Top 10 Ways to Raise Money for a Wedding
1.Go Eco-Friendly
Most Top 10 lists end with the best that it is offering, but let’s start this one with the best, or at least most original: recycling aluminum. A friend of mine is doing just that through a project she calls Wedding Cans. It might sound odd, but a month into her project, its international news. Look at the journal on Wedding Cans for the press it’s been getting.
2. Get Corporate Sponsorship
This idea sounds weird, but it comes from Wise Bread. It might stink of “selling out” something that’s supposedly “sacred,” but aren’t we adults here? Weddings, like Christmas, have become ultimately focused on material elements. If you agree to display corporate logos at your wedding, you might be able to avoid personal loan companies to pay for it.
3. Take a dare
An article on Romance Fire suggested to “take a video of yourself conquering a known fear if the price is right .” In the tradition of “Jackass” and “Fear Factor,” you could play on people’s fear to get some extra financial help in your nuptial ceremony.
4. Use your registry
Worst-Case Scenarios suggests that instead of registering for gifts that you will use after the wedding, register for ceremony components such as a limousine service, floral arrangements, food and beverages.
5. Sell stuff
Of course, there are numerous tip lists out there that suggest you sell your stuff, either online, at a yard sale or some other way. Perhaps you could put on an auction.
6.Simply Ask
Another very popular idea out there is that you should start a web site or a group on a social network and simply ask for people to donate to your wedding.
7. Have everybody pitch in
Similar to the registry idea, which has people helping pay for the wedding instead of just buying gifts, you can ask certain people, close friends and family members, to pay for one thing. For instance, someone could pay for the cake; another person could fund wedding favors. Pick the stuff you want and tell people that’s what you want as your gift.
8. Vacation home instead of wedding hall
This doesn’t raise money, it saves money, but it’s a really good idea, so I’m including it anyway. Wedding reception halls can cost thousands of dollars per hour to rent. Check for nearby vacation home rentals and hold the reception in a beautiful house or yard. You can stay for days on what will only get you hours in a wedding hall.
9. A little help from your friends
This raising money for a wedding idea isn’t directed at the bride and groom, but rather at the wedding party and the couple’s friends. A common way is to hold a “Jack and Jill” party, where guests pay a small cover to get in. The happy couple gets the cash.
10. Planning ahead
Pretty much every site I’ve gone to suggests that you plan ahead and save money in advance. They also suggest getting a second job or offer a service and put money aside. To that I say, “duh,” but because it is the most common piece of advice out there, I figured I had to include it.
Tags: budget, planning a wedding, saving money, wedding cans, weddings
Why Are Babies So Expensive When They Are Such A Joy To Have?
Being a parent can be one of the most wonderful jobs you will ever have. If you are about to become a parent for the first time you may be surprised by all the emotions you feel when your little one enters this world and you get to hold him or her for the very first time. Everyone feels love for their baby while pregnant but the you will be surprised by the amount of love you have for your baby the first time you hear it cry.
Many parents are so overwhelmed by the love they feel for their baby that they cry tears of joy. A baby is a miracle that we are given and it is our job to protect, teach, and provide for our little ones from the day they enter the world. The protecting just simply comes naturally to loving parents.
Teaching our babies is different depending upon the parent. It is the providing part that gets complicated. If you believe that your babies will not get any more expensive once they grow up you are wrong. Children get even more expensive once they are grown.
Can you imagine having twins? What about having triplets or even more? This gives you more cuddly babies to adore and love but that also means more babies that you have to provide for. You can find ways to double up your items and save money when you have twins.
One example is with strollers. For parents of twins the best way to save on strollers is to buy double strollers instead of two individual strollers. These are great even if you don’t have twins but have two children of a young age. Some families have children close to the same age.
When you have a toddler and a baby it is less expensive to simply by a stroller that can hold them both instead of two single strollers. Even though we have to spend a fortune to raise our children it is still a lot of fun to shop. When you were pregnant you loved browsing the little baby clothes. The little outfits were just so cute. Remember how adorable the girls baby bedding was? All that shopping was a lot of fun.
You can have fun shopping but you still have to remember to try and save money. Another way to save money is to buy in bulk. You can find websites that sale many items in bulk for a lot less money. They sale things like bibs, diapers, baby bath toys, and bottles.
