Personal Finance

If you’re one of the millions who hit the stores hard, sat in front of your computer online to shop and spent in the neighborhood of four figures when it was all said and done, you’re most likely burned out on the hustle and bustle that is shopping over the holidays.

So you’re a few days removed from Christmas Days and even further out from holiday shopping, and you have likely completed your holiday plans, travel, stuffed yourself with delicious food and opened up your fair share of presents, along with giving out all those gifts you worked so hard to gather, spending your hard-earned money to brighten someone’s day.

If you had to put a guess on how many people wait until the last minute to Christmas shop, what would be the percentage you have in mind?

The holidays are here, and that’s no big surprise.

If you had to lump shopping and the holidays together, you’d most likely come to the conclusion that this time of year is more about spending money than saving it.

A big question you’ll ask yourself after the holidays often is met with mixed responses.

The old saving “unless you live under a rock” applies heavily to the sales that took place on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, even if you’re not someone who necessarily took part in those events.

So a few weeks out from Christmas Day and in the midst of holiday hustle and bustle, travel plans and shopping, you’re in the throes of all thinks spirit of the season.

The unofficial start of the holiday shopping season is Thanksgiving night, when stores open and online hustle and bustle begins as consumers jockey for holiday shopping deals in store and on the world wide web.

Thanksgiving shopping is cooked.

The Black Friday dust still hasn’t settled, and already retailers are gearing up promoting the Cyber Monday deals on the horizon in just about 48 hours.

Plenty of thought, marketing and advertising goes into the holiday shopping season, as retailers gear up for their best sales days of the year.

With less than one week until Black Friday, you’re undoubtedly planning your shopping already. 

Sports often is rife with hyperbole when two teams face off in a battle for superlative supremacy.

If there’s one mantra that most holiday shoppers abide by it’s that it is never too early to start shopping.

As holiday sales, pre-sales, specials, promotions and marketing have begun to hit the ground running, you’re undoubtedly already starting your plan of how you’re going to tackle the shopping season.

If your holiday shopping season hasn’t started by now, you’ll undoubtedly hit the ground running in November.

The holiday travel season, in a word, is “hectic.”

More often than not, when it comes to money, you’re worried and oblivious.

Black Friday often is referred to as the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, and with good reason. Between the marketing and unbelievable sales you’ll find on Black Friday (and in some cases Thanksgiving night in person and online), you’d be hard pressed to push the start button on shopping any time before then.

As the holidays grow closer, shopping season is ready to the ground running, and that means more spending and buying, with little margin for error as far as your budget goes, as you do your very best to stretch every dollar.

Recent statistics in relationship to retirement aren’t encouraging.

If you’re someone who pays attention to the national news, you know just how robust the job market is, and how unemployment is at an all-time low.

Even though Halloween is weeks out, and most retailers are littered with decorations for October 31, you’d be hard pressed, even this early, not to see holiday decor making its way to the showroom.

So September has the benefit of Labor Day sales, right? And of course, what would summertime be without July 4 promotions?

From the national unemployment rate to the stability of a job market that was previously in a state of influx, the financial outlook for the masses, yourself included, seems anywhere from encouraging to thriving depending on your perspective and, ultimately, how you’re doing as far as retirement planning, saving money and eliminating debt.

How much have you really thought about retirement? That question is the proverbial double-edged sword of a response in that most think about retirement quite a bit, worry about it in fact, while others are of the assumption that retiring securely financially is nearly impossible, so they don’t concern themselves with it, even as they get older.

If you’re someone who has recently started a new job, whether that’s a job change or entering the workforce for the first time, you’ve got a big question that you need to ask yourself.

Raise your hand if the end of summer is hitting you hard again, this season.

Typically, the months of June and September are what you’d consider the season for weddings, periods of time when tying the knot is in full bloom.

When it comes to budgeting and being mindful of where your money goes, the question in front of you is really quite simple.

A financial stability and outlook question that looms large for most centers on your credit score, what that number is and exactly what it means to you.

You can’t possibly think about the month of September and subsequent shopping without including a variety of products that are tailor made and discounted to move in the month, but also the bevy of Labor Day Sales retailers are planning to hit the post-summer shopping spree running.

If you polled the average household, regarding income specifically where and who it comes from, chances are you’ll see a pretty common response.

Much is made, and rightfully so, about the time of year that is late July and most of August in the form of back to school hype, pomp and circumstance, all leading to back to school shopping.

Budgeting has a black eye, plain and simple.

How each person manages their money is not created equal.

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times, the words resonating off your apartment walls.

The end of summer is slowly approaching, but back to school is almost here, as kids and parents alike bid a fond farewell to summertime vacation and back to cracking the books, teachers, homework and all that goes into the pending school year.

When it comes to expenses, you pretty much can narrow it down to a black and white discussion, with zero shades of gray.

The dog days of summer are upon us.

If you’re someone who is winding down, career wise, and are eyeing retirement but aren’t quite sure if you have enough saved or exactly when you’ll be able to stop working, what would you go back and tell your 20-something year old self? Maybe you’ll focus on that additional income, before marriage, mortgages and mouths to feed, and plead with you to do a better job of saving, rather than spending as if you’d never have responsibility beyond 25 years of age.

