The warmth in the morning followed by the energy later makes coffee the drink of choice for people across the world. Coffee comes in many flavors, varieties and prices. Coffee can be obtained in a number of places. Many love to pick it up at their favorite coffee shop on the way to work, some [...]

One of the terms that you might have come across as an investor is “contrarian.” In some cases, the savvy contrarian investor can make money by engaging in strategies, and making investment moves, that are considered different than the conventional wisdom. A contrarian investor can take advantage of situations that allow them to position themselves [...]

Skin care – it’s frighteningly easy to justify and spend a fortune at the drugstore or cosmetics counter, in search of the secrets to a healthy and attractive complexion. Skin care choices in the marketplace are overwhelming and the claims made by the products’ advertisers can be both overblown and confusing. Being knowledgeable about our skin’s needs is really the only way to make sensible choices when shopping for products to care for our complexions.

Know thy skin type

The skin on our faces holds the distinction of being that which is most exposed to the elements while also being the skin that’s most visible to others. For that reason, we tend to want to take special pains to ensure that it’s as healthy and attractive as possible.

Skin comes in four basic types: dry, oily, combination (including oily areas and dry patches) and sensitive. Taking our skin type into consideration when evaluating products considerably simplifies and economizes our skincare choices.

All skin, regardless of type, has three basic needs: cleansing, moisturizing and sunscreen.

Cleansing

Cleansers loosen dirt, excess oil and remnants of products so they can be easily removed from the skin.

Follow these guidelines when choosing cleanser for your skin type:

• Dry - cleanse with a gentle cleanser as needed, up to twice a day
• Oily - cleanse with an oil-free, non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) cleanser as needed, up to twice a day
• Combination - cleanse with a mild cleanser that’s not too drying as needed, up to twice a day
• Sensitive - cleanse with a mild cleanser that’s free of alcohol, soap and fragrance once a day

To help you choose the right type of cleanser, be aware that they’re available as:

• Bar soaps - These work best for removing dirt but may be irritating to skin
• Liquid cleansers - These work for all skin types except for the oiliest and are generally non-irritating
• Facial cleansers - These tend to be less effective at removing dirt but are the mildest to skin

Your goal should be to find the mildest product possible that effectively cleans your skin without causing dryness.

Moisturizer

Moisturizer replenishes elements needed to maintain skin’s structure, avoid damage from free-radicals and enhance cell function.

Follow these guidelines when choosing moisturizer for your skin type:

• Dry - use a creamy moisturizer right after cleansing; re-apply when skin feels tight
• Oily and Combination  - use a lightweight, oil free product
• Sensitive - use a creamy moisturizer

Know what you’re buying! Some common moisturizer ingredients and their functions are:

• Glycerol - helps water and other moisturizer ingredients penetrate skin
• Ceramides - help replenish skin’s natural oils
• Hydroxy Acids - help with exfoliation of dead skin cells
• Niacinamide - helps skin produce more natural oils; may also help reverse signs of sun-damaged skin, like brown spots and blotchiness

Sunscreen

Protecting your skin from sun exposure is crucial to its health and appearance. The sun ages and dries skin, causes age spots, wrinkles and skin cancer. Even minute amounts of sun exposure every day can cumulatively have a negative effect on skin. Protect your skin with a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 everyday, even when it’s overcast. Some daytime moisturizers conveniently include sunscreen in their formulation.

Live Smart for Healthy Skin

Beyond products you put on it, adopting these healthy habits will also help your skin look its best, including:

• Avoid smoking
• Eat a healthy and varied diet
• Exercise to increase blood flow and sweat flushes out impurities from skin
• Lessen stress

Know what you need for your skin type and you’ll find that the basics to a great complexion are actually affordable, sensible and effective.

Remember to check out the newest beauty coupons that we found online for the latest discounts in cosmetics and skin care products. What are your complexion basics?

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You work hard every day, doing everything you can to bring more bacon home, and trim the fat from your spending. But it still isn’t enough. If you’re still wondering what you can do, consider looking behind the walls of your own home for the biggest leaks in your bottom line. When totaled, there are [...]

Last week’s auction of Edvard Munch’s The Scream for a record-breaking $120 million made international news — and made many money-savvy individuals who have never thought about fine art wonder if this is an investment opportunity that they’re missing out on. Between this story, and the wonderful surprises sometimes seen on shows like Antiques Roadshow, [...]

We’re all looking for ways to improve our finances. When we think about better finances, though, many of us think about making more money, and perhaps saving more money, or investing more. And, of course, those in debt often consider how much better life would be without debt.

