Live Cheap, Save Big

Banks make a ton of money from the NSF fees they charge their customers. NSF fees are assessed when you have insufficient funds to cover what you charge or write a check for and your account goes into the negative. If you’re ever in a situation where you’re worried about some charges clearing your bank before a deposit goes through, you have every right to be. Chances are that all the charges will suddenly clear much faster than usual and you’ll end up further in the negative. For every charge you make after going into the negative, you are assessed a fee. The real kicker is that it doesn’t matter how much into the negative you go. You could make 5 charges which total less than $20 but you would still be charged 5 separate insufficient fund fees which are usually upwards of $25. To ensure this doesn’t happen to me, I opened up a $500 line of credit with my bank and pay a $15 annual fee for this overdraft protection. If you are constantly being overdrafted, I highly suggest you think about doing this as well. The best bet is to track your spending, which I do by saving receipts and keeping all my purchases, bills and pending transactions in a simple spreadsheet.

Nothing makes Mom happier on Christmas than a framed picture of the family or that special one of the just the two of you. It’s because she knows you went through a considerable bit more time and effort than running into a store last minute and buying her a gift certificate like you usually do. If you have a photo-quality printer then you’re more than half the way there. If you don’t have a photo printer or a scanner, hit up a kiosk at a convenience or camera store and get your picture printed for a few dollars. All you need to do now is go to a department store during a weekend sale and pick up a picture frame for $20 or less. Picture frames are always on sale so chances are likely you can get a nice one for that price which looks like you spent a lot more.

So save yourself some money by spending a little time and effort, and you’ll be sure to come out as the thoughtful son or daughter this Christmas. Trust me, I can tell you from experience that it works!

If you’re addicted to anything that’s not good for you, like cigarettes or fast food, give yourself a financial incentive to quit. Stop indulging in the bad habit and take whatever you spend on that item daily and set it aside. If you’re addicted to cigarettes for example, take $4 a day and put it in a jar. At the end of one month you’re going to have $120 saved up, and you’ll probably also feel a whole lot more healthy. The same thing goes for unhealthy food, if you eat out at a fast food restaurant at least once a day, set that $5 aside you’ll have a nice chunk of change after a couple months. You should reward yourself with the savings by buying yourself something nice. I’m not saying you should go out and blow the whole amount but get yourself something you normally wouldn’t buy or you usually stinge yourself on. Even if you do decide to blow all the money, go ahead because you earned it by being good and its money much better spent!

Via msn money:

A quick-start guide for new graduates looking for their first job and first place of their own. This article outlines important steps you need to follow to get on with that second all-important stage of your life…working. Their advice regarding your first job:

Once you land a job, you’ll breathe easier, but keep a few things in mind:

• You’ll probably earn more money than you’re accustomed to, but Uncle Sam will take a bigger bite, too. Don’t spend your first paycheck before you actually get it. (Get an idea of what your take-home pay will look like here.)

• Your tax return will become more involved as your salary and investments increase. Plan for deductions. (However, the costs you incur landing your first job aren’t deductible.)

• Remember that your career is your most valuable asset. Manage it better than any other investment.

There is also other helpful advice for people new to the working world, including budgeting, saving, and resisting the urge to spend you new-found wealth. We all know that feeling of the first real paycheck we ever got, our first urge is t o go and blow the whole thing since we never really had money like that before. The article urges us to cut back on luxury expenditures and the fact that it’s never too early to start saving. If you’re about to graduate and search for your first job, check out the article for tons of good advice and tips.

PNC Bank is offering a promotion where they will give you $101 free when you open a personal checking account with direct-deposit.  The direct-deposit has to be a minimum of $500 and the $101 will be deposited to your account within 7 days of the first one.  Giving away free money sounds like a great way to drum up some new business.  The nice thing about PNC is that they don’t charge ATM fees regardless of where you withdraw cash.  If the other bank charges a fee, PNC also refunds you the money.  If you decide you don’t like PNC bank, you can close your account before the 180-day probation period and only face a $25 penalty.  That’s still a free $76 in your pocket! After the 180 days the money is yours regardless of what you do.  Slickdeals.net offers a list of other free money deals being offered by banks and credit card companies.  So if you’re in the market for a new checking account, check out some of the promotions being offered by PNC and others and get yourself some free money in the process.

Via foXnoMad:

*Chicago - Although O’Hare is a United Airline hub, travel to and from this city is inexpensive. TravelZoo is loaded with holiday airfares you can take advantage of - and if you go in the winter you’ll find discount on hotel prices as well. Visit the Sears Tower, the (free) City Art Gallery, or go ice skating in Millennium Park.
*New Orleans - The city is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and tourism dollars are welcome here. Aside from Mardis Gras, there are plenty of music and theater festivals to attend during the mild winters. Keep in mind that some of the places you used to be able to visit are still inaccessible due to Katrina, check out the city’s Web page before you plan you trip.

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Via foXnoMad:

* Morocco - One dollar will get you 8 times the number of Morocan dihrams. The north coast of this tourist friendly nation is warm year round, and a cheap (~$100) short flight from Spain’s Costal del Sol. The best time to experience the soul of Morocco is during the off-peak October-April months.
o If you are still scared to visit read these traveler testimonials.

* Thailand - A trip to Thailand can include nightlife hotspots Patpong and Nana and the southern islands including Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands. Enjoy elephant rides, shark swims, and traditional massage and still have some money leftover.
o Be sure to read this list of dos and don’ts (shoes, smoking, and hand shaking) before you leave.

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Ladies, don’t be lame and go out and buy a princess costume for Halloween. You know you still have that old prom dress just sitting pointlessly in the corner of your closet! More than likely you paid a few hundred dollars for it, so why not get your money’s worth by wearing it one more time? The costume is almost ready to go when you pull that shiny prom dress out of the bag. All you need now is the matching pair of shoes you already have, and a cheap tiara which I’m sure won’t cost you more than a dollar or two.  And there you are, you’re a princess!

If you travel regularly for business or pleasure, make your miles work for you by signing up for miles cards for the airlines you use. They cost nothing to sign up and once you earn enough miles, your loyalty is rewarded with free flight vouchers and ticket upgrades. I travel about 7 or 8 times a year for work so I should earn enough miles for a free domestic flight fairly quickly. I signed up for Continental OnePass, United Mileage Plus, and Southwest Rapid Rewards. Some airlines give you an automatic number of miles when you sign up as an incentive. Continental gives you a minimum of 500 miles for every flight you take. Southwest gives you a travel voucher for flying 8 times in a 2-year period which isn’t that much if you travel regularly for work. So sign up for for mileage rewards cards, pack your bags and rack up those miles for free travel perks and vouchers.

Next time you run to the grocery store, try a new restaurant, or go to buy a dvd, try looking for an internet coupon if they have a website. Almost every business has a website these days, and many of these websites offer coupons which you can print out. You can find coupons for $5 off an oil change, 2-for-1 dinners, buy-one-get-one and a whole lot more. This works out great for the retailer because they don’t have to print and mail out coupons, which saves them money, and they’re generating more business. Many retailers offer internet coupons year-round since they know websites generate a lot of business. So take the extra minute before you go out, look up the website of wherever you’re going and see if you can get yourself a good deal.