Any time bonds make a big (but not necessarily completely justified) move in the run up to a 3.5-day weekend, we’re inclined to suspect a certain degree of position squaring. In other words, traders who had been betting on an intact trading range sold bonds and pushed rates higher. While that may not be the only way to explain the losses seen late last week, the return of those buyers can help explain a bit of Tuesday’s bounce back. Other factors included European bond market strength and more debt ceiling delays.
Month over month home prices
Case Shiller 0.5 vs 0.0 f’cast, 0.3 prev
FHFA 0.6 vs 0.2 f’cast, 0.5 prev
Year over year home prices
Case Shiller -1.1 vs -1.7 f’cast
FHFA 3.6 vs 4.0 prev
Consumer Confidence
102.9 vs 99.0 f’cast, 104.2 prev
09:50 AM
moderately stronger overnight despite some recent pullback. MBS up 10 ticks (.31). 10yr yield down 2.7 bps at 3.746.
12:45 PM
Additional gains despite stronger consumer sentiment. 10yr down 6.5 bps at 3.708. MBS up 10 ticks (.31) in 5.5 coupons and nearly half a point in 5.0 coupons.
02:57 PM
MBS doing more to join in the rally now. 5.0 coupons up 5/8ths. 5.5 coupons up almost half a point.
Download our mobile app to get alerts for MBS Commentary and streaming MBS and Treasury prices.
Yesterday’s economic data made for a bit of back and forth in the bond market with Fed speakers ultimately riding to the rescue by forwarding the notion of “skipping” a rate hike at the upcoming meeting. Today was a bit different with the AM econ data largely coming across in a bond-friendly manner. This was especially true of Q1 unit labor costs which missed estimates by a wide margin. Traders have increasingly moved on from debt ceiling headlines and are now turning their attention to Friday’s jobs report as casting the tie-breaking vote on whether this week’s events merit a return to the previous 3.4-3.6 range in 10yr yields.
Challenger Job Cuts
80.1k vs 92k f’cast
ADP Employment
278k vs 200k f’cast, 296k prev
Jobless Claims
232k vs 235k f’cast, 229k prev
Q1 Labor Costs
4.2 vs 6.3 f’cast, 3.3 prev
ISM Manufacturing
46.9 vs 49.8 f’cast, 50.2 prev
ISM Prices Paid
44.2 vs 52.0 f’cast, 53.2 prev
08:27 AM
slightly weaker after am data. 10yr down half a bp at 3.65. MBS down just over an eighth, but illiquid.
09:09 AM
Nice bounce back after 8:30am data. MBS up nearly a quarter point and 10yr down 4.4bps at 3.601
02:49 PM
MBS at best levels with 5.0 coupons up 3/8ths. 10yr down 4bps at 3.605
Download our mobile app to get alerts for MBS Commentary and streaming MBS and Treasury prices.
Frugality isn’t just about saving money—it’s about using your money efficiently. And some methods of saving cash take more time and effort than they’re worth. Worse, some habits actually encourage you to spend more.
“What’s a worthwhile money-saving strategy and what’s not depends largely on your personal circumstances,” personal finance expert Stefanie O’Connell tells mental_floss. “For example, when I was making less than $30,000 a year, I would spend hours hacking costs—couchsurfing, taking public transit, DIY-ing everything. At that time, the extra $5 a day or $20 here and there really did make a significant impact on my financial life, even if it took an extra two hours to get somewhere or get a task done.”
O’Connell says that as she started to earn more money, her time became more valuable. The frugal habits that once worked in her favor no longer made sense. “Before I could meet all my monthly expenses and financial goals, I never dreamed of conveniences like taking a cab to the airport,” she says. “I only began to consider convenience over saving once I could more than meet my monthly expenses and financial goals.”
Your own mileage will vary, too, but we asked a few personal finance experts which money-saving habits generally aren’t worth it.
1. CLIPPING COUPONS
Depending on your method, couponing can be quite a bit of work. “You’ll spend valuable time, attention, and mental bandwidth tracking and organizing your coupons,” Paula Pant of Afford Anything tells mental_floss. “But at best, you’ll save only a small amount of money, and at worst, you’ll wind up buying items you don’t need.”
Pant has a point. Coupons actually encourage consumers to spend more, and they usually succeed in doing so. A 2003 study from NYU [PDF] found that customers actually spent more money on items when they shopped with coupons. According to the study, “When coupons were not clipped, [the households surveyed] were very value conscious and paid an average of $0.51 for soups but when they purchased the category using coupons, their average spending increased to 0.66.”
Personal finance writer Victor Lim has made his own case for resisting the couponing trend: “The thought of spending time searching for coupons, clipping them, and driving around town to score a whole bunch of free toilet paper makes my head spin,” Lim tells mental_floss. “While saving a buck or two is nice, I’d rather focus on bigger and consistent savings.”
2. BUYING SECOND-HAND PRODUCTS
While buying used items can save you money, the risk might in some cases outweigh the reward. Jonas Sickler of ConsumerSafety.org says the most important thing to keep in mind when looking to buy second-hand is to consider the dangers associated with buying certain products—especially baby items like car seats, cribs, and strollers—without knowing the items’ quality or where they came from. “Frequently these items might be recalled, or simply outdated and no longer meet today’s safety standards. They may also be damaged, worn, or missing certain parts that make them unsafe for babies,” Sickler says.
