When I think of frugal I think of saving money. I think of only buying things that are necessary and I think about spending as little as possible on the things I do need.

One of the best things you can do to save money is to use coupons and use the ads to find the best price for the items you need. Even though that’s the best way to get things for cheap or even free, you must be careful. It’s important to pay attention to prices and what you buy because it’s possible generic items will work the same, but you’ll spend less money on them.

I don’t know about you, but there are certain things I won’t buy generic, but there are other things I don’t have a problem with at all. An example of this would be sliced cheese. I refuse to buy generic cheese. It tastes different to me. Now I don’t have a problem buying generic sandwich bags.

When you’re trying to live frugal and save money it’s important to pay attention to what you’re buying and how much you’re spending on it. There is no point in overspending when generic items work just the same.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business and she’s the owner of WAHM-Articles.com. She is married and has two teenagers. She loves saving money when she can through couponing and price matching. If you’re looking for a way to save money at the grocery store, click here to purchase a copy of her couponing ebook.

How many times have you had more bills than money at the end of the month? For some that happens every month while others it only happens occasionally. Whether you’ve had this happen or not, it’s not a bad idea to look at your finances to see what you can do to stop or prevent it from happening. Here are some tips to help you save money.

One of the best ways to prevent overspending is to use the envelope system. While it takes dedication to make this system work, you’ll find when you make it work each month, the end result will help you with your money.

When you decide you’re going to do the envelope system the most important thing to remember is you pay cash for everything. This will help you to spend only what you have. It’s easy to spend money when you use a debit or credit card, but harder when you only have a certain amount of cash in your purse.

To get started you need to get enough envelopes to cover every single bill you have. You’ll want to write the vendor name on the outside of the envelope along with the due date and the monthly payment. You’ll want to keep them in a place where they fit well and you’ll have easy access to them. Keep them in order by the day you pay them so you don’t forget to pay something.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Today is the first day of spring and there is no time like the present to take care of yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you and you don’t then who will? Nobody!! So it’s important you find time to do it each week or you may find the end result won’t be one you want to face.

There are three important things you should do multiple times a week so you stay fit, healthy, and in control over your body. You can skip these occasionally, but the more times you skip the better chance you have of giving them up all together and that’s not the right thing to do. You need to be there for yourself and your family, so it’s vital you find a way to make these happen each week.

1. Eating Healthy

Not only is this important for yourself, but it’s important for your family as well. There are so many greasy, fatty, and processed foods on the market today that are doing our bodies more harm than good, so it’s best to do what you can to eliminate them. The best way to remember what is good and what is not good is to remember this little saying. “If it doesn’t have a mama or grow in the ground, you shouldn’t eat it.” Foods like macaroni and cheese from a box, boxed diet food, potato chips, and sweets are not good for you. Consider fruits, vegetables, ground turkey, and sweet potatoes instead.

2. Exercise

Exercise is the best way to lose weight, stay fit, and build muscle. It’s something we should try to do five days a week, but three days a week is better than nothing. You can exercise at home, outside, or at the gym. It doesn’t matter where you go as long as you do the exercise multiple times a week. Of course, the more you do, the better off you’ll be, but that’s not to say two or three times a week won’t help, because it will.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Fitness is on the minds of a lot of people these days. They’re realizing their health is very important and the way they look is next in line, so working out is a must. The thing they struggle with the most when it comes to fitness is the right way to do it.

There are so many things out there that say you should do it this way or that way and so many more telling them food is a part of it as well. I’ve done a lot of research and I’ve asked a lot of people what their thoughts are and I’ve come to one conclusion. That conclusion is nobody really knows the right answer and maybe that’s because there isn’t one. Maybe it depends on your needs, desires, or wants. Maybe it depends on what you’re looking to do or how fast you want it to happen. I’m not sure what the answer is either, but I know the most important thing to do is to exercise.

Some people say you need to exercise 20 minutes every single day while others say you need to exercise for one hour three to five days a week. Some say you need to do a hard workout three days a week and you’ll do fine while others say it’s the simple art of walking every day that’ll get you where you need to go. Again it’s one of those things that’s hard to say who is right, but I’ve come to the conclusion that only you will know what will work for your needs.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Tax season is here and every family is looking for ways to increase the amount of their refund or reduce the amount they will owe. This can be a stressful time of year if you’re concerned about the outcome. It doesn’t matter if you think you’ll get a refund or not, it’s stressful because there is always the what if concern.

Most of the time, the more deductions or write-offs you have, the less you’ll owe and the more you’ll receive back. The hardest part about this is knowing what you can include and what you can’t include. Whether you do your own taxes or not, it’s scary adding new things, but it’s important to add as much as possible so you get the biggest refund or the smallest amount owed you can.

