With the credit crunch upon us and who knows what else is lurking just beyond the horizon, lots of people are carefully watching their dollars, trying to stretch what they have until their next paycheck. For some folks, getting by is a day to day task, one that can quickly collapse if there is a single misstep along the way.

Although you cannot do anything about the national economy you can do something about your personal economy, so let’s take a look at ways you can stretch those hard earned dollars to help keep your budget in order:

Keep Track – Money comes in and money goes out, but where does it all go? One way to keep track of it all is to write what you spend in a little book that you carry around. This can be bothersome so consider doing the next best thing: use a debit card for all of your purchases. Everything you spend will show up on a monthly statement and, if your bank offers it, you can check online too to keep track of your outlay.

Hold Back – When it comes to making any purchase over and above what you can afford, do you have a pay off plan in mind? If you can pay off what you owe when the credit card arrives, then you’ll be fine. If not, how long do you plan on making payments and at what interest rate? The value of purchasing a sale item is often canceled by the cost of interest. Why not save up for what you want to buy and pay cash instead?

Lay Aside – After paying bills, giving allowance to your children, donating money to your church and favorite charities, is there money left over for you? Take a portion of those funds and sock them away for a rainy day. Open up an online savings account and automatically deposit some funds weekly or monthly into one or more accounts. What you don’t see you generally will not spend.

Pay Bills – Speaking of paying bills, one problem that frequently occurs is missing a critical payment. Fall behind on a utility bill and your lights could be shut off, miss a credit card payment and you could be hit with a service charge or have your credit dinged. Set aside a day each week to pay bills and you won’t ever miss a payment again. Consider automating your bills through your bank where invoices are received and payments sent.

Make Goals – Days, weeks, months and even years can pass by without you realizing your dreams. Even in a weak economy, most people can set aside a set amount of money, funds that can pay for your children’s education, repairs or improvements for your home, your retirement, or other leisurely pursuit. If you find that your goals are mostly unattainable consider taking on additional employment or switching careers. Life is too short to stay broke.

If you’re still having difficulty managing your budget, then seek some help. If you can’t afford a financial advisor, your county may be able to help, a trusted church member could assist you or a family friend might be able to advise you. Don’t delay – the better job you do managing things today, the less stress for you in the long run.

Adv. – How about a card you need that fits your financial objectives? Whether you are a savvy consumer or first-time user, there is a credit card that will meet your buying-power needs. Please visit nBuy.com to conduct your smart credit card search.

Tags: bills, budget, consumer debt, credit, economy, money

We all need access to transportation, whether through owning our own car or being able to take a bus, train, or taxi as needed. No longer are we confined to our communities; modern transportation allows us to go most anywhere.

Personal transportation costs, however, can put a crunch on any budget – siphoning funds from other areas of your life and draining your savings. High gas prices, insurance, car payments, maintenance, and more can crimp your style, doing a number on your finances like nothing else.

There is no need for you to drive yourself to the poor house because you cannot afford to keep up with spiraling transportation costs. The following tips can help you not only contain your costs, but leave a little extra in your wallet each week:

Save on Gas – If your car “requires” that you fuel up with premium gas, consider using regular gas instead. You’ll lose some power, but you’ll save at least twenty cents per gallon. Don’t worry about your car not having a “taste” for regular fuel as your engine will automatically compensate for the reduction in octane. Potential Annual Savings: $200.

Save on Insurance – Older cars often still have collision coverage on them, even though the replacement value is negligible, therefore considering dropping this coverage. In addition, review your policy for additional savings and consider having one insurer cover both your homeowners and car insurance policies. Potential Annual Savings: $250.

Save on Car Payments – Lots of consumers think that the company financing their car is the one that they’ll have to stay with until their wheels are paid off. Like housing, there are hundreds of companies clamoring for your business who might be interested in taking over your loan. The lower your credit score, the lower your interest rates should be. Potential Net Savings: $500.

Save on Maintenance and Repairs – Your dealer may say that he knows your vehicle best, but plenty of independent mechanics are skilled in servicing a variety of modern vehicles. If your car is under warranty, then go to your dealer. Once it is off warranty, line up a trusted local mechanic who knows your brand of vehicle and can provide a competitive service rate. Potential Savings: The sky’s the limit!

