money saving tips – Page 5 – Luv Saving Money

Beauty Tips On A College Budget

Living on a college budget is going to be difficult in pretty much every area of life (hence the ramen stereotype).
That said, budgeting living is no reason to drop the ball on your beauty routines. After all, confidence is a huge part of success, so looking your best will help you to feel and perform your best as well!
Here are some tips for maintaining those beauty goals while on a tight college budget.

Question the Price Behind Branding
There is a balance to be struck between cutting corners to lower costs and inflating prices because of aesthetics.
Of course, you don’t want to only choose the lowest prices with everything you buy, particularly when it comes to beauty. Sure, 99 cent shampoo costs virtually nothing and will last about as long as luxury brands, but it will also damage your hair.
That said, many brands and ventures are able to hide behind presentation as they upcharge you. Make sure you aren’t just paying for advertising and aesthetic, because there is almost definitely going to be a cheaper alternative that offers the same quality.

The best way to do this is to search for reasonably priced ventures and products and then looking for the specifics (this may take a little research).
For instance, know what ingredients you should be looking for (or avoiding) in your regular skincare, hair and other beauty products. For ventures like med spas, research the specific treatments you are looking for so you know how to narrow down your options based on service,
knowledge and testimonials rather than biased advertising.

Make a Spa at Home
Facials, luxurious baths, mani-pedis and other relaxing treatments don’t have to be found at day spas – they can be found right in your own home!

Even if you live in a small apartment or dorm with several roommates, it’s more than possible to set up a relaxing self-care station for yourself. All you need to do is set aside a specific block of time and stock up on any necessary materials like nail polish, face masks, wax or any other treatments that interest you.

If you are looking for some DIY fun, you could even make your own facials, scrubs, bath bombs and plenty of other spa-day must-haves. The important thing to remember is that this is your time, so structure it however you want and maybe even put together a playlist to really get yourself in the mood for some pampering.
Best of all, since you are doing all of it yourself, you will be paying a fraction of the price that it would cost to go to a professional. A good rule of thumb is that if you can do it yourself, it could be fun (and economical) to try!

Take Advantage of Free Consultations and Offers
For the things you just can’t do at home (medical procedures, professional insight, etc.), make sure you are taking advantage of special offers and free consultations so that you are getting the best deals and service possible.
Luckily, for ventures like med spas or dermatologists, most places will offer those consultations to help evaluate your specific situation and give you invaluable advice.
By taking advantage of things like this, you will make sure that you aren’t wasting money on the services you are saving up for. After all, for more significant needs, it may take some time and planning to pay for it with a college budget.

Dr. Sarah Bennett, a naturopathic doctor in Scottsdale with a med spa of her own, pushes her free consultations more than anything:
“I always try to get those brief meetings with potential clients for a number of reasons. Firstly, it makes it possible to determine whether we make a good match or whether I can help direct them to more appropriate assistance. Secondly, it gives me the chance to really evaluate the individual and give professional advice on treatments and solutions. Lastly, though, I can really
work with the person and their specific situation so that we can be honest about the “less fun” matters like money and availability. That way, I can really work with them and help them get the services they need on the budget they have.”
Since most places will have special deals or, at the very least, free consultations, you can probably rule out any ventures that don’t as an easy process of elimination.
After you’ve done that, feel free to book some of those consultations to get advice on how to proceed with your financial and personal situation.

In Summary
No one likes budget planning, especially when they are tight on cash and have academic responsibilities that make it harder to boost income.
That’s no reason to let your self-care and beauty routine take a backseat, though. By questioning the branding of your products and services, doing all that you can do yourself at home and taking advantage of special offers and free consultations, you’ll be able to keep up with your appearance and maintain your confidence.
For more great articles on budgeting, be sure to look through our other posts!

About the Author

Katherine (Tori) Lutz is a graduate of Florida State University and current student at Columbia University. Professional, she is a writer and editor with a great deal of freelance experience surrounding articles, marketing, and other various areas. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, and hopes to one day be a journalist.

New Teen Driver? How To Save On Car Insurance

When my oldest son got his permit we started talking to our insurance agent about how much it was going to cost when it was time to add him to our insurance. Our insurance was already pretty high and when they told us it would double, well we started looking around for ways to save.

We talked to two different insurance brokers who told us the insurance company we’ve had for years is one of the most expensive ones out there if not the most expensive one. So we got a few quotes through the broker and did some on our own and found out that almost any one we went with was going to be cheaper. But there were a few that gave better rates for new drivers.

By just doing that we were able to save $1000 when adding our oldest son to our policy. We’re now paying as much with my 16 year old son added to our policy as we were with my my husband and I with the old company!

