Budgeting Magic: How to Make Your Money Work for You

Let your money work for you. We all have heard this saying, but what does it really mean? And, most importantly, how do we accomplish this? It is common financial advice, but it’s hard to imagine. Let’s take a look at some ways it can become reality. 

Retirement Accounts

Everyone needs to have retirement accounts; it’s never too early to invest in retirement funds. The common options are the 401(k) and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). 

Both of these are invested into the market, and this means there is potential for money growth. If your employer matches, always invest up to their match. Don’t give away free money! 

Normal financial advice states that 15% of your income should be invested into retirement funds. The second choice for the remaining amount of your investment should be either a Roth IRA or an IRA. 

Invest in Real Estate

The real estate market can take a little time to understand. If you are looking to purchase a single family home, take some time to decide what home would work best for you and your family’s needs. 

 Professionals, like those at TitleSmart, know that you should be sure that the cost of buying a home doesn’t require too much of your monthly income. Stay below your budget and invest in a property that can be sold later for maximum profit. There is also the possibility of investing in commercial real estate. 

This branching out opens the possibility of making additional money, but it also can fail. The real estate market fluctuates frequently. 

High Yield Savings Account

Before you begin your journey into investing your money, it is important to have a savings account. Ideally, six months of living expenses should be stored away. Using an insured high yield savings account can generate more value. 

Most normal saving accounts only offer an interest rate around 0.01% whereas a high yield is closer to 1%. There are a variety of banks that offer these accounts. 

Live Within Your Means

Millions of people live their entire lives under the strain of debt. Avoiding debt whenever possible is important; it will cost more in the end due to interest. 

Choosing to live a lifestyle that is within your means allows for maximum investment. This means that later in life, your money will have greatly increased and your future is secured.

Making your money work for you doesn’t require you to be rich or to be a financial wizard. Talking to a financial advisor can start you off on the right direction. Remember to invest and pay yourself first.

What's in Season? Vegetables that Grow in March

The snow is finally melting away, and the sunlight is becoming the new standard for the day. I finally get to spend more time outside, absorbing sunlight while I play at http://www.canadiancasinosonline.com/ on the patio. 

It is also the time when the first fresh vegetables start raising their heads in the garden. Or, if you live in an urban area, at the farmer's market. I know, you can buy all kinds of vegetables all year round in supermarkets, but those actually growing in a garden, touched by sunshine, always taste better. At least for me.

Heading to the Market

The first fresh vegetable I usually find on the market is sprouting broccoli. While you might argue that you can buy broccoli at any time at a supermarket - I hate to break it to you like this, but that's not broccoli. 

It's calabrese, a relative of broccoli and romanesco, which has a larger cultivation time and it's easier to harvest. Bur broccoli is only harvested between January and April, while the other two reach maturity in late summer or in the fall.

Sprouting Broccoli

Sprouting broccoli, sometimes known as the "poor man's asparagus", can be used as a side dish to any meat or fish. 

It can be cooked much like asparagus and "broccoli" - steamed or boiled in water. It's full of healthy vitamin C, carotenoids, iron, folic acid and other nutrients. And it tastes divine.

Spring Onions

Spring onions also appear at this time of the year. Cultivated in glasshouses at first, spring onions are best in the spring, when they grow outside, in the sunlight, wind and rain. 

They are tender, tasty and crunchy - they can be cooked or steamed, but they are best eaten fresh, in salads, or even on their own.

Radishes

Radishes also start to appear at this time of the year. 

Like spring onions, these are perfect to be consumed as a salad, dressed with some olive oil, lemon juice and salt. 

They are great as sides to roast meats, but are also great on a slice of whole-wheat toast with some cream cheese spread on them.

Salads

Speaking of salads - salad leaves, rocket, baby lettuces and spinach also grow this early, mostly in a greenhouse. 

After a long, hard winter, when fresh veggies are scarce (those in the supermarket are hardly fresh), they are a perfect choice for re-building your vitamin reserves. You can use them to make the most delicious spring salad of them all, just add some lemon juice, olive oil and spices of your choice.

Spring is a time of revival. Nature sighs in relief after the long, harsh winter, and it expresses its joy to be alive by giving us some of the tastiest - and healthiest - vegetables. 

And it is also the time when the above greens, with tons of vitamins and minerals, can be bought cheap at local markets. Don't let them go to waste - use them to turn your diet into a healthier and cheaper one today.

What You Should Know Before Buying Your Next Car

For the average American, a car is one of the largest investments made in life, second only to a house. 

This makes the car shopping process a crucially important one where you must put significant consideration into every decision that you make. 

Are you getting ready to shop for a new or used car? Here are some things you should know before you begin the car shopping process.

You should spend a max of 20% of your income on cars each month.

When it comes to determining what you and your family can afford, 20% is a good maximum to aim for when it comes to budgeting for the cars in your household. 

Keep in mind that this number includes not only car payments but also operating costs such as gasoline and car insurance. Do some calculations for how much you expect to pay for gas each month, and give your auto insurance company a call to assess what your new insurance rates will be. 

If the car you’ve had your eye on will put you over 20% of your household income each month, it’s probably time to consider something else.

Used and new both have their advantages.

We’ve all heard the car shopper’s mantra that a new car loses half its value the moment it leaves the dealership lot. 