Debt is never an easy topic to discuss, and certainly isn’t something anyone who is struggling with it brings up or is willing or proud to talk about, no matter who the person on the other end of the conversation is.

Nothing truly matches the convenience and ease of online shopping.

Why is saving money so hard for the majority of people? That truly is a million dollar question, when you consider the fact that most aren’t saving much, if any, as far as a nest egg is concerned, in addition to that one million dollar seal of approval that is the amount of money you’ll most likely need to retire.

How do you feel about credit cards, in general?

The year 2018 is already reached the halfway point, and with that, for the masses, should bring with it more than just thoughts of a Fall wardrobe or what exactly you’ll be doing for the holidays.

What do a leaky roof, college tuition and a failing transmission on your car have in common? Probably the same thing a remodeling project, home renovation and medical bills, too.

The dog days of summer are hitting the east coast as this article is being written, so more Americans are spending time trying to keep cool, stay indoors and beat the heat anyway they can.

It’s hard not to sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of summer, from the local ice cream truck slowly crawling through the neighborhood, to freshly cut grass and kids playing, water being splashed and the outdoor grilling at its finest.

One of the more common reasons you can’t lose weight doesn’t always center on time, commitment or money.

When the topic of saving money hits the table, you’re undoubtedly going to come face to face with a number of traditional pieces of advice on how you could be doing this better.

You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression regarding the “little things,” and how they often matter the most.

If you had to take a guess on what is the most obvious and common Father’s Day gift, what do you think it would be?

In a word, how would you describe your ability to save?

Think about everything you learned and gained from your parents, particularly as you got older.

When was the last time you went on a June shopping spree?

Who’s ready to retire?

If you’re someone who loves the chase, sales wise, then you’ll fall hard for Memorial Day sales.

Who wants to get rich quickly? If you’ve ever heard that question posed to you, chances are it caught your attention, and with good reason.

How many times have you read a headline that boasts about yet another person retiring early? More times than you’d care to admit, particularly since you’re the one still working, nearing retirement or even if you’re years away but haven’t exactly engaged in a proactive plan of attack.

If you had to label your finances, how would you describe them? Good, bad or indifferent, perhaps.

Have you forgotten about your mom?

May is often referred to as “wedding season” since you typically see more spring and summer wedding dates than you would in the Fall.

The month of May really is seen as the transition from Spring to summer with Memorial Day really the unofficial kickoff of warmer temperatures, pool parties, graduations and other summertime events you simply can’t get enough of from one weekend to the next.

Those who are adept at saving money are also equally opportunistic from a financial perspective.

Everyone, at one time or another, as part of a childhood lesson learned was given this ubiquitous, familiar cliche as advice on what not to do as far as emulating someone else for all the wrong reasons.

Think about the concept of retirement for a minute.

Everyone has found themselves in that place where they’ve spent far too much than they wanted to, and often are befuddled and lost when it comes to finding answers to what went so wrong.

It’s “that time” of year again.

What if someone told you not to save money? What would your reaction be to that statement? With so much talk and chatter centering on day-to-day, month-to-month saving and an overall penchant by the masses to want to earn more at work, and be able to put more money aside, how can you serious entertain a sentiment that focuses on spending more on a service or product?

When you think about the arrival of Spring, and the month of April what comes to mind? Rain, maybe.

A mere three months ago the general public was flocking to the gym, debating on which exercise plan was going to be their fitness salvation and trying to decide on a new way of eating that was both convenient, cheap and tailored to losing weight before spring and eventually summer would arrive.

What does your credit score mean to you? Before you answer that, consider that these are only three digits. That’s it, just three that are linked together and attached to you.

The school year is rapidly approaching the end, with students and teachers alike contemplating the final few weeks of classes and plans for summer vacation, undoubtedly.

Shopping isn’t all its cracked up to be.

If you’re someone who enjoys budgeting, keeping track of your spending down to the last bottled water of the day, consider yourself the exception, rather than the norm.

The old adage about money being “the root of all evil” isn’t all that far off, if you consider how finances are managed between one person to the next.

When was the last time you looked at your paycheck closely? No, this isn’t about finding mistakes or checking for changes but more centered on the actual gross (and net) income staring back at you.

How are you fixed for saving as far as retirement goes? More specifically, are you saving enough to ensure that you are able to retire comfortably?

The month of March brings with it warmer temperatures with spring just around the corner, and retailers follow suit with some of the hotter deals you can find all year long.

You’re almost two months into your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, right? How’s it working out?

If you asked someone how much they paid on rent, do you think they’d know the answer?

Retail traditionally has certain days that see an abidance of sales, ones you fixate on as being special versus the ones that are marginally worth paying attention to from one week to the next.

Have you stopped to wonder how your age and your financial wellness go hand in hand? More importantly, based on that number, are you financially on track to be able to save, retire and have the sort of freedom, money wise, you need?

Valentine’s Day is upon us, and while some have been preparing for this day for weeks or even months (maybe even as early as New Year’s Day), others aren’t quite at that point, planning wise.

Welcome to 2018, the new year and with it lots of concern over getting healthier.

Raise your hand if you currently have a budget.

How much do you like to shop?

You're a full month removed from the holidays, and perhaps still sifting through credit card bills and receipts leftover from the joyous event that was gift giving, family functions and mouth-watering sweets and meals.

