Author Archives: Toni Marie

5 Frugal yet Meaningful Ways to Give Gifts this Holiday Season

In between traveling, back to back parties and shopping for gifts, the holiday season can get pretty overwhelming.  Sadly, gift-giving can sometimes become time-consuming, financially stressful and can easily turn into an obligation, rather than being a heartfelt gesture. Don’t let society pressure you into spending tons of money on lavish gifts because gift-giving doesn’t mean luxurious and expensive.  It’s all about showing appreciation to the people who’ve touched your life. At Read more […]

How to Get the Most Out of your Black Friday Shopping

The BIGGEST shopping day is upon us and with tons of deals, special sale hours and door busters, it can get pretty overwhelming.  Yes, even for the seasoned shoppers. If you really want to make the most out of your shopping experience, you need to have a goal and a plan. To help you plan for this much-awaited shopping day, follow these helpful strategies and increase your savings. Get notified. Get the first dibs on sales and special promotions by […]

How to Budget Using an Envelope System

I’m pretty sure you’re all aware that the key to financial freedom is having a budget system that works for you.  Okay, so every month, you diligently make your budget using different spreadsheets, tools or smartphone apps.  You’ve put in all your income, expenses, financial goals, etc.  Yet, by the 30th or 31st, you still end up spending more than what you’ve planned for at the beginning of that month. So what’s the problem?  The lack of accountability. For you […]

7 Ways to Help You Organize Your Financial Life Physically & Electronically

Having an organized financial life does wonders to your budget and savings.  This also makes your financial goals much easier to achieve.  Do you want to be debt-free?  Build your dream home?  Begin with organizing your finances. Well, it sounds easy but let’s admit it, that’s a huge commitment and a tedious task to keep up with.  But with the help of these easy-to-follow ways, you can stay organized and always on top with our finances. 1. Have a designated […]

6 Helpful Ways to Quickly Boost your Emergency Fund

Having a ready supply of cash for unexpected circumstances such as hospitalizations, job loss, car repairs or even a simple leaky faucet that needs to get fixed as soon as possible, would come handy. Although this critical advice isn’t really new to us, most of us still have a hard time building our savings for the “rainy days.  If you haven’t started with your Emergency Fund, it’s about time you should.  It’s never too late to build one and you […]

8 Easy Ways to Refresh your Finances Now!

Did you know that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February?  We still have less than three months before we welcome another year but we don’t have to wait for New Year’s Eve to give our finances a makeover. Whatever you are waiting to begin, do it now. That said, here are 8 practices that will significantly improve and refresh your finances. 1. Get organized. If you want to start anew, you need to have an organized financial life.  […]

How to Save Money During Halloween

Did you know that there will be 179 million Americans planning to celebrate Halloween this year and are expected to spend $9.1 billion for this spooky holiday?  It seems that the figures keep growing year after year – in 2016, consumers were expected to spend $8.4 billion and $6.9 two years ago.  Wow, Americans truly are passionate about the Halloween festivities.  (National Retail Foundation) But not every American who wants to celebrate Halloween would want to shell out tons of […]

How to Stop Overspending on Your Kids

Moms and Dads only want the best for their children – the best education, the best childhood, the best life.  If they could only give the world, they would.  That’s why parents tend to overspend when it comes to their kids’ needs AND wants.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being a great loving parent who wants to give their children the best of everything.  However, you should know that love isn’t measured by material things and experiences […]

8 Ways to Go Tailgating on a Budget

Fall means football season, and with that comes a series of tailgating parties and events.  Tailgating has already been a fall staple – it’s a great time to spend with family, friends and fellow football fans.  The only drawback is that it can get a little expensive.  Especially if you’re one of those who see football as not just a sport, but a religion (kind of).  Sure, as die-hard fans you can go all-out, but tailgating doesn’t have to break […]

How to Prepare Your Home for Fall and Save Money on Utility Costs

With the first day of autumn officially starting on September 22nd, it’s time to prepare your home to save you money on utility costs.  Because we all know what’s coming next – the holidays! On my previous article, I talked about how to start saving for the holidays but I didn’t mention about energy efficiency tips that will save electricity and money, that will surely help boost your savings. Leave blinds, curtains and drapes open. In the morning, take advantage […]

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