10 Common Expenses To Avoid If You Want To Really Save Money

By MoneyBlueBook

When you're standing in front of the cash register about to make a large purchase for hundreds of dollars, it's easy to immediately recognize the high cost and the financial gravity of the situation. The price is high and it's easy to see how the large one time expenditure is going to hit your pocket book. But what about those pesky little daily expenses that we often take for granted? They are just as effective at draining money, but the only difference is that they usually occur over a wider span of time. Those type of silent and hidden expenses do add up quickly over a month or even a one year period. It's important to be aware of what some of them are so that we can learn to avoid these money traps and do a better job of pocketing the savings.

1) Bottled Water - Although I list this as my first money drain due to the consensus of many, it's actually one daily expenditure that I personally find to be worth the daily cost. While not necessarily healthier in terms of purity, due to the convenience and the healthy consumption habit the act promotes, I actually think drinking bottled water is worth the regular cost. However, there is a right way to do it and a wrong way. The right way is to buy bottled water in bulk supermarket 24 packs or in Costco's mega 32 packs. The absolute wrong way is to buy them in single units from a place like

By MoneyBlueBook

I can't help it. I'm attracted to and fascinated by trashy reality television shows - the bigger the train wreck, the better. My newest reality fixation is Bravo TV's new millionaire dating show called The Millionaire Matchmaker. This show could easily be the next logical step up for those party girls from MTV's Super Sweet 16, which I previously wrote about.

The Millionaire Matchmaker features feisty Los Angeles matchmaker Patti Stanger who runs a modern and high end business of helping rich men fulfill their dreams of finding true love and potential wife, and helping gorgeous women marry into millions. On the show, her clientele of wealthy men pay a high fee to be introduced to an exclusive selection of beautiful and smart women, pre-chosen based on their compatibility factors. The men are given access to an array of high end staff of date coaches, personal shoppers, and interior designers to help them improve their personal self appearance and to spruce up the presentation of their millionaire dollar homes. Many of these men are workaholics who are usually too busy with their own careers to find time to date for themselves.

For women, joining the club is free so long as they can pass the high physical appearance requirements and aren't red flagged as possible gold diggers. From the start, Patti makes it clear that she is no Heidi Fleiss madam and that her agency is not an escort service as she strictly prohibits sex until both parties have

By MoneyBlueBook

I would like to wish my readers and my lovely girl a Happy Valentine's Day! For those of you who don't have a clue where to take your Valentine's date, I recommend The Melting Pot, a classy fondue restaurant. Fondue is basically a communal type of dinner meal shared around an earthenware pot cooked over a small burner at your table. The light fondue cheese mix inside the pot is usually cooked with traces of wine and kept warm while diners use specially pronged forks to dip bread and other bits of food into it. Although it's deliciously fun, the dining experience can be rather expensive.

Love May Be Cheap, But Fondue Isn't

The Melting Pot is definitely not a place for patrons who are financially squeamish about opening up their wallets wide for a rare romantic dinner. On special occasions like Valentine's Day, expect reservations to be in demand and planned dinner courses for two to cost upwards of $130.00. On other days, the price doesn't fare all that much better - at around $85 per couple. It's amazing how high prices soar for love-related events and merchandise during special holiday occasions like Valentine's Day (just look at the price of online Valentine's day flowers in my last post).

I'm not really a high end restaurant connoisseur (usually preferring to save my money by going elsewhere), but I've been there a few times and enjoyed the food and ambiance. Don't get me wrong - a dinner at the Melting Pot is incredibly expensive,

By MoneyBlueBook

Well it's mid January and unless you live near the equator or in a southern hemisphere region where seasons are flipped upside down like say, Australia, then it should be getting very cold just about now. Although come to think of it, this year's temperatures have been strangely and unseasonably warm. Global warming in action perhaps? Well mother nature must have finally heard the call because my area just got dumped today with the season's first significant snowfall. Temperatures are projected to plunge into the 20's this weekend. Brrrrr!

If you plan on staying indoors, it's likely the freezing drop will follow you inside. To combat the frigid winter temperatures, there are four ways to deal with the situation:

If You Can't Upgrade The Insulation, Beat The Cost By Putting On A Sweater and Using A Space Heater

Unless you are extremely well off and money is not an issue, most ordinary folks are concerned with the rising cost of home heating bills. With surging oil and gasoline prices, the cost of heating houses and apartments has become more expensive than in years past. It's in our own

By MoneyBlueBook

I got a sudden phone call from my friend yesterday. His stunned voice said it all - he and his newlywed wife had just become victims of an attempted home burglary. The shocking part is that he and his wife were home at the time sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Their early morning meal was interrupted by a sudden loud banging noise from the direction of their back porch - sounds made by someone knocking on the door. The tapping sound was quickly followed by the chilling clang of breaking glass and creaking window latches. Within moments my friend dashed to the back door and caught the glimpse of the male intruder. Startled by the appearance of the home's occupants, the stranger hastily retreated on foot, leaving behind broken glass and evidence of his attempted break in.

Home Invasion Robbery Is A Crime Of Opportunity and We Can Do Something About It

The good news is that there are common sense steps we can all take to drastically reduce our chances of having our houses, apartments, or condos burglarized. Looking back in greater depth with my friend, he and I both realized that he had committed a series of crucial home maintenance mistakes that made him a bullseye target for such activity. Since moving into the old Northwest Washington D.C. house a month ago after taking it over from his remaining parent who had just passed away, he failed and neglected to immediately fix up and repair the home's exterior upkeep. The grass had

By MoneyBlueBook

I've had numerous financial milestones in my life, but one still seems to stand out in my relatively young working life. From the time I eventually emerged from under my parent's financial wing to finally working and fending for myself, I still remember when I finally saved and banked that first $10,000. Everything else accumulated after that just seems to pale in significance to that first ten grand.

Crossing the $10,000 Milestone Signified the Mature Transition From Paycheck Living To A Forward Looking, Savings Oriented Lifestyle

During college, I was financially spoiled and completely under my parent's financial protection. Whenever I was low on funds I simply received a parental handout. But as time passed, the funds began to dwindle as my parents started to reinforce the importance of keeping spending habits in check. At the time, my spoiled mentality prevented me from realizing that my parent's growing refusal to give in to all my financial demands was due to their desire to teach me the importance of frugal living. At the time, I was childishly bitter when my handout demands were rejected. Looking back though, I now feel very lucky and grateful to have had parents who had the love and care to teach me important life lessons I would need in the future, as well as the financial means to help partially subsidize my education.

When I graduated and started working for the first time I began to face the harsh financial realities of the real world. My first legal job was a low paying