How to Save Money on a Newly Built Home

If you want to live in a home that was recently built but are worried about the extra expense, there are many ways that you can save money on a new property. A new home doesn’t have to cost much more than an older abode, and keeping some important details in mind will help you buy for less. Here are a few of the best ways to save money on a newly built home.

Avoid Costlier Building Materials

Some new homes are built with expensive materials to try to ensure better quality. You can cut the cost of your home purchase by buying a new house that was built with standard materials and then upgrading the materials at a later date. 

To save yourself some additional money and stress, you may choose to upgrade sections of the house so that you can make gradual renovations instead of trying to upgrade the entire home all at once.

Buy from a New-Construction Neighborhood

Entire neighborhoods that feature homes that were recently built can sometimes be the best places to go to find the best deals. Real estate developers often put these homes on the market at a lower rate so that they can get more people to move into the neighborhood quickly and not leave any homes sitting vacant. 



New houses for sale in the Greater Toronto Area and other regions where new-construction neighborhoods are often developed usually come with lower price tags.

Go for a Smaller Yard

Choosing a home with a smaller yard can also yield better savings. If you don’t have a big family with kids or don’t plan on entertaining outdoors very often, a new home with a small yard can be a better option.

Along with saving money on the house purchase, you won’t have to worry about investing as much in yardwork and other ground maintenance if you have a smaller yard.

Shop During Discounted Selling Seasons

House prices are generally lower during certain times of the year, and you can potentially save a lot of money by buying during one of these discounted selling seasons. January is known to be one of the best months for finding homes at reduced prices. 

Buying a home on Easter Sunday or Christmas Day can also save you money. You should avoid trying to buy a home over Memorial Day Weekend since prices tend to be much higher this time.

You can have the new home of your dreams without having to pay a fortune if you’re savvy with your purchase. Knowing what to look for and when to buy will make it easier for you to save money without having to give up a lot of the things that you want in a newly constructed home.

How to Prepare for Sudden Unexpected Expenses

No one can predict the future. Just because things have been going well for a long time does not mean that couldn’t all change at a moment’s notice. Something that often suddenly goes wrong for people is the appearance of unexpected expenses.

Whether it’s the cost of sending your car to the shop, calling a plumber, or bailing your friend out of jail, we all experience expenses we did not know we would incur. Overall, you need to prepare for unexpected expenses. They will happen at some point after all.

Budget for Unexpected Expenses

One way to handle unexpected expenses is to budget for them. You can do this by setting aside a certain amount of money each month for costs that cannot be predicted. This money shouldn’t be used for eating out or going to the movies either. If it’s not spent that month, you should save it for even larger unexpected expenses that could be down the road.

Open a New Savings Account

That money you budget for unexpected expenses should be placed into a savings account if it is not spent each month. While what your budget may be enough to pay for certain unexpected expenses, others could be much more than that and cost four to five figures. It’s always good to have a financial cushion in savings. Many people go without one and end up buried in debt as a result.

Consider Ways to Lower Legal Expenses

Legal expenses are one form of unexpected expense people have a high likelihood of encountering. Lawyers and court matters have a reputation for being expensive. While that reputation is warranted, there are strategies you can use to save money to bring those costs down. 



If you live in Riverside, California, for example, make sure to get information on rates and fees from Riverside lawyers. You may be able to find a lawyer that would accept a flat fee arrangement to lower your legal fees.

Lower Other Monthly Expenses

If you want to make space in your monthly budget for the unexpected, one good strategy is to work on lowering your monthly expenses in general. Consider different costs you could lower or eliminate. Do you pay for multiple entertainment streaming services? 

Consider canceling the ones you don’t actually use. Could you use more coupons to save on groceries each month? Could you run your heating less while your family is out of the house? Taking steps like these can make a big difference in your budget.

Calling them unexpected expenses is perhaps not the best descriptor. It is certain you will experience them at some point. It shouldn’t be completely unexpected that you will be forced to change your budget during different months of the year. As such, you have plenty of opportunities to plan for these costs, so you’ll never have to go into debt.

Leaving the Military? Time to Get your Finances in Order

Whether you are being discharged or are retiring from the military, it is important to use the organisational skills that you picked up during your service when it comes to sorting out your finances.

When leaving the military, you will probably fall into one of three groups; you may have joined during or after high school and therefore don’t have any real financial education, or you may be retiring after completing your 20 years of service. 

