stay alert you will save money on many items you need.

How to Register

It is free to register for an online account. You can post items you want to give away as well as post for requests of items you need. Each local chapter or group may have its own specific requirements, such as your first posting must be an item that you are willing to give away that someone can use.

You can also become involved actively as a moderator in your local area. If you are, you will become a part of an organization that is working to make a difference. In doing so, you will be doing more than just helping yourself. You will be providing a great service to your community.

Similar groups to Freecycling

Since the founding of the first Freecycle Network, smaller organizations have been started. You can search for these with the word "freecycling" in your favorite web browser. You may also want to start up a group in your area if there is not one present.

Keep in mind that each group may have its different standards. Also, that you use various freecycling groups at your discretion while posting, contacting, and exchanging.