I grew up in a home where we started planning for vacation about a year or so before we planned to go. Although it would often drive me a little crazy (because I would have no idea what I’d even asked to do when we finally went), I understood the logic: Plan ahead to get the best deals.  So, here are 9 vacation ideas that won’t break your bank. Roughing it. Go on a camping trip. I don’t care that you’re from the city and afraid of...

Volunteer work is awesome. I never thought that I would enjoy volunteering as much as I do, but I do. Recently, someone I know informed me that you could deduct some of the funds that are involved in volunteerism and giving to charity. I thought Angie was kidding, but she wasn’t! She then proceeded to tell me about the first year she saved all of her receipts from the stuff that she did and gave away. Now, I’m going to share it with you...

Don’t Let Your Pet Put you in Debt Lots of little kids want a pony. Or a puppy. A teenager I know wants a pet turtle (and ended up with a cat). I had a dog growing up, and after I got my first apartment, I had pet rats. Everyone likes to have some kind of pet. But, did you know that one of the top reasons for people to have problems with debt is because of their pets? I didn’t either. Why do people go in debt because of an animal? Here...

If you drive a car, there’s no hiding the fact that gas prices are absolutely horrible right now. A gallon of gas in my area costs $3.22. The average price in the United States is about $3.19 per gallon. My Sonata took over 50 dollars to fill on Tuesday. Americans are griping about prices, but do we really understand what all goes into our crude oil prices? Most of the world’s crude oil comes from the Middle East, and if you’ve been...

It’s tax time! Exciting, right? Probably not, at least not until you get that return in the mail or via direct deposit (isn’t that the best thing ever?). But, there are some things that we don’t necessarily think through during our tax times. Today, we’re going to look at some do’s and don’ts to help you get through this tax season smoothly. DO: Pay attention to ALL of your income. Income isn’t only what you make in your...