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Budgeting and Savings Strategies for Strapped Consumers

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Author: alex wilson

Stagnant incomes and rising costs for everything from bacon and eggs to heating oil have consumers feeling jittery. With a rather gloomy economic outlook for the near future, families are tightening their belts and examining where every penny goes. With personal savings at an all-time low, it might seem impossible to actually build a nest egg for the future. With a few tips and tricks like these, your coffers can start to grow, even when times are tough.

Why Save?

Not so long ago, credit was only for the wealthy. Ordinary folk had to pay cash or use outdated methods like layaway. The modern revolution in credit changed all that, and as a result, reduced the need to save for life’s necessities. Credit in all its many forms is a tremendous benefit, but it has lulled us into some bad habits. Spending every dime we make leaves no room when financial surprises occur. Savings can make all the difference in dealing with the unexpected as well as achieving long-term goals.

Strategies to Start Saving

Coffee cans, cookie jars, piggy banks and the mattress were the places our grandparents liked to stash their cash. Don’t go there. Open a savings account at a bank or credit union. Contribute to it via payroll deduction to make it easy. Start small. Even $5 or $10 per paycheck will help. This money is strictly hands off. Think of it as the 911 fund. Saving for major emergencies is a good start toward better financial stability.

Long Haul Savings

A simple savings strategy for long-term needs is using the dirt-cheap option of U.S. Government Savings Bonds. For as little as $50, individuals can invest in government backed bonds that will pay interest, and may offer tax benefits, especially if the bonds are used to pay for educational expenses. As investments go, risk is low. The return is modest too, but more dependable than stocks. Bonds can be part of an effective savings strategy for big-ticket items like college. The key is letting the money collect interest over a long period of time. Don’t confuse long-term savings with emergency fund savings. Both are needed.

Savings Diet

Starting a savings plan is a bit like going on a diet. Eliminating the junk food, midnight snacks, and counting calories are boring but effective diet tools. Carving out a few dollars to devote to savings is much the same. Vices are easy to target but let’s face it; most of us won’t give up a beer with friends to meet our savings goals. Try to view savings contributions like a utility bill. Going without water or energy isn’t an option. Going without savings shouldn’t be either.

Sneaky Savings Strategies

Congratulations on that raise or yearly bonus. Gifts, inheritances or any financial windfall is an opportunity to save. Just take a small slice and set it aside. Next time you get a raise, take the opportunity to increase that emergency fund contribution from $10 per paycheck to $20. It’s a painless way to save more.

Savings strategies like these will slowly help make the shift happen. Make savings become just another tool to get what you want, instead of what your creditors want.

About the Author:

Maximize your household budget with easy budgeting tips. Our personal finance budgeting tips and money saving tips will help you to spend less, save more and enhance your quality of life.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Budgeting and Savings Strategies for Strapped Consumers

Last Updated on Sunday, 10 January 2010 20:48
 

Estate Tax Saving Strategies

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IRS insider Sandy Botkin reveals the tax strategies you can use to increase your ROIs by as much as 20 percent-whether you're a home owner or a real estate investor. This accessible guide demystifies real estate taxes and shows how to achieve maximum benefit when buying, owning, selling, managing, repairing, and investing in properties.Features numerous forms, charts, sample documents, and other valuable tax-saving toolsGives you the basics on real estate taxes and shows how to take full advantage of tax loopholesSandy Botkin attorney and certified public accountant, is CEO and Principal Lecturer of the Tax Reduction Institute in Washington, DC Along with his many years of financial experience, Botkin was also a legal specialist in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service


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Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 April 2010 23:25
 

Adopt Proven Savings Strategies

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If you expect to make your dreams come true, whatever they might be, you need to first be wiling to adopt proven savings strategies. The first and most important of these is that of setting a goal and developing a plan to reach it. It isn't important what the goal it, but it must be something that you really want and cannot afford out of simply the paycheck you earn. It should be something that is reachable or you will become frustrated and give up on it. That doesn't mean that if your dream is to live in a mansion and own several luxury cars you should give it up. No, of course you should never give up on your dreams nor should you allow anyone else to steal them from you, but as you begin your adult life, you have to set goals that are obtainable within a reasonable period of time and build on those.