Alternatively, you may have been discharged following an injury during service. For each of these groups there are different things that you may want to consider in order to help secure your finances.

Discharged due to injury?

If you have been discharged following an injury, then you may feel daunted about what is to come. If you have lost a limb or are suffering from PTSD, then the idea of getting a civilian job may make you extremely anxious.

If you have been left with a lasting injury or condition as a result of your service, then you may be eligible to claim VA disability benefits. The best place to start is by heading over to the Chisholm, Chisholm and Kilpatrick website to use their VA compensation calculator. 


The math behind VA disability benefits is a little more complex than you would expect, so if math isn’t your strongpoint, then this calculator will quickly identify your “efficiency level” which will dictate how much you may be due in compensation.

Retiring after your 20 years’ service?

Retirees who complete their service will be due a lifetime pension plan – the amount you will be paid is determined by your years of service and final rank, and regulations can differ depending on which service branch you served.

If you are intending on continuing to work a civilian job then you may want to consider rolling your pension over to either an individual retirement plan or the retirement plan of the company that you go on to work for. 

Whilst most veterans would prefer to start receiving a steady income as soon as they retire, there are many advantages of utilising a stretch IRA or Roth IRA, as this will help your money grow without incurring any tax.

Leaving the military as a young enlistee?

If you enrolled in the military out of high school, then you may have missed a lot of financial education which will have benefited you in the future. As a result of this, many young enlistees rack up debts and end up taking out emergency loans when they leave the military, not to mention they have little to no savings.

To avoid falling foul of the same fate, it is important to quickly learn how to budget your money and consider which things in life are necessities and which are luxuries. There will also be services available to you locally that can help you learn how to manage your money effectively. Don’t feel a loss of pride for having to use these – they can be the difference between you thriving financially and falling upon hard times.

Fall Cleaning for the Empty Nester: 4 Tips for Finally Throwing Things Out

Like traditional spring cleaning, the fall cleaning season provides an opportunity to clean house and eliminate all the accumulated items you no longer need as an empty nester. You will enjoy a fresh start to a new season when you get rid of all the clutter that detracts from your home’s comfort and beauty. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Organize Systematically

Schedule your cleaning work to tackle one room or area at a time. This will help to keep things controlled instead of overwhelming when you might be tempted to give up and hold on to useless items. Within each area, tackle closets, cupboards, drawers, and shelves to set aside belongings that no longer need a place in your home. 

Adult kids that have moved out on their own, attend college in another state, or have joined the military may have little to no interest in the things left behind. At the very least, box up their possessions and mark them before stacking the containers in a safe, dry place like the basement or garage.

Spare Nothing That is Unusable

If you have broken furniture or equipment that has been sitting around for years, get rid of it. Chances are neither you nor your grown children will get around to fixing it. By the time you do, a better investment of your time and repair cost could be buying a new or used replacement. 



The exception would be something with sentimental meaning, such as a family heirloom or a priceless treasure that continues to hold its value. Otherwise, be willing to part with things that you no longer need or want.

Distribute Leftover Valuables

After evaluating and organizing the unnecessary things in your house, contact family members or friends who may be interested in having them. Although you may be willing to store useful things like seasonal clothing or a book collection for a loved one who is temporarily away, other family members who have established their own homes can be offered items of potential interest before you get rid of them.

Arrange for Hauling

Don’t try to fit everything into a single load in your car for a thrift store donation. Nor should you plan on making several trips to the local dumping ground, which will be gas-intensive and require hours of time. Instead, consider dumpster rental for a few days as you clean out years of collected junk, debris, and broken items that will do little good for anyone. 

Clear your closets, attic, basement, garage, and shed of all miscellaneous items, including bags of raked leaves or lawn trimmings, dried out winter salt decayed mulch, or other things that have lost their value.

Fall cleaning can make your home feel more open, spacious, and comfortable. Start planning your big event by setting aside a few days for the work and renting a dumpster for hauling everything away in one swoop.

What Will Take up the Most Energy This Winter and How to Cut Down

Are you always hunting for ways to cut down energy costs in your home? Does it seem like the electric, water, and gas bills keep getting higher and higher? We talk about four places to check for problems and how to button up those systems for a more efficiently operating house in this post.

HVAC systems

When a central heating system is not running in the best shape, it will use a ton of energy. Things like cleaning the fans, vents, and ducts are necessary maintenance tasks. One way to figure out if the furnace is the culprit is to look at energy costs from the winter before and compare them to this years' bills. 

