Category Archives: Budget

5 Ways to Prevent Money From Ruining Your Marriage

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Wedding planning is one of the most anxious times when you have to take every step under perfect flourish. When you’re busy planning your wedding & other works around your ceremony, you need to do more than just picking out a dress, cakes or caterer. Yes, your finances.

Newly engaged partners must figure out how they will merge their separate finances into a system that will keep them blissful and financially secured in future.

You need to know the right way to manage money, so figure out the mingle finances. You may seek help from an advisor to sort out money management issues well in advance.

As per the reports made by Knot, 90% of engaged couples discuss their finances prior to marriage. However, in order to make it a success, they need to approach their conversation from the right angle. In this article, we will speak about how you should prevent money from destroying your relationship and make your marriage financially successful.

Don’t set yourself up for disaster

Most of the couple usually make the same mistake by spending too much on the wedding. Experts who specialize in personal finance say that for couples who can’t afford to pay cash, do end up into debt. Also, many young couples who are on top of their credit card debt and student loan literally get drowned in debt out of the gate.

So, those with limited budgets should do something smaller or find alternative ways to make their wedding affordable. This way they’d save big party for 5th or 10th anniversary when they’re in rich financial position.

Set your eyes on the prize

As time goes by, it’s not unusual for people’s financial priorities and expectation to shift. However, couples need to check in with each other ensuring that they’re still in synch. It’s a reality check for couples to sit & discuss the financial stands, whether it’s saving more for retirement, paying off debt, or for a vacation home.

Having goals aligned is very much crucial for couples when only one spouse generates the income. Usually, the non-working spouse feels guilty about not contributing financially or the working spouse may resent because the money earned is not being spent prudently. Thus, it is essential that both partners have the same goal in mind and it can be possible that the spouse that’s not working does something to generate some money.

Understand your partner’s money mindset

According to Matt Bell (associate editor at sound mind investing and author of book Money & Marriage), a lot of fights between spouses that seem as though about money, aren’t about money rather it’s a clash of temperaments.

Now, temperament is a huge potential source of conflict and one person may be upset that their spouse spends too much. However the issue may not be just that they can’t afford it, but something deeper like real fear of not being able to pay bills on time.

It is important to understate how your spouse was raised around money and how they view money. Some questions like: did they live on a budget? Were their parent’s frugal or big spenders? Did your parents talk about money or was it a taboo matter? Did you live on a budget? What is your spouse’s greatest fear of finances?

All of these answers will play into marriage and depend on how partner treat money at present times.

Don’t ignore the “B” word

“Budgeting” may seem tedious, but with it, one can yield significant benefits and prevent their marital turmoil and bringing into light about where their money is going.

Through the intervention of technology, budgeting has become a lot easier with the proliferation of apps and online tools that tracks your spending and account for you. There are many programs where you can create a budget and automatically track your transactions and accounts. As such you’ll also be able to see your progression and categorize your purchasing to get a better idea of how you’re spending your money. As there are a lot of great programs, it’s worth looking into which program works best your budgeting case.

Stop keeping secrets

Keeping secrets from your spouse can put you on the fast track to marital may-hem especially when it comes about money. According to a poll conducted by creditcards.com, 6 million consumers in the US (about 7% country’s population) conceal their financial accounts like credit cards, savings accounts, checking accounts from their partners, spouses or significant others they live with.

So many couples do hide debt or money or charges and when the spouse finds out; it gets into a war in their marriage. In a survey conducted by moneysupermarket.com, 1 in 10 people said that their secret credit-card purchase led to divorce or breakup.

While no one should be expected or micromanaged to disclose every purchase, lying about big purchases, or hiding can be toxic to the relationship and may even lead to bigger emotional issues down-the-line.

Conclusion

As with managing money in marriage, the above essential tips will surely give you some deeper knowledge and provide means to prevent marriage from being ruined. By applying these steps, couples can set a stage for a marriage built on financial harmony, honesty, and openness.

This article deals with significant aspects of managing couples relationship alongside monetary issues where both spouses need to take critical steps to prevent ruining their marriage. Some steps may be quite awkward to take, however, the results here will benefit both of the partners in long-term running towards a successful married life.

7 Silly Ways that Actually Let You Enjoy Great Savings on Groceries

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Groceries typically comprise a large part of any household budget considering that everyone in the house needs them. Why not? Food, toiletries, cleaning and laundry supplies, among other products, are necessary to keep things running smoothly inside the house.

Some people struggle to make ends meet in between their paydays, and thus, they need to take out salary loan to buy the much-needed grocery items. In the worst case scenario, they use their credit cards and risk incurring high interest charges later on. In the long run, they drown in the vicious cycle of debt.

But despite the groceries being an important part of the financial plan, there are still many ways to reduce your expenses on them. While some are as obvious as not buying things you don’t need, others can make you feel ridiculous when doing them the first time. But it doesn’t mean they’re not effective.

Here are some ridiculous (but still effective) ways to save on your grocery shopping:

Do your grocery shopping on a full stomach?