Would you believe that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner?

Are you someone who starts thinking about a summer vacation in January? How about that lover of the outdoors who is ready to tackle the world, via a camping trip, that takes you from open road to one covered path to another?

You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase: you are what you eat.

What New Year’s Resolution is first on your list? Generally speaking, getting in shape and saving or managing money better are one and two on that list in whatever you’d deem necessary based on preference.

Are you someone who values money and the importance of financial freedom?

When was the last time you clipped a coupon? Perhaps even more important, when was the last time you used a coupon, in general? The first question might be one you have a hard time answering since the days of clipping coupons seems antiquated at best, something you’d probably remember a parent or grandparent doing every Sunday within the confines of the newspaper (yes, we can remember those, right?).

What does the word “debt” mean to you? For some, it ushers in the most negative of thoughts, and is a cruel, yet prudent, reminder that you’re struggling with debt from one month to the next, from one paycheck to another.

Who wants to be a millionaire? Perhaps the better question, “who doesn’t want to be one?”

New Year’s Resolutions are nothing new, and most of what is promised from within seems as though it feels strangely familiar from one year to the next.

New Year’s Resolutions are nothing new, and most of what is promised from within seems as though it feels strangely familiar from one year to the next.

The holidays undoubtedly hit you hard, perhaps even harder than you believed initially, right square in the wallet.

Now that the holidays have concluded, and the feelings of joy and the season of giving is in the rear-view mirror, you can turn your attention back to spending in a way that is more reserved, prudent and downright smarter.

Do you have an additional $1,000 to spend on holiday gifts for your friends and family? The chances are that sum of money isn't just lying around, nor can it be found in your savings account. The average person has less than $500 in their savings account, while a staggering amount has zero dollars to their name.

In today's economy, money is tight. Here are a few tips from PromotionCode.org to help you and your family make each dollar go farther: Create a household budget: One great way to save money is to have a household budget. Budgeting is an exercise in setting priorities and making purchases in line with those priorities.

Many of us are in the habit of spending money without a plan and hoping that the next paycheck arrives before our money runs out. If living within your means is important to you, then this is a habit you need to break. A good way to do it is to set up a household budget. Sometimes, however, the only thing more difficult than living within your means is setting up a household budget.

Every year, with a determined smile, families around the United States brace for spring cleaning. Under the guise of this work, though, consumers will radically overpay for cleaning products that are, in most cases, wholly unnecessary. The list below will help you save your spring cleaning dollars with an item-by-item comparison of what you'd pay versus what it would take to make the same thing at home.

The new year is here, which often inspires people to take on home renovation projects to update the look and value of their house. If you're thinking about embarking on a redesign project, you should focus on areas that can make your house worth more money if you ever decide to sell. With a Home Depot promotion code, you can get great deals on all of the materials you need, so you can choose to renovate more than one aspect of your home. Here are a few of the top areas in your house that could use a boost.

Parents these days may find it more difficult to keep their children convinced that Santa Claus is the real deal. With so many television shows, movies, video games and other children around that could ruin the magic of Christmas; it's tougher to give your kids one of the best childhood experiences possible. Believing in Santa Claus is a great way to teach kids about faith and belief systems, and it's just a fun way to celebrate the holidays. If you want to make sure your kids get all the proof they need, here are a few tips you might want to use.

When you sit down and think about money and saving it, you conclude that you're trying very hard to follow the path that will lead you to financial freedom. You've cut back on restaurant dining. You took a long, hard look at your bills such as cable, phone, and internet and made cuts where applicable. You even stopped spending money without thinking on certain incidentals that can add up quickly.

The notion of saving money and not overspending is something that consumes consumers to the point that they're not sure exactly how to get started. The other typical pratfall is settling on eliminating various expenses without taking a step back and surveying their budget the way Peyton Manning eyes a football field. You wouldn't see Manning hurl a pass with his eyes closed so why are so many people adopting that same blind ambition when they're cutting costs across the board? The most flagrant foul when figuring out what you can eliminate from your spending is giving up something you don't enjoy, anyway. Even worse, what if the cut-back is barely a scrape? For example, you constantly hear about people canceling their health club or gym membership in the hopes of saving money each month.

Conventional financial advice argues that in order to save money, you should have rent or mortgage that is manageable, and opt not to be “house poor,” a phrase that simply suggests that you are living in a house you can’t afford and thus can only afford that payment and nothing else.

When it comes to money, we tend to be very persuasive with ourselves.

Have you ever spent money and then instantly regretted it?

Sometimes your paycheck just doesn't have much give. So, stretching it further and further is taxing on your state of mind, and it isn't always easy to find spare change or extra cash simply lying around. You could always go down the path of a second job, but you're likely no different than most people, the ones who barely have enough time for the first one much less a second. How about this for a second job? Saving or earning money where you least expect it.

Feeling as though you have to play catch up, or you’re always falling behind isn’t a very ideal or fun place to be in, particularly when you’re talking about retirement and your financial situation as you head toward the end of your working career.

As your money saving woes go from one day to the next, you, as a concerned individual who wants to have a savings account that matters or an emergency fund that isn’t fledgling, constantly look for ways to improve your financial standing.

If you’re in debt, join the club.