Find out what else you can do to save money on insurance with a new teen driver in the post I wrote for Quigley car dealership: New Teen Driver Insurance

5 Budgeting Tips for Living in Florida

Summer is coming up, so it’s no surprise if you are looking to save some extra money for a
vacation or simply looking to enjoy the season without financial strain.
Living in Florida, this can be a little tricky considering the inflated prices in wealthier or more
tourist-heavy areas.
To help keep your wallet from emptying, here are five great tips to budget well and save some
extra cash while living in Florida.

Publix Coupons
While Publix may not always have the cheaper options compared to places like Walmart, Trader
Joe’s or other on-a-budget grocery choices, knowing how to work their coupons can make a big
difference (and allow you to enjoy the Publix experience).

One of the most effective and modern ways to do this is to download the app where you can
plan your shopping trips ahead, browse coupons for inspiration, manage prescriptions and even
order online.
While the best part of downloading the app is giving yourself the ability to browse coupons and
deals at the tip of your fingers, the other features are a fantastic bonus.
Plus, Publix has new deals every week that can help you save money, and the way they
structure their shopping experience helps to give you a lot of inspiration on meals for the week
so that you can further plan things out according to your finances.

Beauty on a Budget
Summer is approaching, and it’s completely normal to want to start looking into beauty
treatments and options to get you feeling beach-ready.
For common skincare and spa treatments, you can save money on this by doing it at home and
avoiding high prices at salons and day spas.
For more complicated treatments that may require doctors or medical spas (laser hair removal,
vein treatment, etc.), you might have to put a little more effort into researching the places by
you.
The good news is that at this particular time of year, most medical professionals are really
pushing to bring in new clients since we are approaching swimsuit season, so it’s definitely
possible to browse available coupons on deals.
The most important thing to remember is that any form of beauty treatment is really about
feeling healthy and confident in the skin you’re in, so take a moment to really reflect on what
might help bring you closer to that and narrow down your options from there.

Vacation for Less

One of the perks about living in Florida is that you get “Florida
Resident” discounts on most theme park options, giving you a
range of choices for your next vacation.
Instead of splurging on expensive cruises or out-of-state
adventures, plan your vacations right at home and think ahead to
further save money.
Buying tickets ahead of time online, planning vacations for less
popular months like February or September, packing your own

meals and making sure to check out free attractions are all great ways to further make the most
of your experience.
Plus, you can have even more fun by investing in multi-day passes for most of the theme parks
to spend less on each individual day (especially if you were planning on a full week or weekend
anyway).
Above all, make sure you stock up on gas far away from places like airports or theme parks as
you plan out your road trip – these will have exorbitant prices in comparison to other locations.

Be Smart About Housing
If you don’t already have a permanent residence in Florida (or you are looking to move soon),
considering the location of your home can save you BIG bucks in the long run.
Living in downtown areas, picking locations close to the water or living in big-name cities can
cause your rent to skyrocket.
While the location will affect rent in any state, the range of prices is extreme in Florida. For
instance, if you are looking to live in the Miami area, you will pay a great deal more to live in a
suburb like Coral Gables or in Downtown Brickell than in areas that are even just a few blocks
away in some instances.
Definitely do your research beforehand and consider choosing cities that are on the outskirts of
bigger areas and that won’t have extremely high pricing.
After all, you will likely still be able to enjoy all of the same great things that Florida has to offer
without living smack in the middle of it (plus, it may even be a little less crowded).

Avoid Shopping in Those Expensive Areas
As mentioned, the cost of living can fluctuate wildly between different areas in Florida, and this
doesn’t only apply to housing.
One of the biggest things to remember about Florida is that it is a tourist state, so many places
(Miami, Destin, Tampa, Orlando, etc.) will have inflated prices to take advantage of that.
In some instances, gratuity will even be included on tabs, so you will have less control over that
part of bills and also will need to be careful about accidentally double-tipping.
Ultimately, you should try your best to avoid shopping, dining, stocking up on gas and generally
spending money in these more tourist-heavy areas so that you can avoid paying these tourist
prices.

By just enjoying all of your leisure activities in surrounding areas or generally less pricey
neighborhoods, you will realize that your financial stresses will decrease immensely.

In Summary
Everyone wants to save money, even in places like Florida that can have a wide range in terms
of cost of living.
By just remembering these five tips, you should have some extra spending money in your
pocket this summer:
● Become a Publix coupon expert
● Spend wisely on beauty treatments
● Save money on vacationing
● Choose a low-cost housing option
● Don’t shop in tourist-heavy areas
For more great budgeting tips to help you save money, be sure to check out our other fantastic
posts!

About Our Guest Writer

Free Resources To Help Keep Your Finances On Track with August Funding

During my first marriage, my financial life was falling apart. There were times when I honestly didn’t know how we were going to buy groceries or put gas in the car. When we got divorced I had a new set of challenges. Paying off debts from that marriage and getting my finances back on track. With the help of August Funding, I’m sharing my experience with you.

