Save Money By Going Paperless

Saving some green by going green, going paperless with bank statements coupons, bills, and receipts can cut down on clutter and help you save money. When you automate things and have things basically living on the cloud which is your email for example it can really save you money because it can help you do things such as pay your bills on time and have things for tax time, it all adds up.

Stop Getting Paper Receipts
When you go to a store you get a receipt but what if you need to exchange or return something, what if you lose that receipt? Instead ask for an ereceipt which will be sent directly to your email and stored forever, you won't have to worry about losing it. Apple was one of the first retailers to do this, now other retailers such as Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and many others are doing this. Of course you have to give your email address but now if you ever need to do a return or exchange you can always find that receipt and come tax time you will have the paper work readily available. If you don't want to give out your personal email then create another email specifically for your shopping receipts.

Say No To Paper Coupons
The number one reason many folks don't use coupons more is a common one "I don't have them with me", they simply forget their coupons or leave them in the car. Coupon Sherpa has a Mobile Phone App for the iPhone and coming soon for Android and BlackBerry which will help you have all your coupons with you in real time. You can be in the store shopping and you can input an item into the app and coupons will come up for that item. You then go to the register and hand the cashier your phone and they will scan the coupon code or enter the code.

So No To Catalogs And Credit Cards Offers
Anytime we buy anything online there is always a paper trail that follows, you will start getting catalogs in the mail. You can opt out of these catalogs by going to catalogchoice.org. And for credit card offers that you get in the mail go to optoutprescreen.com to opt out of those. You have to go on these sites every year to resign up but it really helpful. This will help break the temptation getting an offer and jumping right into it instead of shopping around for the best deal.

Skip Paper Bills
Many of us already do this because we bank online, we get out monthly statements online. It is very helpful and organized to have all your statements and bills online. All services such as utilities, land line, cell phone, and cable all use online bill pay. And come tax time you can easily access your statements and have them ready.

Best Websites For Managing Your Money

There are many resources online that can help you manage your money better which can help you save money, track your finances, and invest smarter.

PortfolioMonkey.com - Most individual investors unfortunately are not experts, they put things in our 401k and we don't know if we have the right mix. This site will take a look at what you have and will tell you if you're taking the right amount of risks.

Mint.com - This site helps you save money by keeping tabs on your spending for you. When you register the site asks for all your accounts like credit cards and loans. Then it tells you where your money is going so you can see how much you're spending. The site suggests a budget for you and also shows you how you stack up compared to people who live in your area. You also need to input your cash spending habits.

BillShrink.com - This site helps you save money by allowing you to comparison shop on services so you can make the switch to the less costly. If you don't want to call you cable company and haggle for a better rate then you should use this site.

CreditSesame.com - This site allows you to get your credit report for free and helps lower your interest rates. They will ask you a series of six questions, show you your entire credit life and will then be able to suggest other deals, loans, credit for you. Because they check your credit score they will not offer deals that you can't qualify for because they are basing the suggestions on your credit score.

Smartypig.com - If you're trying to save money you can try this site because their interest rates are very competitive. You will get about 1.35% on your savings with this site. This site is also very goal oriented so it helps you work towards your savings goal.

All of these sites are safe and trusted, so you can be assured they will protect your information and privacy.

Are You Financially Fragile?

According to a new report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research nearly half of all Americans are now living on the economic edge. Being Financially Fragile means someone who can not come up with at least $2000 if they needed it within the next month or someone who would have to go to great lenghts to come with that money like selling their house, pawning their belongings, or taking out a payday loan. We are talking about people who if they had an unexpected expense such as if the transmission blows out on their car, the roof leaks, or a big medical expense arises, having to pay for that expense could put them over the financial edge.

