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For first home buyers, looking for the house you want to buy can be very exciting and also quite daunting. But to keep yourself on track and avoid getting into too much debt, here are four questions to ask yourself before you begin house-hunting: (more…)

credit: AdrianDCWith the economy on a downturn and the dreaded “recession” word in the air, such economic indicators as home foreclosures and 63,000 layoffs in February are sure to have people worried. In fact, the floundering economy may require many more layoffs, so even if you’re confident in your job, you should know how to prepare for a layoff:
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credit: Beige AlertTo encourage people to buy environmentally friendlier hybrid cars, the United States government has been running some tax incentive schemes. If you are one of the people who bought a hybrid car expecting a tax credit of up to $3,000, it might be a shock to find out that you may not get all of this credit after all.

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credit: Joshua Davis (articnomad)With all the bad financial news in the press today, filling up your local news and the front page of your favorite paper, you’re bound to be wondering how bad the shape of the economy is. MSNBC’s John Schoen says that though a storm is on the horizon, it’s hard to say how bad it’ll get.
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credit: Kanou HirokiIt seems like most finance news is bad news lately, and unfortunately this is no different: In February 2008, the national foreclosure went up 60%, compared to foreclosures in February 2007.
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Auto insurance in one of those frustrating expenses in life – it can be quite expensive, but the alternative of not having any and being involved in an accident can be a whole lot more expensive. Here are some ways you might be able to save money on your car insurance:

1. Compare quotes from at least three different insurance companies – the amounts can vary considerably, and some might offer discounts if you can pay the premium annually.
2. Ask if you can get a discount by buying your other insurance needs from the same company.
3. Keep your driving record clean, and remind your insurance agent if your accident or speeding fine is more than three or four years old – at most, after five years, you can usually be insured as a driver with a clean record.
4. Increase the deductibles on your policy, especially for highly unlikely events. Check with your insurance agent about exactly what the possibilities are – some insurance companies have standard deductibles that won’t change unless you ask about them, and this could lower your insurance costs.
5. Be aware that if you are a student, having good grades can actually get you an insurance policy discount as well.
6. Consider installing anti-theft devices to your car – check with your insurance company about how much these will decrease your premium and decide if it is worthwhile.

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Got your eye on a particularly beautiful new car? We probably all have gazed at our brand new dream car at some stage, but if you are also keeping your eye on your bank accounts, then it might pay to head to the used car lot instead.

It’s no big surprise to consider the idea that you will probably save money by buying a used car, but some people are surprised by just how much you can save. The big problem comes with the depreciation cost of a new car.

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When you need to fly somewhere, especially domestically, there are a huge number of options these days. If you plan ahead and stay aware of what’s happening in the airfare market, you can potentially save thousands of dollars a year on travel. Here are a few tips to help out:

• Plan well in advance. Nearly every airline issues cheaper tickets to those who book far in advance, budget airlines particularly. Of course, booking six months before your trip is not always possible, but aim to do so.
• Get on airline mailing lists. Whether you know you have a plan to travel somewhere, or if you’re just looking around to get the cheapest holiday possible, sign up to relevant airline mailing lists to get their flight specials delivered direct to your in box. Often they’ll issue especially cheap flights only to those who are already registered with them, or the time frame for buying cheap tickets will be short and you need to be informed ahead of time.
• Be flexible about dates and times. Whatever flexibility you can include in your planning, the better off you’ll be. Depending on the routes, it might be that weekend or weekday flights are cheaper, or day time or late night flights. Hunt around for different prices to get a feeling for the best way to go on your desired route.

It seems like an odd concept: you spend most of your life paying off your mortgage so that you own your home. Then, when you retire, you can do the exact opposite - take a reverse mortgage and have the bank pay you instead.

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Utility bills can really add up, especially if you’ve got a large house or a large family. If you were shocked by your last water bill, here are some tips that will hopefully help you see a smaller bill next time round:

• Fix a leaking faucet as soon as the problem starts, and make sure you the faucets outside the house too - you might not notice if they are leaking.
• Don’t use running water to defrost food - take it out of the freezer earlier or use the microwave.
• Run the dishwasher or washing machine only when they are full. And don’t wash dishes or clothes unnecessarily often - you can use the same glass for a couple of drinks of water, and not all clothes will be dirty just because you’ve worn them for a couple of hours.
• Wash fruit and vegetables in a large bowl rather than under running water.
• Sweep your driveway with a broom - don’t use a hose to blast dirt away.
• Turn off the running water while you clean your teeth or shave. In fact, try to avoid leaving water running under most circumstances, and you can save a surprising amount of water.
• When you change the water in your cat or dog’s drinking bowl, use the old water on plants.