You can look up recalls for all kinds of consumer products, from appliances to children’s products, on Recalls.gov.
3. BARGAIN SHOPPING
It’s fun to hop around garage sales and yard sales—just don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re saving money when do you so, says Pant. “Scavenging from sale to sale consumes hours of your precious free time, locks you into a consumer mentality, and baits you into buying items you don’t need.”
The same goes for outlet shopping. Just because you score a great deal on a bunch of stuff doesn’t mean you’re “saving” money. Before whipping out your wallet, ask yourself whether the items you’re about to purchase are ones you actually need.
4. GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY FOR GAS
“Once or twice a week, a lot of folks will ‘take the long way home’ to fill their gas tanks at an off-brand gas station that usually has the lowest prices in the area,” says Timothy G. Wiedman, a retired Associate Professor of Management & Human Resources at Doane University in Nebraska. Wiedman suggests considering a couple of factors in order to determine whether this practice is worth it.
First, you want to consider the amount of cash you’ll actually save: “If my 3500-pound SUV only gets 16 MPG in city traffic and I’m driving a total of 14 miles out of my way to tank up, is saving 9 cents a gallon when filling a 24-gallon gas tank cost-effective?”
Second, you want to consider the value of your free time. Is it worth the savings? “A lot of folks who consider themselves to be frugal, are actually penny-wise and pound foolish,” Weidman says.
There’s a case to be made for all of these habits. Maybe you like couponing or thrift store shopping—there’s certainly nothing wrong with spending money on things you enjoy. At the same time, you want to be mindful of your money habits, and that means acknowledging the time and effort involved with them.
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Have you ever gone over your budget only to find you’ve overspent on food? With food being the third-highest household expense behind housing and transportation, our food choices have a huge impact on our budget.
Learning how to budget groceries can help you save more to put toward your financial goals. Here are 28 ways to help you learn how to budget groceries.
1. Track current spending
Before you figure out what you should be spending on food, it’s important to figure out what you are spending on food. Keep grocery store receipts to get a realistic picture of your current spending habits. It might help to break down spending by category (via a spreadsheet or on paper), including beverages, produce, etc. Once you’ve done this, you can get an idea of where you need to trim down your grocery bill.
2. Allocate a percentage of your income
How much each household spends on food varies based on income and how many people need to be fed. Consider using our budget calculator if you’re not sure where to start. Try allocating 10% of your income to food as a starting point and then you can increase from there.
3. Avoid eating out
Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a 13% increase in food spending in the U.S. — a jump driven by rising purchases on dining out. Avoiding eating out where possible can help reduce your overall food spending. If you’re actively dating or enjoy restaurants with friends, be sure to factor eating away from home into your food budget — and stick to your limit.
4. Plan your meals
It’s much easier to stick to a budget when you have a plan. Plus, having a purpose for each grocery item you buy may help ensure nothing goes to waste or just sits in your pantry unused. Don’t be afraid of simple salads or meatless Mondays — not every meal has to be a gourmet experience.
5. Keep a fridge grocery list
Keep a magnetized grocery list on your fridge so that you can replace items as needed. This can help you buy food you know you’ll eat. Sticking to a list in the grocery store may help you stay accountable and not spend money on processed or pricey items.
6. Eat before you go to the store
If your mother gave you this advice growing up, she was onto something: according to studies, shoppers spend more when hungry. Eating before going to the grocery store may help you avoid tantalizing foods that can cause you to go overbudget.
7. Be careful with coupons
Getting 50% off ketchup is a great deal — unless you don’t need ketchup. Beware of coupons for items you don’t need. If the item isn’t on your list, you’re not saving at all, but rather spending on something you don’t truly need.
8. Embrace the bulk section
The bulk section of your grocery store may help you find inexpensive staples, discover new foods and bring variety into your diet. Take the time to compare the price of prepackaged goods versus bulk — bulk is likely cheaper.
9. Bring lunch to work
Picture this: you’re trying to stick to a food budget, and one day at work you realize it’s lunchtime but you forgot to pack a lunch. All the meal planning and smart shopping in the world won’t help if you don’t have food when you need it.
10. Love your leftovers
Instead of throwing your leftovers away, try to eat them to avoid wasting money. To keep things interesting, look for ways to repurpose foods — yesterday’s leftover taco meat can become today’s shepherd’s pie.
11. Keep an inventory
Keeping a list on your fridge of what you have on hand can help you avoid food waste and get creative when meal planning. And it’s a great way to get the most use out of grocery items that are sold larger quantities than you need for a single recipe. Not sure what to do with that giant bunch of celery or box of spinach you have left over from another recipe? Try out some online recipe blogs or sites that offer recipe ideas based off a few ingredients you input.
12. Freeze foods that are going bad
Another way to avoid wasting food is to freeze things that look like they’re about to go bad. Fruit that’s past its prime can be frozen and used in smoothies. Make double batches of soups, sauces and baked goods so you’ll have an alternative to ordering takeout when you don’t feel like cooking.
13. Use curbside pickup
About 29% of shoppers admitted that seeing an item that looked too good to pass up led to impulse purchases. Using curbside pickup can help prevent you from purchasing unplanned items.
14. Check the top and bottom shelves
Wise grocery stores know that eye level is where the most sales happen. In fact, consumers select about 80% more products at eye level than at the bottom shelf. So next time you’re out shopping, take a quick look up and down — you may find a better deal hidden out of sight.