This is a bigger problem in the United States than the other countries of the world. Many would say that these types of people are the ones at or near the poverty level and coming up with $2000 is impossible for them. But the statistics show that a large number of Middle Class Americans also consider themselves to be financially fragile. The numbers show that 25% of Middle Class Americans who earn between $75,000 and $100,000 say they are financially fragile. The fact is Americans have become terrible savers and it hurts us emotionally. We may be earning more money but we are not more happy.

So how do you resolve this, where do we start? We start by making our savings happen in a way that is automatic, so you make a good decision one time and the money just goes. You have to get that money out of your hands which means it has to be out of your spending account. You have to put barriers to withdrawing the money which is why 401K's work because the money moves automatically and it goes somewhere where you can't touch it. And if you want to touch it you have to pay taxes and penalties. We all need a financial cushion, so put your money in a special savings account or savings program so you can't touch it and money goes in every time you get paid.

Save Money By Using The Web

Would you like to save more money? of course you would, especially these days when times are tough. Well did you know you could save a significant amount of money by using the Internet rather than going to the brick and mortar stores. According to the Internet innovation alliance you can save up to $8,000 a year by using the web for paying bills, purchases, entertainment, travel, and housing. Buying your tickets online for entertainment and travel can save you a lot of money. Using Online bill pay option will cut out costs of stamps checks, and envelopes, also replace your newspaper by reading the news online.

The web allows you to shop for deals and bargains more effectively rather than going from store to store physically. Many companies are now offering online only exclusive deals and discounts and with the incentive of free shipping. So it's definitely worth it to use the Internet when spending money.

Bidding On Foreclosed Properties

Many individuals are capitalizing and getting great deals on the hundreds of thousands of foreclosed homes and properties in the US. Auctions are being held across the country and bidding on some great homes are starting at low prices such as $19,000. Many Americans who have extra money to invest are taking advantage and going to auctions on weekends in hopes to get a great deal on a new or second house. Many are looking for return on rental income for these properties as the rental market is booming right now.

You can find some really great deals if you do your homework, check out the houses that are listed to be auctioned off before the actual auction. Many individuals were able to acquire homes for less that half the original value of the properties. Inventory of foreclosed homes has risen this fall possibly due to high unemployment or because autumn is a slow period.

So if you have the cash to invest, now is the best time to snag a foreclosed property. Visit Auction.com to find foreclosed properties that are being auctioned in your area.

Driving Down Your Debt

Having trouble paying off your debt? Now more than ever is the time to deal with your debt. This year personal bankruptcies has grown 14% and in the current economic climate that number may continue to increase. With terms like snowballing, non profit credit counselors, and debt management plans, dealing with your debt can be confusing. We have put together some tips to help you handle your debt and better your finances.

First you must be employed of course, so that you have income coming in every month to pay your bills. Once you have a source of income, you must now cut back on costs and spending. Then try to find additional ways to bring in more income to pay down your debt, this might involve getting a part time job. You must also avoid driving yourself deeper into debt.

You may have many debts in your life such as mortgage, car payments, and credit cards. Credit Cards are the most critical to payoff because they so expensive, rates continue to go up very high, the average rate is close to 15%. There are many ads for debt settlement and debt repair, but you must be careful with these companies and programs. What you need is a non profit credit counselor because they will not take your money in order to make money themselves. A lot of groups and companies will take a big upfront payment from you and maybe they might not help you. Go to NFCC.org, to find a non profit credit counselor near you, and it may cost you 20 to $50 to sit down and try to form a plan and see if they can help you. They can help you see if you can lower any of your rates or consolidate your loans. They also have debt management programs that can help you make your payments.

When consolidating your loans be sure not to tie up your debts. For example, do not take out a HELOC on your home or borrow from your 401k to payoff your credit card bills. Don't tie up your credit card debt to your secured loans. Your secured loans are things that can be taken away from you if you can't pay, such as your house or car, so keep credit card debt separate. If you can't pay your credit card bill, they are not going to take your house or car, just simply cancel the credit card. A good option is to take out a personal loan to payoff your credit card debt.