You don’t have to know a lot about the inner workings of a modern vehicle to save money on car maintenance. A little bit of knowledge about the industry and being willing to get your hands dirty can go a long way toward saving you money on maintenance though. The 15 tips below are a great place to start putting more money back in your pocket.
Mike Greig
Why You Should Avoid MLMs Like The Plague
If you’re interested in personal finance, side hustles and making extra money, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve tried out network marketing at some point.
Even if you haven’t tried it out yourself, you’ve probably had a friend from high school reach out to you on Facebook and say something like: “Hey, it’s been too long, how are you!” And then tactfully direct the conversation towards the new ‘opportunity’ that they are involved in.
Of course, they’d love to get together and tell you more…
23 Fun & Cheap Date Night Ideas (And What To Do With The Kids)
When my wife and I were young and careless (she’s still young, and I’m still careless), the biggest money-drain for us hands down was eating out. It took many different forms: but most often it was some form of date night for the two of us or with friends – pub nights, sushi, ice cream, movies etc. We didn’t really start experimenting with cheap date night ideas until after we had a couple of kids.
Bottom line: it costs a lot of money to eat out.
But for many of us, eating out is the go-to idea for date nights. It’s actually harder to avoid now that we have children because having somebody cook for us (as opposed to three little people throwing fits because they found something green in their dinner) is part of how we relax when we do get out.
That said, there are a lot of ways that you can enjoy a cheap date night with your spouse. You don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant or do some pricey activity. I’ve put together of the best cheap date night ideas that I could find from all around the web. I’m going to reference this list next time I want to take my wife out.
11 Affordable Father’s Day Gifts That Your Dad Actually Wants
So you’re looking for an awesome, affordable gift for Father’s Day? Look no further! I have put together this short list of gifts that Dads actually want for Father’s day, curated by a professional dad.
Like most men, I appreciate when my family thinks to get me a thoughtful gift. That said, I don’t want them breaking the bank on my account, so there’s nothing here over $100.
Your dad was there for you on the sidelines of your sports games, teaching you how to ride a bike or drive a car, and of course, to give you some advice when you needed it.
Now let me offer you some advice of our own. Return that tie that you get him every year, and keep reading to find an awesome gift idea.
Some things to consider
Budget: You don’t have to break the bank to get your dad an awesome gift. In fact, there are a lot of great gifts on this list in the $25 range. No need to go overboard.
Type of Person: What type of guy is your dad? Does he like tech gifts or is he more classic? Outdoorsman or gamer…or both?
Time Frame: There’s not much time left until Father’s Day, so you might want to order your gift online, or be prepared to get it a little late!
Ready to get something awesome for your dad?
Why I Stopped Following Dave Ramsey
There are a lot of Dave Ramsey die-hards in the personal finance community. If you’re a huge Ramsey fan, as I once was, I encourage you to read this post with an open mind and consider my key points on their merit. It’s entirely possible that I’m going to ruffle some feathers with this one, but I’ve decided to stop following Dave Ramsey.
For those of you who are not familiar with him, Dave Ramsey is the outspoken host of a daily radio show that is syndicated all over the USA, and the author of several books including ‘Financial Peace’ and ‘The Total Money Makeover.’ Dave teaches his 7 step program to financial peace. For reference, the steps are:
How We Thrive As A Single Income Family
We have been a single income family since our first daughter was born in 2011. Being at home with our children was something that my wife always wanted. After months of talking about what we wanted our family to look like and what our priorities were, we decided to give it a try.
The last 7 years have been incredibly rewarding and we’re glad we’ve made this decision. Often people ask us how we’re able to get by with only one of us working full-time.
Keep reading and I’m going to show you the tactics that we have used to thrive on one income.
Why a single income family?
This is a tough thing to explain. Deciding to try and make it as a one-income family is a deeply personal decision. Depending on where you live and what type of work your sole breadwinner does, it can be a very expensive and difficult lifestyle to maintain. We live in a very expensive city in Western Canada and it has been a challenge with constantly rising costs and not-so-constantly rising pay.
The Complete Guide To A Zero Based Budget
Do you feel like your financial situation is hopeless? Are you unsure where your money is actually going?
If you’re struggling with money, the first thing that you should do is get yourself on a zero based budget.
Budget? Most of us are excited to budget like we’re excited to stop barefoot on Lego when we get up to pee at 2am.
Take a deep breath, and stick with me. It doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, you could write up a simple budget on a piece of paper on your lunch break.
In my opinion, the best system is zero-based budgeting. Whether you’re using plastic or cash, it’s the simplest way to get your spending on-track.
How To Ask For A Raise At Work
What if I told you that the simplest and fastest way to improve your finances might not be a side hustle, slashing your bills or living on beans and rice?
The best thing you can do to earn more money is to leverage the source of income that you already have – your job. That’s right, if you haven’t asked for a raise at work recently, I’m going to show you exactly how to ask for a raise at work, and how to actually get it!
21 Proven Tips To Save Money On Groceries
If you’re like most families, your food bill takes up more of your monthly budget than anything else except housing and transportation. I’ve talked in the past about how to save money on housing and transportation. Now it’s time to dive into how to save money on groceries.
The truth is, it’s really easy to let your food spending get out of hand. In our family, the food budget is constantly creeping up on us. A while back we ran out of food before we ran out of month, and it sucked.
I wanted to know what happened. We had the same amount of money in the budget that we usually do. I knew it was time to start getting a handle on things.
Have you heard that old saying: ‘what gets measured gets managed’? Your grocery budget is something that needs to be measured and tracked. As with most things when it comes to budgeting, if you stop paying attention to it, it won’t be long before the food spending starts to get out of hand.
How One Couple Makes Thousands Buying And Selling Used Stuff
Today I want to talk to you about what is, in my opinion, the best side hustle out there – a buy and sell business or ‘flipping’ things for profit.
When I say ‘flipping’ you might think of flipping houses or cars but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about one-off, unique and interesting items.
What if I told you that it’s possible to make a full time income flipping stuff that you find at flea markets, yard sales and thrift shops?
Not only is it possible, it’s how Rob and Melissa of Flea Market Flipper make their full time income. In fact, they made more than $133,000 in 2016 selling stuff that they bought from flea markets, thrift shops and yard sales.