Tags: baby stuff, saving money
15 Easy Ways To Start Saving Money Today!
It’s no secret that these days we all want to save money. We have for your here some good ideas that have been gathered to help you save money, solve common problems for less and get what you need without having to pay for what you don’t want.
Things That Last Longer:
1 – Rechargeable Batteries AA for your digital camera etc.. Many cameras don’t even work with regular alkaline batteries, and they are only good for one use then you throw them away. A set of 4 rechargeable batteries can be found online for around $10 and last a long time, so don’t pay $40 for them at the store.
(See our big money saving digital camera repair tip at the very end!)
2 – Nonstick Cookware: Testing has shown that the “Circulon Elite” brand outlasts others, so if you must buy new make sure you take a look at them. If you already have some, DO NOT use non-stick cooking spray or it will cook into the surface and make it tacky and hard to clean! It’s already non-stick so you’re just wasting the “Pam” anyway.
3 – Sheets: Sometimes they need replacing or you need another set. Take a look at the “JCPenny Home Collection” and their 300 thread count sheets to be more specific. They are reported to not shrink and fade and 300 thread count is the perfect balance between lower cost and softer feel.
4 – Clothing: You want a gentle stain remover and detergent, and “Tide Total Care” has shown to be both; helping clothing look newer for longer.
5 – Towels: When your towels need replacing, “Canopy Bath Towels” at Walmart looked good even after 25 washes. At only about $35 for a 6 piece set they are a great value.
6 – If it’s broke, fix it: “Gorilla Super Glue” can bond to metal, stone, wood, ceramics, glass and more! Exercise caution to not glue things to your skin and never get your fingers near your eyes when using any “Super” glue.
Quick Spill Cleanups:
7 – Computer Desk: Spill resistant or waterproof keyboards can save your day, and money! “Seal Shield Seal Flex” keyboards can go directly into the dishwasher for easy cleanup.
8 – Carpet Stains: If you have a puppy or young children then this is for you. The “Woolite Pod” gets out stains quick and easy can can even put the fluff back into matted up carpet. Always make sure to soak up as much of the spill as possible before using any cleaner.
9 – Carpet Cleaning: For years people have rented ‘Bissell Deep Cleaner” steam cleaners to clean their carpets themselves. When you move out of your apartment, rent a steamer for fairly cheap at most large grocery stores and make sure you get back your security deposit.
10 – On The Go: The “Tide to Go” pen can save day if you end up wearing some of your lunch before going to that big meeting at work and save your white shirt from a stain that you might not be able to get out later.
Living eco-friendly:
11 – Painting Stinks: Use paints with no Volatile Organic Compounds VOC’s when possible, it’s better for your family and the Earth.
12 – Grow Your Own: With vegetable prices rising start your own small garden in your yard. Pick plants that yield a lot of what you like tomatoes, zucchini, beans, peppers and save money on groceries.
13 – Weed Killer: “Preen” vegetable garden weed-preventer has a safe organic formula that stops weeds from growing in your garden. Alternatively you can pull them out by hand, it’s cheaper and guaranteed eco-friendly.
14 – Bottled Water: Don’t buy it. Get a “Brita” or “Pur” faucet-mounted water filter and fill up 1 gallon jugs to be placed in the fridge. I find tap water is not cold enough for me so this works out great. Help keep millions of water bottles out of the landfill; it’s an enormous trash generator that people largely ignore. One inexpensive tap-mounted water filter replaces up to 750, 16oz water bottles!
15 – Repair It: Broken electronics do not belong in the trash, they contain PCB’s (Printed Circuit Boards) that have mercury in them which is hazardous waste and is not allowed in your household trash. We can probably repair your Canon digital camera for example,for $100 or less instead of throwing it away and spending $400 on a new one or $200 on one that isn’t as good as the one you threw away.
You may not be able to save thousands with these tips, but every bit helps. There are so many more that are not listed, be sure to look for more problem solving and money saving ideas coming soon!
Easy Ways Of Managing Your Money
Are you living beyond your means? Do you know exactly what you are spending each month or are your outgoings escalating out of control? When was the last time you carried out a financial health check? If your answers are no, no and never then read on to find out some top ways of managing your money!
There are many important responsibilities to take care of as an adult – our health, family, work, friendships, hobbies and home – but how many of us devote as much time to our financial health, as we do to all the other tasks we have to perform? Not many of us! Yet managing your money successfully, underpins your ability to enjoy and make the most of all of the other aspects of your life.