Additional grocery saving tips
Need more ideas on how to save on your food bill? Here are some additional tips that can help.
Choose generic — One survey found that 50% of people said opting for generic products over name brand helped them save on groceries.
Drink more water — Recent data found that 17% of consumers cut back on purchasing beverages at the store due to rising inflation. Drinking more water may help you save what you would’ve otherwise spent on beverages.
Pay with cash — Try going to the grocery store with cash — and only what you’ve budgeted for. Leave your credit or debit card at home. After all, you can’t spend what you can’t pay for.
Buy what’s in season — Food prices can vary depending on whether they are in season or not. When foods are out of season, they may be scarce — and therefore more expensive. Try to stick to buying foods that are in season.
Grow your own herbs — Herbs at your local grocery store might sometimes be expensive. Growing your own is one way to cut back on your grocery bill.
Plan a meatless meal — Beef prices increased for three years straight from 2020 to 2022, and the USDA predicts other meat categories will rise in price in 2023. By planning a meatless meal every so often, you may be able to save some money on your grocery bill.
Buy cheaper cuts of meat — Not all cuts of meat cost the same. You may be able to save money by choosing chicken thighs over chicken breasts, ground chuck over sirloin and pork loin over pork chops.
Ask for a discount — This won’t always work, but if you notice your food is close to expiring, ask the cashier for a discount. You may be able to save yourself a few dollars.
Learn how to preserve food — If you have some fruit that’s going bad in your home, you may be able to preserve it by making and canning jam. Hopefully the more food you can save in your home, the less you’ll need to buy at the store.
Keep a running tally while you shop — Jotting down the prices of items you put in your cart or quickly crunching the numbers in your phone’s calculator can help you stay more aware of how much you’re spending.
Buy canned food — Canned food is often less expensive than fresh foods, so buying canned could stretch your food budget.
Shop sales — If you notice a food you often eat goes on sale, stock up if you have room in your budget. While you may spend more than you normally would up front, you’ll save yourself from having to purchase the item at full price in the future.
Use rebate apps — Some apps provide cash back on certain purchases. Check to see if the items you need to buy at your next shopping trip may qualify.
Sign up for your store’s loyalty program — Some grocery stores have points or loyalty programs that can provide you with extra discounts when you shop.
Bottom line
Sticking to a food budget can take planning and discipline. However, learning how to budget groceries by being resourceful and cooking healthily is a skill that can benefit you for years to come.
Earn cash back on select debit purchases with Credit Karma Money™ Spend.
Our rights as women have come a long way since we earned the power to vote on August 26, 1920.
But the financial playing field between men and women still isn’t level. Not even close.
To help you make waves in your own financial life, I interviewed several Millennial and Gen Z women to find out what financial advice they’d give to other women today
Here’s what they had to say.
What’s Ahead:
1. “Don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary.”
Anna Barker, Founder of LogicalDollar, offered me this advice.
There’s no question that it can be scary to ask for more money. Especially as women, we often internalize the feeling that we’re going to be seen as pushy or demanding if we ask for a raise.
However, various studies show this is actually one of the reasons women end up earning less over their lifetimes than men, who tend to be more likely to ask for more money.
2. “Take advantage of any employer match ASAP.”
Barker also talked with me about retirement. One of the best things that you can do for your future financial security is to start investing as early as possible.
If your employer offers any matching of your 401(k) contributions, this is basically free money and you should do everything you can to invest up to the limit of the match.
3. “Avoid high-interest debt.”
According to Barker, a big money mistake that a lot of women in their 20s and 30s make is signing up for high-interest credit cards. To be clear, credit cards can actually be a great tool if used correctly — which primarily involves paying the balance off in full by the end of each billing cycle.
The problems start to arise once those interest-free periods run out and you realize you’re not able to immediately pay off the debt you’ve accrued.
4. “It is SO cliché, so hear me out… please start saving early for retirement!”
Heather Albrecht, Financial Coach and Founder of Balance Financial Coaching, discussed this with me.
It’s hard because when you’re young, you seem to have SUCH a long time until that money is needed. But the math doesn’t lie.
Starting young makes it easier because you can save less. Gosh, I wish I had made the space in our spending plan to save earlier even though it seemed impossible. The $25 here or there would have been huge by now.
5. “Start using a spending plan or budget. Zero it out each month, and save the rest.”
Albrecht also spoke with me here. And I have to say if I had been able to get myself into the mindset of “saving money is spending money on my future freedom” at a younger age, there would have been a lot less stress at times.
Budgeting doesn’t have to be difficult, either. Just pick the right method and it’ll become just another habit.
6. “As a Millennial myself, the best money advice I would give women in their 20s and 30s is to diversify how you save and spend money.”
Siobhan Alvarez, Founder of Budget Baby Budget, shared this wisdom with me.
I am a big believer in not being dependent on one checking and savings account! I have a long-term high-yield savings account for an emergency fund, a savings account at my local bank for big purchases, a checking account for everyday expenses; and a checking account for fun purchases throughout the month.
This has helped me not only pay off a huge amount of debt over the past few years but do it in a way so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on life and fun!
7. “Protect yourself and your people financially.”