Debt is a tiresome, brutal discussion that most people who struggle financially simply don't want to have. They understand that, for whatever and plenty of reasons, they're trapped under mounds of excess bills, various types of debt and income that just isn't covering expenses and haven't in quite some time. No one just happens to get in debt over the course of a few days or weeks. Considerable debt realistically mounts over time and is typically predicated on one bad buying decision or money misstep after another, in addition to living wildly beyond your means.

When you think about having trouble saving money, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Are you new to all this saving money talk? Are you trying to build wealth as a first-time employee or someone who just got their first real job, one with health insurance and a retirement fund?

Do you enjoy grocery shopping?

Think about the most significant wastes of money that currently reside on your budget.

Saving money, for most, takes work, practice and attention to detail.

You can read story after story, study after study and in the end, you’ll see that other than infidelity, money is the root of most relationship issues and subsequent separations as a result.

No matter how much you try, you’ll never be perfect with your savings plan.

Experts, analysts and even the general public can agree that saving money isn’t as easy as some make it out to be.

The numbers don’t lie. They just make you feel worse about your current financial situation.

In a perfect world, one that rarely exists when it comes to money, you'd have money set aside and be able to pay for anything and everything regarding unexpected expenses.

When you think about money and breaking so-called “rules” of how to spend and save it, you immediately assume that you’ll be just another statistic, a person who can’t save and struggles day to day with money.

If someone who is struggling financially ever tells you that it doesn’t bother them or doesn’t keep them awake at night, you can look them square in the eye and know 90 percent of the time, they’re not telling you the truth. Money may be the root of all evil but not having enough or having problems paying bills is about as scary as it gets, and for the masses make sleeping at night more challenging and filled with its fair share of anxious moments. Issues and problems with money are nothing new. Roughly 50 to 60 percent of the U.

So you’re getting older, so what, right? You can age gracefully, pick up a few more aches and pains and start thinking about those pre-screening health exams and tests on the horizon and live life to its fullest, no matter what age you’re about to reach or milestone birthday you have staring down the barrel at you.

Is there such a thing as a bad budget? Furthermore, can budgeting in a way that is counterproductive cost you money?

Often saving money is a topic that the majority of individuals refuse to dive headfirst into, and truthfully and truly take a long hard look at their financial situation.

The American dream of buying a home could turn into a nightmare if you don’t think through the entire process and what awaits you as a homeowner.

For years, you’ve always been told it is financially smarter to own, rather than rent. The person saying that most likely is a homeowner, who probably is financially comfortable with their house payment and the subsequent utilities and bills that come with owning versus renting. For others, renting is the only option for some reasons. They might not have the kind of credit, income or debt to income ratio that gives lenders that warm and fuzzy feeling about giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars and the responsibility of owning a home and paying a mortgage every month.

When was the last time you checked your expenses?

Cable companies can’t quite seem to see the writing on the wall.

Saving money can be a cutthroat endeavor, something of a game of chance and survival all rolled into one, and as much as you want to follow along with what you think and believe to be gospel as far as how to achieve success, you can’t take anything off the table when you’re discussing your financial future.

Anyone who puts themselves in the category of financially challenged will argue up and down that they are trying their best but saving money is just too hard and out of reach for them at the moment and probably will be for the foreseeable future.

Saving money isn’t without its pains.

If good things come in small packages, as the saying goes, imagine what you could do financially with only a few dollars.

Saving money isn’t just about making a lot of money and spending little or staying under that umbrella but also translates into curbing your bad money habits and making sure that certain decisions don’t curtail the ultimate goal of living comfortably.

Whoever said saving money was easy? Honestly, not very many people.

Do you tend to overthink spending money? And by “overthink,” you focus on what you can’t have instead, for example, of figuring out how to get what you want and just being smarter about buying decisions.

Think about a friend, a family member or even yourself as it relates to money. More specifically, the last time you got a raise at work or perhaps a new job and that equated to a paycheck whose numbers every other week went up, rather than down. Simply put, you’re making more money, so what should you be doing with it? Apparently, most people who make more, spend more. The average household that brings in more than $150,000 ends up paying more interest and having more debt, meaning that making more money doesn’t mean the consumer is thinking about saving that extra income but rather spending it.

Income tax season affects different taxpayers differently. Some taxpayers look forward to the season because they know they will receive a refund--and may have already spent it in their minds. Other taxpayers dread the season because they know that they will have to write a check to the I.R.

Have you ever taken a look at your savings account and your debt and wondered if the former should be ultimately used for the latter to pay down or off the debt entirely?

One of the more common missteps for those of any age really, but more concerning for those in their 50s, is forgetting about retirement until it’s too late. And what exactly is “too late”? Well, waiting too long might mean that you’re on the threshold of retiring and realize that you simply can’t. You don’t have enough money saved, or you haven’t planned your retirement aside from thinking about it and trying to save money here and there. That lackluster and lax attitude only is going to add years to the sentence that is working well into your 60s and maybe even 70s.

When saving money alludes you, it’s easy to play the blame game.

For the most part, you don’t need to be too hard on yourself when it comes to budgeting and subsequently saving money.

If you aren’t thinking about money, chances are you’re at one of two spots on the financial spectrum.

Is there such as thing as free money?