Why not think about setting aside some time each week to go through your finances and make sure that you are on track for the month? It really will be worth the time and effort and you will probably find areas where you can save money.
Budgeting
The first thing to do is to set out your monthly budget including what’s coming in and what’s going out.
Incoming
It’s usually easy enough to work out what we have coming in – the list is often a lot shorter than for the one going out!Include your wages or government benefits or family assistance that you receive~Include your wages or government benefits or family assistance that your receive}. If you have any other regular incoming funds add them also.
Working Out Your Expenditure
Ensure that everything you spend money on is included. It’s often the little things that add up and take us over our monthly budget. So apart from the big costs such as mortgage or rent payments, food and loans which you will need to list, don’t forget to also include:
* Lunches – (yours, your children’s and your partners)
* Travel
* Magazines
* Those little trips to the local shop
* Birthday Cards and Presents
* Children’s Pocket Money
* Meals Out/Take Aways
* Coffee/Tea
* Charity Donations
* Vet’s Bills
* Dentistry
* Children’s Clubs and Activities
* Wine/Beer
* Lottery Tickets
Once you have a figure for your incoming finances and one for your outgoings, simply take one from the other to see if you are over or under your monthly budget. You may be surprised at what you find!
If you are exceeding your monthly budget, it probably means that your are using your credit card to cover the ‘extras’. This is OK in the short term as long as you can pay off your credit card debt each month, but managing your money in this way over the long term can lead to your debts spiralling out of control, especially when you consider how much the credit card companies are making out of you.
Look through your list of outgoings and see what you can cut down on or cut out altogether and start taking charge of managing your money instead of it managing you!
The Power Of Saving Money On A Regular Basis
Over the past few years, I have been saving money each month, not for any particular reason like for example to buy a house, but just in case something big went wrong. They call self-insurance, where you are protecting yourself from some future potential hazard. In this article I write about the benefits of doing this and about my own personal experiences, i.e how hard or easy it has been saving in this way.
I am not involved within this “savings or investments industry” and am therefore not attempting to sell you anything via this article. I am merely relaying my own personal experiences etc. I am actually involved in various fields including offering stuttering information, business cost reduction advice and helping people to learn how to play the guitar.
Maybe I am being paranoid but I always seemed to have far less money than what my friends had. Four years ago a group of us went to Spain for a two-week holiday. I will never forget the moment when one of my friends asked how much money each of us were taking on the holiday. We all answered one by one and to my horror not only did I have the least amount but I had around two hundred pounds less than the next lowest person. It was not because I was being tight, it was because I did not have anymore. It had actually been a real struggle to save up this much.
When I arrived back from this holiday I decided that I needed to change my attitude on financial matters. I read a few books and spoke to a number of people about the best way for me to move forward. I did not want to have to struggle next year if there is to be another holiday for example.
I believed the answer was to start saving an amount every month which would leave my account via direct debit. I was the type of person who would basically spend whatever I had or earned. If it was in the bank therefore I would spend it. It was to leave my account via direct debit I would have no way of course to spend it.
I set up one of these savings policies and started it a modest £30 a month. I am very pleased to say that it did not exactly have a major negative impact on my social life. The policy itself was in some way linked to the stock market and this itself was quite exciting, sad I know. After a year I received a statement through the post and I was quite happy to see that I was actually worth something for a change. I then decided to increase the amount that I was going to save to £50 a month.
I would strongly advise other people to commence saving on a regular basis as it has certainly given me a piece of mind.
Tags: money, piece of mind, saving, saving money, saving money each month, self-insurance, stock market
Recession Proof Your Family
When fighting your way through tough economic times, it is better to try and face down these money troubles instead of closing your eyes and hoping they’ll go away. They won’t. The economic downturn is not over yet so if you’ve not prepared it’s not too late but you need to start now.
Accumulate funds for emergency savings. Nomatter what other investments you may hold it is vital to have instant and easy access to a savings safety net. As a general rule its good to have enough in your savings to survive without an income for around three months. The best place to park this money would be in a high interest savings account.
Increase Your Savings. Set up an automatic savings plan. This arrangement enables you to set aside specific amounts of cash automatically transferred from a checking account to savings accounts earning high interest or to a mutual fund of your choice. It is important that the money go into a high interest savings account but remain available. Simply having a retirement fund is not enough as you can’t get access to that money now.