Brittney Burgett, Head of Communications at Bestow, gave this little nugget of advice. Emergency savings, disability insurance, and life insurance matter, especially if you have financial dependents.
Insurance, in particular, is more affordable to buy the younger and healthier you are. I, for example, have life insurance because I own a home.
My mom is my beneficiary, so if anything were to happen to me, the payout from a policy would enable her to continue the mortgage payments and decide later on what to do with my house — keep it, rent it or sell it. Life insurance would give her flexibility when it’s needed most.
8. “Educate yourself so you understand how money, interest, and debt works.”
Lindsay Feldman, Publicist and Founder of BrandBomb Marketing, broke down this for me.
It wasn’t until I really started reading financial books and listening to podcasts that I really began to take control over my financial situation. Understanding how money, interest, and debt works are key to being able to make your money work for you. I look at everything differently now which has empowered me to make smarter decisions.
9. “Sign up for Experian Boost. It’s free and will report monthly bills that generally don’t boost your credit like a phone bill, gas, and power!”
Feldman offered up a way for folks to finally help their credit the easy way. Experian Boost™ is free and it takes just a few minutes to sign-up.
Always be on the lookout for ways to improve your credit – it’ll only help you in the long run.
Feldman shares a great tip that can help homeowners own their home sooner (and pay wayyy less in interest). If it’s possible, work those extra payments into your budget.
11. “When it comes to money, you can have your cake and eat it too.”
Youmna Rab, Founder of Brilliantly Budgeting offered me this quote.
You don’t need to save every penny you earn and give up your favorite indulgences like spa days or dinners out.
If you make a plan for your money, you can enjoy what you like while also saving money for the future.
12. “Do not share bank accounts with anyone you’re dating but not married to, even if you live together.”
Shannon Vissers, the Financial and Retail Analyst of Merchant Maverick, shared some tough love here.
If you break up or your partner spends on things you don’t agree with, you’ll have no legal recourse to get your money back apart from suing them in small claims or court (which is expensive and stressful and may not go in your favor).
13. “Do not lease your car. Take out a loan instead.”
Vissers makes a good point here as well. A lease is essentially a very expensive car rental, and it’s a bad choice unless you’re wealthy enough to comfortably afford this luxury.
This doesn’t mean you can’t get a new car when you’re young. Rather than leasing a car out of your price range, opt to finance a cute, reliable car that you’ll own in three or five years (ideally three). You’ll build credit history this way and, in a few years, you won’t even have a monthly car payment.
14. “Be a minimalist, especially if you rent.”
While this tip may not be for everyone, there’s a good reason Visser’s offers this pearl of wisdom as well.
A good case can be made for spending on experiences when you’re young – trips, concerts, etc. — but overspending on retail goods is another story. Ever heard of the saying, what you own, owns you?
It’s true.
Remember, you’ll have to deal with all your clothes, shoes, furniture, kitchen items, knick-knacks, etc. the next time you move — and your headaches will be compounded if you have to move to a smaller place.
15. “The greatest gift you can give yourself is to save and invest early.”
Sarah Jane Paulson, CFP® at Valkyrie Financial, gave me this bit of guidance.
The classic pay yourself first mentality is the easiest way to a financially strong future. Build that emergency fund (or F*** You fund, if you prefer) of three to six months worth of expenses in a separate account other than your everyday checking.
Then go out and open an IRA or Roth for yourself. Put your money into cheap, diverse index funds and keep adding to it. The greatest money strength you have on your side is that you have years for the market to create an avalanche out of the first few snowflakes of money you invest.
16. “Becoming a financially grown-up woman means unlearning a lot of money lessons society taught us as girls: that men are better at money and math (they’re not), that investing is scary (it’s not), and that the best route to financial stability is to marry a high earner (absolutely not!).”
Sara Rathner, credit cards expert at NerdWallet, wanted to share this with other women.
So throw all those old lessons in the garbage, because that’s where it belongs. Now, today, learn everything you can about managing your finances on your own.
There is nothing more empowering than being the boss of your own life, and of being an equal partner in your relationships. No one will ever care as much about your money as you will.
17. “Surround yourself with people with similar money values.”
Sue Hirst, Co-Founder and CFO of CFO On-Call shared her experience when we talked.
When I was in my 20s, I used to hang out with many people who didn’t share my money values. As a result, almost every time I went out with my friends, I splurged money recklessly due to peer pressure.
This was one of the top reasons I was unable to save as much money as I would have liked each month. Looking back, I wish I had either told my friends directly that I wasn’t comfortable spending huge amounts of money routinely, or made new friends whose financial values aligned with my own.
18. “Make saving a habit as soon as you start making income.”
Imani Francies, Finance Expert at US Insurance Agents, shared this little mind shift.
Saving becomes easier when you look at yourself with the same significance that you look at your power bill or any other bill. No matter what, you are going to do your best to pay your power bill. You should feel the same way about putting money into your savings.
Paying yourself first every month is investing in your future. Even if you can only put $5 into a savings account once a month, start early.
19. “Budget, but give yourself room to indulge.”
Lisa Thompson, Savings Expert at Coupons.com, offered up ALLLL the good tips when I spoke with her.
What’s your weakness: designer handbags, weekend getaways, fine dining with a great bottle of champagne? Make room for things you love by controlling what you spend in other areas.
20. “Cash back offers are everywhere, from brands like Rakuten, to credit card perks, to apps like Coupons.com. Use them!”