Of course, some of you are now asking what is meant by setting small goals that are obtainable instead of going for the rainbow. Simply put, it means that you take something small that you really want and start with that. Let us assume for the moment that you live in Massachusetts and have a friend from your old hometown who now lives in Florida. You have a one-week vacation that is already scheduled six months in the future, and you'd like to use that to visit your friend. You can do that no matter what your income level with just some careful planning. First, you have to figure the time of year you are traveling - keep in mind that if you are flying, the summer months are going to be the most expensive. If possible, you might want to think of taking your vacation in the spring or fall instead when you can pay off-season rates on both the airplane and accommodations in the event your friend is unable to accommodate you during your stay. 

Once you know how much the trip is going to cost you, the next step is to develop a plan for saving the money. The best way to do this if it is offered is have money deducted from your paycheck and deposited into a savings account. The reason this option is so often suggested is because we are conditioned to having so many things deducted from our pay such as taxes, insurance, retirement plans, and the like, that a few more dollars would not be noticed, AND we don't miss what we don't see. It seems impossible for the average person to save $20 a week out of their pay, yet if that same $20 is deducted from their paycheck, they find a way to live without it. Doing this may mean you have to sacrifice some things, but that is the purpose of goal setting: to reach a goal by using whatever means you need to use in order to achieve the culmination of that goal. 

Once you have started with your little goals such as your trip to visit your friend, you can move on to bigger things. Starting with small goals allows you the opportunity to see that it can be done with the right plan, whereas starting with a big goal such as buying that mansion by the sea will only make you frustrated as you try to achieve something that at the beginning is not obtainable. It's just like a diet: you don't lose twenty pounds all at once, but you do it in steps. Beginning small and working your way to the top rung of the ladder is going to get you there smoother than if you tried to do it all at once. 

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory 

About the Author
Richard Callaby is a Independent Computer Consultant, Writer, Author, Speaker and Instructor. More articles from this author and many other authors on personal finance can be reached at http://www.econtentking.com/Category/Finance/6.

Last Updated on Sunday, 10 January 2010 20:50
 

You Need A Wealth Creation Strategy

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Only by having a wealth creation strategy in place is it possible to become wealthy. So many people work at becoming wealthy with no clear objective in mind other than they want to be wealthy. And most of them fail. Just like you can't build a house without a blueprint, you can't become wealthy without having clear outline of wealth strategies to get you there.

Of the many wealth creation strategies out there, perhaps the most basic is to first of all buy a home. Real estate is the cornerstone of the most successful wealth strategies. So a first step in becoming wealthy is to become a homeowner.

Next, you will want to consider any disposable income and look for investments you can use it for. Having money in a savings account may make you feel secure and wealthy, but it isn't doing any real work toward making you wealthy. Even investing small amounts is an important wealth strategy.

Perhaps the most important of all wealth creation strategies is discipline. It takes discipline to achieve wealth. It's hard not to take that disposable income you have at the end of every month and spend it on little luxuries. It's also hard not to take the nest egg you've built up and splurge on the vacation or sports car of your dreams.

But if you truly want to become wealthy, then you have to have the discipline to invest your money rather than spend it.

You may also want to take courses in financial and investment planning. There are many excellent courses available online and through your local colleges and universities that can teach you invaluable wealth creation strategies.

The more wealth strategies you are aware of, the better off you will be in deciding what the best ones are for meeting your financial goal of becoming wealthy.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory

About the Author
Mika Hamilton runs a website offering free investment tips and strategies for people looking to get started in the investment world. visit www.Global-Investment-Institute.com for more tips and articles like this.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 10 January 2010 20:49
 

529 College Savings Plan Made Simple

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The 529 College Savings Plan is the best way for families to save for college. It offers tax advantages and breaks not found with other investment vehicles-helping more and more families find a way to pay the growing expenses of a college education. However-the most valuable feature of the 529 Plan? It is available to EVERYONE!With The 529 College Savings Plan Made Simple, you can learn how to make a financial difference in the lives of your children, grandchildren or others. No longer are you confined to low-limit gifts or stuck with unrealistic timelines. You are able to keep control over the investment and make changes to your named beneficiary. Never before have you had this much freedom.Every day that you do not take advantage of the tax-free growth and savings opportunity of a 529 College Savings Plan is another day you have less to give your family. Take charge and make the future happen today!

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 April 2010 23:19
 




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