Save on Warranty Costs – If you plan on keeping your car for many years, then consider purchasing an extended warranty. However, select vehicles – Kia and Hyundai, for example – have comprehensive warranties for the first three years of ownership and have a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty included. If you want a warranty, tailor that plan to cover what is NOT covered, allowing the manufacturer to pay for your other costs. Potential Savings: $300-$1500.

Save on a New Car – Sooner or later you’ll decide that your current car is too old, doesn’t meet your current needs, or you’ve tired of driving it. Right now can be an excellent time to buy a car, not just because it is the end of the model year or that the calendar year is fast coming to an end, rather car sales are way down and manufacturers are in the bargaining mood. Arrange financing on your own and walk into your dealership to take advantage of cash back savings and whatever other deals you can negotiate. Potential Savings: $1000-$15,000.

Save on Public Transport – If you don’t own a car or you take public transportation part of the time, you can save money by hopping on a bus, hailing a taxi, or catching the train. However, mass transit costs can be exorbitant, even when some of the costs are defrayed through taxes and grants. Fortunately, many of the publicly run mass transit authorities reward frequent users with weekly or monthly passes which can shave dollars off of your ride. Potential Savings: 10-50%.

For additional savings tips and ideas, please visit SayLowerBills.com to find great money saving ideas for your home, vacation, health, entertainment, and other expenses.

Tags: budget, car insurance, car loan, car payments, gas, mass transit, new cars, public transport

Are you going to the State Fair? Free or discounted tickets can be had; you just need to know where to find them.

Budget conscious consumers are sometimes faced with a dilemma when a special event comes to town: do they pay full price for the circus, fair, or play and risk blowing their budget, or stay home, or can they still attend a seasonal event without going broke?

Well, if you consider yourself to be a savvy consumer, you’ll find a way to attend that event and save money too.

Fortuitously, savings can be had if you use a little bit of ingenuity and you don’t mind doing something different such as attending a matinée instead of a prime time showing. Regardless, there are ways for you to save money on ticket prices, including getting in free for certain events:

Find Promotionals – I have a neighbor who almost always seems to find a way to get free tickets to movie premiers and other special events. I can’t share her secrets here, but it does involve signing up with one or more online sites to get preview tickets. As you might guess, there are some restrictions involved and you may only get one pair of tickets, two pair if you are fortunate. Still, if all you need is two, you could see that movie for free – just pay for your own soda and popcorn.

Register For The Event – Well before the circus or fair comes to town, are volunteers being sought to help out? If so, contribute some of your time to take tickets, usher parking, or provide some other help. Likely, you’ll be rewarded with several free passes for your labor.

Go During Off Hours – A new movie might cost you $10 to see in the evening, but if you go during the day, while the children are in school, your matinée might cost you just $6 and you won’t have to pay for a babysitter.

Hit The Sales (Late) – So you missed the big sale and only by one day. Drat! Yet, if there is something that you like and you still want the sales price, talk to a manager and ask him if he will honor yesterday’s special. Don’t make up an excuse, just tell him that you would like to buy the item for the lower price – it can’t hurt to ask!

Write A Review – If you have the talent to write and you manage a blog, ask the event planner for free tickets in exchange for your write up. Of course, the more popular site, the better, but if your demographics parallels the type of people the event is geared toward reaching (e.g., young families) you could suddenly find yourself playing a one time roll as spokeswoman for that event.

Special Drawings – Newspapers, internet sites, radio stations, and other media outlets are often given a bunch of tickets to give away to a popular event in exchange for some free media time. “Be the fifth caller and you could win” tells you to start dialing, but you can also win tickets by simply calling the event planner and asking her directly.

Families often shy away from expensive, paid events knowing that they’ll have to shell out a lot of money to attend. Even if you win two free tickets and need to get four more, you’ve already saved one-third the cost thanks to what you won. Take whatever savings or winnings you get and enjoy yourself the next time that the circus comes to town.

Adv. – How about a card you need that fits your financial objectives? Whether you are a savvy consumer or first-time user, there is a credit card that will meet your buying-power needs. Please visit nBuy.com to conduct your smart credit card search.

Tags: budget, circus, discounts, fair, free, matinee, play, prime time, save money, tickets