Thompson also offers this bit of advice. Refuse to pay full price for anything until you’ve looked for an offer. If you can pair a coupon or cash back offer with a store discount or sale, bam! That’s a savvy way to shop.
21. “Learn to use credit cards wisely.”
To tack on, Thompson also had this to say.
She makes a good point, too. Today, there are so many options for credit cards that offer perks from cash back to miles to points, as well as incentives, like a free Dash Pass for DoorDash or money toward a Peloton membership. The key, of course, is to not carry a balance and pay so much interest that it cancels out the perks. But if you can learn to use credit cards wisely by paying them off each month, the perks and incentives can help make everything from dining out to travel more affordable.
22. “Get a side gig by turning a passion into a money-making opportunity.”
Finally, Thompson ended our conversation with the quote above.
Do you love essential oils? Make balms, rollerballs, and pillow sprays, and sell them on Etsy or at pop-up shops.
Do you love thrifting, going to estate sales, and visiting antique shops? Find items worth more than what you’re paying and resell them! Facebook Marketplace is the perfect spot for that, and it’s free.
If you can turn a hobby into a source of income, that’s extra money for you to invest, save, or use as your slush/entertainment fund.
23. “Know your worth and advocate for yourself when negotiating.”
Amy Maliga, Personal Finance Consultant at Take Charge America, tells it like it is with her wise advice above.
Since the gender pay gap is still a real thing (ugh), it’s important to do your research on salaries for your position and advocate for yourself when negotiating a new job or discussing your annual performance review.
24. “Set goals and actively work toward them.”
Maliga offered me a simple but strong piece of advice above.
Whether it’s buying a home, starting a business, or embarking on world travel, setting financial goals gives a structure and framework to how you plan your finances.
25. “Forget FOMO. Don’t be afraid to say no.”
Maliga also makes a good point here.
TikTok made me buy it – or did it?
It’s way too easy to shop these days, and social media knows exactly what it takes to get you to press “add to cart.” When you’re tempted to buy something you hadn’t planned on, or friends are trying to talk you into activities you can’t afford, keep those long-term financial goals in mind, and don’t be afraid to say no.
Summary
We celebrate Women’s Equality Day every August 26th to commemorate the day the 19th Amendment finally recognized that women have the right to vote. But that same equality hasn’t trickled to the financial space yet, where the gender pay gap, wealth gap, and investing gap still exist today.
We’ve made a lot of progress over the decades, but a lot still needs to happen at the company, state, and national levels to achieve equal pay and equal opportunities for equal work. Until then, I hope these financial tips from awesome Millennial and Gen Z women serve as inspiration for how you can up the ante in your own financial life.
Are there any tips you’d add to the list? Let me know in the comments below!
This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
Last updated – July 30, 2022
A while ago, I created an acronym for how “Saving money is simple!” In fact, if you can SPELL simple, you can save. It really is S.I.M.P.L.E. to save money if you follow these steps:
Start small. Try to avoid heading to more than one or two stores to shop. If you are driving around the city chasing deals, you are not only wasting fuel, but you are also wasting your time, and it can end up costing you more in the long run. Also, don’t try to get every deal in the store where you shop, as it can be overwhelming at first, and you can quickly get “coupon burnout.”
Invest in a good coupon organizing system. When your coupons and loyalty cards are easy to find, then they are easier to use and end up saving you more money. We’ve got some tips on How to Organize Your Coupons.
Marketing Schemes can cost you more. Just because you see something marked down to 2/$3, it may not be a good deal. Lift the tag and check the original price – if it is normally $1.54, then this is really not a sale. Another one to avoid is deals that are limited. This is another ploy to get you to think that it is such a good deal that they have had to limit the quantities purchased.
Plan Ahead. Before you think about shopping, plan your meals for the week. Then, make a shopping list to take with you to the store. Pull out the coupons you will want to use and place them with your shopping list and loyalty card, so you are ready before you head out to shop. Read more about menu planning.
Look at your per unit prices. When you see a 32 oz bottle of ketchup on sale for $2.50, you may think that is a great deal. However, if the 16 oz bottles are regularly priced at $1.20, you would be better off purchasing two smaller products rather than one larger one.
Eat before you shop. When you shop on an empty stomach, you end up with more impulse purchases.
Just remember this key word and you’ll easily be on the path to saving money.
Domestic Events Mostly Overshadowed by European Influence
By:
Matthew Graham
Wed, May 31 2023, 3:58 PM
Domestic Events Mostly Overshadowed by European Influence
While we can trace some of this morning’s back and forth market movement to domestic economic data (Chicago PMI helped, JOLTS hurt), it was the European market hand-off that set the tone for today’s US rate rally. The only major contribution from a domestic standpoint would be several Fed speakers hitting the wires talking about “skipping” the next rate hike at the upcoming meeting.
Chicago PMI
40.4 vs 47.3 c’cast, 48.6 prev
Job Openings
10.1m vs 9.2m f’cast, 9.6m prev
08:53 AM
decently stronger overnight, but losing ground since 8:20am. MBS still up 1 tick (0.03) in 5.5 coupons and 5 ticks (.16) in 5.0 coupons. 10yr down 2bps at 3.673.
11:37 AM
Some back and forth surrounding AM econ data. 10yr down 4bps at 3.654. MBS up a quarter point.
