No one needs to be told that times are tough. Unemployment is up and so are prices. The heavy load of debt that most people carry has caused them to become more cautious, so they save more. The savings rate rose from 2.8% to 3.6% over the past quarter. Fortunately, there are ways to keep [...]

With all the downsides to the hard times there is one bright spot: if you need credit, you can now save big. Interest rates are at all time low and are likely to stay there for quite a while. No one should drown themselves in debt in a time when debt has swallowed so many. [...]

One simple way to save big on home repair expenses is to do much of the work yourself. You don’t have to be the world’s expert with a hammer and drill to save huge amounts of cash by a little do-it-yourself around the home. All it takes is a willingness to learn a few things [...]

For many people medical expenses represent a significant portion of their annual expenses. While there are few truly cheap ways to get medical care, there are ways to save substantially without sacrificing good health. Using generic prescriptions has become one way thrifty and wise shoppers reduce the cost of medicine. It works, and at no [...]

No article could list all the places to shop to get big discounts. The usual one are well known: Amazon, eBay, Wal-Mart, and many, many more. But there’s another aspect to the idea of shopping smart that you might have overlooked: be adventurous and try new places and methods. Discount stores are often overlooked. In [...]

‘Entertainment’ covers a wide area. It can mean going to a movie, having dinner, seeing a sporting event, and much more. In that broad sweep lies the secret for lowering expenses on an important part of the good life. For example, if movies are your passion, think about the many ways available today to see [...]

There are several ways the Internet saves everybody money – buyers, sellers, and even those not merchandising or shopping. Here’s how… There are the obvious ways, of course. Amazon, eBay, and other sites provide huge discounts over retail on thousands of items. Even major new books, which continued to rise in price for decades, have [...]

In the past it was hard to buy a car without draining your bank account and loading up on debt. But for the first time in a long time, the market actually works in favor of car buyers. Taking advantage of it only requires following a few simple guidelines. The first method is the natural [...]

Sadly, there are still many, many people who pay fees for ordinary banking services, like a checking account, credit card, or ATM usage. Luckily, all it takes is a little alteration to long-standing habits to save those fees, which add up over a year to a chunk of change. And, as we all know, every [...]

Gas prices fluctuate, but the trend has been mostly upward now for a generation. In 1972, the average per gallon price was about 25 cents. Even adjusting for inflation, those days are not likely to be seen again for a long time, if ever. Fortunately, even for those with long commutes to work or who [...]