Reduce your spending. An obvious suggestion but it can seem difficult to achieve. Bundle your cell and landline phones together to save money. By bundling your communications you can often get substantial discounts. It also doesn’t hurt to talk to at least two carriers to look for the best deal. Cut spending on your grocery bill by choosing supermarket own label brands, going to markets or joining a local food co-op. Bum rides in a car pool or take public transport instead. If you have two cars and one is seldom used, consider selling the other one. Put all the money you save in a savings account intended for the rainy days.
Slash credit card debts. Tough times mean you must make every penny go a long way. It does not make sense to shell out your hard-earned money to pay 17 per cent (or whatever) interest on credit card debt. Try to pay off in full the balance due each month; if that is difficult, at least pay much more than the minimum amount. Consider moving from credit to a Visa debit card
Increase household income. During a recession this can be difficult. But you can invest some of your time in your skills and make additional money doing it. If you write, or do photography, or are able to do some other marketable skills, you can try freelancing on your spare time. The partner in a one-income household might consider taking on odd jobs. You could start a small business which might blossom into something bigger once the recession is over.
Utilise allowable tax deductions. Be on the lookout for tax deductible expenses such as education, charitable donations and your home office. Stay organised and strict with logging your expenses and receipts to support tax claims. Put the money saved on personal tax deductions into your high interest savings account.
Spruce up your résumé. Recessions can lead to more layoffs. It is best to polish the résumé to make it current, in case the need to apply for a new job arises. Condense the résumé to one page, as much as possible. Make it presentable, but not flashy. Your relevant work experience should stand out.
Don’t wait for the crisis to hit you, be prepared for whatver may happen. This will give you a strong sense of purpose even as it shores up your position.
Debt Free with Savings
Saving money takes time and discipline, but with the right strategy and a good savings account you can reach your savings goals a lot faster than you might think.
Many of the good things in life cost money and saving for big items like cars, boats, or even houses, can take months or years. However, with the proper planning and by creating savings goals you might be making that dream purchase a lot sooner than you think.
Before you begin to plan your saving strategy, you should open a good high yield savings account if you don’t already have one. This will allow you to keep your savings completely separate from the rest of your money and will pay a higher interest rate. Also, if you are willing to leave the money untouched for a certain number of months, or even years, you should be able to get an even better interest rate. The market is flooded with savings account offers so do some comparison to find an account with high interest and low fees.
Once you have a savings account set up it is time to set your savings goals. The crucial factors are how much you need to save and what kind of timeframe you have in mind. There are plenty of savings goals calculators online that will tell you how much you need to put away each month.
Do not overstretch yourself. If necessary, establish a longer timeframe so you can save without putting yourself under too much pressure. Alternatively, you could take a detailed look at your personal spending to see how you can save money here and there. Ask yourself if there are some everyday items or expenses that you could live without in order to hit your savings goals faster?
The best thing to do now is create a household budget to get a good idea of all your typical ingoings and outgoings each month. Best to be a bit cautious and over estimate with this to allow for unexpected costs. If you find you have money left over each month you can easily deposit to your savings account.
After you complete your goals and work out the amount your going to need to save each month to hit those goals on time there are some tips make things as easy as possible. Arrange for direct credits into your savings account from your salary or bank account and treat it as money not available to spend everyday. Another option is to ask your employer if they can split your salary payments to some of your pay goes direct to your savings account each paycheck. This will reduce the temptation to spend and get your money working for you in your savings account as early as possible.
Second, it is vitally important to avoid debt if at all possible. If you have longer term, larger loans then you will just have to factor that into your budget. However, any new debt, and especially debt from credit cards, should be avoided at all costs. Attempting to save while trying to tackle an expensive credit card debt is like taking one step forward and two steps back.
When you start out your goals might seem a long way away but with some commitment those goals can be reached. For longer-term savings goals you may find that your circumstances change during the process and you can save the money even faster than expected.
Tips and ideas from Richard at compareyourbank.com.au which compares banking products including. Visitors can compare products including ANZ Online Saver and then apply online with the bank.
Badget to Take Control, Yeah!
Once you have calculated precisely how much money
you owe then it's time to create a budget that will help you to use your income more efficiently by covering all your necessary expenditure and working towards the elimination of your debt.
A budget can be prepared in a book or more effectively online using a program such since Excel.
Now when you prepare your budget you need to take into account everything that you can think of relating to income and expenditure and this budget will need to be updated on a regular basis as more things come to mind when there are changes in your financial position.
