Your Retirement Guide To Living Cheap…Four Ways To Have It All
The guide to living cheap does not mean sacrifice. If you think you do not have enough money to retire…stop a minute. Here are four different lifestyles which has kept the writer and wife retired for 15 years. They are not only cheap they are fun as well…you can do this too.
1) Living on a sailboat in the Caribbean. We lived the life Jimmy Buffett sings about for eight wonderful years. Up and down the island chain from Venezuela to the Virgin Islands. Cheap…we averaged spending $1,000 a month when in the islands. Remember there is no charge for dropping your anchor in a beautiful bay. Ashore in the hotels they were paying $500 and up per night…we had a better view.
2) Full time RV is a great frugal retirement lifestyle. If you enjoy traveling without the hassle of packing and unpacking, give it a try. Monthly rent was around $450…pretty cheap including utilities. We used the RV as a means of finding a permanent retirement home. You can enjoy this fun, frugal retirement lifestyle too.
3) Live Overseas…we did for eight years. It is fun, cheap, safe and interesting. Currently one million Americans are living in Mexico. You can live very well here for $1500 to $2000 a month…including a maid…and health insurance which is $270 a year. You are three times more likely to a victim of violent crime in Mexico vs the US. Jimmy Buffett is right folks…changes in latitude changes in attitude.
4) Downsizing…when we moved from a 1800 square foot home to a 35 foot sailboat…about 50 square feet of space where you can stand up. You quickly find out that you can do without 98% of your stuff…and that is conservative. Downsizing from a big house to a condo is a piece of cake.
Still think you can not afford to retire?
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February 19th, 2010
Planning The Perfect Spring Break On A Budget
Every year, thousands of College students head to exotic island hot spots for spring break. Unfortunately, the recent economic conditions and the rise in the price of tuition have now left many students on a tight budget. Many students cannot afford the usual spring break exotic vacation destinations. Fortunately, there are many things a student can do to plan the perfect spring break vacation while on a budget.
1. When planning a spring break vacation, you should figure out how much you can afford to spend. Once you know how much you can afford, you can plan a vacation that will not have serious financial consequences. You should set the amount of money aside and stick to your budget. Do not take more money than you can afford to spend as you will likely spend it. As well, you should plan how you will spend your money on things like, transportation, food, entertainment, and other expenses. Wherever possible, use cash to buy your items instead of a credit card. You do not want to return from your trip and find yourself saddled with high credit card debt that you cannot afford.
2. Selecting the right vacation destination is a key component to helping you stick with your budget. Decide where you want to go for spring break. If you cannot afford a traditional exotic beach vacation, you should consider a more local destination. Miami and Las Vegas are fun places to vacation. They can also be more affordable destinations. The internet is full of travel sites that offer special spring break packages. Once you have decided on your destination, make sure you book early to ensure you get the best and cheapest deal.
3. Traveling alone or with one person can be expensive. Plan your vacation with a group of friends. You can often get great travel and hotel discounts if you book as a group. If you are traveling by car, travel with a group of friends so that you can share fuel costs. You can also share a hotel room. Having about four people per room will significantly cut down on the cost of accommodations. It can also be really fun staying together.
4. Restaurant costs can really take a bite out of the budget. Instead of dining out every day, get a hotel room that has a kitchenette and buy your food from a supermarket. If you do dine out, look for restaurants where you can get a cheap meal such as a fast food franchise restaurant. By doing so, this will significantly cut down on food expenses.
After calculating how much money you will need and you discover you still cannot afford a vacation, there are many other options to take advantage of such as going on a road trip with friends for a few days, visit family or friends, or take a day trip to another city or fun attraction such as an amusement park. No matter what destination you choose, you should have fun, relax, stay safe, and enjoy the break from your studies.
Adriana Noton is a freelance writer who specializes in providing great financial information for Canadians. When searching online for debt counselling or credit counselling, one of the many resources available is Consolidated Credit; offering a variety of debt counselling services and financial planning tools to help Canadians get their debts under control.
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February 12th, 2010
Lucky Seven: 7 Budget-Friendly Decorating Tips
If you are a decorator on a budget, this is the perfect read for you. Below are some money-saving ideas for home improvement:
Recycle - old furnishings are not synonymous to tacky just as new furnishings are not all chic. You can still use whatever furnishings you have by simple upgrading and this you can do by polishing, re-upholstering, accessorizing or thorough cleaning. Believe it or not, these simple methods can make your old furniture and rooms look brand new. Rearranging the furniture, switching pieces and adding few accessories can transform your home for a lot less!
Apply a Coat of Paint- This is one of the best ways to change the look of a room. It’s also very affordable. You can use your imagination and choose an entirely new color scheme or use a set of stencils for a unique look. If you aren’t sure of the color, buy a small can of paint and test it out first.
Use your artwork. You don’t necessarily have to be Picasso to display your artwork. Simple creative and artistic stuff you have will look nice. After all, it’s your home you’re decorating and not an art gallery. A collage of pictures, paper art or origami, flower arrangement, swatches of fabrics, murals, etc. are already works of art that look will make your home interior unique and artistic, even if you’re not a real artist. See, no need to spend for a painting or whatever wall decor.
