Category Archives: spending less

Help for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions Alive

Posted on February 3, 2012 by admin

Has it really come to this?  Have we become so dependent on our mobile devices that we cannot keep our New Year’s Resolutions without help from our trusty companions? Considering that most New Year’s resolutions go by the wayside this time each year, I say, if it helps, what is the harm?  Keeping a diary or a list has been part of many weight losses/quit smoking programs for years so tracking your achievements by mobile device is not much of a stretch.  Besides, who knows, making yourself accountable with an app may just be the extra push needed for success this year. Does your resolution involve losing weight, quitting smoking, getting fit, achieving a healthier lifestyle or saving money?  There is an iPhone/iPad/Android/Blackberry app for that: Resolved: Lose Weight My Fitness Pal MFP allows you to count calories, research properties of food in a database of 1.1 million foods, enter your exercise and join a community of like-minded dieters. Some of the most successful weight loss programs use positive reinforcement from peers to achieve weight loss and this program puts that practice to good use.  This free app is available for iPhone, iPad Touch and iPad, as well as Android, Blackberry and Windows. Resolved: Quit Smoking Quit Now Quit Now features the help of a Quit Coach, a widget for sharing progress and tracks the number of cigarettes not smoked, the money and time saved as well as the number of days without smoking. The free app also provides tips for quitting, facts about snuff and a list of nine health aspects that will show improvement from quitting smoking. Quit Now is available on Android and on Windows. Resolved: Get Fit Fitocracy Fitocracy uses gaming incentives to make getting fit fun. The free app features rewards for different activities—walking, running and other activities while offering suggestions for improvement along the way.  The biggest difference in this and other apps is the competitive element of the community, which includes quests, challenges and bragging rights. This app is available for iPhone and Androids. Resolved: Healthier Lifestyle Morsel Morsel lets you achieve a healthier lifestyle one “morsel” at a time. With simple achievable tasks, Morsel helps you take small steps toward a healthier lifestyle every day. The free app keeps track of how many of the suggested tasks such as “eat a potassium rich banana” you have achieved tracking your healthy achievements. Morsel is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry and Android. Resolved: Saving Money Mint One of the more popular financial apps, Mint.com allows you to organize all of your financial accounts—banks, credit, mortgage— into one app on your mobile device where you can set budgets and achieve your savings goals. This free app is also all about finding ways to save money and spending less. It is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices. So have apps taken over our lives? Can we no longer function without an app to help us get through the day? I think the answer is we could, but just like going without the internet for a couple of days, we would certainly miss it. Rather than worrying about such matters, I say take advantage of all digital advancements you can! We can all use all the help we can get. Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 resolutions, Credit Report, Foreclosure, Loans and lending, Mortgage, new year's resolutions, Online Banks, Smart Spending, spending less | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Surviving the Holidays – Concentrate on Spending Less and Enjoying More

Posted on December 13, 2011 by admin

One reason the holidays have become so stressful is the emphasis on the one-size fits all mentality we are all expected to live up to.  We are all supposed to love doing the same holiday things – all supposed to have enough money to buy presents for everyone on our list. To relieve some of the stress on you and your budget this year, spend your time doing things you enjoy instead of fighting for bargains at the mall.  If it is baking cookies, making gifts or decorations with the kids, do; if it is not, don’t and, most importantly, don’t stress.  No one is putting as much pressure on you as you are putting upon yourself.  The guilt about “what is expected” that makes busy parents throw money at the problem when they can’t live up to their expectations. If you do not have time or do not enjoy doing some of the expected Christmas activities yet you want your children to experience them, look for an alternative way to accomplish this.  Possibly a grandmother, an aunt or even a babysitter that does this sort of thing all of the time is available. You might be surprised how willing an elderly neighbor or friend from church might be to spend time with you and your children teaching them the basics of baking.  Visits to a nursing home to find someone to teach your child to crochet, knit, or make a birdhouse might end up bringing purpose to a person’s life and giving you the satisfaction of having brought a little holiday cheer to another person’s life. Spend quality time with your children teaching them the importance of giving rather than receiving.  Dedicate an hour to make cards or draw pictures for everyone on their list –especially those not expecting to receive many visitors.  The holidays are one of the worst for people who suffer from depression, and it is surprising how much difference such a small gesture can make. Also, ask yourself: is it really necessary to have every inch of your property covered in lights?  If you find it fun to do, then do it.  If it is eating into your budget or adding to your stress, don’t.  There are plenty of free things to do at Christmas that don’t take as much time or cause as much stress.  Spending one night looking at other people’s lighting is much less stressful – and far less expensive – than spending every weekend leading up to Christmas replacing fuses and strings that burn out. Now back to the spending part.  How many times have you said or heard someone else say that kids end up playing with things that don’t cost a lot leaving the expensive toys on the sideline?  With younger children, this is often too true.  There is absolutely no reason to overspend them. With older children, it’s a little harder but maybe it’s time they start learning one of life’s most important lessons: you don’t always get what you want. As for the adults on your list? They’re adults that feel the same kind of pressures you are. They won’t miss the lame “Forever Lazy” gift of the season this year. It time to own up to the fact that this is something you are doing to yourself.  Take time to enjoy the holidays more this year by spending less money on things that’ll soon be forgotten and spending more time with the important people in your life. Continue reading →

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