Couponing!

It’s actually never too late to start saving. The sooner you begin to save the better off you’ll be in the long run. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to savings:

Are you an extreme couponer? I would love to hear from you! I watched an episode of extreme couponing and I was shocked how extreme one girl was. I guess the title is perfect. I love a great deal and wish I had the time to look for a lot of coupons. www.flyerland.ca is a great site to find deals and coupons. Groupon and Living Social are also great deal sites.  I get flyers every week and always look for sales. Combining coupons with a sale is a great way to get a good deal. 

You can also look for discount cards at your favorite retail store.  For example, I have a Suzy Shier discount card which gives me 10% off purchases over $50. They also give coupons every time you renew your card annually, as well as they email you coupons if you sign up on their website. This is great way to get deals at your favorite stores.

Where do you find your coupons?

Save It Or Spend It!

How do you know if you should save it or spend it! I’ve always been a big believer in automatically setting aside some money every paycheck for savings. This eliminates having to think about saving every paycheck; it automatically comes out of your account so you don’t have to worry about it. But what happens if you get an unexpected bonus, a commission check or a gift.

This is where having an overall plan for your money will help. It’s so easy to want to spend any additional money you get.  Commercials, billboards, the radio, magazine and newspaper articles can be so convincing especially at this time of year. There will always be people telling you where you should spend your money. But ultimately YOU are in control over your money. Don’t give in to the temptation.

• If you are in the process of building your emergency fund, (this should be 6-12 months of expenses) then consider putting that extra money to build or complete your fund.
• If you have personal debt such as credit cards, loans, or line of credits. Put some extra money on those. If you’re not sure how to attack your personal debt

• Start by listing all of your debt from smallest balance to largest balance
• Make minimum payments on all of your debt
• On your smallest balance, after you’ve made your minimum payment, find any additional money you can and put it on that smallest balance
• Once you’ve paid your smallest balance off, take that minimum payment and the additional payment  that you were making and put it on the second smallest balance and so forth, until you’ve paid off all your personal debt

• Consider making an additional payment on your mortgage (check out your bank’s pre-payment  options)

• Always go shopping with a list. Whether you’re grocery shopping or shopping for clothes, create a list. When you have a list you shop with a purpose. Without a list you may be prone to impulse buying.

The 12 Scams of Christmas

The 12 Scams of Christmas: Scammers ramp up their activities each year around the holidays. Here are 12 popular scams you should be on the lookout for.

5 Great Deals At The Dollar Store!

Check out these great deals at the Dollar Store!

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2008/10/29/5-great-deals-at-the-dollar-store/

Looking For Ways To Earn Extra Cash Over The Holidays?

• Check out Fiverr! This is an excellent site that allows you to provide a service to anyone around the world for $5. So if you have a talent or if you’re willing to do some things outside of the ordinary this site may be for you. You could earn some extra cash as well. Check it out at www.fiverr.com

• Consider shoveling snow for the elderly or for individuals who just don’t have the time to shovel their own snow. You’ll be surprised how many people would love this service.

• Check out focus groups! There are many research companies that are looking for individuals to participate in focus groups. They are really easy and some of them offer $100 for one hour just to answer a bunch of questions. 

• Mystery shopping is also becoming quite popular. Companies will pay you to shop!

What are some things that you’ve done to earn some extra cash

Are You Getting a Christmas Bonus This Year?

Have you thought of what you're going to do with your Christmas bonus? Maybe it's already spent; I hope not! The obvious answer may be to spend it on Christmas gifts. Here are a few other suggestions:

• Pay down on your debt (credit cards, line of credits, loans, etc)
• Consider making an additional payment on your mortgage (check out your banks pre-payment options)
• Put it aside for a rainy day. It could be your emergency fund
• Invest it in an RRSP or GIC or even an RESP(if you have children)
• You could give it all away (this is the time of year when a lot of families are in need, check out local charities or homeless shelters)

What do you normally do with your Christmas bonus?

It's funny, Christmas is the same day every year but yet we have a hard time budgeting for gifts. Here are some tips that may help you stay on track.

1. Determine exactly how much money you can afford to spend on gifts without using your credit cards, line of credits or overdraft
2. Make a list of everyone you would like to buy a gift for
3. Determine before you go shopping what you would like to purchase for each individual and how much each gift will cost
4. Set aside the amount you plan to spend on each person in separate envelopes
5. Start looking for sales; don't forget you can get some great online deals
6. Go shopping

After making your list, you may find that you don't have enough money to buy a gift for everyone. You could either reduce the amount you're spending on some of the other people on your list, or you can remove some people from your list. This is a hard one to do, but it will force you to be creative. I've had people make me gifts, I've even had someone cook me my favorite meal as a gift.

Let me know what some of your ideas are for Christmas shopping.