Decorating on a Budget

For as fun as holiday gift giving can be, it’s also expensive. While your heart may be set on showering all your friends and family with lots of cool presents this year, your budget might not be feeling so generous. Lucky for you, a low bank account doesn’t have to leave you empty-handed. With a little time and creativity, you’ll find there are tons of affordable gift ideas out there; ones that require more effort than funds.

It’s Election Day in the US, and other than voting, you can celebrate in the most American way possible: getting free stuff. If you need a little more incentive to snag your own “I Voted” sticker (or just want to congratulate yourself for exercising your constitutional rights), here are the places offering freebies today. Bertucci’s: Free cannoli when you buy an entree Bob Evans: 30% off your total bill after 2 p.m.

Just having a 401K is a good start. But it’s what you do with it that has a major impact on your retirement. You’re the one in charge of it all, but saving for the future doesn’t have to be another dread on your financial checklist. With a little solid advice, you’ll be well on your way to conquering common 401K mistakes and closer to your retirement dream.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of money. Scratch that—I do know about you, because let’s be real, we’re all big fans of money. Alas, cash isn’t the easiest of things to hold onto, especially when the cost of housing seems to increase exponentially each year. All hope is not lost, however. If you can work up the nerve, you can negotiate your rent.

Your most powerful money-saving tool isn’t a coupon-searching browser extension or the willpower it takes to say no to a Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s your phone. Seriously.

This month we’ll be sharing solutions that are so simple and easy—and at times, automated—that they feel like magic. Hocus Pocus celebrates all the small ways you can trick yourself into living a better life. There are a lot of ways to spend less money at the grocery stores. Couponing or buying cheaper food are two that come to mind, though neither are always ideal for our sanity or our health.

Grocery shopping for one may seem like the easiest thing in the world in theory—buying for just yourself should be an automatic money-saver, right? But if you’re shopping solo and you go in without a plan, it’s hard to keep yourself in check when it comes to impulse purchases and knowing what you really need. And using up food all by yourself before it goes bad can be a challenge, too, so you have to shop and cook smarter.

You already know that the value of a dollar varies wildly depending on where you’re sitting. Even close by in two neighboring states—OK, California is pretty huge—you can get a lot more for your dollar in one over the other. Here’s a quick examination of exactly how much the cost of everyday living varies across the West Coast.

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that the internet has revolutionized shopping. You can now, from your couch, buy pretty much anything you can imagine, and have it delivered to your home in a matter of days. But the internet hasn’t just made shopping faster or more convenient — it’s also made it smarter. Here are six time and money-saving strategies that all savvy online shoppers know.

Wonder what life might look like if you lived in another place? Or how far your salary could go if you picked up and moved to another—more affordable—state? Here’s a quick peek inside the cost of living on the East Coast. You might have seen this infographic recently from the Tax Foundation, which reveals the relative value of $100 in every state across the country: Kind of eye-opening, yeah? The Tax Foundation used 2016 Regional Price Parities (RPPs) from the U.S.

A night out on the town with your partner or your friends always sounds like a great idea… until you see the number on your bar tab. Drinks and food at bars and clubs are expensive, especially in big cities like New York, so if you don’t keep track of your spending, you can lose a lot of money in just a few hours. A night of barhopping and partying doesn’t have to hurt your wallet so much, though, if you follow some simple spending rules.

Whether you’re traveling across the country or just enjoying a staycation in your own neighborhood, time spent at a hotel can get expensive, fast. Aside from throwing down cash for the room rate, there’s also parking fees, room service, and tips—the list goes on. However there are few things you can do that, added up, will save you a nice chunk of money that can be better spent on more important things (read: margaritas and massages).

Collecting your coins and spare bills is a great way to save money, because over time, all that change adds up. But emptying your pockets into a jar or a piggy bank when you walk in the door? Not exactly the most fun or inspired way to do things. If you need a little extra motivation to save—whether it’s to pay for something special, or to curb your bad money habits—try one of these takes on the traditional coin jar or piggy bank.

