Congratulations to Sandy whose comment was randomly chosen to win a copy of J.D. Roth’s Your Money: The Missing Manual. And a big thank you to everyone who offered up their financial tips to The Non-Consumer Advocate community. Click HERE to read all the different tips.
Here’s a small sample of the fantastic tips:
From Sandy:
“Best financial tip: Put money in savings!! Save for an emergency fund, save for large purchases, etc. I was a spender in my teenage/college years, and have become a saver over the last 5 years. It feels good to save up for the things I need/want and to have emergency funds in the bank.”
From Lisa:
“My best financial tip is to educate yourself. I was raised by parents who were not particularly good with money, and who did not teach me how to budget or plan for retirement or anything else money related. I read books and magazines, used trial-and-error, and talked to people whose financial sense I admired. I’m still doing all of those things! So, obviously, J.D.’s book would continue my education…. “
From Rachel:
“Give up the little things. Those $1-4 dollars purchases add up fast!!”
From Sharron:
“Spend less than you earn. If possible, keep widening the margin between what you earn and spend. Save some AND give some; then you’ll really live some!”
From Kristen:
“I write down everything I spend in a paper ledger. It makes me think hard about each purchase, because knowing that I have to go home and write it down and total everything up for the day is enough to deter me from most thoughtless or casual spending. It also allows me to track spending patterns over time.”
From BevP:
“Every time I got a raise, I put half of it into the credit union (an automatic payroll deduction). I never missed the money because I never saw it in my paycheck. It really adds up this way.”
From Lucy:
“Simplest ever: don’t ever put anything on credit. It takes 2 seconds to get into debt and sometimes years to climb back out.”
From Kayla K:
“Mint.com! Ever since my boyfriend and I signed up for this online spending tracker we are always reminding each other to “think of your pie chart!””
From Mackenzie:
“Best financial advice: Use cash. This goes back to my days of waitressing, and it works for people (like me) who hate the suffocating restrictions of keeping track of every penny. Take out however much you want to spend on everything for the week (food, gas, fun, etc.) in cash — and when you’ve spent it, you’ve spent it.”
From Lucy:
“Save your receipts and don’t be afraid to return things!”
From Molly on Money:
“Before you buy it ask yourself, ‘Do I really need this?’”
And my hands down favorite is from LeslieK:
“My best financial tip? I guess it would be to enter contests that are giving away great Personal Finance books…then read them.”
I am going to be running giveaways every Monday for at least a few weeks, and will continue as long as I have cool stuff to offer. Next week will be a gorgeous hand knitted wash cloth made by my older sister Jessica. These cloths are fantastic for wiping down kitchen counters, and are a whole heck of a lot more attractive and green than your average plastic-y sponge.
It’s going to be so much fun!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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