The average individual worries 63 percent of the time about money. That number seems fairly low when you consider all of the other neighboring statistics about money.

Have you thought about making extra money? Of course, you have.

How many times has someone told you they could get you rich?

The key to happiness as it relates to relationships and money is an often talked about topic in some sectors while other partners consider it off the table.

If you ask the average person about money, you’ll get a fairly typical response: the eye roll or, even worse, the head buried in the hands.

A common question you’ll hear from someone when you don’t know how to do something is “didn’t they ever teach you that in school?” For those who have trouble managing money, you might be quick to answer that question in a more surprising way than you initially would think. No. When it comes to balancing a checkbook, figuring out how to retire or even the ins and outs of saving money and having a paycheck that works wonders for the present and the future, you have to admit that school is severely falling short in teaching kids, young adults and teens exactly what it means to save money wisely, spend it even smarter and learn to make the most out of every dollar they can. Early on, kids should be privy to the ins and outs of budgeting first and foremost as this is the easiest and quite frankly the most overlooked skill you can have in your repertoire.

If you’re someone who makes a decent amount of money, you should probably have more money saved then someone whose salary is about half of yours, right?

What's the easiest way to save money?

Talk about money and being able to feel financially free, stable and at ease when it comes to saving and having a bright financial future rightfully focuses on the tangible.

Losing your job or having one, lone income 30 years ago wasn’t quite as nerve-racking as what it would be like today.

Getting out of debt is what most people strive to achieve since more than half of the population carries at least $20,000 in owed money.

If you’re someone who travels for their job and your company graciously picks up the tab for this expense, you might not be quite as apt to find the very best deal.

The words “debt” and “burden” go hand in hand because the latter word easily is the best way to describe how you feel when you’re swimming in the former.

So when was the last time you called a close friend or family member when you were about to buy something you shouldn't, meaning you couldn't afford it?

Asking the question if you’re saving enough money might seem like an obvious answer when you are always asking why you don’t have anything leftover after you pay your bills. But as seemingly simple as that might be, you still have a majority of people who aren’t sure where they’re money is going.

Are you thinking of retiring soon?

Do you tell lies? OK, let’s rephrase that. Do you tell lies about money? More importantly, you might be the type of person who convinces yourself that there’s nothing at all wrong with your money management; and, how you save or spend it. Furthermore, you might consider your budget ironclad and the money that you make as being hit or miss as far as how you pay your bills on time and if you let a few of them lapse if you have a weekend getaway planned or want to spend that bill money on gifts, for instance. Easily the biggest issue is one where you pretend, as though money is replaceable when you spend it.

One of the more common phrases uttered when it comes to saving money is that you don’t make enough to save enough.

Sometimes it’s not so easy to take a much-needed step back and view just how poor your money situation is.

The thought of spending money in all the wrong ways often is linked back to the idea that you spend when you don’t have to, on items you don’t need (but rather want) and then live to regret it almost instantly.

Ask the average person why they can’t save money, and you’ll hear one answer pretty consistently.

Those who fancy themselves at being good at saving money know exactly the most opportune times to save but almost as important is they simply don't miss out on the chance to save money.

Plenty of resolutions this year will center on money and how to be better with it, from developing a plan to save money or simply doing a better job of tracking what you spend.

If you’re someone who believes that saving money and having financial wealth will come “in due time,” you’re sadly mistaken.

When it comes to your credit and subsequent score, the bare minimum isn’t going to do much to move the proverbial needle, in this case, increase your credit score and make you more appealing to potential lenders.

More times than not, when you take a look at those individuals who struggle with debt, you can pinpoint the problem rather quickly. Constructing a prudent, intelligent financially sound person starts with the foundation that often is devoid the moment you spend a few minutes with an individual who struggles with debt. That “foundation” is a budget, something that easily measures your expenses versus your income and how you spend your money. Sounds easy enough, right? The issue with budgets is twofold: the ones who have them but couldn't tell you the first thing about them or, worse yet, the ones who don't have them at all.

Thoughts of saving money tend to focus mostly on trying to earn more money, since most equate a better income to the ability to be financially secure.

If you asked ten people to give you the best way to fix their debt issues, what do you think the overwhelming response would be?

Plenty of people want to have that picture perfect credit score, something that is in the neighborhood of 700 or better so that they can rest assured that if they want a loan or faith of a creditor, they’ll have it. The habits of those who rule their respective credit worlds are something that hardly would be considered monumental but instead rooted in common sense and financial acumen. But even if you’re not a financial planner by trade, you still can keep that score at something of a respectable level. And that’s pretty much what those in the know do.

Money is never going to be a subject that isn't talked about with some mix of pain and perseverance as it relates to the ongoing saga that is the average person and how they spend and save money.

Trying to find that happy balance between spending money and saving is difficult for the average person. That combination is even harder when you’re someone who had issues with overspending.

Retirement is funny in a way, in that if you’re young, you don’t think about it, but you really should be. When you’re in your mid-40s, and you haven’t been thinking about it at all until that very moment, you start to panic and can’t stop wondering just how you’re going to manage to pull off retiring at 65.

For everyone that assumes saving money takes a lot of effort, you're not wrong.

Debt is a lot like exercise: most of what you hear is misleading, while a small, marginal amount of advice is worth paying attention to when someone is speaking.