03:03 PM
Additional gains in the PM hours. 10yr down 5.3bps at 3.641 and MBS up 3/8ths of a point.
03:53 PM
Best levels of the day with 10yr down 7.8bps at MBS up half a point.
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There has probably been at least one point in everyone’s life when they have engaged in a bad money habit. However, it’s best to realize your bad money habit now rather than later!
I believe it’s much better to realize your problem as soon as you can so that you can take action towards changing for the better. Doing so can help you improve your financial situation for years to come.
Understanding your bad money habits and making a change can help you stop living paycheck to paycheck, eliminate debt, pursue your passion, save for your goals, reach retirement, and more.
Here are several bad money habits that may be making you broke.
Keeping up with the Joneses – what a bad money habit!
I’m sure almost everyone, at one point in their life, has felt the need to keep up with the Joneses.
Whether you are five years old and want that new toy everyone is playing with, or if you are 40 years old and are feeling the need to upgrade your house, car, etc., everyone has experienced it.
The problem with this is that keeping up with the Joneses can make you broke.
VERY broke.
When trying to keep up with the Joneses, you might spend money you do not have. You might put expenses on credit cards to (in a pretend world) “afford” things. You might buy things that you do not care about. The problems can go on and on.
This can lead to a significant amount of debt.
Keeping up with the Joneses is not worth it because:
You will never be happy, no matter how much money you spend.
You will constantly compare yourself to EVERYONE.
You will go into debt because that’s the only way you feel like you can keep up.
You will have a loan payment for everything because that’s the only way you can “afford” everything.
You won’t have any money leftover for retirement, an emergency fund, etc. because you’re spending it all on things you do not need.
Instead, you should figure out why you want to keep up with the Joneses, think about your own life and your own goals, realize that jealousy won’t get you anywhere, and try your best to live within your means.
Related:
Letting your emotions take control of your spending.
Emotional spending is a bad money habit that many people take part in. It’s one you should stop, because it doesn’t cure any problems.
According to NerdWallet, the average US household (who has debt) has an average credit card debt of $15,611, and I’m sure some of that is due to emotional spending.
Emotional spending occurs for many different reasons. You may have had a bad day at work, a fight with your loved one, and so on. You might even be spending because you are so stressed out about the amount of spending you have done.
To end your emotion spending habit, I recommend:
Figuring out the amount of debt you have. You’ll most likely be shocked, and hopefully this will persuade you to change your spending habits and the way you deal with stress.
Understanding why you spend when you’re stressed. In order to stop stress spending, you need to really think about why you have this problem. Without understanding your problem, you might just keep falling into the same cycle over and over again.
Thinking about your financial goals, so that you can stay motivated.
Finding different ways to deal with stress.
Sticking to a budget.
Not facing your debt.
Too many people never face their debt and don’t even know how much debt they have.
By not thinking about your total debt figure, it may seem less real and a way to run away from it. However, that will catch up to you in many ways, such as high interest charges, a bad credit score, numerous phone calls from debt collectors, possible paycheck garnishments, and more.
The first step to paying off your debt is to face it. You should add up your total debt, learn more about the debt you have, and create a plan to eliminate it.
Ignoring the importance of financial education.
Many people do not fully understand how credit cards work, how to improve their credit score, and more. However, if more people were educated on financial issues, this could lead to less debt, better managed budgets, and more.
I recommend diving into a good personal finance book, bookmarking your favorite financial blogs, staying up-to-date on the latest things going on in personal finance, and more.
Thinking you don’t need a budget.
Too many people go without a budget, because they believe they don’t need one. Sadly, many people believe that budgets are only for “poor” people, people who are horrible with money, and so on.
But, that just isn’t the case, at all. Nearly everyone needs some form of budget, even if that means just comparing your income and your expenses each month.
Budgets are great, because they keep you mindful of your income and expenses. With a budget, you will know exactly how much you can spend in a category each month, how much you have to work with, what spending areas need to be evaluated, among other things.
Budgets have helped people reach their goals, pay off debt, make more money, retire, and more.
Believing you’re invincible.
While I always try to stay positive and am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking, I do believe that everyone should have an emergency fund. However, many people have no emergency fund whatsoever, and this is a bad money habit.
There are many reasons to have an emergency fund:
An emergency fund can help you if you lose your job. No matter how stable you think your job is, there is always a chance that something could happen.
An emergency fund is wise if you do not have great health insurance or have a large annual deductible.
An emergency fund is a good idea if you have a car and need repairs.
An emergency fund is a need if you own a home. One of the lucky things that homeowners often get to deal with is an unexpected home repair. Having an emergency fund can help you if your basement floods, if a hole forms in your roof, and more.
Emergency funds are always good to have, because they give you peace of mind when something costly happens in your life. Instead of building onto your stress, you will know you can still afford to pay your bills and worry about more important things.
Being afraid of investing.
One of the biggest bad money habits is that far too many people are afraid of investing and never start.
Here are some reason to invest:
You can retire one day.
You never know what may happen in the future, so preparing now is important.
You can allow your money to grow over time.
I always say, the first thing you need to do if you want to start investing is to just jump in. You’ll never learn unless you make an attempt.
Read more at The 6 Steps To Take To Invest Your First Dollar – Yes, It’s Really This Easy!