This is why it makes it a lot easier to use a program such as Excel where totals can be added quickly and you will be able to see in a matter of seconds which direction you are going in and whether the steps that you have made have resulted in positive changes towards your financial well-being.
Where you are unsure about specific parts of the budget such as how much money you spend per week on food and other essential items, you will have to make an estimate initially until you are able to take notes the next time you go to the shops and see precisely how much you spend.
Once you get some of these figures you will be able to determine whether you are overspending in particular areas and what you can do about reducing such expense.
Your food shopping is one area where you'll be able to save a considerable amount of money because most people don't have any strict limits on their food spending.
Once again changes can only be made if you know precisely what you’ve been doing in the past and where you can make the changes in the future.
It might mean that you have to completely change the types of foods that you are buying and often the benefit of doing this is you improve your health along the way by buying food that is better for you.
Budgeting is your way to gain control over your finances once again. In fact it is the only way for you to gain control. It is a lot easier than you might expect and once you begin to use a budget you will wonder how you ever managed your finances in the past without having a budget.
Tags: Badget to Take Control, Determining What Your Current Debt Is, Getting The Best Advice, Limiting Luxuries, Positive Thinking, Run Your Home Like A Business, saving money, Setting Goals, time management
Saving Money Thru Proper Budgeting Methods
When people see something that strikes their interest, the choice of buying it or not may happen in a matter of minutes. It really don’t matter if its groceries, a house or a car because all these things cost money.
The average household spends more than $700 a month on expenses. This includes paying for the bills or loans and buying other things needed by the family.
In order to save money on costs and expenses, the parents must practice budgeting to make sure that there is enough cash to last throughout the entire month. If both parents are working, a portion of the paycheck must go to the bank. At least here, the depositors can be assured that this is kept in a secure place while earning interest.
Pertaining to the purchases, a rule must be set. If this exceeds for example $200, the couple must first talk about to see if this is really needed. Some of the items found in stores will likely exceed this limit. When this occurs, its a good idea to shop around for something of similar quality.
If the spouses really want it, instead of paying this with cash on hand, there is no harm in asking the sales person if there is a payment plan good for six months to a year if this is paid using a credit card. Some companies offer 0% interest while others offer rebates that can be used on the next purchase.
A lot of parents give their kids allowances. As these kids get older, they will surely ask for an increase in the amount given to them. If this occurs, maybe its time to speak to your children about getting a part-time job like paper delivering or carwashing so the extra money could come in handy.
Everyone in the house almost use the telephone. Its used for international or local calls, Maybe changing to another service provider would be good if its too much on the budget.
Most groceries have discount catalogs placed before entering the store. There are monthly changes on discounted items, so it would be a good idea to cut them out when you are shopping. A couple of these could be found in magazines that could be used when eating out in restaurants to the amusement park or the zoo.
Cash is pretty hard to come by especially if both parents have to work. Everyone in the household must always help out and think before buying anything since this is the only method to properly budget the monetary resources available.
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Quick Money Saving Tips For College Students
A student tend to take money for granted, while in college, because of all the activities, studying, and not to mention, hanging out with your peers. You don’t want to put yourself in debt by overspending your allowance. Because of this you need to pay close attention to the way you spend.
Here are some simple, easy to follow guidelines on how students can save money:
1. List all of your expenses.
- By now you should have some idea how much money you intend to have each month or week of classes. The money you live on could be from a part time job, student loan, or it could be from your parents. Make a list of the important things like food, books and school supplies, which will give you an idea of the amount need to spend each week. Don’t forget to put some cash aside for emergency expenses.
2. Try not to use your credit cards.
- Theoretically, it would be much simpler not to carry your debit or credit card with you all the time. But be sure to keep them at hand for bigger expenses that you don’t have money for. In order not to overspend, its best to use cash if you want to purchase small items.
3. Change the way you eat.
- Frequently eating out might save you time, but definitely not money. It will cost you more in the long run if you are eating at fast food restaurants. Instead, spend your money on groceries to eat in your dorm or apartment; you could even save more by packing your lunch. You will save money and eat healthier by planning your meals and planning your eating habits.
4. Be sure to treat yourself every now and then.
You can save a lot of money by following the simple ideas mentioned on this guide while you are in college studying. And maybe, you might be able to save enough to afford yourself a big item that in other circumstances, you would not be able to afford.
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