Bed Bath & Beyond announced this week that they’re launching a new version of their loyalty program, and it just might mean the end of the ubiquitous 20% coupon the retailer is known for. Currently in beta, Beyond+ costs $29 a year and gives members 20% off every single purchase in store and online, plus free standard shipping. If the membership program takes off, it could be Bed Bath & Beyond’s way of ditching the coupon for good.

Tired of kissing your hard-earned cash goodbye every month and handing it over to your landlord? Thinking about taking the plunge and purchasing your own place? Well, hold up, young Padawan—before you apply for a mortgage on a whim, you should probably pump the brakes. If you’re really ready to shed the renting lifestyle once and for all and get serious about buying your first home, there are a few considerations you must make.

After you’ve tackled the big-picture savings tactics like canceling subscriptions, negotiating insurance premiums to lower rates, and reducing energy consumption, you’ll have to examine your micro-spending in order to squeeze any extra cash out of your budget. Even if you’re in good shape financially, there will come a week where you could use an extra hundred bucks—maybe before a big weekend?—to pad your budget with.

You’ve heard the adage: Time is money. But there is no situation where it holds more true than at the grocery store. The Food Marketing Institute estimates that the average shopping trip should take no longer than 30 minutes—and every minute a shopper spends inside the store after the first half hour will cause them to spend around 55¢ to $1 more. So if your end goal is to cut your grocery budget, your first step might actually be to try and cut down your shopping time.

While most of us have aspirations of getting in shape, the idea of joining an expensive gym or buying pricey workout equipment can be daunting. If you’re on a tight budget, the cost of shaping up doesn’t always outweigh the benefit. But good news: Getting fit doesn’t have to break the bank! Here a few suggestions for hobbies that can boost your health without draining your bank account. I think we’d all agree that running is a fantastic source of exercise.

Fall is a much-beloved season — and for good reason! After a long hot summer, there is finally a cool nip in the air, inspiring cozy nights spent by the fire and soft sweaters reintroduced into your wardrobe. And everywhere you turn, you’ll spot others diving headfirst into the season, hyping up fall fashion and reminding you that pumpkin spice everything is back on the menu.

Even the most laid-back shoppers have to be money-conscious when shopping for non-essentials — Do I really need another pair of black sandals? Will I ever wear these pants again? — unless you want to watch your bank account be drained faster than your Monday morning cup of coffee. But when it comes to grocery shopping, concerns of overspending are more easily forgotten. You need food to live after all.

Not a couponer? Is that because you refuse to dedicate your Sundays to shuffling through the newspaper, literally clipping coupons to stash away in a tiny accordion file that you flip through as you’re walking down the aisles? Well, you’re living in the past. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. When shopping online—or even in person with your phone in tow (and whose isn’t?) — it’s easier than ever to coupon and only takes a few minutes.

It feels like you can’t buy anything without being offered an extended warranty for an extra fee at the checkout counter, but are any of those service plans and insurance offerings even worth it? The truth is, some of those plans are an absolute must, but most warranties aren’t necessary.

Our current culture of having instant access to all the pleasures of the material world with the click of a button or the swipe of a card has many of our pleasure-seeking brains going bananas. It’s almost too easy to satisfy our instant gratification impulses through impulsive buying, but this type of buying comes at a cost—literally and metaphorically.

How many times have you bought something because it was such a good deal, only to end up with something you really didn’t need to spend money on at all? Me too. Planning your purchases ahead of time—and having the ability and stamina to wait for what you want and need—goes a long way in keeping you from getting suckered in by sales. Even better, planning ahead often allows you to get significantly better deals than merely what’s blazoned on ads.