As you make a plan to pay down debt, it’s important to consider what you can do to succeed. It’s also a good idea to find reasons to stick with your efforts. Many people give up on becoming debt free because they feel overwhelmed, or because they can’t remember why they are focusing so much on getting rid of debt. However, paying down debt is one of the best investments you can make in your future. As you look for inspiration to keep going, here are 3 good reasons to pay down debt as soon as possible:

1. You Pay Less Money to Someone Else

Whenever you pay interest, you are paying money straight into someone else’s pocket. When you think interest in this way, it makes a compelling reason to get rid of debt as soon as you can. Your interest payments don’t bring you anything of benefit. You don’t enjoy the effects, either. Pay off your debt faster, you’ll be paying less into someone else’s pocket, and keeping more of it for you. You can use the money on the things that are most important to you, rather than enriching someone else.

2. You Have Better Control Over Your Financial Resources

You don’t have control over your financial resources when demands on them are constantly being made. Indeed, when you have debt, your money has to go toward those obligations first. When you have debt, you have relinquished some of your control over your own financial resources, allowing someone else to dictate how much you pay — and when it has to be paid. Paying off your debt as quickly as you can paves the way for the ability for you to do what you want with your own money. You can direct your financial resources in such a way that works best for you, and helps you build wealth. You have a huge advantage when you are the one in charge of your own financial future.

3. Your Relationships are Likely to Improve when You are Debt Free

Even though paying off debt is mostly a financial matter, you might also find that it impacts other areas of your life. Debt can affect your relationships. Think about the stress and anxiety you feel when you are in debt. That sort of difficulty translates into other areas of your life. Marriages are strained, you are more irritable with your kids, and other relationships can be strained. You might not even realize how much stress your situation has been putting on your life until after you have paid off your debt. Pay down your debt faster, and you can find your relationships improving.

When you stop and think about the impact living a debt-free life could have on you, it becomes obvious that getting out of debt is important. You will have more control in general, and feel better about your situation.

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Last year, I counseled a young mother of two small children who came into our community program distraught, nearly hysterical, and on the verge of divorce. What was the issue? Payday Loans. She and her husband were both working, but she came in for assistance because she had absolutely nothing in the cupboard to feed [...]

It may seem like a strange question to ask, but does your paycheck truly reflect the value of your time, talent, skills and experience?  If there’s any doubt, you are probably not paying yourself enough, if you’re self-employed, or asking for enough from your employer. Not knowing your own worth is a fast way to be taken advantage of, especially for the self-employed. Are you ready to settle for less than the value of your services, or are you willing to risk losing a few cheapskate clients in order to make what you deserve? Here are some tips to discovering and exercising your monetary worth whether you are self-employed or otherwise.

If you’re self-employed, shop around to see what others in your field are charging. Compare yourself to others in the same field by becoming a member of business associations and interacting on networking sites. Considering your credentials in your field as well as years and levels of experience, stay competitive with similar businesses in your area without selling yourself short. Consider not only how much you are getting paid to do a job, but how much time you are devoting to it. If a job ends up entailing more labor hours than you had originally quoted to a client, don’t hesitate to renegotiate payment, especially if the extra work was requested.

If you are selling hand-made products, don’t forget to charge for your time. Crafts and hand-made items are a great way to earn extra income while doing something you enjoy. The mistake many crafters make, however, is simply charging customers a little more than the cost of their materials. This fails to account for your skilled labor hours, and also cheapens the customers’ perception of your product. If you’re selling your products too cheap, customers will view them as cheap. If you charge more for a quality product, customers will be able to see and appreciate the value and will still buy it. A quick formula for determining pricing is as follows:

1. Your wholesale price equals 2x the cost of your materials plus your labor rate.
2. Your retail price should be roughly twice your determined wholesale price.

If you are employed with a company, don’t be afraid to ask for a raise. Knowing your own worth doesn’t just apply to the self-employed. Many employees make less than they could be making simply because they are afraid to ask. If you think you might be making less than you should, do some research. Sites like salary.com list pay rates for various career fields and jobs at all skill and experience levels. If you discover you could be making more, compile a convincing argument and formerly request a raise. It’s a good idea to do this well before your normal evaluation so there is more time and/or funds for your request to be granted. If you are turned down, at least you can’t say you didn’t try.

Whatever your career field or employment situation, don’t let anyone, least of all yourself, undervalue or underpay you. Learn your worth to show yourself respect and require the same from others.

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There has been a lot written recently about the idea of a spending fast. You take a break from all non-essential spending (you still have to pay your bills and buy groceries, after all) in order to break the habit of mindlessly spending money. While I don’t think I would want to participate in a [...]

The traditional role of the women in our mothers’ and grandmothers’ generations was less about earning money than about spending it. Most women of their era were adept at working within and stretching the household budget to feed, clothe and care for the everyday needs of their family. Whether they had a degree in Home Economics or not, most women of those generations gained their doctorate in financial proficiency through managing the economics of their own homes. For most of us, our mothers indelibly influenced attitudes about many aspects of life, money included. What did your mother – or grandmother – teach you about managing your monetary resources?