If you are new to my blog, I am all about finding ways to make and save more money. Here are some of my favorite sites and products that may help you out:
Start a blog. Blogging is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I earn over $70,000 a month online through my blog and you can read more about this in my monthly online income reports. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
Sign up for a website like Ebates where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free $10 gift card bonus to Macys, Walmart, Target, or Kohls!
Answer surveys. Survey companies I recommend include Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, Pinecone Research, and Harris Poll Online. They’re free to join and free to use! You get paid to answer surveys and to test products. It’s best to sign up for as many as you can as that way you can receive the most surveys and make the most money.
Save money on food. I recently joined $5 Meal Plan in order to help me eat at home more and cut my food spending. It’s only $5 a month (the first two weeks are free too) and you get meal plans sent straight to you along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well!
I highly recommend Credible for student loan refinancing. You can lower the interest rate on your student loans significantly by using Credible which may help you shave thousands off your student loan bill over time.
Cut your TV bill. Cut your cable, satellite, etc. Even go as far to go without Netflix or Hulu as well. Buy a digital antenna (this is the one we have) and enjoy free TV for life.
Try InboxDollars. InboxDollars is an online rewards website I recommend. You can earn cash by taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, searching the web, redeeming grocery coupons, and more. Also, by signing up through my link, you will receive $5.00 for free just for signing up!
Find a part-time job. There are many part-time jobs that you may be able to find. You can find a job on sites such as Snagajob, Craigslist (yes, I’ve found a legitimate job through there before), Monster, and so on.
Lower your cell phone bill. Instead of paying the $150 or more that you spend on your cell phone bill, there are companies out there like Republic Wireless that offer cell phone service starting at $10. YES, I SAID $10! If you use my Republic Wireless affiliate link, you can change your life and start saving thousands of dollars a year on your cell phone service. I created a full review on Republic Wireless as well if you are interested in hearing more. I’ve been using them for over a year and they are great.
Ten years ago, my husband and I began our journey to pay off more than $37,000 in debt. It took a little more than 2 years, but we reached our goal.
Was it easy? Not at all. But, it was worth it.
As you read my posts, it may seem like I have a great system to help teach others to get out of debt. I know what to do and what to avoid. But, that wasn’t always the case.
When we began our journey, we knew nothing. In fact, we made a lot of mistakes. A LOT of them. In the moment, we felt as if we knew nothing. However, looking back, we had to make those mistakes in order to reach our goal to become debt free.
Other helpful articles:
MISTAKES WE MADE WHEN GETTING OUT OF DEBT
Which mistakes did we make and how did we overcome them? I’m giving you insight into my life, so you can avoid making these same blunders while you work yourself out of debt.
1. Not knowing our spending patterns
We really did not look at what we were spending our money. Not doing so led us to make the second mistake getting out of debt.
When we took the time to develop our spending plan, we had a more accurate picture of our spending lifestyle
2. We didn’t have a complete budget
As mentioned above, we didn’t really know where were were spending money. As a result, some of our first budgets were not accurate. They weren’t even close.
Once you have a workable budget, you will be able to see where your money goes.
3. Not changing our lifestyle
Getting out of debt should not be fun. It should not be easy. In the beginning of our journey, we tried to life the same life we had all long. When we finally woke up and said, “DUH!” we were able to change things, such as dining out and were on track to get out of debt.
The lifestyle we lived was why we had debt. Without making this change, we were not only destined to make the same mistakes, but also create more challenges for ourselves to pay off our debt.
4. Not understanding our money attitude
When I declared bankruptcy in 2002, it was the lowest moment of my life. I knew I never wanted to go down that path again. Sure, I knew I should not get into debt, but the problem was that I didn’t know the why behind what lead me there.
Once I figured out my attitude towards money, then things started to change. My husband did the same. And, our views were not the same at all. Not even close. That lead us to mistake #5.
5. Not being on the same page with one another
Have a different view money was another mistake I made when getting out of debt. I had my thoughts. He had his. We started having several discussions about money. We learned more about not only one another, but also about ourselves.
Once we had these discussions, we were able to have more compassion and understanding about one another and worked together to develop a plan that worked for both of us.
6. Not finding more ways to save
We can all do better about saving money. Even years later, I still need reminders and ideas to help us save money. When we were getting out of debt, we just tried to make the budget work as it was.
We did make some lifestyle changes, such as scaling back on cable and not dining out. However, we didn’t look at other ways to lower our spending.
The first line item I looked at was groceries. We were spending more than $150 a week on groceries – for our family of 4! I knew I had to find a way to save. At that time, the only option available was coupons. There were not some of the great apps such as Ibotta, Target Cartwheel or Checkout 51. Once I figured out how to make those coupons work for our family, our spending went down and we had more money for our debt.
As great as it was to reduce our spending, the best thing that came from me figuring out these money saving tactics was this site.
7. Not making more money
When we were working on getting out of debt, I was a stay-at-home mom. My husband was making a decent income. I did not want to get a job. But, if we really wanted to get out of debt quickly, I had to find a way to make money.
As stated in #6 above, I began to make changes to our grocery budget and started my site. After I began my site, I realized that I could make money doing this! Once I figured that out, I started working even harder so I could make even more.
This site is one of the reasons we were able to pay off our debt as quickly as we did. The additional money we made went towards our debt. Every. Single. Penny.
While starting a blog is one way to make money, there are countless other ideas and tactics you can use to increase your income by working for yourself or trying out unique side hustles.
