Author: Toni Marie

We are only a short time away from the holiday season, which means that you need to prepare yourself for some back-to-back spending.

Fortunately, in the season between summer and winter is the time of the year when we can find numerous ways to save more money.

Fall is such a beautiful time of the year and today, I will share with you how you can take advantage of this season to spend less and save more.

Put your gym membership on hold.

Okay, so the last few months of the year will surely be busy, which means that there is a big possibility for you to not be able to go to the gym as often as you can.  That being said, it’s just practical to consider pausing your gym membership.  But that doesn’t mean you also put your fitness routing on hold.  Take advantage of the cooler weather to do your workouts outdoors.  From running, to cycling to hiking on the weekends, the options are endless when it comes to looking for physical activities during the Autumn time.

Use fall produce for your home-cooked meals.

Take advantage of the season’s harvest to make more home-cooked meals using in season produce that will save you loads of money – such as squash, apples, and various types of root crops.

Ditch the heat and air conditioning.

You won’t need air conditioning or heating when the weather is just right, so take advantage of this time to save on energy costs.  Also, use this time to check on your heating and cooling system.  It’s better to have them repaired now than to wait until there’s a problem, which can cost you thousands more.

Time to declutter (and make money out of it).

Spring gets all the credit as the season for cleaning but hey, fall cleaning is a must too!  Get your end of season clean-up game on and declutter your home.  Get rid of the items you don’t use anymore and sell what you can.  Also, it’s a wonderful way to find old Fall clothing pieces and décor that you can reuse instead of spending money on new décor and wardrobe.

Find cheap entertainment.

Autumn is an amazing time to be outdoors.  Instead of shelling out money on other leisure activities, just look for cheap and sometimes free fun activities to do with your friends, family or significant other – like driving around to see the beautiful fall foliage, hiking, apple picking, camping, etc.  Fall is definitely THE time for frugal fun.

Take advantage of Fall sales.

During this time of the year, there will be a lot of sale events coming up that you can take advantage if you want to save money on holiday gifts or other important big purchases.  Just make sure that you will be purchasing what you really need and not just buying them just because they’re on sale.

Find a side hustle.

Lastly, beef up your savings by earning money on the side.  There are lots of money making ideas during the Fall season so take advantage of that.  Check out seasonalemployment.com for some fall job opportunities.

Make sure to keep these ideas on mind so when the holidays come around, you’ll feel more comfortable and financially ready to take on a new season.

We’ve all been there before – making unnecessary purchases that we know are out of our budget.

Going over budget from to time is quite inevitable but for some people, this happens every. single. month, which brings their finances into a downward spiral.

Overspending is a serious problem.  If you find yourself in this situation, it’s time to make a conscious decision to change these bad spending habits before they destroy your life.

Here are 7 ways to help you get through it:

Set goals and write them down.

Having financial goals will motivate and encourage you to stick to your budget and avoid unnecessary spending.  Aside from this, it’s also very helpful to set mini goals for your spending. For example, “not buying new clothes till you’ve worn your other ones” or “only have dinner out once a month instead of once a week.”   Just start small and make them realistic and specific.

Have a budget and stick to it.

Speaking of budget, do you even have one?  If not, then you should start creating one because having a budget is an important tool to prevent you from spending more than you are earning.  A budget will give you a clear picture of how much money comes in – that way, you’ll be able to see your spending limits.  Just to warn you, creating a budget is easy, but sticking to it is hard.  At the end of the day, it still boils down to discipline and self-control.

Know your triggers.

Retail therapy – the practice of shopping in order to make oneself feel more cheerful.  Yup, we’re all familiar of that. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. By identifying your triggers, such as making unnecessary purchases when feeling sad or overspending on food when stressed out, you get to take control over your emotions and manage your feelings the right way.

Just carry cash at all times.

Credit and debit cards take the pain out of “paying.”  It’s the culprit for spending impulsively.  So just drop them and pay cash for your purchases.  This way, you’ll see money leaving from your hands (which I hope will discourage your from making a purchase).

Mute the notifications.

Knowing about the latest offers, bargains and sales from your email subscriptions and social media accounts will surely tempt you to make purchases you don’t even need. To avoid that, turn off the notifications and unsubscribe/ unfollow accounts of retailers and deal sites.

Think before you buy.

No matter how big or small, making random purchases without thinking it through is a toxic habit to your finances.  Here’s one tip – before making any purchase, ask yourself these 4 Questions.

Budget for a little fun.

As much as you want to help yourself stop overspending, know that depriving yourself can do more harm than good.  Yes, getting over self-deprivation ends up being more expensive!  So give yourself some money to enjoy yourself in order keep a positive relationship with your finances.

I hope this article has encouraged you to take the initial steps towards improvement.  I know that you can’t transform your habits overnight but what’s important is that you are committed to make a change and gain control over your finances.

Today, it seems like every type of business have subscription-based services. Aside from the staples such as Mobile phone service, Wi-Fi, home security, people these days have subscriptions to streaming entertainment, weekly meal plans, grocery deliveries, random subscription boxes, digital libraries, dating and photography apps, online storage and so much more.  Just imagine how much Americans spend on all of these?

An article on USA Today, states that most Millennials spend at least $200 a month on subscriptions.  Whew, that’s a lot of money for an average person, don’t you think?

And according to a survey that was conducted by Waterstone, majority of the respondents underestimated the amount of money they spend on subscriptions, which means that most Americans are unaware of what they are actually paying for.

So why are you spending so much money on subscriptions that you don’t even remember signing up for?

To avoid recurring payments for subscriptions that you never even use, here are 5 helpful apps and websites to help you manage all your subscriptions with ease:

1. Bobby

This Apple-exclusive app shows you all the current services you signed up for, the fixed costs, and the total amount you need to pay each month for all your subscriptions.  It supports all currencies and allows you to add subscriptions of any possible payment cycle.  And of course, you get notified when your bill is due or when your free trial is about to end.

However, you have to enter each subscription manually because you can’t link your bank or Paypal account to the app (yet), which in my opinion is more secure and safe.

2. SubscriptMe

Sadly, this app is also for Apple users only.  Just like Bobby, it’s a subscription tracker and a bill reminder at the same time.  But for this app, there’s no need to manually enter each subscription (but you can still do).  The app will just scan your iPhone and inbox to track all active subscriptions.  SubscriptMe is the “subscription tracker” of choice for those of you who can’t remember the services you signed up for.

3. Track My Subs

Good news for those of you who don’t own an Apple device because this website is similar to the two apps mentioned above.  Track My Subs shows you exactly how much you spend ) on recurring bills and alerts you when it’s payment time.  The website is free if you are only managing up to 10 subscriptions; more than that, you have to pay a fee.

4. True Bill 

True Bill (available on iOS & Android) does more than just helping you manage and remember your subscriptions.  First, it automatically requests refunds when your bank charges you an overdraft or late fee.  Second, it can negotiate bills for you without any hassle.  And last, it can cancel unwanted services or fraudulent subscriptions on your behalf.

You need to provide access to your bank and Paypal accounts though.  Don’t worry, the company uses the highest security protocols to not put your data at risk.

5. Trim

This web-based service is a rival to True Bill.  It does everything that Bill can do – it can monitor your subscriptions, send notifications for payments, automate ways for you to save more, and cancel your subscriptions for you.  However, if the cancellation requires additional work like making calls on your behalf, you will be charged a fee of $6.

A lot of you may want to start eating healthy but is hesitant to do so due to a tight budget.  But who says cleaning up your diet means cleaning up your wallet too?

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive.  With these helpful strategies, you can maintain a healthy diet without breaking the bank. (more…)