Thoughts and Riches

Labels: free, frugal, giveaway

• FatWallet
  
• Ebates
  
• BigCrumbs
  

• You need to be logged into your account at these site, and then click the appropriate merchant's link such as that of Walmart. Once you click, you will be directed to that merchant's site and for any purchases you make at that site during the session, you may qualify to get cash (or in some cases, coupons).
  
• When making your purchase, be sure not to visit any other sites before completing your purchase.
• It can take anywhere from days to few weeks for the credit to appear in your account.

Labels: cash back sites, cp, freebies, frugal, get money back, retail, save, shopping, sites that pay you back

Labels: buy domain, cheap domains, frugal, web hosting, web site domain, website hosting

Labels: freebies, frugal

Points.com

Earn Rewards at MyPoints.

Labels: free, freebies, frugal, mag

Labels: bank offers, credit card, discover, free, freebies, frugal

Labels: freebies, frugal, tk

Labels: freebies, frugal, quiznos, save

Labels: earn money, free, frugal, save, survey

Labels: earn money, free, frugal, survey

Labels: free, frugal, save, survey

Labels: earn money, free, frugal, save, survey

1. Grow Your Own Food
2. Set Limits and Stick to Them
3. Buy Savings Bonds
4. Redirect Your Raises
5. Split Raises in Half
6. Track Spending
7. Spend Less by Budgeting
8. Save by Using Credit

My husband and I do not carry any significant amounts of cash -- have approximately $20 to $40 maximum in each wallet.

All purchases -- food, gasoline and nominal retail purchases -- are on the card. All credit purchases are paid up completely every billing. Savings are twofold: 30-day float and no credit card interest ever for the past 30 years or more. Our motto is, if we pay any interest charges, they must be tax-deductible!

Labels: frugal

Problem: You're too nervous to invest in the stock market, but your bank is offering paltry yields on CDs.
Solution: Auction your cash to the highest bidder. At MoneyAisle.com, more than 100 small and midsize banks compete for consumer deposits through live auctions. When a customer comes to the site and asks for the terms of a CD or high-yield savings account, the banks bid against one another -- through automated auction software that runs on the Web site -- to win the deposit. The cost is free to consumers, and you don't have to commit to investing anything before you see the results of an auction. Participating banks, which are all FDIC-insured, are screened by an independent bank-rating agency to filter out the riskiest banks.

Savers can also find high-yield CDs with brokered CDs, which are offered by banks and brokerage firms around the country, and typically sold through brokerage firms and financial intermediaries. As the big brokerage firms expand their deposit business, many -- including Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch -- are offering attractive yields to lure buyers. Keep in mind that brokered CDs have different rules. If you cash out before they mature, you may lose some of your principal.

Labels: frugal

1. Don't try to predict the future.
2. Do keep enough cash available.
3. Do invest internationally.
4. Don't try to pick one winning investment. Diversify.
5. Do think about energy efficiency.
6. Don't stop contributing to 401(k) and other retirement accounts.
7. Do live below your means. Save.
8. Don't make sudden moves.
9. Do pay off expensive debts.
10. Don't give up on stocks.

Labels: frugal

Labels: frugal

The difference speaks to a relatively obscure aspect of credit finance called interchange fees. Those are the fees (usually slightly under 2% of a purchase) that the merchant must pay the credit-card issuer. As gas prices skyrocketed, the money paid to card issuers ballooned as well. Today, the fees amount to 9¢ to 12¢ a gallon. That, coupled with a sharp rise in the number of people who use cards at convenient pay-at-the-pump machines, squeezed Flash Foods' profit margins. Those margins have fallen to an estimated 4¢ to 7¢ per gallon. To put the increase in perspective, consider that in 2004 Flash Foods paid $4 million in credit-card fees, but this year it estimates it will pay $14 million.

Gas retailers say that $136-a-barrel oil isn't the only factor driving up costs at the pump. Card companies have long charged interchange fees, but as credit-card use soars, the total cost of interchange fees has risen drastically. About 60% of gas purchases were made with a card last year. While the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) doesn't have comparable earlier data for gas purchases, the share of all convenience store purchases made with a card has risen from 32% in 2003 to 56% today.

Labels: frugal

it's important to realize that it's usually not just one item or one habit that must be cut out in order to accumulate sizable wealth (although it may be). Usually, in order to become wealthy one must adopt a disciplined lifestyle and budget. This means that people who are looking to build their nest eggs need to make sacrifices somewhere - this may mean eating out less frequently, using public transportation to get to work and/or cutting back on extra, unnecessary expenses.

How much difference will funding a vehicle such as a Roth IRA early on in life make?

If you're 23 years old and deposit $3,000 per year (that's only $250 each month!) in a Roth IRA earning and 8% average annual return, you will have saved $985,749 by the time you are 65 years old due to the power of compounding. If you make a few extra contributions, it's clear that a $1 million goal is well within reach. Also keep in mind that this is mostly interest - your $3,000 contributions only add up to $126,000.

Now, suppose that you wait an additional 10 years to start contributing. You have a better job and you know you've lost some time, so you contribute $5,000 per year. You get the same 8% return and you aim to retire at 65. When you reach age 65, you will have saved $724,753. That's still a sizeable fund, but you had to contribute $160,000 just to get there - and it's no where near the $985,749 you could've had for paying much less.

Try to become more educated as far as what types of items are deductible. You should also understand when it makes sense to move away from the standard deduction and start itemizing your return.

...........renting is often not a good long-term investment because buying a home is a good way to build equity.

There's nothing wrong with purchasing a luxury vehicle. However, individuals who spend an inordinate amount of their incomes on a vehicle are doing themselves a disservice - especially since this asset depreciates in value so rapidly.

Always keep your eye out for other opportunities and try not to sell yourself short. Work hard and find an employer who will compensate you for your work ethic, skills and experience.

Labels: frugal

Points.com

Earn Rewards at MyPoints.

Labels: frugal

They conclude that the reduced cost of lighting in afternoons during daylight-saving time is more than offset by the higher air-conditioning costs on hot afternoons and increased heating costs on cool mornings.

Points.com

Earn Rewards at MyPoints.

Labels: frugal