8. Not having a goal in mind
When we started, we just said that we wanted to get out of debt. However, that wasn’t really a “goal” per se. Once we said that we wanted to get out of debt so we could save to buy a new pickup, we had an actual goal.
Getting out of debt is a goal, but it did not have a prize at the end for us. We couldn’t picture a life without debt, but we could imagine that pick-up sitting in the driveway.
A clearly defined goal really helped us figure out what we really wanted to achieve by getting out of debt.
9. Keeping our plan visible
We started off right away by creating a debt snowball. So, we knew what we wanted to do. However, the numbers were on Excel, on a computer. It wasn’t visual.
One day, I decided to make a list and put it on fridge. Each time we saw it, we could see where we were before and where we were headed. That visual reminder helped us know that we did not need to go out to dinner. It kept my weekly grocery budget where it needed to be.
Not only that, but we had pride in what we were doing. We saw that we had already paid of $x in debt. That was to be celebrated as it wasn’t easy, but we were doing it.
If you’re just starting your journey to get out of debt, don’t worry. You will probably also make mistakes along the way. Hopefully, after reading this, you’ll avoid making the same mistakes we did. But, regardless of what happens, just be sure to learn from them and keep moving forward to your goal.
Save more, spend smarter, and make your money go further
Daily deal websites are a dime a dozen these days, from Groupon, to Living Social and Tippr, to the hundreds of smaller sites aspiring to ride the wave of group buying success.
To be sure, the deals can be pretty great. But signing up to get all of the alerts means your inbox will be inundated with daily deal emails, not to mention the time you’ll spend sifting through to find those that meet your needs.
Enter daily deal aggregators. A handful of companies are doing the work for you by aggregating all of the Internet deals into one place. Some will send you targeted deals while others will list all of the deals per day on their site. Yahoo is even incorporating offline deals like direct marketer coupons into its service. Either way, these free services promise to take the work out of discount hunting and leave you with what you’re truly after: the discounts.
YipIt offers up recommendations
Unless you’ve been living under a rock in the past year, you’ve probably heard of Groupon and LivingSocial — the two biggest group-buying daily deal websites. But there are hundreds of smaller ones out there. YipIt, a New York-based daily deal aggregator, had mulled launching a daily deal service, but decided instead to be an aggregator, betting that the number of daily deal sites will explode — which has happened, indeed.
“It’s very easy to launch one of these deal websites so we took a bet with the new service and launched in five cities,” in February, says Jim Moran, co-founder of YipIt. At launch, YipIt counted 2,000 users. Less than a year later, it is now in twenty cities, with 85,000 subscribers.
Recognizing that people don’t want deals for the sake of the deal, YipIt customized its service so that subscribers only get offered deals that are relevant to them. Subscribers get to pick and choose their categories of interest. Let’s say you’re into spas and shopping, but don’t eat out much. YipIt will only send you deals on spas and shopping and not flood your inbox with restaurant discounts. “If we don’t find anything that matches your preferences, we won’t send it to you,” Moran says.
YipIt makes money from the daily deal websites, but Moran said the company maintains its independence and won’t be swayed to feature one deal more prominently than another. Subscribers only get seven offers a day, even though YipIt works with close to 250 sites.
“We have a team of about 15 curators that work around the country to ensure that the smaller sites still get attention,” he says.
Yahoo takes it online and off
Not to be left out of the daily deal craze, in November Internet heavyweight Yahoo announced it would be getting into the local deal aggregation market with its Yahoo Local service. Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo inked partnerships with twenty companies to provide a combination of daily deals and discounts from local direct marketers like ValPak, which sends coupon books to people’s homes. Some of Yahoo’s partners include Groupon, LivingSocial, Gilt City and BuyWithMe. Yahoo plans to ink more partnerships going forward.
“Our strategy with this program is to build the most comprehensive store of deals available online,” says Matt Idema, vice president of Yahoo! Local. “We are trying to get every local offer available to you in one place.” Idema noted that Yahoo will use its targeting technology to make sure subscribers get coupons and deals that are relevant to them.
While Yahoo could have created its own daily deal site, Idema says an aggregation service meets a need. “Consumers don’t have time to get through everything,” he says.
Yahoo’s service is currently in testing phase. Idema wouldn’t say when it will be rolled out to the masses, nor would he disclose the ultimate destination online for this service.
Dealery.com lists them all
Dealery.com, out of New York City, is another company that is going after the aggregation market. But unlike Yahoo and YipIt, it isn’t customizing the deal for subscribers. Launched at the end of August, it currently lists all the daily deals within 14 cities from around two dozen daily deal websites. The company is constantly expanding to add more deals and more cities.
“There are so many sites and clones that once you subscribe in that circus, you are inundated with all these emails. It’s almost too much information,” says Dealery.com founder and chief executive officer Limor Elkayam.
While the competition in the deal aggregation market is heating up, Elkayam says there’s enough room for multiple players and the whole idea of a daily deal isn’t a flash in the pan idea that will quickly sputter out. But chances are, she notes, that the model of offering daily deals will go through iterations, with some companies emerging as niche players in certain areas.
“People just want to save money even if the economy is in a better position than last year,” said Elkayam “Whether the economy is good or bad, saving money isn’t a fad.”
Save more, spend smarter, and make your money go further
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