It’s no secret that I had creditors calling. If my parents hadn’t let my boys and I stay with them I don’t know what i would have done. I was determined to work on getting myself financially independent and into a place of our own. It felt hopeless to me and I honestly looked into things like being a surrogate and donating plasma just to keep my head above water. But I didn’t end up having to do any of that. Here’s some free resources that helped me along the way.

Turn To The Money Gurus

It was obvious that I needed help so I started looking at the finance and debt gurus like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman. I liked what they had to say. I remember one of Dave Ramsey’s books. It started off with, something along the lines of, him pulling up to a gas station in his vehicle and not knowing if his credit card was going to be decline to put gas in his card. That really resonated with me. Like, he knows what I’m going through. While you can buy the books you don’t have to. Dave Ramsey has free resources on his website, you can check out his books at local libraries, or ask to borrow from a friend.

You Can Get a Free Credit Report

I did pull a credit report when trying to get my finances in order. You are allowed to get 1 free credit report every 12 months. This helped me see exactly where I was at with creditors, amount owed, what might be coming down the pipes, and fix errors that might have showed up. Seriously check it. My husband’s parents had declared bankruptcy at one point. My husband’s name is very similar to his dad’s he ended up having to call because his dad’s bankruptcy info was showing up on his credit report! Obviously that would effect his credit if he hadn’t gotten it fixed! Sites like annual credit report help you to get your free credit report you’re entitled to.

Keep Tabs On Your Credit Score and More in One Place

I discovered Credit Sesame all those years ago. At first I ignored it thinking there was a catch but it’s still one of my favorite tools to use to keep me on track even after repairing a lot of damage. Here are just some of the FREE benefits of Credit Sesame:

free credit score
tips to increase your credit score
Up to $50K in aggregate identity theft insurance
credit monitoring
payment history
credit usage grade

Read Financial Blogs and Sites Like August Funding

I’ve found that there are a lot of helpful financial blogs, websites, and debt sites that have very helpful information on repairing your credit after a divorce, consolidating debt, and avoiding bankruptcy. AARP has great info for retirement finances as well.

Believe it or not, the debt collectors themselves can even be good sources. One recommended a debt consolidator to me. Another one called me and I basically poured my heart out to them. The “Hey I’m a single mom paying off all the joint debt from my failed marriage. I’m not getting any child support, I’m trying” I really didn’t expect much feedback. I honestly expected nothing but I was caught on a stressful day. But this debt collector actually told me just to keep paying what I could afford to pay like I was doing. Tell other debt collectors what I told her and most of them would work with me. You know what?! Most of them did. I might have paid $10 a month a first but once I started paying those off I started snowballing as Dave Ramsey might suggest paying $20 a month, then $50 a month. So on. I paid off $30K in joint marriage debt.

If you feel the need to you can even consult with financial professionals like August Funding to see how hey can help you. Or speak with a local financial consultant.

What I want you to understand is that it didn’t happen overnight. It it didn’t even happen over a year. It took me a number of years to do it but I did it. My credit still isn’t perfect but it’s a heck of a lot better than it was after my divorce. You can do this!

This post is sponsored by Diamond Links

Finding Scholarships for Your College Major

My oldest son is at the end of his junior year of high school. He’s been attending college fairs, he’s scheduled to take his SATs, and he knows what he wants to go to college for, and even which college. He’s looking at biology with a fisheries major. His ultimate career goal would be to work for the fish and game commission.

We found out that in Pennsylvania, there is only one school that offers this major as an undergrad program and it’s Mansfield University. I’ve asked for guidance from other parents who have recently been through the college application process (it really is overwhelming). Also doing my own searching and education has yielded some results. Of course the hope is always that maybe he’ll qualify for a some grants and/or scholarships.

If we take my son’s fishery major as an example. I started doing searches for scholarships, fisheries scholarships, and scholarships specific to Mansfield University. I was actually surprised to find several. One of which was the Ralph Abele Conservation Scholarship that includes several conservation majors in Pennsylvania including fisheries. I was able to find this buy searching the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat commission website. I also found that many colleges and university have scholarship funds set up from donations and trusts specific to the university and even majors. There are scholarships geared towards auto mechanics out there too. If fixing damaged cars is your thing, there’s scholarships out there for you.

There are scholarships that anyone can apply for but are lesser-known like the Melvin Brewing Scholarship. This scholarship is for students who are currently enrolled either full-time or part-time in a college or university. Melvin Brewing Company also does a fair amount of Philanthropy work around Jackson Hole, Wyoming and beyond.

This post is sponsored by Diamond Links.