There are many things I am thankful for. Here are a few things that I feel glad of this year:

• Family
• Friends
• A job I can do from home
• Home
• Food
• Social media ;)
• Faith

It’s worth noting, of course, that many of these items on the list do not necessarily have to do with money. Sometimes it is good to focus on things that are not tied to income. Looking beyond the money can be a way to change your focus and find a deeper richness in life. It is especially helpful in these economic times to focus on thankfulness beyond the monetary.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Post from: EveryJoe

Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Delete your cookies: Redeeming Riches suggests that you delete your cookies and avoid saving credit card info on web sites. This way, you will think twice when you have to go through the hassle to put in all of your information in for each purchase.
2. Use the $25 rule: Redeeming Riches points out that many times, we see something else that we want when we are making credit card purchases. Instead of springing for it, have a firm rule that you will not spend more than $25 than originally planned. If you see a $26 accessory, too bad. It violates the rule.
3. Come up with three reasons to buy: Instead of just purchasing something, Redeeming Riches suggests that you list three reasons to buy the item using a credit card. He points out that “I don’t have the cash” doesn’t count. In fact, that should be the overriding reason to avoid buying the item with credit.
4. Take it out of your checking account: This one’s mine. I like to deduct the money I spend on my credit card from my checking ledger. I write a check each month to cover what I spent on my credit card, and taking it out of my checking account lets me keep from spending more than I actually have.

Do you have any tricks to limiting what you spend on credit cards?

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Post from: EveryJoe

4 Ways to Limit Your Credit Card Charges

One way that you can improve your chances of getting better pricing is to look at the secondary market. There are a number of people looking to get out of their current leases, and some of them have Tier-1 lease pricing. Here is something from a press release I received from LeaseTrader.com:

“Keeping good credit is the most important part of a family’s balance sheet during this period of economic recovery,” said Sergio Stiberman, CEO and founder of LeaseTrader.com. “We’re working with people every day who have the credit to get a car lease but can’t qualify for the best payment at a dealer. Through lease transfer, these people are getting approved to take over a lease that was initially tier-1 pricing with a great, low payment.”

This news is good news for those looking for alternative solutions. However, it is important to be careful and read the fine print before agreeing to any lease swap. You want to make sure you understand the terms, and that you are actually getting what you want.

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Post from: EveryJoe

Tier-1 Lease Pricing with Lower Credit

Now, when customers meet their savings goal they can realize up to 12% in cash boosts paid to them by SmartyPig on retail gift cards whose products and services directly relate to their savings goals. So, an individual who wants to make a minimum initial deposit of $25 and put away $300 a month over twelve months for a new living room set will deposit $3,625 and earn approximately $25 in interest over the course of that year, bringing the goal balance to $3,650. But, for example, if she opts to take her savings out on a Macy’s gift card, SmartyPig will give her a cash boost of 12% (nearly $440) on a Macy’s retail gift card, bringing her goal plus interest plus boost to $4,090− some $465 more than the $3,625 she had put away.

SmartyPig is not something that I use personally, but I think that it offers great potential, as well as a fun way to encouraging saving and financial goal setting. This program comes just in time for the holidays, providing the chance for consumers to save up for holiday purchases and increase their savings through a potential cash boost.

Post from: EveryJoe

Smarty Pig Unveils 12% Cash Boost

Benefits derived from fasting

Here are some of the financial benefits that you can derive from fasting:

1. Save money: When you aren’t spending the money on food, you can save it. My husband and I probably save about $10 a month for that one day we don’t fast. It’s not a whole lot, but $120 a year is enough to pay all of our utilities one month during the winter, or enough to cover all of our oil changes for the year. If we decided to fast twice a month, we’d save even more. You can probably think of plenty of things to do with that $120 — even invest it!
2. Learn to do without: Many people get in trouble with money because they don’t really learn how to do without. They have fallen prey to the ides that there things we “need” and we “need” them now. Fasting can help you learn that it is possible to do without, and how to defer some of your gratification. And this can transfer to your finances.
3. Build discipline: Discipline is essential for good finances. If you can discipline yourself to go without solids for 24 hours, you can probably transfer that discipline to other areas of your life — including your finances.
4. Possible health benefits: The exact health benefits of fasting are still being debated, but some agree that if you fast occasionally, being sure to drink plenty of water and eating healthy during the rest of the time, going without solids can provide you with some health benefits. And when you are healthier, you tend to spend less money on health care services.

And, of course, for the spiritually inclined, fasting about your finances can help provide you with insight on how to better manage your finances in a way that is in line with your religious beliefs.

In the end, there are some things that fasting can teach us about finances. And it can be a great practice to help you in other areas of your life as well.

Image source: USDA via Wikimedia Commons

Post from: EveryJoe

Fasting and Finances

1. Texas, $120 million
2. Ohio State, $118 million
3. Florida, $106 million
4. Michigan, $99 million
5. Wisconsin, $93 million
6. Penn State, $92 million
7. Auburn, $89 million
8. Alabama, $89 million
9. Tennessee, $89 million
10. Oklahoma State, $89 million

Most surprising on this list, I thought, was Wisconsin, and I was also surprised to see that USC didn’t hit the list until number 19. The first non-BCS school to hit the list was Notre Dame at number 14 (no surprise there), and after that, it was TCU of the Mountain West (number 57). The lowest school on the list was Louisiana-Monroe, a Sun Belt Conference school bringing in just $7.7 million.

You can see the whole list at the Orlando Sentinel.

Post from: EveryJoe

Football Revenue by College