How to get rich (not necessarily quick)

Spring Break

2011-03-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

It is for me today, Spring Break, a time off from school. What can we all do on Spring Break or in general to save money? Not throw parties. Parties are expensive and may be more expensive and annoying when people don't leave your house or dorm. So if you are going to throw a party, here are a few suggestions:

Don't have it at your house
Only have a few people come
Have people contribute food

Have everyone help you clean up the mess, or have everyone chip in for a cleaning service

If you are going to have a large party, have a few friends help you keep it under control

Don't play excessively loud music, or if you do, get some friends to help you pay the fine

This is just one way to save money over Spring Break.

Investing in Stocks

2011-03-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know about stocks, here is what they are and a general idea on how to invest in them. Stocks are not just simply numbers that go up and down (although they do), they are a reflection of a companies value divided by the number of shares outstanding. So this means that if a company is totally failing, then the stock price will go down, where as if it is releasing a new product, then the stock price will most likely go up. So you want to buy a stock right before the stock price goes up. This is just some basic stock investing information, I'll post more basic information about them tomorrow.

A list of tips

2011-03-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my last post, I will post a list of tips to help cut down on your water and electricity bills.

Take shorter showers
Use cold water in a washer (only if your clothes aren't that dirty, because cold water doesn't kill bacteria as well as hot water)
Replace your traditional light bulbs with new, energy efficient ones
Dry your clothes for a shorter period of time in a dryer
Instead of heating your house more in the Winter, wear warmer clothes indoors
Irrigate your lawn less
Make sure your doors and windows are sealed tightly and not letting in cold air.
You can probably find a lot more, just look them up.

Water and Electricity bills

2011-03-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

While electricity and water have become much easier to access over the last couple of years, they are now part of your monthly bill. This is an area where you can definitely reduce. Being green, either by buying more water and energy efficient appliances, or by just using them less, definitely will show in your monthly bills (in a good way). How to cut back? The best way is to buy better and more energy efficient appliances. The easiest way is to just use less. Take shorter showers, and if your not using a computer, turn it off. This doesn't mean that you should stop taking showers all together to save money, just that you should cut back. I will be posting many more tips in my next post, so keep reading!

Contests

2011-03-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

I think that I have already mentioned this, but I can not stress this enough. Contests are one of the easiest ways to get free stuff. Most contests are started by companies not out of the good of their heart though. If I were to start a contest on this blog to get attention for my blog. Most companies will make contests to either get attention or to sell a product. Most of the time, you have to buy a product. Or do you? No you don't. Companies (I think, it only makes sense) are required by law to require a free method of entry. So, just print out a copy of the contest rules, and find out how to enter for free (usually by sending in a note card via snail mail on a certain size postcard, yeah, it's kind of annoying). Once you find out, you enter for free, and hope that you win something. I find that it is best to enter contests that have decent items so you don't get trashy items, but so that you also have a decent chance of winning. At this moment, I know that Subway is running a contest, but you may want to look some more up.

Regular vs. Plus

2011-03-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

So, today I was fueling up my car, and realized that not everyone bought regular gas. Plus is the biggest ripoff ever. Your car can most likely run on regular. If you doubt me, buy a little in a container (if that's possible), and try it at your house to make sure that your car actually works on it. I'm not really sure the differences, I have just read that it is a waste of money, so I suggest that you look into it that I am correct.

Gas Prices

2011-03-07T17:46:00.000-08:00

Unless you happen to own a horse or are in biking distance of work, you most likely own a car and have to deal with gas prices. Gas prices are currently at around $3.25 and are most likely going to hit $4. This is a problem for those of you that actually like to have any money to spend and who isn't a millionaire (okay, that's a little exaggeration, but still). So, how to save money on gas? There are a few options. 1. Steal gas. Not only incredibly difficult (you have to pay before you can pump gas at most places), but is illegal in the US and pretty much everywhere else in the world. So, you will most likely wind up in jail. 2. Do what you usually do, and go to the cheaper gas station whenever you can. A decent option, much better than the first, but not the best. My suggestion: When you see a low gas price, buy it in bulk. This means not only filling up your car, but bringing along a few plastic containers to put gas in. This is, unfortunately, the best I could come with. Why unfortunately, because of the many drawbacks. Drawback 1. Leaking gas containers. Leaking gas outside at the station is bad, so it can't be any better in your garage. 2. I'm not exactly sure how you would get it into the plastic containers in the first place, since the pumps are meant for cars. Those are some inconveniences, but if you get around them, then you can save some serious money, plus if you buy enough, you may be able to sell some gas to your friends for a quick buck. I will try to think of a better suggestion for tomorrow, until then au revoir (goodbye in french).

