Living on a Budget

  • 11 Ways to Catch Football Games for Less

    The average non-premium NFL ticket cost $84.43 last season, according to Team Marketing Report, up 4.2 percent from 2013. Want to catch a playoff game or the Super Bowl in person? Expect to pay thousands. There are cheaper ways to…

  • 12 Overlooked Discounts You Don’t Want to Miss

    Who doesn’t love a good bargain? Well, many of the discounts on this list are right in front of consumers but often overlooked. Others take a bit of digging. If you think you’ve uncovered every last source of savings, read…

  • How to Live Off $50 a Week at the Dollar Store

    College, unemployment, or another major life change can require a major cut in spending to survive from week to week. There may still be a stigma attached to buying food at the dollar store, but perhaps it’s time to get…

  • Spending Diary: 13 Ways I Stick to My Grocery Budget

    Grocery shopping on a budget is tough for anyone, but throw in the fact that I usually shop with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, and the outing is hardly the most fun part of my week. Every month when we…

  • Cheap Holiday Travel: How Early Should You Book?

    Whether you’re planning to head home for the holidays, visit family, or take a vacation, the question of when to lock in cheap holiday airfare is always a hot topic. Rules and tips fly around the Internet faster than a…

  • 10 Things You’ll Regret Buying Too Cheap

    This is a nation of bargain hunters, addicted to thrift, but there are times the cheapest option just doesn’t make sense. An item is no bargain when it must be replaced often; when more must be used to do the…

  • 10 Ways to Find Affordable Child Care

    Child care is a struggle for many American families. The average cost of infant care ranges from $5,496 to $16,549 a year depending on the state, according to Child Care…

  • 25 Money-Saving Tips for Fall Shopping

    As summer heat yields to cooler air, wardrobes and makeup typically need a seasonal overhaul. The changeover can be costly, prompting many women to tuck some warm-weather pieces into their…

  • 20 Ways to Save Money on a Honeymoon

    The “big day” can put a big dent in a bank account, leaving very little leftover for a honeymoon. A post-wedding trip doesn’t have to be expensive to be extraordinary.…

  • Spending Diary: Home Maintenance Is Eating My Renovation Budget

    Our house in the country is under renovation just about all the time. It’s not particularly old, just particularly quirky. Much of it was built by the previous owners. Some…

  • Senior woman buying vegetables at farmers market

    Spending Diary: Why I Shop at Farmers Markets

    The first sign of summer, to me, is strawberries. I don’t eat fruit out of season, and come April I am thoroughly sick of oranges. By the time the first…

  • Forget Paid TV: 10 Popular Free Roku Channels

    There are lots of streaming devices on the market, from smart TVs to Chromecast to Amazon Fire TV. But the household leader, at least for now, is Roku, which entertains…

  • 10 Tips for the Ultimate Summer Staycation

    Everyone deserves a break from the daily grind, whether it’s an all-out excursion to somewhere tropical or some low-key vacation time. In a recent survey commissioned by FatWallet, 81 percent…

  • 6 Ways to Churn Cheaper Ice Cream

    The average price of ice cream has been steadily increasing over the years, to $5.04 a gallon in 2014 from $3.84 in 2004, according to data compiled by Statista. But…

  • Overcharged for Groceries? 5 Ways to Keep Stores Honest

    Whole Foods is facing fines in New York City for regularly overcharging customers by skewing the price per pound on packaged items — and this isn’t an isolated problem. Earlier…

  • Ranking Hotel Rewards: Where Should Your Loyalty Lie?

    Even for infrequent travelers, hotel loyalty programs are worth joining. Membership is free and often yields benefits right off the bat. It may be just a small perk, such as…

  • 10 Money-Saving Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent

    When perusing the listings of homes for sale, it may seem easiest to just contact the first real estate agent who pops up or whose name appears in the mailer…

  • 10 Ways to Save on Amusement Parks

    Americans love amusement parks, the classic summer retreat for people of all ages for more than a century. This is a $12 billion a year industry, according to the International…