Make New Curtains- Curtain are one of the easiest things to sew and you can create an entire new look for your room for just a few dollars. You can also find many curtains at yard sales and thrift stores, if you feel you are a little bit “sewing challenged.”
Buy an Area Rug- An area rug can quickly change the entire feel of a room. You’ll need to make sure you measure your room before you start looking, as you don’t want to buy a rug that is too big. Make sure the rug is large enough to fit under all four legs of whatever furniture you put it under. Otherwise, you’ll end up with furniture that is uneven. Circular rugs work best in smaller rooms, while rectangular rugs work best in larger rooms. You can also change the rugs between rooms to create new looks.
Use area rugs - your decorating endeavor will only be called complete if you have area rugs to adorn your floors or walls with. If you don’t wish to buy new pieces, simply switch area rugs between rooms.
Install new lighting - no well-decorated home will look polished with a dull light to boot. Your place will only look shady and dim. What a shame for that redecorating effort. Change old lightings. If you have money to spare, buying a new lamp to add to your bedroom or living room will be a refreshing treat for the eyes.
There are many ways that you can save money when you are redecorating a room. Most of the above tips can be completed for under a hundred dollars, and some for much, much less than that. Use your imagination to create a look that inspires you and is right in line with your tastes.
Making Dollars Out Of Cents.…. 101 Tips For The Frugal Marketer.
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February 11th, 2010
Debt Consolidation What You Didn’t Know
You can apply for debt consolidation online, you know. It keeps getting easier and easier everyday as the credit industry grows and more and more of them move their services to the internet. You can just find yourself a good credit firm with good reputation, contact them, and let them do your thing for you.
You probably owe a ton of money to a dozen credit firms all over the place, and you are feeling bad about it. Let me tell you now that feeling anyway about it is not going to get you anywhere with the debts, but a debt consolidation loan can help in more ways than you know. As a matter of fact, you should stay online to read about it first so that you are better aware of your options. It would be worth it by the time you do decide that is the way to go, because you will.
It does not matter how long you are taking a debt consolidation loan for as long as you know how you are going to pay it off. It was not being prepared for that that got you into this mess in the first place. Time to turn tables on the debt.
You can be denied your chance at debt consolidation if you cannot prove your worth to the credit company. If you cannot make them see how you can both benefit from it, they might foreclose. Yep, you have some homework on your hands.
You may have been living with your financial problems because you did not know what to do to get out of it. Well, that is understandable enough, but now you are getting to know about debt consolidation. It is a way to pool all your preceding debts into a single one that another credit company will help you deal with. In the meantime, you pay to them with a reasonable interest rate. You really should apply for it already or you’ll be missing out on a massive amount of money that you can save from debt consolidation.
If you have found your self with debts you cant clear..Get the right information for the job… eliminate debt
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February 10th, 2010
Debt Consolidation: Do It with Care
With an average American household today running anywhere from $10,000 in debt a huge part of that is credit card debt. Living well beyond your means has totally taken its toll. There is a great sinking feeling that will come naturally to someone’s mind that common people like you and me are going poor and seeing the inevitable happening to them when they see that they owe some monthly payment toward their credit cards adjusted only the interest they owe and the total principal due remains the same. Truth be told is that interest that remains unpaid will add up toward the master amount. This is the problem. You are revolving debt and it will not go on forever. This fire will take its toll and should be taken care of now. Take a good look at what the interest rate you are paying on your credit cards and you’ll be amazed on the crazy 20% percent your paying per annum.
If you consolidated your credit in a debt consolidation loan you could pay off your entire credit card debt at only a low-% per year.. This will work out to a great saving of 15% on your rate and is a bigger reduction on your interest that you outgo with you monthly payment that’s as much as 60% of what your paying. So for example if you paid a whopping $1000 dollars in monthly payments every month now you can paid only a small amount of $400 dollars only. This makes a big difference. It’s the best of both worlds by leaving you more money each month in your hand and gives you a better financial position by paying off your debts. You can expect to become debt free and be a lot happier. All this could happen with financial prudence and care. You should be very careful thought about finding a good lender who will provide these funds for getting rid of your credit card debt in one swoop. Understand, that you need to take care of your loan and do not fail or you’ll end up where you started paying even more over a longer period of time with a huge amount of interest. Real care should be taken with making sure you get a proper debt consolidation loan.
Remember if the interest rate has got to be lower you have to provide collateral which might well be your house. If you do not really take enough time to make these payments on time you could lose your home it’s really that simple. Remember that the lender can do what they want if you default on the loan because it’s fully secured and those are the terms you signed on. Now a proper financial discipline should be maintained with respect to your credit cards.
One pitfall that many people get into is since your due have be fully paid you might be tempted that you can continue to spend like you did in the past with your credit cards. If you do this you’ll run the risk of running into even more debt. Only this time you would have nothing to pay them off and that will be the route to bankruptcy.
Only this time you would have nothing to pay them off and that will be the route to bankruptcy. Also remember you are still in debt and your roof over your head is in stake. Be really carefully when getting a lender with a clean record for your debt consolidation loan. Check out many different offers and see what one makes the most sense. You can barter for better terms and check out all the options before you make a decision that will make your life better.
If you have found your self with debts you cant clear..Get the right information for the job… eliminate debt