Living on a Budget

  • 21 Common Household Items to Reuse and Upcycle

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the average American generates 4.38 pounds of waste every day. About 1.51 pounds of that is recycled or composted, but that leaves a lot of waste heading to the landfill. Many items can…

  • 10 Life Hacks to Save You Money

    Every year, new products pop up that seem important to buy, at least for a little while. It could be a banana slicer, a portion control basket for pasta, or a heated mousepad. Gadgets can be convenient, but many of…

  • How to Make the Most of Facebook Yard Sales

    Facebook tag sale groups are the hot way to buy and sell these days. With hundreds, if not thousands, of buy/sell/trade groups targeting everything from your town to your interests, they are proving far more convenient for buyers and sellers…

  • Is Your Grocery Budget Too Big?

    Are you a thrifty shopper or do you go all out when stocking the fridge? Do you head to the market to buy whatever looks good regardless of cost or do you stick to a list and count every penny?…

  • Skip the Flip-Flops: 10 Ways to Save on Kids’ Clothes

    Kids tear through their clothes, literally. They either outgrow things at an alarming rate or wear them so hard that they don’t last longer than a few months. And while some items demand replacements, other types of kids’ clothes can…

  • 12 Steps to Hiring a Contractor for Less

    This is the time of year when you look at your home afresh and think about all the improvements you’d like to make. The prospect of some tax refund cash might be just the spur you need to get started.…

  • How I Saved More Than $500 in a Month

    This February we invited readers to take the Frugal Month Challenge and commit to what some have called a “no-buy month.” My family of four embarked on this cheap-living challenge…

  • 11 Ways to Throw a March Madness Party on the Cheap

    March Madness is quickly approaching and throwing a party to cheer for any of the 68 teams in the weeks-long tournament is what a devoted fan of college basketball does.…

  • 10 Ways to Save on Valentine’s Day

    Valentine’s Day is approaching, which means many Americans will be dropping dollars in the name of love. Among respondents in a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, women plan…

  • 10 Ideas for a Budget-Friendly Guys’ or Girls’ Night In

    Taylor Swift is the new queen of girls’ night in. Every week, it seems, Swift posts another photo on Instagram of herself with her famous friends cooking, singing, and dancing…

  • Enroll in Automatic Bill Pay and Save

    Automatic bill pay is yet another perk of the ever-evolving instantaneous Internet age. Many consumers take advantage of this convenient, rewarding way of paying bills. Others remain wary about authorizing…

  • Save $400: Take the Frugal Month Challenge in February

    The holidays may provide a festive reprieve from the daily grind, but as a rule of thumb, they’re not good for your wallet. With January comes a return to real…

  • 10 Tips for Sewing Your Way to Savings

    Sewing does require skill, no doubt about that. But for certain projects around the house or in your closet, it may be a worthwhile skill to learn and put to…

  • 11 Things You Should Be Renting Instead of Buying

    Recent years have seen the flowering of the rental economy. What started with streaming services such as Netflix and Pandora has become a full-on profusion of rental options as an…

  • What’s Worth More: Your Money or Your Time?

    My banker husband has always said, “Time is money.” I understood the point but never put the old adage to the test. We all probably have a different bottom line…

  • What Are the Best Free Resources for Learning Personal Finance?

    From 401(k)s to the monthly budget, personal finance can be a dull and difficult subject to master. Countless articles and paid and free courses tackle the matter from a variety…

  • Should You Head Outside the City for Cheaper Gas?

    Have you ever made a U-turn to reach the gas station on the other side of the street because the price is cheaper than at the one straight ahead? But…

  • Is Free Money Worth It?

    You’ve no doubt received a flyer in the mail or seen the billboards: Open a new checking account with us and receive $100 cash! Sounds like a deal, to be…