As the fiscal year-end grows closer and closer, now is a good time to take a good, hard look at our financial situation and ask ourselves an important (and perhaps difficult) question: am I doing everything I can to secure my financial future? Odds are, there are some adjustments you can make. For instance, do you have a monthly budget in place? If not, this quick blog post is a must-read!
The holiday season is fast upon us and the urge to overspend is difficult to resist. While the giving spirit is great, blowing your budget is not. After all, the holidays are about more than gift giving – they are about spending time with family and loved ones. To help you keep on track during these festive occasions, here are some helpful holiday saving tips to help you give to those you love – and even keep a little for yourself!
Halloween is right around the corner and along with it comes the frightful cost of costumes, candy, and party supplies. There is no reason to break the bank however, and with these Halloween saving tips, you might even have a little left over to treat yourself!
Halloween Saving Tips
By its very nature, Halloween is a time of gluttony – we send our children out on the streets dressed in costumes to “frighten” candy out of our friendly neighbors and local proprietors. As prices of candy – especially chocolate – continue to soar, and we are bombarded by Halloween advertising and temptations to create elaborate costumes, it is important to put the holiday in perspective and take steps to reduce the costs of our celebrations – without taking away any of the fun!
Wait To Purchase Your Pumpkins
Carving pumpkins is a great Halloween tradition, especially if you have children. Of course, if you have multiple children, purchasing pumpkins can get pretty expensive. This is an easy problem to solve, however, as the price of pumpkins drops dramatically as you get closer to October 31. Waiting until the last minute to by your pumpkins is a savvy way to save money during Halloween. And since most people wait until the night before Halloween to carve their pumpkins, there is no need to purchase them early.
By Decorations at the Dollar Store
Purchasing Halloween decorations at big box stores may seem like a good idea, but the cost can quickly add up. Fortunately for you, your local dollar store or discount market has many similar (if not the same) types of Halloween decor for a fraction of the price.
Aside from decorations, dollar stores are great for Halloween party supplies and even DIY costume supplies. Skip the fancy stores and get your holiday decorations on the cheap with this simple Halloween saving tip!
Attend Community Events
Throwing a big Halloween party can be expensive. If you do not have the funds to throw a shindig for friends and family, consider searching your local paper for local Halloween events that you and your family can attend. Most are free or have a small price of admission – even with the cost of food and rides, you will likely save money – and have fun in the process. Who doesn’t love a hay ride?
Make Your Own Costume
If you are crafty – or a loved one is – consider creating a DIY Halloween costume instead of purchasing one. Not only can you save significantly, but do-it-yourself costumes tend to be more creative and elaborate than their store-bought counterparts. Plus, we tend to value things we create ourselves, meaning you are more likely to re-use your outfit at some point in the future – a win-win!
Are you finding it difficult to save money? Tired of living paycheck to paycheck and not setting aside any “rainy day” money, investing, or contributing to retirement or college funds? Finances can often seem overwhelming, but saving money doesn’t have to be rocket science. In fact, with these simple money saving tips, you should be able to build up a sizable savings account in no time.
Now more than ever it is important to begin saving and planning for your retirement as early as possible. As the price of living continues an upwards trend and life expectancy increases, the amount of money we can anticipate needing to retire comfortably grows as well. With threats to social security and volatile stock markets, investing wisely has become more important than ever. With these thoughts in mind, this article will be focusing on money saving tips for retirement.