This makes used cars the go-to option for many people. One important thing to consider here, however, is that this has put used cars in higher demand in recent years. As a result, prices for used cars have gone up, and car companies are offering more options now than ever before for new, affordable cars. 

With this in mind, going with a used car might not necessarily save you the bundle of money you are expecting.

A new car will also often give you the advantages of a full warranty, lower interest rates, free maintenance, roadside assistance, and a clean history. Still, you can usually get more features for less money when you go with a used car.

You’ll want to do some interest rate hunting first.

Don’t take a mailer ad advertising a low interest rate at face value; it may not be the best deal for you. 

In fact, only about 10 percent of car buyers will qualify for that zero-percent or low-interest-rate deal. Before visiting any dealerships, do some research on your own to determine the best interest rate you can get. 

You can use Bankrate's online rate search tool to look at current interest rates and visit local lenders who might be offering interest rates that are 1 or 2 percent lower. Don’t rule out the financial advantage that might come with taking a cash rebate, either; an online car rebate vs. low-interest calculator can help you determine which one is the better deal for you. 

It’s typically better to set up your own financing rather than set it up with the dealership because dealerships tend to offer marked up interest rates to increase profit.

You can negotiate price.

Cars are one thing that you can negotiate a price on, as wiggle room is usually built into the price. 

Do some research ahead of time on the car that you want, finding out the invoice price (what the dealership paid the manufacturer for the car) if it’s a new car and getting the warehouse price if it’s a used car. 

This will help you determine what the dealership paid for the car, and then you can negotiate using a lower price that still allows the dealership to make a few hundred dollars on the deal.

You may be eligible for discounts.

Once you’ve settled on a price that’s closer to the invoice or warehouse price than the MSRP, you can inquire about any discounts you may be eligible for. 

You might be eligible for a discount, for example, if you are a student, a member of the military, a member of a particular credit union, or even if you simply received a coupon in the mail.

Auto services do not void warranties.

When you purchased your last car, you may have been given a long list of things that would void your car’s warranty; and one of those things may have been having third-party auto work done on your car. 

But according to this article, no car dealer can actually enforce this particular item. In fact, the article states that the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act of 1975 prohibits third party repairs and aftermarket parts from voiding a warranty. In other words, it is illegal for any car dealer to deny a warranty because of third party auto repairs or having aftermarket parts installed on your vehicle. 

There is one exception, however; if an aftermarket part installed on your vehicle is not in compliance with emissions regulations, then that may void your warranty since it is in conflict with the Clean Air Act.

Need Some Extra Money: 5 Ways to Help Ease the Stress of your Pocket Book

It seems that prices are always inching up, but income is not keeping pace with rising costs. This is bad news for a lot of people struggling to make ends meet. 

If only there were a road map to easing the financial burden placed on the average pocketbook these days. Fortunately, it is always possible for clever individuals to think up ways to generate extra cash. 

Here are five money generating ideas people can put into practice today to ease the stress on their pocketbook.

Be Extremely Cheap

It is often said that a penny saved is a penny earned. The best way to fill a pocketbook with more money is to curb spending habits everywhere possible. 

From buying generic products to keeping an airtight budget, it is possible to build more wealth by not wasting it in the first place with impulsive spending and lavish tastes. 

There is no shame in being frugal or thrifty especially if it helps you build your wealth and if you are successful in life.

Have a Yard Sale

Ask yourself how much stuff you actually have that you don’t use or need or want anymore. A closet or garage filled with items people never tend to use is a goldmine in the making. 

Simply go through the stored items, determine what they are worth, mark them with prices and plan how to let others know the yard sale is on. Whatever items you don’t sell in your yard sale you can either keep for right now or you can try and sell online. 

Craigslist is a great way to advertise a yard sale and turn your old items into cold hard cash. The last case scenario that you can do if your yard sale fails and you fail to make a sale online is taking that item to a pawn shop.

Freelance

While a day job may not be generating the income a person wants, many people turn to freelance work in their spare time to earn big. 

Whether it is cutting lawns around their neighborhood on the weekend or cleaning homes with a friend, freelance work can make it possible to pack away more cash for a rainy day. Now days there are various mobile apps that help people find freelance work across a broad range of industries.

Coin Collecting

Whether people realize it or not, there is big money to be made in coin collecting. Before a person begins sifting through pocket change or purchasing more exotic, numismatic coins, companies like Rocky Mountain Coin Inc. suggest becoming familiar with the Sheldon scale. 

This is the method used by professional coin collectors to determine the overall worth of their coins and ensuring they get paid full value for what their coins are worth.

Affiliate Marketing

Companies online are always looking to pay people a commission for marketing their products. 

Many of these affiliate programs pay out a substantial portion of the profits generated by their affiliate marketers. In most cases, online affiliate programs are both free and easy to join. Top marketers have even replaced their regular, low paying jobs with affiliate marketing opportunities that pay them much higher wages.

The methods by which a person can generate extra cash are nearly limitless. When it comes to making extra money, the sky truly is the limit. The key is to keep one's eyes open for the right opportunity that will work best for their particular situation. 

Remember, there is no law that says a person cannot employ multiple money making methods at the same time to generate numerous streams of income.