Saving money isn’t about just being rigid with your spending or budgeting to the point that even a bottle of water winds up on your spreadsheet or money saving app. You also can’t overlook that type of spending that is ill-advised and done so with significant impulsiveness.

What is considered “good habits” as far as money is concerned can be viewed upon by others as just average or, in some cases, not so great. But there are certain habits that universally are lauded, not panned, and they’ll always be viewed as the best options when it relates to saving money, spending accordingly and getting your credit under control. As far as credit goes, the easiest way to clean up your score is to eliminate your credit card debt. Saying goodbye to debt is going to save you money, plenty in fact, when you factor in that a balance of $10,000 at a very modest interest rate of 17% is going to cost you double that to pay off over time.

Most consumer understand the value of a dollar, and that thought resonates quite loudly at one particular place of business: the grocery store.

Much the same way you look skeptically at how hair can be sprayed out of a can and onto your head or that exercise DVD that promises results in 10 minutes when you can’t even get your body on the right track in the last 10 years, skepticism abounds when you clearly hear something that you’d call a bit of a head-scratcher. You tend to do this with money, too. More specifically, how you plan on saving money and climbing out of that pool of debt you went from wading into trying to keep your head above water. Plenty of websites, financial experts and others of that ilk argue that getting out of debt can be done quickly, and they’ll use buzz words like “quick” or “fast,” those buzz-worthy words that get anyone’s attention, particularly those people who are struggling immensely and don’t know what to do or where to turn.

All the signs are there, but you can't see it: you're headed for debt, lots of it, and you aren't doing anything to stop it.

One of the harsher realities when it comes to money and the inability to save it is when you realize your financial woes are going to need a significant overhaul. Simply put, you’re flat broke. What that term means is relative to the situation, saying that you might consider being broke as not having any income and expenses that are piling up as a result. You also can look at being broke as having just enough money to pay your bills with little or no room to spend or save accordingly.

When you’re in your 20s, you probably aren’t thinking about retirement, an emergency fund or budgeting your dollars. But should you be? The easy answer is yes, as what you’re doing in your 20s can determine not only how much money you have but the ability to make smart decisions about that same money. You also can’t discount being helped along the way, either. For instance, if you’re parents are helping you with paying your bills, or they’re making it a point to pay utilities, or for your cell phone, you as the 20 something-year-old need to consider cutting that cord for once, so you can learn how to budget for yourself.

Credit cards, for all the flack they get, aren’t all bad.

Success stories relating to money and saving often typically make headlines in the most extreme examples, leaving little hope or optimism for the masses to believe that anything close to that, for them, is possible.

Are you planning to head to the beach or somewhere else fun, festive and enjoyable during the summer months? Is that vacation planning starting to signal the end of your financial freedom and the beginning of crunch time to start saving?

If you believe saving money is hard, you're right.

What would you do with more than three billion dollars?

Remember when you rented (or now if you are currently doing so), and the subsequent advice you'd receive from everyone who thought they knew better?

Discussing credit can often be a taxing, vexing situation in that some individuals aren’t sure what their habits, when done collectively, can do to an overall credit score.

Nothing plagues your credit score or how you’re viewed by lenders more so than mounds and mounds of debt. Some argue that the debt itself isn’t what is killing your chances of getting a loan or being viewed as more of a quality borrower than a liability, but rather how close the debt is to the credit limit or your debt to income ratio. But what most forget is that all of those calculations boil down to how much debt you’re carrying in the former and what that monthly credit payment is for the latter. No matter how you slice it or what perspective you take, the argument for paying down debt quickly isn’t one that you can rally around as far as not wanting to do it.

Sixty percent. That is the number that haunts the masses, the percentage that is the harsh reality when it comes to saving money. That percentage is the number of people who have one thousand dollars or less in a savings account, suggesting that more than half of the population in the United States is one roof leak, blown furnace or pool liner rip away from having to borrow money because they simply don’t have money set aside for those unexpected expenses life can throw your way. What’s even more troubling is that 30 percent, roughly, have not dollar one in their savings account, meaning they’re in even more trouble should something of any sort of serious nature happen, whether that’s medical bills, student loans or anything else that comes up that you’d like to take care with your own money.

Plenty of ardent and conscientious taxpayers circle April 15 on their calendar, not so much as a reminder that they'll be shelling out serious cash but rather the federal or state government sending a few extra dollars their way. The always revered and often mismanaged tax refund check takes center stage as the filing deadline already is on the mind of the masses. Whether you file online or gather up your receipts scattered throughout your home and have them sorted by an accountant isn't so much the pressing issue as far as what you end up doing with that money once you have it in hand. As much as you tell yourself you're going to save the money or invest it consciously, you end up with that Jet Ski you'll never use or that ubiquitous car stereo that you only turn on occasionally while driving.

Everyone has heard the expression that sometimes life just gets in the way of your plans. More specifically, life tends to come to you with unexpected expenses and thus throw the proverbial wrench into our savings plan.

If you believe the expression that it’s “never too late,” then you’ll like what financial experts and gurus around the globe will tell you about money as it relates to being, in this instance, for the above 40-year-old crowd.

Looking around your house, ask yourself a question: is it too big for you?

