Last week I discovered some articles from Steve Diggs.  He is an author and has a financial ministry called “No Debt! No Sweat!”  Steve has some tips to help us keep from having car payments. 
Step 1)  Forget your ego.  I know this one is hard.  Americans tend to identify themselves with their cell phones, cars, and gadgets.  It is sometimes hard to settle for a 2000 Chevy Venture when your friend is driving a new Chrysler Town & Country.  I know.  I’m there.  BUT, I look at their car and know that my mini-van didn’t cost nearly as much as …read more

Do you receive Social Security, disability, or other federal benefits by check?  If so, you need to know that direct deposit is a safer option.
Each month millions of Americans get their Social Security payment sent to their homes.  Criminals know when these benefit checks arrive in the mail and they can target them for theft and forgery.  Last year about 65,000 U.S. Treasury-issued checks were forged, with an estimated value of $60 million.
You can protect yourself by signing up to have your check direct deposited into your checking or savings account.  It’s easier, safer, and more convenient because your check …read more

With a society suffering from its choices of instant gratification, it is nice to see that there are some wise ones that are thinking of the future.
Recently, The Sun Herald ran an article about young and thrifty 20- and 30- somethings that are delaying gratification to save money and max out their 401(k)s.
Here’s a little something from the article:
Shawn Herman, Minneapolis, 35
Not like his friends: So many of my friends get a nice position at a corporation or do well for themselves and go out and buy the 4,000-square-foot house, or buy a boat or cabin… . Next thing you …read more

Do you buy yourself things as a reward on a regular basis, for such minor events as “payday” or “I got through work without killing anyone day”?
Do you think to yourself “I shouldn’t be spending this money,” but you do so anyway?
Do you owe so much money to various people that you can’t conceive of how to begin paying it off?
I used to feel like we would never get out debt.  It seemed no matter what we did, we could never get ahead.  And when there was a little extra money, it seemed as though the car would break down …read more

I love getting newsletters from 1 frugal friend 2 another.  Recently, I received a great tip on credit card management that I wanted to share with you.  If you like it, feel free to go over to Leslie at a heart for home.  She has so many pearls of frugal wisdom that you will get lost before you know it.  Hope you enjoy.
Credit Card Management
Keep this in mind next time you’re tempted to “put the pizza on plastic”.The following information is based on an interest rate of 16.99% to 18.99%:
If your balance is $1000.00 and your minimum required payment …read more

My husband and I used to watch movies so much that the theater practically knew us by site.  Not really but they should have.  Some weekends we would see 3 movies.  Now that was a colossal waste of money.  But then again, that was before kids when we had a little bit to spare.  Then we started renting movies but weren’t very good at returning them on time.  I can, embarrassed to say, remember a late fee over $40.  That wasn’t thrifty at all!  So then we just stared buying them.  Now we have a ton of movies that we …read more

My girlfriend sent me an email the other day ranting and raving about saving money and the way America is going to pot. I think that people don’t realize how much in debt we are as a generation. I totally agree that most people, no matter where you live, spend more than they bring in. I thought she was well versed.

Our generation is in some serious trouble if we keep spending the way we do.