A 2010 USDA report estimated the average cost of caring for a baby during his first year of life at about $12,000. Although new parents eagerly buy all the best things that baby needs, the burdening costs can quickly take a toll on a modest budget. Add those expenses, which, by the way, only increase, up for 18 years, and finding ways to save money is certainly a thought-provoking idea. With an ample number of money-saving ideas for new parents, reducing expense is simple.

 

Use Coupons, Special Offers, and Deals

Money-saving coupons, promotions, sales, and other savings keep costs of everything from diapers to baby food to furniture and toys affordable. They’re found via apps, online coupon sites, company websites, newspapers and magazines, and newsletters/clubs. Take advantage of the offers and keep the costs of many of your baby supplies low. Most coupons and promotions are free to anyone that wants the savings.

Don’t forget cash-back and freebies programs. Tons of these programs provide cash back incentives every time you shop. The money adds up quickly and can be used for any reason. It’s your cash, after all. With the right programs, getting money back on all the items that you buy (for baby and beyond) is easy. Even a few purchases equal big savings. Put that money toward other important financial matters in life and sit back and enjoy the savings.

 

Improve Your Credit Score

Today is the best day to improve your credit score. Not only does a good credit increase odds that you’ll get approved for more lines of credit, but it also reduces the amount of interest you’ll spend to acquire credit from different companies. You need a safe car to transport baby around, college rolls around before you realize it, and the baby has many needs between those years. Without good credit, getting these things is sometimes difficult.

Luckily, there are many simple ways to improve your credit score in a matter of a few short weeks. The first step is to identify your credit issues and reduce the debts that you owe. Find the best credit repair company in town to help you get started. With the expertise that the professionals offer, getting the best results and best credit score is easy.

 

Don’t Forget Second-Hand Shopping

Not everything baby needs is acceptable in second-hand condition, but many things are. Buy second-hand clothing, strollers, toys, and miscellaneous items to considerably reduce expenses. For many new moms, shopping consignment sales and stores and other second-hand sources provide them with fun and savings! Shops are found online and in the local area, so make sure to scoop them out and learn what they’re all about.

 

Keep More Money in the Bank Account

It costs a lot of money to raise a baby, but there are many ways to reduce the expense so that amount is much less for your household. Use the above ideas to start saving money as a new parent quest. It’s not as difficult to save money as you thought it would be!

Comments »

Who wouldn’t love a big bonus? I definitely would at a job that I’ve been at forever. Bonus’ don’t happen a lot and when you get them it makes you feel like the happiest person in the world. You can buy a lot of things with the bonus, like a new Toyota Camry, Honda, jeep; put a down payment on a new apartment, or maybe you wanna buy your family a gift. Maybe take them on a family vacation, go and pay their mortgage off, it doesn’t matter what you do the fact that they are getting a gift amazes people.

 

Good Feelings

How exciting would that be if your family bought you a very special gift because of their job bonus? Depending on how much it is and how close you are, then that would depend on what gift that would be, but I am assuming that you have a lot of family then it would nice and small. The first gift idea would have to be a car, a house or an apartment. I say car, house, or an apartment because that’s the first thing people lean toward. Who wouldn’t want their car, house, apartment paid off? They are the necessities of the world, those are the three things that you may need, besides food. Everyone in your family, my family, or all over the world would like their rent paid for the month or a year or two. A car is a nice gift to satisfy someone as well. We all need a way to travel to where we need to travel too. Buses, trains, and taxis get tiring and we need a ride of our own at sometime.

 

Shopping!

My next option would have to be a shopping day. Everybody loves to shop, and I don’t think anyone would say no to that, if they have the opportunity. I think the shopping day would be great since you can have a budget,(set your budget)the person can get whatever they want, and you can walk away and say that you did something for your family, and still feel good about it. You can go to any shopping mall you want and have them pick out things that they want or need. I would definitely pick this idea after I get my bonus so that everyone can go and get something.

 

Check Em

My last option would be to write them off something. (Now I don’t know how much I would write them off, but it would be a certain amount) It depends how big my check was but if I was to receive a check for a bonus and the check was thousands and thousands then I would write family and close friends off as well. It would be a gift from them to me. I would genuinely would gift them with a smile on my face. There are many gifts that I would give them if I had the chance, those are the chosen three for myself.

Comments »

Buying a new car is a pretty big decision and you should do your research before making a decision. Dealerships have all kinds of sales throughout the year so it’s important for you to know when they offer the best prices. February through May is the busiest time for dealership because of tax season. Millions of American s will get a tax refund every year during these months and this is what makes it a booming time for the car industry. They do offer some good sales during this period but they are extremely busy and the customer service may not be up to par because their sales reps are worn thin during this time. Let’s look at several things you need to consider when buying a new car.

 

Price

This is always the deciding factor for me. Before you step foot onto a car lot you need to have a predetermined budget and you need to be able to stick to it. Going over your budget could cause you to get into a vehicle that you simply can’t afford and that is just setting you up for failure. To help determine your budget you need to take into consideration you’re other monthly bills such as your mortgage, insurance and daily living expenses. Don’t skim or cheat yourself when it comes to your budget. You may not be able to afford a top of the line car but if you do your budget correctly you will be in a vehicle that you can afford and won’t stretch you thin financially.

 

Quality

You want to make sure that you are getting a quality product and this is why I always recommend buying a new car versus a used car. You never really know what you are getting with a used car and when you buy a new car you get a manufacturer’s warranty. Now keep in mind that some automakers offer way better manufacturers warranties than others. Hyundai and Kia offer the better warranty on all of their new vehicles and Subaru Forester comes in right behind them.

 

Dealership

Throughout the time that you own your new car you will have to take it back to the dealership for repairs and maintenance so it’s important that you pick a dealership that is established and that has been in business for a while. If you live in a relatively smaller town you might have to travel outside of your area to get to a reputable dealership but it’s worth it in the long run. You want to choose a dealership that stands behind their word and that will offer you not only a good price but good customer service too.

If you can keep all of these things in the forefront of your mind while shopping for a new car then you are sure to make a well informed and educated decision when buying your next new vehicle. Make sure that you plan for the day that you go to the dealership and try not to have anything else planned for that day because you don’t want to feel rushed. You want to take your time so that you can test drive vehicles until you find the one you like and you also want to make sure you have plenty of time for the finance paperwork to be completed.

Comments »