Get into the habit of checking your account on a daily basis. I personally like to check my account even twice a day sometimes. Although the thought of 
“babysitting” your money may sound unappealing for some, keeping a close eye on your funds will help you notice fruadulent activity right away. It also helps you keep track of your spending to prevent overdrafts and other bank fees.
Here are some easy ways to watch your money like a hawk:
- Check your account online on a daily basis. Remember to avoid banking online when signed-on to unsecured wireless networks.
- Take advantage of your bank’s online bill pay services. It will prevent having to place checks in the mail where theives can break into mailboxes and steal personal information. It is also handy in keeping track of bill payment schedules to prevent late fees.
- Use your mobile phone device to keep track of your accounts. You can use your bank’s automated telephone service to hear your balance.
- Many banks are also offering convenient phone texting services to get your balance even more quickly. Text a specific word to your bank’s contact number and they will instantly send over account balances.
- Sign up for alerts concerning suspicious account activity. Some banks offer alerts via email or text to inform you of any suspicious activity that you may not be aware of.
You may visit the “Frugal Fine” blog directly at www.frugalfine.net
For beauty budeting tips, visit my national beauty column at www.beautyexaminer.com
Image from Heritagebanknevada.com
“Back to School” season is back so, if a new computer is on your list, August is the best time to buy. This also includes any other related items like computer accessories, office equipment, printers and software.
Even certian popular electronics like cameras, stereos and MP3 players tend to go on sale in order to appeal to “Back to College” shoppers. Although brand name iPods never go on a discounted sale, many retailers may offer a gift card with purchase around this time. The Apple store online is currently offering “educational” discounts on computers for students and teachers along with a FREE iPod (rebate) with purchase.
Check out big-box electronic retailers like Best Buy, Circuit City and even Walmart for great discounts.
If you’re not in the market to buy a computer now, ”Black Friday” (the day after thanksgiving) also offers door busting steals for computers.
According to Money magazine (July 2008), home energy bills are up 9% from just a year ago. To save money, people are now trending green and getting creative on how they are cutting thier energy usage like audits, solar panels, new energy efficient appliances etc.
Although these changes are great ideas, not only for your wallet but the environment as well, they can come with hefty investment costs. This can leave a lot of people on tight budgets stuck with high energy bills. Below are easy and cheap ways to save on energy that should still make a difference on your next bill:
- Unplug appliances and electronics when you are not using them. Referred to as “Vampire” appliances that suck energy even when turned off, devices with standby power like computers, TV and stereos should be plugged into power strips to easily shut them off. Also unplug items like phone chargers and small kitchen devices.
- During the summer, hang dry your towels and whites instead of using your dryer. Not only will this keep your house cooler, but your towels will have a nice outdoor sunny scent.
- Replace your regular bulbs with compact fluorescents
- Remove a bulb or two from light fixtures that use 3 or more at once. I have a light fixture in my living room that using 4 bulbs but I removed one. The light is slighter dimmer, but I save money on buying new bulbs and some energy cost.
- Install a Energy Star programmable thermostat for about $60 to turn down the heat when you go to sleep and to automatically raise it before you wake up out of bed.
- Change the air filter in your heating and colling system every 3 -4 months.
A lot of people these days are resorting to public transportation to save money but, depending on where you live, this may not be a feasible option for you. This is either because you don’t have access to a good transit system in your area or maybe you don’t like the extra commute time that comes along with catching a bus or train.
Carpooling is another great option. If you can’t carpool with friends or family, you may able to ask your employer to start a carpooling service. Participants meet at a common place (a mall parking lot, for example) and catch a ride on a big van or bus to and from work. Everyone pays a fee at the beginning of the month to cover the cost of gas.
You can also visit websites like Carpoolworld.com or eRideShare.com to connect with other commuters in your area.
Depending on your needs, certiain public transportations organizations also offer services that pick you up from your home, for an additional fee. Check your local public transportation website for details.
Starbucks, lipstick, candy, margaritas, car washes and adventure novels. What do they all have in common? They often fall under the category of “impulse buys.” Purchases that you don’t always account for initially or carry no line item in the budget. Little by little, they eat away at your checking account and then all of a sudden you’re asking yourself, “What happened to all my money?”
Although it can be hard at times, a little control is needed over the number of lattes you a buy a week. But how can a girl on budget still enjoy her margarita after work without letting the wallet loose? Let’s say you’re too busy or not disciplined enough to keep a spending journal on every piece of gum you buy…
One good approach is to budget impulse (fun) buys ahead of time. At set dates each month (usually the same as your payday) pull out your entire impulse budget as cash from the ATM. You can keep the cash in your wallet or an envelope to fund your girly rendezvous….but once its gone, it gone. This will prevent you from freely using your debit card on too many insignificant purchases that you couldn’t keep track of.
Enjoy life and still have money left in the bank!
Image from gadgetuniverse.com
One way to save money on gas is to use a credit card that offers rewards like Chase Freedom. You can earn cash back anytime you use the card for gas purchases . CAUTION: Make sure to pay the balance in full every month to avoid high interest rates that are associated with reward cards.
A good idea may be to use the card solely for gas and transportation expenses. That way, not only can you get your cash back, you can use the statements as a tax credit if you use a lot of gas for work or business.
If you avoid credit cards like the plague, debit card reward programs like Chase Leisure allows you to earn up to 4 points for every dollar you spend using your debit card. You can then redeem those points for items such as BP Gas Stations gift cards. If you use your debit card a lot, this can offer some real value or gas savings.
If you have a family and like to shop in bulk from warehouses like Costco and Sam’s, than investing in a deep freezer would be a smart idea.
If your budget is a little tight, consider buying one second hand from classifieds sites like Craigslist.org I purchased a quality freezer from a woman who was moving and no longer needed it. It was only 3 months old and it was less than half the price of buying it retail.
When buying meat in bulk, you can seperate it into portion sizes and store them in plastic freezer baggies. I like to use the Reynolds Handi-Vac. Its fairly inexpensive and sucks out any air in the bag to prevent freezer burn, but any quality freezer bag would work fine. Use a permanent marker to label dates on your bags to remind you to use an item before it goes bad.
Ground beef can go for about 3-4 months, Chicken 9 months and Fish 3 months. There is also a handy food storage list on the Reynolds website.
Check out my article containing a complete list on how to save money on your grocery bill.
images from germes-online.com and reynoldspkg.com
There are several good strategies on how to save money on groceries, but keeping track of every sale, coupon and clearance item can take a lot of time and effort. Well saving money just got easier at thegrocerygame.com which can help you save hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. This is definitely a site that every girl on a budget should have booked-marked under her “favorites.” It is like a virtual grocery shopping assistant.
According to the website,
“When you play, you’ll get a weekly list (called Teri’s List) of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers’ coupons and weekly specials — advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.”
And for only a $1 for a four-week trail, what do you have to lose? Afterwards, you can purchase a subscription for $10 every eight weeks. Happy shopping 
