Personal Finance

Paying the Bills While You’re Unemployed

For today’s guest post on paying the bills while you’re unemployed, please welcome Linda Chase from Able Hire.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.8% as of September 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most people don’t pay attention to those statistics until they become a part of them. When you’re out of work, affording the essentials can seem impossible. Making changes to your spending and finding temporary income sources can help offset lost wages.

Man paying woman for supplies to help her paying the bills

Make Money Online

The internet offers ways to make quick money to cover bills. One easy option is to sell items you don’t need through Facebook Marketplace. Once an item sells, you get instant money to cover immediate needs. Longer-term ways to build an online income include offering blog writing services, affiliate marketing, starting a YouTube channel, and selling online courses. Signing up with a platform like Upwork will have you offering your services and landing clients in no time.

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Food

Save 40% on Food Costs: Lunch and Dinner Savings – Part III

If you are shooting to save 40% off your food bill in 2022, then targeting about $4.00 a day for breakfast for a family of four is a really good start. That’s just $ 0.98 cents a person as I showed you in the last post. But saving more money on lunch and dinner for a family of four is right in front of you and can be accomplished if you try. Saving more right now on this important staple (food costs) can set your budget right and take off lots of the inflation pressures you may be feeling these days.

A sliced turkey sandwich representing money-saving lunch and dinner ideas

Numbers Spent on Food in the U.S.

If you spend on average as American families do now for four about $1,000 a month (spending averages between $890 and $1,062 per month according to the USDA for a moderate budget), then spending just $4.00 a day for breakfast (or $120 a month) is only about 12% of your monthly food bill! Even if you spend a total food budget of $600 a month (40% less than the average), you are only spending 20% on breakfast if you make some changes.

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Food

Save 40% on Food Costs Starting with Money-Saving Breakfast Ideas – Part II

Food is a big expense (along with housing and transportation). That’s why now in this inflationary cycle more than ever saving on food costs is super important! I promised you that I can save you money and today I am going to show you how to start your day and eat healthy and fight inflation too with savings that can surpass 40% of your bill. Catch up with Part I here and now on to Part II with money-saving breakfast ideas.

Family preparing to eat a money-saving breakfast

Today is the day to learn about breakfast…“the most important meal of the day!”

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Food

Can You Save 40% on Annual Food Costs in 2022? Part I

Inflation, it’s the word that you are hearing every day and you can’t seem to escape it. That’s because every day when you fill your gas tank or do your shopping, you are paying more than you were last week for food costs and the things you and your family need. Is there an answer to it?

Woman shopping at the supermarket trying to keep food costs down

Can you put the brakes on it or are you just bound to fall into the hole that it is creating in your budget? There are ways to fight back, but it takes an effort. It’s my view that you can save and save a lot if you know what to do. In fact, you can save money, eat healthy, and still save as much as 40% off your food bill in 2022. And I’m going to tell you just how to do it!

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Personal Finance

Defining the Middle Class: What It Really Means

Defining the middle class has become a slippery slope for just about everyone these days including economists. That’s because since the pandemic began almost two years ago, people with money, jobs, and a lifestyle a la the “rich and famous” have been out of work, earning little or no income, becoming dependent on government programs, and may even have hit bottom and fallen through the floor.

A middle class suburban house

When you think “middle class” you never think that would mean standing in line at the food bank or waiting for a check from Uncle Sam so you can get through the next month, would you?

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Saving & Investing

This Is the Best Investment for Your Money Right Now

Everyone is looking for a hedge on inflation right now. A great way to do it would be to find a surefire, almost “no-risk” investment that will pay you big interest, say 7% plus. But where do you get that these days? Do you have a magic lamp that you can rub? What is the best investment for your money right now?

Hand holding piggy bank with gold coins representing the best investment for your money right now

How about Series I U.S. Savings bonds, aka I bonds? Yes, I have touted them before, but now is an absolutely great time to consider them! Why? because this is the best investment you can get at the moment!

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Cars, Credit, Home, Insurance, Personal Finance

5 Ways to Stop Wasting Your Money & Strategies to Save

Inflation is doing a number on your budget. Things get pricier every day, and you’re always looking for ways to cut back: coupons, sales, brown-bagging your lunch, bringing your own coffee to work. In fact you have heard all of these before to stop wasting your money, haven’t you?

Man in business suit at stop sign telling him to stop wasting your money

Those are all smart tactics, since small savings do add up. But sometimes the really big savings options are right under our noses. Some money-saving tactics are things we never heard of before, but others are things we know we should do and are just too overwhelmed to start. It’s time to look at some ways to stop wasting your money and put them into action!

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Food

Big Grocery Shopping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

It’s really easy these days to go over your budget on grocery shopping. And it’s not like you really meant to do it. Right now it’s worse than ever because prices are climbing, inventories are stressed and you still have to get out there and shop! Your money buying power is shrinking because of the inflation factor, package size changes, and even “profiteering” by some companies trying to take advantage of you, the consumer.

Supermarket aisle where you need to avoid grocery shopping mistakes

You’re fighting it, but you can do better and you know it. You see, the grocery store plans for you to spend more than you intended. That’s their game and they are pros at it. But you can learn how to save money on groceries when you try.

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