I certainly learned some financial lessons from my mom. Here are two of them:

1. Women can manage the family finances. Her mother may not have taken this role, but my mom was the keeper of the purse strings in our family. When it came to purchasing insurance, vehicles, furniture and the like, paying bills and keeping the checkbook, it was all Mom. I grew up knowing that women can not only handle money but stretch a dollar, purchase wisely and save. Money was tight and she taught lessons in reusing and repurposing that became deeply ingrained in my psyche and still influence the way I handle finances.
2. It’s possible to be too generous. As much as I admired her intelligence, resourcefulness and adeptness at managing our family finances, I likewise admired her generosity. That generosity, however, created financial challenges for her later in life. As we grew up and flew out of the house, Mom soothed her “empty nest pangs” by feathering the nests of her children. At the point in her life when they finally had money that didn’t need to be spent on the family, she continued doing so. Instead of saving for their future and their own rainy days, she insisted she’d rather see us enjoy the things she continued to provide for us. At times they experienced financial hardships because Mom was being so generous to us. This taught me that while generosity is admirable, it’s important to take care of your own financial needs first and foremost.

Many of the habits we grew up with were never identified as “frugal” – they were standard operating procedure. We used what we had – materials, knowledge, talent and creativity – as well as money to do and get what we needed; and we certainly weren’t the only ones. Here’s a list I’ve compiled from friends and family of frugal tips and practices learned from their mothers and grandmothers:

• Used what we had instead of buying other products (like vinegar rinse for hair and window cleaning; used newspaper to wipe the spray)
• Used the library
• Reused paper lunch bags, baggies and containers around the house
• Wore clothes more than once before laundering
• Made homemade treats (Kool-aid ice pops in ice cube trays and popcorn)
• Rationed snacks and sweets for occasional distribution
• Sewed homemade clothing and altered hand-me-downs for siblings
• Collected rainwater in trash cans to hand water the garden
• Cooked dinners specifically for leftovers
• Dried laundry on the clothesline
• Saved change (wrapped pennies in coin wrappers and took them to the bank)

This traditional financial wisdom of our mothers and grandmothers is often forgotten or disregarded in our modern world. These frugal lessons and wise money management practices are even more important now, however, as we realize that our planet’s resources are no more infinite than our financial ones. Listen to your mother – there’s a lot you can learn!

What did you learn about money and frugality from your mother and grandmother?

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You look out the window of your home each night after dinner, staring across the street at your neighbors. You long for the cars they drive, their weekly manicured lawns, and even the vacations they seem to take several times a year. You’re not alone. I often look out my window, too, staring at the [...]

It’s true that many people are looking for ways to add income diversity to their households. This makes sense, now that the current climate has made it clear that relying on a day job for all of your income could prove dangerous to your finances. One of the ways that you can increase your income diversity is to build a dividend portfolio.

Dividend paying stocks provide regular income, since a portion of company profits are paid out to shareholders. This payout is an extra infusion of cash to shareholders, and is based on the number of shares held. The more shares you hold, the higher your payout. It’s true that many dividend payouts are fairly small, and made on a quarterly basis. It’s not uncommon to see a quarterly dividend payout of $0.20 a share. So, if you have 50 shares, you end up with $10 each quarter — or $40 a year. That’s not exactly a large amount of income. However, building an income portfolio dividend stocks isn’t about making one purchase.

Building Your Dividend Income Portfolio

One of the problems with investing is that many people have unrealistic expectations about what their returns. Building an income portfolio is the work of years. It can take seven to 10 years — or more — to build up your income portfolio. It’s about planning ahead. Here are two tips that can help you build up your dividend income portfolio:

1. Consistent investments: Dollar-cost averaging is one of the most effect investing tool for most “regular” folks. Consistently invest in your dividend portfolio, buying shares each month. You can even buy partial shares. Over time, you can build the portfolio up to the point where you have more shares. Over the course of eight or nine years, it is quite possible that you could amass a significant number of shares. And, if the dividends are raised consistently, you could end with a decent payout each quarter.
2. DRIPs: Another option to help boost your ability to build your portfolio is to make use of DRIPs. Many dividend paying stocks offer these plans, which automatically take your payout and use it to buy more shares. It’s basically like receiving shares for free. These are added to your portfolio, helping you build up faster. During the building phase of your dividend income portfolio, DRIPs can be very helpful.

You do need to be careful, though. Remember that there is always the risk of loss when you invest. You could lose your capital. It’s also important to understand that companies can cut dividends when they wish — or stop paying them altogether. However, companies with a strong history of paying dividends are unlikely to cut or eliminate dividends unless something serious happens in the markets, or to the company.

Dividend paying stocks are not a fast way to riches. Additionally, you might not even build up enough to completely replace your income with dividend income. However, it is possible to add a little to your cash flow, and build up to the point where you can receive passive income from dividend paying stocks.