Okay.

2011-03-07T17:07:00.001-08:00

I have decided to begin writing on this blog again because of the poorer gas prices and the even worse economy, plus the comment i gt by someone asking my to continue writing. So, I will start again tomorrow.

Deals

2010-11-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

Deals are a great way to save money. If a product that you want is on sale, then buy it, and you just saved money. Unfortunately, stuff that you want is not always on sale, thus, you will most likely have to wait until it is on sale. Also, unfortunately, if you wait until it is on sale, the item that you want may be gone (if it is a popular item), or it might be very picked out (mostly thinking of clothing when they most likely won't have your size if you wait). A great time to get to sales is an after-season sale. After summer, all the swim suites are incredibly cheap. Off course, the trade off is that you will have to wait until next year to use it, and next year, it might not fit you. So, it's a trade waiting for deals, as opposed to paying more and using it right now. Overall though, deals are a great way to save money.

A few websites to get coupons on....

2010-11-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few websites that you can get coupons. Please check out our advertisements, I think that they have links for coupons too.
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://www2.kelloggs.com/Coupon.aspx
http://www.softcoin.com/Sites/Kroger_ECoupons/Page/HomePage/Retailer/Kroger
http://www.freecoupons.com/
http://couponkim.com/
If you want more links, just post a comment. I would really like it if you guys commented on my posts more too.

Make a shopping list

2010-11-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Clearly, the main idea of the last two posts is that you need to make a shopping list. Making a shopping list (as long as you stick to it) allows you to buy only the things that you need, and makes sure that you don't impulse buy and buy things because of the deal that you are getting. It also saves you a lot of time. If I know exactly what I am getting, then I do not have to stop and think: hmmmm..... What do I need? Making a shopping list also ensures that you do not forget something that you need (ex: going to the store for something, getting a bunch of other stuff and then not getting the thing that you originally went for). So, a shopping list helps you economically, and saves you time. Please check out some of our advertisements, they can be very helpful with coupons, and ways to stop buying on impulse.

Impulse buying

2010-10-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

Impulse buying is when you make a spur of the moment decision to buy something that you hadn't planned on buying before. Usually, you wind up not using the item, and essentially just wasted your money on something that looked great then, but not now. Clearly, we want to prevent impulse buys so you can keep more of your money in your own pocket. Here are a few ways to keep from impulse buys.
1. Make a shopping list of things that you are going to buy- Stick to it
2. Ask yourself, do I really need or want this, if not, put it back. (This is if you don't stick to your list)
3. If you feel that you want or need the item still after thinking about it, wait a day and see if you still want it (this is mostly for large purchases, but I still use it for items above $20.) You probably don't want to use step three if the item you want to buy is cheap (I think I already covered that, sorry).
To sum it up, impulse buys make money for stores and lighten your pockets, so don't do it. Also, sorry or not posting yesterday, and have a Happy Halloween!

A way to save money

2010-10-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

While it is not a way to make money, it can save you a lot of money. Coupons, of course can save you a lot of money. You can get coupons by looking in your your newspaper or by printing them off online. You can even mail into companies and ask them for coupons. (to get them to send them coupons, you should do two things 1. Tell them that you use and love there product. 2. Ask for them, asking for them is the critical part of this). Note: Not all of them might send them back to you, but you will still save a lot of money, also most stores will double manufacturers coupons. That means double savings for you.

A list of things to remember about coupons:
1. Coupons are used to draw you into the store (the more time you spend in the store, the more money you will spend), keep your money in your pocket and make a shopping list (aka only buy the items that you need to buy).
2. Don't buy anything because of the coupon or the deal that you are getting on it. Ask yourself first if you need it, if the answer is no, then don't buy it.
I will cover impulse buys tomorrow.

Hey everyone...

2010-10-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

I'm just starting my blog. I will be blogging about money (of course) and how to achieve financial freedom. I will begin actually posting soon.