If the cost is higher and there is no rate increase, then chances are, your HVAC system may need a thorough cleaning and tune-up. It is also important to note that the cost of energy use is different at different times of the day, depending on demand. By keeping to low-demand times, you can save a lot on your overall energy bill every month.

The water heater

Energy loss through the water heater is a common issue in many homes. One way to address this problem is to use a blanket to insulate the hot water heater. Pipe insulation will further reduce heat transfer keeping the water hotter making it easy to keep the temperature on the tank lower. 

The U.S Government says keeping the water heater below 120 degrees Fahrenheit is a great way to prevent scalding accidents and reduce energy costs. Of course, you can also save a lot by getting a tankless water heater, as it heats as needed rather than maintaining a whole tank of water at a time. 




By going for a new water heater installation service when your unit is over ten years old, you can find a more efficient model saving even more money.

Inefficient lights

Old-fashioned light bulbs can burn a lot of energy. Replacing them with fluorescent ones is a helpful way to avoid excess energy use. To save even more money, homeowners can opt for LED lights. 

These lights can last for decades and outshine any other bulb. Replacing all the ones in and outside of the home before winter can prevent bulb blowouts and the need to go outside more often. It is also prudent to keep your lights off when not in use so that your home isn’t needlessly sucking energy and building your monthly costs.

Appliances like the washer and dryer

When your refrigerator, stove, and microwave get old, they can run poorly too. As these systems age, the frayed cords, worn bearings, and slippery belts let the equipment move and wear out faster. To prevent these issues, it is best to replace these items as they begin to break down or you notice a rise in energy bills. 

You can test the theory about which piece of equipment is doing the damage by unplugging each item one at a time and checking the electric meter. The one drawing the most power is where to begin investigating.

Winter is hard enough without all the extra bills and problems with equipment breaking down. To prevent these issues, it is a good recommendation to maintain home equipment and systems. When items are past their life expectancy, it might be the best idea to replace it.

Smart Ways to Pay of Your debts Before 30

Let’s face it - no one enjoys being financially burdened by loans and debts that take up so much of our paychecks each month. Every time you take up a new loan, you are faced with more debts to pay, so less flexibility on your available cash, and more stress.

Below, we share with you some tips to help you pay off your loans before you hit 30.

Start Taking Up Side Gigs

The extra cash will always help, instead of idling away your spare time you can make more money instead. Work a second job on the weekends and do not be afraid to start small.

As you gain more experience working your side gigs - writing, painting, or even manual work like waitressing - you can start earning more.

Use a 50/30/20 Budget

Need some tips on allocating your budget? Try allocating 50% of your paycheck to necessities such as rent, food, and fuel. 30% goes into the things you might want to buy, while another 20% goes into paying off your loans.



This budgeting method is the right way for you to have a relatively flexible budget as opposed to setting a fixed amount of cash for yourself each day.

Pay Extra When You Can

If you are one of the lucky few whose monthly loan repayments are all affordable, why not chip in a little extra now and then?

The more you pay off each month, the less interest you pay, and the faster you will finish your loan repayments. Having some freelance jobs, as mentioned above, will help you to make extra payments now and then.

Focus on Smaller Loans First

If your loans start to seem a little daunting, you can implement the snowball method. This method describes how you can pay the minimum balance on all your debts, but pay extra for the smallest loan that you have.

When you have completely paid off the smallest loan, you move on to the second smallest one. Eventually, you will find yourself settling bigger and bigger debts, and you will be highly motivated to continue.

Utilize Cashback Programs

Some shopping platforms and banks offer cashback programs for your expenditure. Utilize these where you can, and shop only when these programs are provided so that you are maximizing each dollar you make.

You can also hop on to loyalty reward programs in your nearby supermarket or grocery store. The more you spend on your daily needs, the more you will be rewarded for it.

Consider Loan Consolidation

It can be challenging to manage financing a car loan, a mortgage and other debts at the same time. If you have a good credit score, you may be eligible for debt consolidation.

Compare several debt consolidation services and choose the one with the lowest interest rate so that you will only have to pay one debt instead of multiple payments.

Review Your Finances

Take a look at how you have been spending and review your financial goals, both short-term or long-term.

When you have a clearer idea of what you are striving for, it is easier to budget out expenditure for the coming months while you pay off other debts.