Think about the best piece of financial advice you ever received, and try to remember what it sounded like. Maybe your parents told you that you should save at least 10% out of your paycheck every two weeks. Your grandfather undoubtedly told you as a child to think about every purchase before you decide to buy, if you might want to sleep on it so to speak before your ultimately determine your next cash out of pocket purchase. One element of advice that never gets old, and you’ve undoubtedly heard a hundred times or more is that you have to have a budget to be successful in saving money and spending wisely, as these two items go hand in hand.

If you're in your mid-30s, have you thought about retiring?

How many times have you looked at your budget, you know took a long hard gaze at that document?

When you think about technology, you imagine a world of convenience, with gadgets and products that make life easier or services that send the message that what once was considered to be impossible is anything but.

How many times have you heard just how easy it is to save money? The whole idea is simplified to the point that you feel guilty, bad or ashamed at most of the fact that you can’t follow in the footsteps of all these financial gurus. Instead, you’re struggling to save money, and the sad part is you make more than you should be spending. That’s right, you sat down and wrote out that all-important budget and the result was your income is higher than what your expenses are, but yet you still end up in the negative by the end of the month. Why exactly is that happening? Well, you can be confident that your budget is flawed at best and you’re probably leaving off plenty of incidental line items such as daily expenses or meals out to eat in restaurants for example as for why you’re off based on what your actual debt to income ratio is.

No one enjoys debt, and, for the most part, we all have it. Having debt and being immersed in it are two very different things, mainly when you analyze the type of debt and what you’re doing to either fix it or make it worse.

The idea behind a credit score seems simple enough: don't get into debt and don't use money or borrow (or at least limit it), and your credit score will flourish.

The words “college” and “debt” go hand in hand. Anyone who has walked through a collegiate bookstore, ordered a textbook online or struggled through the student loan process can tell you emphatically that the college experience itself is just fine. It's what happens after you graduate that is a little more taxing. The amount of college debt in the United States is both staggering and surprising.

You're always thinking about saving money, right? Did you ever think that maybe moving could be your best bet? So this isn't to say that you should pick up and leave town just for the sake of doing so. If you're enjoying your wonderful job, your family is settled, and you're living comfortably on a salary and subsequent budget, there's no reason for you even to contemplate picking up and moving to another city or state. But what about the segment of the population that are living from paycheck to paycheck, aren't enamored with their place of employment and truthfully don't have much tying them to a particular location? That demographic might want to strongly consider packing up, picking up and heading somewhere that is deemed less expensive to live. Let's say you’re a struggling post-college student who always believed that living in New York City was your ticket to toppling your goals of becoming a famous actor or living the life of a wealthy socialite who made it big as a Wall Street trader.

Talk is cheap. And, it’s even cheaper when you are talking about debt.

Surviving financially from one week to the next can become a real challenge on short notice. The prices for utilities and amenities seem to increase on a continual basis while employee pay rates remain stagnant. One way to adapt to unexpected income drops involves quick a household price-slashing strategy. Consumers can slash the costs of some of their most expensive household bills fast.

Stopping for a $5 foot long sandwich at Subway a few times a week seems like a harmless act during the work week. The same could be said for running short on time and stopping at a restaurant after work, as opposed to going home and cooking yourself something for dinner. Time usually leads to spending money on food for lunch and dinner, whether packing your lunch skips your mind or dinner just isn't going to get done with a 12 hour work day. The average lunch costs you around $6-10, while dinner checks in at $15-20.

When was the last time you looked at your budget?

When you’re in your 20s, money might not mean all that much. You might be fresh out of college and sharing an apartment with some friends or have your own modest living accommodations, very little debt and maybe even your parents' car, the one they gave you when you turned 16. So money isn’t exactly a driving factor. Then, you turn 30, and things begin to change as far as how much emphasis you put on money as you may be thinking marriage, kids and advancing in your career to the point that you’ve caught on with a reputable company and the future, once distant, seems much more important and closer than once thought.

Having debt isn’t fun. In fact, it can be downright annoying. The most troublesome element of debt isn’t that the majority of people have it but that it often is viewed by the masses as just another part of life, that everyone has it and dealing with it isn’t a priority. Debt weighs so heavily on our minds; however, it doesn’t translate into taking action mostly because it is viewed as futile.

The conflicting arguments as it relates to debt and student loans centers on the interest rate versus the monthly payment and how someone can manage their budget accordingly. Those who remain steadfast that the student loan isn't a priority pertaining to paying off debt focus their attention on the typical low interest rates in comparison to other potential debt you might have. Credit cards immediately come to mind since they'll typically have a 10% interest rate at minimum, while others can go as high as 30%. When it comes to student loans, what really needs discussed, however, is the monthly payment that is factored into your budget, and, quite frankly, if that total amount is large enough to wreak havoc on trying to save money or handle your additional expenses.

Shopping for a new car can be stressful. But to get the best deals you need to be relaxed, positive, and patient. For this to happen, you need to know what you can afford, what you need, what options and features are “must haves,” and do your homework.

How do you feel when you buy something new?

