Sunday, February 21, 2010

It's a Good Idea...No Matter Who Disagrees

I remember when I had just bought my first home. I was working with people a lot older than me. I mentioned buying things while they were on sale, and stocking them up in my basement. One of my work associates disagreed, and thought the items would end up getting ruined.

I didn't take her advice. I stocked up, while things were on sale. Well, a number of years later, over a decade, I was laid off and didn't work a full time job for 2 years. I lived all of that time on toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, etc. that I had stocked up in my basement.

It was a good feeling, not having to worry about the general items. It's a good idea, no matter who disagrees.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Be Shrewd

I know the title of the article doesn't sound too enthusiastic, but today's market is a time to be shrewd. Take advantage of the real estate market. Right now, you can purchase properties that were selling for $75,000 10 years ago, for only $15,000. Check your market and find out what is reasonable.

Perhaps you could purchase a 3 unit rental property. If so, one unit will probably pay the mortgage, the 2nd will pay more than the taxes and insurance. That leaves you with the 3rd unit for profit or perhaps a place to live!

Once the mortgage is paid in full, the 1st unit translates into more income. This is a great way to finance your retirement! Heaven knows you're going to need more than Social Security, if it's even still around by then.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

How To Find Free Stuff On The Internet

A number of people are saving money by shopping on the internet. Even if it isn't convenient for you to buy what you need on the world wide web, you can still search and find good deals. Looking at your daily sales ads is a good way to save.

However, you can also find coupons for things on your weekly shopping on the web sites for the manufacturer. There are a number of other ways to save. Check out this article titled How to Find Free Stuff on the Internet.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Make Your Money Work For You

Depending on your age, you may be worried about your income in your later years. It seems there is quite a scare that Social Security may not be around some 30 years from now. And even if it is, with inflation, it probably won't be enough money to survive, especially if you end up alone.

One thing you can do today is invest and make your money work for you in your later years. There are some promising stocks that pay dividends. Check with a local broker and find out if there is a way to buy small shares, one at a time. Then reinvest the dividends to buy more stock. (You may want to do this in several companies so that you are diversified.) Once you are ready to retire, you can keep the stocks, but start taking the income from the dividends. Just one small way to increase your retirement income.