The concept is simple: when you’re full, you won’t be tempted to shop for food products that you don’t actually need especially snacks and junk foods. It’s also easy to load your cart with these items when you’re hungry because your cravings are intense.

Popping a mint or two into your mouth can also do the trick. The cool sensation that the mint can provide will help mask the smell of whatever fragrant foods you will encounter when you enter the grocery. In short, you can resist the temptation to buy foods that are not within the budget.

Only come to the grocery armed with a shopping list.

Having a list will help you focus on buying only what matters most for the household. It also helps if you know your way around the aisles so that you can go directly to the sections you need to be and head to the cashier the soonest possible.

Consider doing your grocery at most once a week, but before you go, make sure to carefully create a comprehensive shopping list by keeping inventory of what you need for the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, among others. It may feel like you’ll be spending a huge amount at one time, but at least you can be sure that you’ll only be buying the important things.

Don’t be ashamed to ask about sales discounts and promotions first.

Savvy shoppers keep an eye on what’s available for sale. Some groceries have dedicated shelves wherein promotional products are displayed. You can head over these areas first and see if there are items in your shopping list that you can grab lower prices. You also need to keep an eye on newsletters, posters and labels for great cost-saving deals that you can take advantage of.

But caution must be practiced when dealing with bulk items with a single price. In this case, you need to check each product in the package to see if you’re really getting a great deal.

Make your own products as often as possible.

If you’re creative enough, you will actually realize that there are many products you can stop buying because you can make your own alternatives. For example, you can make your own all-around cleaning solution with water and vinegar. You can also mix in a drop or two of essential oil if you desire good fragrance.

Fond of buying ready-to-cook French fries? You can simply buy potatoes and create tasty, healthy snacks on your own!

Follow your favorite brands and shops on social media like a stalker.

Businesses have their own social media profile these days. Follow them online and you could just be on top of the latest available discount deals and great saving opportunities on products you usually buy.

Plan your meals based on what’s on sale and what’s on your pantry.

Most people plan their meals for a week and go out to shop for their much needed ingredients. If you want to save on groceries, however, it’s best to first check out what’s available for sale and plan your meals based on that. Of course, you also have to check what you currently have in your pantry and make sure you use your stock to avoid wastage.

Opt for the cheaper alternatives if possible.

In these days where marketers are becoming more creative, you need to stick to the basics. Do you really need laundry soap with a perfume scent or will a cheaper one that still cleans well suffice? Do you really need to buy turkey every week or will other meat products give equal satisfaction?

Conclusion

Don’t be ashamed doing silly things that can actually help you save on your groceries. See your savings grow in time and you’ll be glad that you made these steps in the first place.

7 Smart Money Moves For Your Home Budget

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Managing a family is not at all an easy task. And that too is saving money with lots of distractions like movies, shopping and kids around! It really seems like a nightmare! Keeping a home budget is absolutely necessary as it keeps a check on spending money.  But still, you can do a lot of things to cut down your costs:

  • Cut back costs on regular affairs like shopping for groceries. Always make a list beforehand about what to purchase. Buying the season’s produce can be cheap. Having a kitchen garden can also benefit. Do not fall prey for eye catching items which you would love to have but not necessary. They only clutter your home.  Always stay ahead to use food coupons and keep an eye on sales and discounts. The same rule goes on for children’s stationeries. Buying in bulk really helps. But storing them properly away from fungus, mildew and moth is equally necessary too. Try to give children small treats instead of pocket money for helping around the house.
  • Internet, phone and other related services can be sought from one provider who gives you an opportunity to save more. Things like caller id can be tossed off. They aren’t really necessary, are they?
  • Save energy, save bucks: Yes! Why not do a two in one item: simple things like switching off household electrical appliances when not in use, taking public transport, carpool and cycling to nearby supermarket-whenever possible. They will make you an energy efficient person. Use solar appliances for cooking. They are expensive, but useful in the long run.
  • Be a time bound person: pay your bills regularly.
  • Being frugal can be agitating sometimes, but some little tricks can make your fun doubled. For example, instead of buying an expensive toy for your child, won’t it be better to take her on a trip to zoo? Watch rented DVDs. Go on for picnics instead of eating out. Make a library subscription instead of purchasing the book.
  • Try to have a better insurance rate. Check out for latest discounts like student discounts.  Save and invest automatically with a bank or mutual fund; so that your money is saved before you try to spend it. Limit your ATM money withdrawal. Resist your temptation for going to movies and other expensive stuff. Reward yourself with little treats like a candy bar! Toss your spare change and see how much money you get in no time. After all, keeping a piggy bank isn’t bad.
  • Collect your ATM, credit card bills and other regular bills and keep in a shoebox. They keep a check on your expenses. So next time you go shopping, you would be more careful.

These small tips, though insignificant, can boost up your savings. You can then put your savings for better investments or for financing your kids’ schooling and marriage. After all, being a financial planner is advisable in the long run. So it has been well said: An early bird catches the worm.