In the past, blue collar workers were mechanics, plumbers, and construction workers. They made less than their white collar counterparts who sat in offices and made bigger salaries for being “knowledge workers” and not manual laborers. While both blue and white collar workers are suffering job losses, the fact is that if you have a manual skill, you may be out of a job, but you’re hardly if every out of work. You can use those skills to pick up temporary gigs, save you money on your own expenses, and network your way into better jobs. If you have time and money to diversify your skill set, take a look at some of these manual skills to help you both make and save money when times are tough. (more…)

Is each slot of your wallet filled with a credit card of some sort? Do you find yourself experiencing a euphoric feeling or “high” when you swipe your credit card at any type of store?  Is this feeling of euphoria followed by a low feeling shortly afterwards?  Do you find yourself making excuses for why you must have an item?  Are you the first one to the mailbox each day in hopes of getting the credit card bill before anyone else does?  If you answered yes to any of these questions or to all of these questions you may have an addiction. (more…)

When it seems like everywhere you turn there is more bad news about the state of the economy, more people are becoming quite concerned about finding ways to keep their money safe. Even those who may have been big risk takers in the stock market have scaled back for fear that another dip in the stock market may cost them everything they have. With all the bank failures and bailouts that the economy has suffered in such a short period of time, it is no wonder why so many people have become so concerned. While you could always hide your money under your mattress, here are some simple tips that can help you keep your money safe no matter what the economy may throw at you. (more…)

If you own your own home, you will be required to carry home insurance by your financing company. However, the same is not true when you rent. The choice is yours whether to get renter’s insurance or not, and the initial impulse may be to see it as an unneeded expense. Like any insurance, renter’s insurance is a risk management tool that isn’t going to produce a benefit, unless you suffer a catastrophic loss. Therefore, the choice to pay insurance for your apartment may seem like it’s not a good deal, until you realize that relative to the premiums, the coverage is actually quite good. You can even choose to pay it all ahead of time, funding it with a paycheck advance to cover you for the entire year. (more…)

If you have spent any amount of time online reading personal finance articles you are probably more than well aware that creating and sticking to a budget is one of the main keys to financial success. While you know that creating and following a budget is important, many avoid this important step either because they don’t feel they need it or they don’t want to eliminate some of the luxuries they enjoy most.

When you utter the term budget, many people think that they need to deprive themselves by cutting out all luxury expenses in order to save some cash for a rainy day. While this may be true if your current financial situation is in dire straits, it should not be the case for those who would like to get a better handle on their finances and don’t know exactly where to start. Here are some simple tips to successfully living on a budget while still having the option to enjoy the luxuries that matter to you most. (more…)

Selling a home in today’s market can be tough. Sellers are picky, you’re competing against newer homes, and financing is a bear. The first step, obviously, is to entice a buyer to make a bid, without that, you’ll never get to closing. For the cost of a few hundred dollars, about the same as a pay day loan, you will be able to transform your house from a runner-up to a winner in the real estate game. (more…)

While it can be quite easy to grow accustomed to a certain lifestyle when our weekly salary can help cover it, many don’t give a second thought to how they will maintain their current lifestyle once it comes time to retire. Even something as simple as going out to dinner every night can put a crimp in the budget of someone who is now on a fixed income. Once you retire, you do not have the luxury of extra hours to fall back on in order to generate extra cash to cover your monthly expenses. Once retirement age arrives, many choose to continue working in order to maintain the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to, or they choose to make drastic lifestyle changes in order to make their retirement money last longer. While these are the most common options, they should not be the only ones you have to choose from. Here are some ways to save enough money for retirement so you can still enjoy the lifestyle you have grown accustomed to. (more…)

The recession may indeed be almost over, and the urge to splurge is coming right around the most tempting time of the year - the holidays. You may be finding some economic relief with the stabilization of the economy, and this can put you in a better mood. It can also be a justification for overspending again on the holidays, something that can lead to financial difficulties the following year. Even if there is more cash to be found this season, and you want to have a better holiday season than last year, you can find ways to splurge without it forcing you to pull out the credit cards or get a paycheck loan. All it takes is a little awareness and a whole lot of creativity. (more…)

You’ve heard of the big rebates being offered for changing out water boilers and heaters to energy efficient models, but who has a spare couple grand to spend right now, right? What you may not know is that there are plenty of small changes that you can implement to your house that are easily budgeted, that cost very little upfront and produce a great return on their investment over the course of a year. They can include changes in your daily habits, how you obtain a service, and/or simple household fixes that change your consumption habits without too much trouble. (more…)

Prices of goods and services fluctuate tremendously, but it is to be expected as more and more of us begin to prosper. Gas prices have been up and down often this year, with the current trend toward higher prices across the country. Many Americans who know how to create a budget have gotten used to lower prices as we have seen them for most of 2009, with the lowest point just before this year began. Gas prices start to increase as the price of crude oil goes up. Investors are looking to protect themselves from the weakening dollar as buying oil can help prop the value up of the dollar. As demand increases for oil, so does the price and since gas is made of over 55% oil, so do gas prices. It is an obvious indicator, as you see oil prices increase, you will definitely see increases in gas prices across the nation. (more…)