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Flower gardens add to the beauty of your yard, are good for the environment, and are a great way to express your creativity in color, layout and design. Perhaps you already have a garden but want to add to it, or are thinking of starting one for the first time. One way to start a garden is to simply buy plants from a greenhouse, but you will pay extra for it and probably won’t be able to get as many or as large a variety of plants as you would like. There are other ways to plant a garden without spending a large amount just to get started. Take a look at the following tips to creating a beautiful garden at very little or no expense.

Start with seeds. Seeds are much cheaper than grown plants. At about $3, the average seed packet yields roughly 40 plants. Not only are seeds cheaper, growing your plants from seeds will allow you to feel more like a true gardener. Obviously, you need to think ahead and start seedlings inside if you want to plant them outside as soon as the weather breaks. Pick perennials which will come back year after year, and you’ll save more by not having to buy as many new seeds and plants the following year.

Utilize garden clubs, online forums, or neighbors to swap seeds and plants. There are great resources available via garden clubs and websites such as Organic Gardening and the one hosted by the National Gardening Association at garden.org/seedswap. Also consider asking your neighbors if they are willing to split some of their hardy perennials such as hostas or lilies, and share what you can in return. Networking with other gardeners will save you money while helping you meet those who share your interests.

Feed your garden with rainwater and compost. We all know the water bill can get pretty high if you are watering a garden all summer. Consider setting up a rain barrel to conserve resources while saving money on your water bill. Consider composting scraps from your yard and kitchen to be used for mulch. If this isn’t feasible, check with lawn and tree care companies to see if you can get mulch cheaper or even for free.

Don’t overlook marked-down plants at the end of the season.  Some annuals can be revived with a little TLC before being re-planted to inexpensively add some fall color to your flowerbeds.

Most plants are marked down in the late fall as the growing season winds down. But since perennials plants, trees, and bushes will come up again in the spring, buying them cheaper in the fall is a wise investment. Just make sure your plants are healthy-looking and bug-free.

Enjoying your love of gardening or exploring it for the first time doesn’t have to be expensive. With a little hard work, planning, and wise use of the many resources available, you can create a beautiful garden that will bring satisfaction and joy for years to come.

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It’s a smart financial strategy to price-shop for the items we buy everyday like groceries and other staples. Whether we seek out our favorite brands or are less brand-loyal and shop according to sales, the best way to get good pricing is to know where and when to buy the products we need at low prices. If you do switch among brands to optimize your savings, be aware that there are times when what seems to be a bargain isn’t really a bargain after all.

Consider the store’s own brands. Oftentimes these items are great quality offered at a considerably lower cost. Sometimes, although they aren’t as great as a name brand, the difference doesn’t matter to you, because you appreciate the alternative which saves you money. Other times, however, the store brand is noticeably inferior. In that case, you haven’t saved so much as you’ve wasted the purchase price on a product in which you’re disappointed.

I recently had two experiences with store brands – one positive and one negative.

The Good

I purchased a refill bottle of antibacterial hand soap for our bathroom. It was the same distinctive color and – as soon as I smelled it – I knew immediately that it had the identical scent as a popular name brand that is much costlier. While I don’t know that it is the actual name brand in disguise, I’m very pleased with this product and I will specifically look for the store brand again next time I’m in the market for antibacterial hand soap.

The Bad

I had a much different experience when I bought the same store’s house brand taco shells. I didn’t like the look of them from the moment I removed them from the package. They just looked “cheap.” Upon eating them, they were virtually tasteless and seemed smaller and more fragile than other taco shells I’ve tried, regardless of brand. Needless to say, I won’t buy this store’s taco shells again.

Try It and See

There are no hard and fast rules as to when to buy a store brand and when to stick to a name brand. You just have to give them a try to determine that the quality is acceptable and that the price is significantly lower to make it a good purchase. For example, I don’t spring for name brand plastic storage zipper bags. I go through a LOT of storage bags in my house and they really don’t need to be super-duper high quality. They serve their purpose for storing leftovers, then they’re discarded. As long as they seal securely, any brand will fit my needs, so why spend more on the highest quality if I don’t need it?

Be Store Brand Savvy

When purchasing store brands, pay attention to the quantity and price per unit. Make sure you’re comparing the same amount of store brand and name brand or your comparison will be invalid. Don’t assume that because it’s the store brand that it’s automatically the cheapest option. There may be a sale or discount available (like a coupon, quantity discount or rebate) on another brand that would make it worth your while to purchase a name brand.

While some people automatically assume that store brands are of inferior quality, I personally have no problem purchasing them, so long as they meet my needs and provide significant savings. They actually represent a consumer-friendly option in the marketplace that I welcome. When purchasing store brands, just make certain that you really are getting the quality you need at an appropriate price point.

What have been your experiences with store brands?

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