When you think about your taxes, the traditional deductions or write-offs come to mind. These would include medical expenses, mortgage interest, and donations, but what about the others you may not think will work? Here are a few for you to consider.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Business owners are always looking for ways to keep in touch with their customers or clients. Whether they are current, past or potential customers or clients, you always want to be in front of them.

One of the best and cheapest ways to do this is to send out newsletters online. You should send your newsletter out as often as you can, but I would recommend no less than twice a month. Weekly is better though.

Content in your newsletter is important. If you don’t have content that is interesting to your readers, your subscriber list will go down. The most important thing with your content is it needs to go with the theme of your newsletter. For example, if your newsletter is about advertising tips, you will not want to use an article that is about dog grooming.

When you are putting together your newsletter, you will want to include any specials you have or new products or services you are offering. If you don’t have either of those, select a product or service and give the benefits. If you write articles, include an article or a snippet of an article and link it to a site where they can finish the article. You don’t want to make your newsletter to long or you will lose your readers, but you don’t want it to be to short either. Including 3-4 sections would be good.

When you first create your newsletter, you may have a very small list of subscribers and that is ok. You may start out with people like your parents, your brothers, and your uncle. Hey that’s ok, you still have subscribers and you never know when you might put something in your newsletter that one of those people might need or know of someone that could use it. This also gives you the time needed to work through the bugs.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Tax season is here and this is not only a stressful time of year, but it’s a season that most business owners hate. The things that go on during this season take time and hard work and while it’s important for business owners to do this part of the tax season, it’s hard on them because it takes time away from the things that need to be done to grow the business.

There are a number of things you can use as a tax write-off for your business, but if you don’t have a clue what they are, then you won’t include them. If this happens, you run the risk of paying instead of receiving a refund or paying less. Here are a number of things you may be able to include in your tax return.

1. Banking fees
2. Advertising fees
3. Website hosting
4. Website design
5. Business meals
6. Computer supplies
7. Training
8. Donations
9. Customer gifts
10. Business travel

You must know the laws or you may find yourself using things you shouldn’t use or too much for certain items. An example of this would be if you use your home as your office. You can write off part of your mortgage, your internet, your electricity, and certain other things, but there are requirements that go with this and if they’re not met you won’t be able to use the write-off.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Losing holiday weight can be a struggle, but it’s not an impossible task to accomplish. Really it’s not any harder to lose holiday weight than it is to lose weight gained from having a baby or lack of exercise. Weight is weight and it comes off the same way, no matter how it was put on in the first place.

There are two methods you can do to help you lose your holiday weight. You can use one or the other or both if you choose, but it’s important to use them so you lose the weight.

1. Diet

Changing the way you eat is hard to do, but it’s the only way you’ll lose weight. It doesn’t mean you must eat vegetables all the time, but you do need to eliminate some of the sweets and starchy foods. It’s also important to portion eat. When you do this you won’t overeat and that’ll help you to eat better. If you find it’s hard to know what to eat and what not to eat, you may need to consider a diet to help you lose weight. There are a number of different diets to choose from, so you’ll want to check them out and decide what will fit your budget and likes.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Saving money is something many families try to do so they can provide the most for their families. Whether they do it so their children can have the clothes they want to wear or if they do it so they can live the lifestyle they want, saving money is one way to make it happen.

There are many ways to save money each month. You can use coupons at the grocery store, car pool to work, ride a bicycle in the summer, and buy used when possible, but did you know there is a way to save money at home in the winter?

One way to save money at home in the winter is to put plastic over your windows. You can use the plastic you put down when you paint or you can use the type that’s specific for windows. If you use the paint plastic you’ll need tape so you can seal off the window. If you use the window plastic you’ll need a blow dryer to put it on with.

Another way to save money with your home is to put a bath towel on the floor at the base of your door. Most doors leak air at the bottom and this can cause the cold air to come in and make your house cold. When that happens you’re forced to turn your heat up which means your bill will be higher.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Halloween is fast approaching and that means you’ll see a lot of children roaming the streets that night. They’ll mainly be on the sidewalks and grassy areas, but they’ll have to cross the streets as well. If you have children you know how scary it can be to let them go out after dark even if you’re with them. Here are a few tips to help you keep them safe while trick or treating.

1. Bring a flashlight with you and have it on when you go from house to house. Not only will this help you to see where you’re going, but it will also tell others you’re on the sidewalk. This will keep you safe while walking and when crossing the street.

2. It’s best if you go to houses you know rather than those that are strangers. When you know the homeowners you’ll know the treats your children are getting will be safe and you won’t worry about it being poisoned.

3. If you treat or treat at homes you don’t know it’s best to have your candy checked out before you let your children eat it. Most fire stations or medical facilities offer candy screenings on Halloween or the day after.

4. If your community offers an indoor place to go trick or treating it may be a good idea. Not only is this option best if the weather is bad, but it also means the candy will be safe for your children to eat. These are generally done at malls, so you know it’ll be safe.

To continue reading this article, click here.