Personal Finance

Tips on How to Save on Gas

April 12, 2012 By Carla Leave a Comment

how to save on gas at @extreme-couponing-tips.com

Save on Gas with these simple tips.... Gas prices are on the rise and if you drive back and forth to work it can really cut into your gas budget. Plan how to (get the most out of) and save on gas this year! Do you really know how much you spend on gas each week? Month? Year? Now is the time to keep track of your gas expenditures, figure out how much you truck really gets to the mile AND save your gas receipts in case you expense transportation and just to see how much you are really … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Car & Transportation, Column, Featured, Savings Tips Tagged With: gas budget, save, save money, save on gas, tips, ways to save

5 Income Tax Tips

March 21, 2012 By Jan Leasure Leave a Comment

Tax Time is Here, These Five Tips Can Help! Preparing my income taxes has never been one of my favorite activities. Even if I am looking forward to a tax refund, I am always afraid I will make a mistake or forget an important deduction. Gathering together little lists of tax reminders helps to take some of the stress out of tax preparation. Hopefully these will help you too! 1. Evaluate & Change your withholding: just the withholding on your W-4 so you don’t give the government … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Personal Finance, Tax Tips Tagged With: fees, first time home buyer, H & R Block, income tax, refund, tax preparation, tax tips, taxes, Turbo Tax

A Short Sale May Save Your Credit

March 15, 2012 By Jan Leasure 1 Comment

Can't Afford to Stay in Your Home? A Short Sale May Be the Answer!

Short Sale of Your Home May Save Your Credit! As we all wait for the housing market to recover there are still many home owners who are struggling. I you cannot afford to stay in your home because the payments are too high, refinancing is not an option, you have tried to modify your loan and you are turned down, then there may still be one acceptable saving grace: A Short Sale of your Home. What is a Short Sale? The simple answer is that you arrange with your bank to sell the home for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Real Estate & Housing Tagged With: bankruptcy, credit, foreclosure, loan, mortgage, short sale

Help Me Save Money on Cable TV!

November 6, 2011 By Jan Leasure Leave a Comment

So what is a bigger pain in the ass than your cable bill? I'm not a huge TV watcher, but I work really hard so when I get a little time there might be something that I like to watch like The Good Wife or Dexter or most recently Unforgetable? So every single month when I pay bills I feel physical pain when I write the check or press the electronic button when I pay electronically (which feels oddly to me like flushing money down the toilet) and (yes I do still write checks) for the cable … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cheap Talk with Jan, Featured, Personal Finance Tagged With: broadband expert, cable, cable tv, discounts, frugal living, money saving, save money on cable, ways to save

10 Home Refinance Tips!

August 11, 2011 By Jan Leasure 1 Comment

Ten Tips to Home Refinancing! The bad news is that we are currently living through a frightening economy. The good news is that mortgage rates have never been this low in the last half of a century. The mortgage process, for buyers as well as home owners is a challenge at best but if you are prepared you can save money AND get through the process with your sanity in tact! Why should you refinance? There are costs involved with the process, but if you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Banking, Column, General Finance Tips, Personal Finance, Savings Tips Tagged With: frugal living, refinance you home, refinancing tips, Refnance, save money

Raise Your Credit Scores Yourself!

August 3, 2011 By Jan Leasure Leave a Comment

Take Charge of Your Credit Score! "If you don't keep track of your own credit score - someone else might!" - Jan Leasure Dear $uper $aver: I have been fretting over my credit for more than two years! My husband and I are trying to purchase the home we are living in. Our problem is that our credit scores are a disaster. We were trying to meet a deadline for a home purchase . When the deadline was extended because the contract was for a short … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Column, Credit Cards, Personal Finance Tagged With: credit, credit repair, credit score, repair, save your credit

10 Reasons Home Buyers Can’t Get a Mortgage

July 14, 2011 By Jan Leasure Leave a Comment

One would think that with the HUGE inventory of homes available for purchase nationwide that loans would be closing with the snap of a mousetrap! As a licensed loan officer In several states, I can tell you unequivocally that Illinois Mortgage Loans, Wisconsin Mortgage Loans and mortgage loans from coast to coast are becoming more and more difficult to close. The good news is that it is a buyer’s market, prices are being slashed and they are priced to sell. The bad news is that the majority of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Column, Personal Finance, Real Estate & Housing Tagged With: credit, Home Buying, Illinois Mortgage Loans, Wisconsin Mortgage Loans

Budget CSI – Average Grocery Spending

June 30, 2011 By Jan Leasure Leave a Comment

Dear $uper $aver: How much does the average family spend on groceries in a year? We are a family of five and we eat pretty well. I cut corners everywhere I can but honestly, I cannot get our expenditures down under $125 a week unless I skimp on things like milk and meat. I use coupons and watch what I buy. I work full time so I don't have time for a time consuming program--time is money. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Sincerely, Cathy (name withheld) Appleton, WI Dear … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Column, How to Grocery Shop, Personal Finance, Savings Tips, Shopping Tips Tagged With: budget, comparison shop, grocery, money saving, printable coupons, savings, supermarket

Beware of Check Scams!

June 24, 2011 By Jan Leasure Leave a Comment

Protect Yourself Against Fraud! "All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it." - H.L. Menken As the economy dips and unemployment rises so does fraud. Check scams of all sorts are popping up with more frequency than Orville Redenbacher. The most insidious thing about a check scam isn't that it happens or that it happens to you. The worst part is that it is like a domino effect. A check scam can become complicated and puts you in a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Column, General Finance Tips, Personal Finance, Scams & Fraud Tagged With: check fraud, check scam, fees, free, lottery fraud, selling

Identity Theft Protection – What You Should Know

June 11, 2011 By Jan Leasure Leave a Comment

By: Jan Leasure, Super Saver So $uper $avers, did I tell you that I was the victim of identify theft last year? When I got a call in my office (Chicago) that asked ME if I was getting on a plane to Buenos Aires using MY Amex card? Well, I will elaborate later, but NO ONE is exepmt from this so take this to heart: It may seem like everything is conducted on the internet these days. From watching movies to shopping for new shoes, if you’ve got a computer with an internet connection, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal Finance, Savings Tips, Scams & Fraud Tagged With: banking, credit, identity theft, internet