Top 5 Easy Ways To Save Money That Anyone Can Do

By MoneyBlueBook

I think you can ask anyone for advice about their personal top five ways to save money and you'll likely end up with a variety of suggestions. We all have different guilty pleasures and financial priorities so obviously the list would differ greatly from person to person. Some of these habits are hard to give up. For example earlier, I talked about the reasons why I chose to buck the conventional frugality wisdom of avoiding bottled water. For me, the health benefits and convenience outweighed the long terms costs.

Cutting back on purchases that you wouldn't miss or expenses that wouldn't cause too much discomfort or inconvenience are the easiest ways to save money. I'm offering a few suggestions that hopefully will get people thinking about some of the simple day to day expenses that we may have a tendency to overlook, but that may go a long way in helping us save money for the future:

1) Don't Pay Extra For Sodas During Lunch - Ask For a Free Cup Of Tap Water Instead.
This is probably one of the easiest habits to break. Did you know that most cafe lunch joints charge a premium for sodas and bottled drinks? These type of meal accessories are much easier to overcharge because lunch and meal patrons focus on the cost of the main dish, frequently overlooking the extra charges when they decide on where to eat out for lunch.

Besides, drinking water is much healthier than loading up on sugar-filled sodas or other bottled drinks. Even seemingly

By MoneyBlueBook

The Best Credit Cards For College Students and Graduates To Learn Credit Responsibility

If you are a college or graduate student, it's important to understand that proper credit card management is a trait and skill that should be developed sooner than later in life. If you are the parent of a teenage child who is currently a college student, it's very important to teach him or her the importance of building up a good credit history while he or she is still in school, before entering the real working world where credit card mistakes and shortcomings are more brutal. The FICO credit score is heavily dependent on the length and quality of each person's long term credit history, so it's in the student's best interest to develop good credit usage habits and responsible management skills early on. Avoiding credit altogether out of fear or mistrust of credit cards is a misguided approach in my opinion. How else will a student develop the financial management skills he or she will need to succeed in this technologically and financially driven world?

Knowledge and Education Is Power, So If You Are A Parent, Be Sure To Teach Your Student Or Teen Financial Responsibility Early and Often

Many parents today are afraid of giving their college age teen the huge financial responsibility of using a credit card. But shielding them away from this altogether may hurt them in the future due to their lack of exposure to basic finance skills and their lack of credit history. They may

By MoneyBlueBook

Yes that time is still a few weeks away but that doesn't mean you shouldn't start preparing for the new year. Read the full article »

By MoneyBlueBook

Review Of Rent.com and Ways To Make Money While Finding An Apartment

I've been renting for quite a long long while and have learned a thing or two about apartment hunting. Because of the bursting real estate bubble, I'm going to be continuing my long lasting rental streak for the foreseeable future. Renting is not so bad. You get to live somewhere different every few years and you don't need to worry about upkeep or maintenance because the landlord takes care of everything. For college or graduate students, it's usually the only option, aside from moving back home. Unless you want mommy and daddy to rule over your comings and goings though, I would highly recommend striking it out on your own. Of course, if financial independence is an issue, living with your parents will allow you to better conserve your financial resources until you can stand on your own two feet.

Get $100 For Using Rent.Com To Find Your Apartment

I always try to maximize my money and take advantage of money saving and money making opportunities whenever possible. On the subject of searching for an apartment rental, Rent.com offers a unique deal not offered by most other apartment search sites. This eBay owned company will hand you a cool $100 in the form of a pre-paid Visa debit card if you register with them and find an apartment to rent through their online listing. Their listing is quite comprehensive but only includes sites that have agreed to participate in their program. They have a

By MoneyBlueBook

Sorry folks, but due to some pressing and personal events that clammered for my attention, I was not able to post for the last few days - and it happened on a weekday too (most people do their blog reading on weekdays). Sometimes you want life events to be stable and everything to go according to plan, but then something occurs out of the ordinary, requiring you to shift course momentarily. But it's okay - these things happen and we just have to be prepared and deal with them as they come.

Blogging Is Hard Work But Rewarding

When I first started out this blogging adventure, I was inspired by those who wanted to make money by blogging. I planned to treat it like a true part time job, and dedicate sufficient time to keep it running smoothly by posting new entries everyday. Some online writers post every few days, but I was determined to make it a daily goal.

Blogging has truly been a labor of love since I've come to discover that writing on a regular basis can be quite time consuming with little immediate financial rewards. It's true what those in the industry say - to run a successful blog site, you have to be truly passionate about the subject matter you write about. If you are not truly inspired or have a genuine desire to explore the subject matter to its full potential, it will be very difficult to sustain your efforts long term. Thankfully, lack of passion or interest has not been

By MoneyBlueBook

The subject of whether having children is a financially smart decision is a sensitive one that touches many brainy issues, including the meaning and purpose of life. Frequently this discussion is moot since not all births were carefully planned and many were simply unexpected accidents. I'm sure parents have secretly pondered this question before but were afraid to speak too loudly on the subject. No one wants to doubt their decision to have children and everyone instinctively wants to convey the impression that children have brought them nothing but pure joy and lifetime fulfillment.

Since I am not yet married and don't have children of my own, perhaps I can comment on the issue from the perspective of someone who has not chucked the dice and thrown himself into this path of eternity, so to speak.

Having Children Is Extremely Expensive and Will Deprive You Of Some Of Life's Financial Enjoyments

Raising a life from scratch into full adulthood is a lengthy and expensive journey. No one can deny that it requires a substantial and personal willingness to sacrifice one's own personal wants for the betterment of another. Medical and educational costs bear the greatest financial brunt and some parents frequently have to work multiple jobs to provide financially.

I know couples who made the conscientious decision not to have children, but sometimes I wonder if they are happier as a result. I have an uncle and aunt who decided a long time that they were not going to have children. They never caved to family pressure and didn't