Category: Entertainment

Have you ever sat down and figured out how much you actually spend during a weekend? The results could shock you. From errands to entertainment, the money you shell out every Saturday and Sunday can really add up over time. And if you have financial goals like getting out of debt, saving for a large purchase like a house or car, or building your retirement nest egg, your weekend spending could be hindering those goals.

A good way to revamp your weekend spending habits is to try to avoid spending any money at all—at least for one weekend. Think that’s impossible? With a little advance planning, you can do a lot without big spending.Continue reading“Frugal Ideas for a Cheap, Low Cost Weekend”

Are you one of the millions who likes to dream about what you’d do if you won the lottery? I’ll confess, I have imagined how I’d divvy up my winnings, and I rarely ever even play. One reason is that your odds of winning a top prize aren’t good. In fact you’re more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than to win. And yet some people spend $10, $20, even $50 a week on lottery tickets. All that money could be put to better use saving for retirement, but some people can’t let go of the chance to “win big”. My recommendation? Online sweepstakes.

The Problem with the Lottery Habit

You might think there’s not much harm in playing the lottery, but you should think again. In 2014, Americans spent $70 billion on lottery games and the poorest third of households bought half of all lottery tickets sold. And while those lottery profits are helping states fund programs, they’re taking wealth away from all those players. If you invested $10 a week tax deferred over the 45 years you’re likely to be saving for retirement, with a 7% return you’d have over $150,000. While that may not provide a comfortable retirement, it definitely adds up to a good start.Continue reading“How to Kick Your Lottery Habit with Online Sweepstakes”

Imagine just for a minute what it would have been like if you were born at the turn of the 20th century and were told about all of the new and exciting ways you would be entertained and communicate during the next hundred years. It would have blown your mind and you probably would have thought it was science fiction. After all, the early 1900’s were barely the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and horses were more common than cars on the streets in those days. The telephone was still in its infancy and motion pictures were pretty much an experiment in a lab someplace here in NJ. The truth is that only a very few of the most inventive minds could have ever imagined what was to come over the next hundred years. But what about the price tag that comes with all of this progress? Are you happy with the tech impact in your life, your time, and your budget?

The Communication Breakdown and the Impact on Your Budget

(With apologies to Led Zeppelin) Budgeting for things that entertain and communicate used to be pretty reasonable but not so much today. If you aren’t prepared for the costs of all of this technology that we now take for granted, be prepared to be shocked. It simply costs a small fortune to be living in an age of electronics unlike anything life has ever seen before because we are “plugged in” 24/7.Continue reading“Communication Breakdown: The High Cost of Technology”

It’s almost the year 2017 (why do I think that phrase should be followed by the words: a space odyssey?) and you may think you are totally onboard with all the latest in electronics and technology trends that are happening right this minute. After all, you have so much stuff you bought in the past couple of years and it’s all over your house, so much so that they know you by name down at the local Best Buy. But wait just a second. You’ve spent a small fortune on that stuff, haven’t you? And painfully, I have to tell you, it may not all be around and useful that much longer. You may think it was all money well spent, but here’s a wakeup call: there are dying technologies out there.

Technology is changing every second and overlapping itself again and again. It is all very confusing. The companies that have brought it all to you are really good at advertising, promoting, and tempting you. They want to convince you that everything is a must have and you are completely out of the loop if you don’t buy right now! Many folks are still quite happy with what they have, even the 20th century tech (yes, it’s still around). But, there are about 83 million millennials who think that 20th century tech was a “B movie” and they demand more!Continue reading““Terminal Tech” – 7 Dying Technologies to Dump & Save Money”