You know those people who never seem to struggle with their finances at the end of each month? They’re the ones who’ll likely cash in their stocks and savings to retire into a sea of green (dollar bills, y’all!) when the rest of us are still trying to figure out stocks and savings. We want to be like those people. So, without further ado, here are five things money-savvy people always do that we less money-minded mortals should pick up post haste.

Anyone who’s ever been the victim of consumer fraud or had their identity stolen can tell you that it strikes without warning, and more than you think. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 17 million people were the victims of identity theft in 2014.

Most students and teachers can’t help but feel a little sad about the end of summer, at least until it’s time for back-to-school shopping. There’s something thrilling about starting a new school year and taking the opportunity to refresh your life a little. But loading up on new clothes, decor, technology and school supplies can get a little pricey. Actually, really pricey. The good news: Many retailers offer discounts for students and teachers with valid school IDs or .

Summer is slowly coming to an end, which means it’s time to get serious about crossing things off your summer bucket list. If you haven’t already taken a summer vacation, make that a top priority. Yes, sunshine-drenched days at the beach and lounging by the pool sipping margaritas are limited, but there’s still plenty of time to plan an epic end-of-summer getaway. Here are seven reasons why now is actually the perfect time to indulge in a delicious summer vacation.

Nobody thinks life on a budget is easy, but for some of us, the conventional saving advice falls flat. How do you cut out a $6 latte habit when you’ve never even set foot inside a Starbucks? When you can’t easily change your bottom line, you need to change your mindset instead. Here, we tackle three more common ways that Americans are blowing their paychecks, and offer up cost-saving alternatives that don’t feel like a sacrifice.

I love most everything about living in New York, except for the one thing I really hate about living in New York, which is that living here is really, really heinously expensive. But there are little ways you can save money, and make your NYC dollars stretch a little further. I’m not talking about obvious stuff, like living in Bushwick with 3 roommates or never going out ever. I mean sneaky things, money-saving tips that are unique to NYC, and that you might not immediately think of.

In the grand scheme of things, reading isn’t a very expensive hobby. But if you’re the type who loves to voraciously read every best seller or collect literary trophies for your bookshelf, you know all too well how quickly your book-buying habit can blow a budget. So we’ve rounded up 9 smart ways to save money on books, for every type of reader. Like Netflix for e-books, Kindle Unlimited lets you pay $9.

While your best bet for cheap winter entertainment might be holing up with Northern Exposure DVDs from the library, summer brings a bounty of ways to enjoy the longer days and warmer nights in a more social way, without blowing your budget. Here are 10 ways to have the best summer “friend dates” ever – on the cheap. Farmers’ Market Window Shopping: Farmers’ markets are so pretty and fun! And often full of samples!

People who keep personal finance top-of-mind are quick to tout the benefits of taking on a side hustle—a secondary job or stream of income to help you accomplish your financial goals. A side hustle will certainly help you pay off debt or save for a big purchase more quickly, but it’s a big life change and it’s not for everyone.

You can set airfare alerts and AirBNB your heart out. But a “budget” vacation can get financially out of hand fast if you’re not careful about how much you spend. When you plan an afternoon at the shops the same way you might plan a museum visit or a day at the beach, you’re shopping just for the sake of shopping. And it’s the worst thing you can do if you’re trying to save money while traveling.

When I’m planning a trip, the main financial factor I consider is the cost of the actual traveling, whether it’s by plane, train, bus or car. Airfare and lodging especially can be overwhelmingly expensive, so it’s tempting to consider these the true price of the travel, but there are so many other costs that can creep up on you. In addition to wages lost if you don’t get paid time off, here are ten expenses that can surprise you on even the thriftiest of vacations.

Anyone who’s ever calculated a wedding budget can attest to how quickly the elements of the event add up. Thankfully, wedding rental companies exist so that you don’t have to go out and pick hundreds of place settings or buy an absurd amount of Edison bulbs. With the diverse offerings and specialized styles of today, there’s nearly nothing that can’t be borrowed for your big day. Farm tables or round tables? Benches or chairs?