Much like weight loss, exercise, and dieting, money also can be misleading and thoughts of the hows and whys get muddled in a midst of misnomers and misinformation. Have you ever had anyone tell you that the key to dieting is to do a seven-day juice cleanse or to drop carbs altogether? How about that personal trainer that wants you to ditch weight training because you’ll get too bulky an stick to just cardio? The same would be factual inefficiencies tend to perpetuate through saving money as well, but in order to keep your financial thinking cap on, you must be able to dissect these comments and learn whether they ultimately work for you or if you’d be better served to leave them on the table. For instance, how many times have you been told that having a budget is key to financial success and that smart money managers are the ones who have automatic bill pays so they never miss a payment? The budget part is exactly true, as you should know where your money goes in relationship to income and expenses. But the automatic bill pay isn’t always the best approach for some and should be paired with the budget and just how well that has been put together.

Your credit can be incredibly scary, especially if you're in the process of rebuilding it. Anyone who has filed for bankruptcy, elicited the service of a debt consolidator, or struggled to keep their credit score over 600 or 700 probably is feeling a little scorned as they're slowly crawling back to credit respectability. For example, working with a debt consolidation company probably means that you had to close the credit cards that were included as part of your new monthly payment. The first few months after agreeing to combine your unsecured debt, you're not going to be able to apply for a credit card anytime soon.

Who doesn’t want to eliminate their credit card debt? Ask around, and you’ll have no trouble finding more than the handful of people who want to pay off that debt but are stuck in minimum payment purgatory. In that place, you’re paying the very least you have to, and rarely getting ahead in terms of the actual balance changing. In fact, what is happening is interest is accumulating and quite simply you’re never getting ahead. Of course, paying something versus missing a payment is better, but the idea behind paying on the credit card should go far beyond just making a payment for the sake of doing so.

Most people who struggle to save money will argue back and forth that they are smart, goal-oriented individuals that simply can’t get ahead, no matter how much they try and put forth the kind of effort you'd want and expect from someone who wants to get ahead financially.

Are you a small business owner looking for ways to cut your overhead expenses? Keeping your business afloat these days can be especially difficult with the current economic climate. This is why you have to be smart when it comes to cutting unnecessary costs in your everyday business operations.

You don’t hear the term “good saver” much as it relates to saving money, but the phrase hardly is difficult to understand when you think about finances. Saving money eludes the majority of men and women, husband and wives, families, partners and people alike. The bad habits that permeate through the masses make it easy to understand why the average amount of debt is around $20,000, and very few people have what you would call an emergency fund or savings account. Those who do, the ones that don’t fall into that negative group, tend to be labeled as a lot of things: smart, savvy, financially responsible.

Over complicating the procedure or just the mere idea of saving money is commonplace. That isn't to suggest that saving money is necessarily easy, but it certainly doesn't have to be rocket science, either. You'll, of course, want to know your limitation, and that starts with a budget. From that budget, you'll be able to realize just what you can spend or, conversely, what you can't.

Have you ever wondered why your credit score isn't doing so well?

At what age did you start planning for your retirement? If you waited a little longer to start saving or you reach the magic number of 40, and you’re either far behind where you want to be or haven’t started at all, it’s easy to assume that you’ll have to work until you're in your 70s before you can actually quit working. That doesn’t have to be the case, particularly for those who are 40 and have little to no retirement planning that has been accomplished for a good part of your career. Whatever the reason is why you haven’t started retirement planning can’t hold you back from picking that day and getting moving. How can you start saving at 40 for retirement? Is it really too late? The answer to the latter question is absolutely not, but as far as saving at 40, you aren’t out of the picture by any means.

When you hear the phrase, living at or below your means, the wrinkle on your forehead and face shows that isn’t exactly the most enviable place to be in as far as money goes.

Here’s a news flash you probably already heard: You’re broke. OK, so maybe you have a few dollars to your name, but when you check your bank account, you have no savings account to speak of, you live paycheck to paycheck and at the end of the month, you have no leftover money. Sure, your bills are paid, but as far as being able to spend above and beyond expenses, you just aren’t at that point. And unless you make some serious changes, you’ll stay that way.

Credit experts will argue one of the keys to keeping your credit score afloat is always to make your payments on time, even if that means minimum payments only. While that mindset ultimately is correct, you can’t assume that those barely-there payments are going to lead to getting out of debt anytime soon. Now, if the argument is whether you should pay your bill on time or not, the answer is quite simple. You always want to pay on time, even if it’s the bare bones.

Anyone who has been able to save money and amass some sort of savings account or emergency fund will tell you that their success didn't happen overnight, but was the product of months and years of budgeting and spending that wasn't overblown.

If you're someone who has developed a money-saving plan and managed to stick to every last word, dollar figure or note you left for yourself, then chances are as you won't reflect on missed opportunities or beat yourself up over what could have been.

Ask anyone who doesn’t have good credit and they’ll tell you just how hard life can be when those three numbers don’t look so hot when it comes time to borrow money. Whether you’re opening up a credit card, trying to buy a car or finance a home, or even find your way to your local, company run credit union for a home equity loan, you aren’t going to get very far or amass much in the way of a loan or, worse yet, a reasonable interest rate if your credit score is in the 500s or 600 range. So how exactly did it get this bad? How did your credit score get so poor and leave you with a lot of uphill climbing to do? First off, you have to take a look at your payment history and understand that paying late is a sure fire way to lose points on that credit score. Missing payments and having creditors send you to collections only means that your score is going to take a nose dive.