The Complete Guide to Saving Money

Cut Your Expenses

If you want to make ever dollar count, you need to know how to save money.  Start by sticking to your budget, then begin to cut your expenses:

• 18 Simple Ways to Cut Your Expenses
• The Real Cost of Cable TV
• 6 Ways to Cut Down Your Utility Bill
• How We Feed a Family of 6 for Less Than $400/month

Live a Frugal Life Without Sacrificing

Reducing your expenses and living a frugal lifestyle can actually be fun.  Once you’ve reduced your expenses, here’s how to start saving money on everyday purchases:

• Understanding Consumerism: How to Save in a World of Spending
• 18 One-Sentence Tips to Save You Money
• 15 Things You Should Buy From the Dollar Store
• How to Become an Amazon Master-Shopper
• How to Earn Money When You Spend Money
• How to Save Money on Books and Technology
• How to Get the Best Price on a Used Car
• Easy DIY Car Repairs to Save Money
• 21 Tips for Parents to Save Money
• 5 Quick Date Ideas for Under $10
• 10 Tips to Save Money Like Warren Buffett

The Homeowner’s Guide to Saving Money

Buying a home. The American dream. Though many are questioning whether it still makes sense to buy or if you should rent, many still believe that a home can be worth the price tag. When you’re buying a home, there are a few things you need to know. First, you want to make sure the property you’re buying is worth it. Consider doing a few things before you buy:

• Get your own home appraisal
• Get a professional home inspection
• Get a real estate agent that knows their job
• Get a feel for the area by talking to some homeowners
• Get everything in writing – verbal agreements don’t hold up

Once you have found your home and you’re ready to get a mortgage, it’s extremely important to get the best interest rate you can find; it’s amazing the difference 1% can make on how much you pay over the life of the loan. If you already have a mortgage, run the numbers to see if a refinance is right for you.

Paying Off Your Mortgage Early

First there is the question: should you pay off your mortgage early? Ask a few different people and you’ll get a few different answers, but it’s ultimately your call. Many people think your money is better used by investing rather than paying off your mortgage and their argument is valid, but there are also many great reasons to pay off your home early.

If you do decide to pay it off early, you’ll want to read about everything you need to know before you start paying off your mortgage early. Then you’ll be ready to start implementing some seriously powerful strategies to pay off your mortgage with lightening speed. After your home is paid off, if you’re considering selling it, look into doing seller financing. It’s a great way to earn a steady return on your money, no matter what the market does.

Here are some more answers to common mortgage questions:

• How does your realtor get paid?
• How do you get a mortgage when you’re self-employed?
• What happens to a mortgage when the homeowner dies?
• How does it work when you purchases a home with friends?

The Student’s Guide to Saving Money

When you’re a college student, money is an issue. You may even be asking yourself if college is worth it. Trust me, if you have a plan, it will pay off in the end. If you’re just going to college to get a degree with no plan in mind, you may want to rethink the decision. Getting an education just for the piece of paper may be a waste of your time and money, but that’s your decision. If you decide it’s right for you (or for your children), you’ll want to look into your education saving and investing options. You’ll also want to brush up on your resume writing skills to get the most out of that degree.

If you decide to go to college or if you already went to college, you know a little bit about the financial side of higher education. Yes, you should be looking for ways to save money as a student and taking advantage of student discounts, but there is another issue that’s a little bigger: student loans. It’s best to plan ahead to pay for college and college debt, but it doesn’t always work like that. You may already have student loans. If you do, you can look at ways to lower your payments, pay off the loans or possible even have your student debt forgiven.

• Swagbucks – A great cashback site, and they also pay you for completing a variety of tasks, from watching videos to games to surveys.
• MyPoints – Another awesome cashback website that seems to have a higher than average pay-out..
• TopCashBack – A cashback website that gives you 100% of their commission when you shop through them. They can do this, because they make their money with ads.

• Tire Rack – We started using TireRack originally, because it was cheaper to buy better tires with the wheels included here than it was to buy lower quality tires at any store in my city.
• Autotrader – A great place to buy and sell vehicles.
• eBay – I’m sure you shop here already, but if you haven’t looked at their prices on car parts, check them out.  Never buy a part for your car until you’ve checked eBay first.
• Gas Buddy – The best app to find the cheapest gas in your town and on trips.

• NewEgg – My first stop for computer parts and electronics.  I’ve built several computers and every part came from NewEgg.  I’ve also purchased full computers from here, since they always have great deals on them.
• Tiger Direct – Great for comparison shopping, and they seem to have the best prices on monitors usually.
• Sonic Electronix – The best price for auto electronics.  I saved almost $2000 on the sound system I installed in my car, vs. the price of the local dealer.

• 123inkjets – The easiest way to figure out which type of ink your printer requires, and some of the lowest prices on the internet.  I go with the remanufactured cartridges to save even more and the cartridges are as good as new.
• Shutterfly – A great place to go when you want someone else do the printing.  They also send out awesome deals.