Stash Investing

Stash Investing has become one of my biggest investment platforms. I signed up for the app a little over a year ago, and I am very pleased with the direction my investments have gone. Then recently there has been a few changes to the site, that I absolutely love. In my opinion the site is gearing for the direction for the users, and that is what I want in a app or site that I choose to put my money into.

When I began investing with Stash Investing it was very easy to set up. They asked me some simple financial questions and set up a portfolio mix of sorts. I did change some of the investments that it recommended, but in all I stuck with what was given to me. I do know a little about stocks and investing, but not enough to go it alone when it comes to investing.

A couple of months ago I noticed that Stash Investing was offering a retirement account on the app. I was a little unsure about this product, but I put a little money in, and have it set up to auto invest $5 a month out f my checking account. I have actually made a few dollars in the retirement account and it has made a great addition to my investing. I am not 100% clear on how this will affect my taxes at the first of the year, but I will be doing more research into that as well.

Last week I received a message introducing a new plan they have. It is $9 a month and it has a few perks, but my biggest excitement came when reading about the custodial accounts. I have two kids and this account includes two kids with the monthly charge. So now I am going to set up accounts for my kids.

 In all I have been doing fairly well using this app. I take about $100 out of my account each month to go into my Stash Investing account. Now for those of you who do not know, I have been a single mom on a shoestring budget for a while. Just recently have I gotten into a relationship and started getting a little help. I wanted to share that so you know that anyone can start investing with Stash. Even $5 a week invested in a good stock, can start adding up before you know it. $5 a week adds up to $260 without any form of return. So If I just put $5 in investing, $5 in retirement, and $5 in each kids investment account, that would be  over $1000 a year that I am putting away to watch grow.

Now do not get me wrong, there is a chance of losing money when investing in anything. I do have one investment that has lost a little bit of money over the last few months, but with everything I am still quite a bit in the positive, and I see my financial portfolio growing more than I ever have before.

Disclaimer:

Before investing in any site or stock be sure to read all of the information provided to you. I do have a business degree and research finances a lot, but I am not a financial advisor. I am sharing my positive experiences with everyone so that hopefully I can help at least one person start advancing in their financial future.

Live on less Money than what you Earn

As a single mom I tend to be looking everywhere for financial advice, money saving tips, and other money saving advice. I have learned that one of the biggest mistakes that people make with their personal finances is spending more than you earn. Even before I was a single mom, I did the same thing. I have learned that one of the biggest mistakes that people make with their finances is spending more money than they earn. Some people are trying to keep up with their friends and others just think that they can't stop spending. I have even noticed some parents spending more than they earn because they do not want to let their children down, believe me the kids will understand when they are put in the same situation.

The first step in spending less than you earn is to know exactly what you are earning. Calculate everything that you have coming in; your income, your spouse’s income, investments, and any other miscellaneous earnings that you may have. Be sure to include all your earnings so that you are knowledgeable about what money you have.

Calculate your monthly spending. This calculation should include everything from housing to your everyday drinks. You need to know what you are spending every month so that you can determine what you need to do to spend less than you earn.

Now find out what you can do to cut back on your expenses every month. This may be cutting back on your bills like cable, phone, finding ways to save on utilities, or other ways to cut back on your bills. I have found that the biggest amount that I was spending was on things like sodas, food, and other small items that I honestly did not think about until I figured out I was spending more than $50 a month. Even the smallest cut in your spending can make the difference between spending more than you earn or less than you earn.

Stop using the lines of credit. Most people spend more than they earn because of credit cards. Stop using the credit cards and pay the balance down. Just because the minimum balance is only $200-$300, if you are adding more than that each month you are defeating the purpose. Leave the cards at home so that you will not be tempted to use them. Credit cards are good in cases of emergency, but that is it?

Once you have begun to spend less than you earn you should start a savings account. Put a small amount it this savings account each month. This money can be used during months when bills may be higher, or you just end up spending more than you earn. Things always come up; this can help you be prepared.

Simple tips for spending less than you earn Quit trying to impress others. Stop being concerned about what others think Don't worry about your children being disappointed, explain to them the situation. Find ways to save on everything from paper products to bill payments. Keep up with your spending. Continue to work on spending less than you earn, you will continue to do better every month.

How to Feed a large Family on a Budget

Feeding a large family can be a task in itself, but it is even harder when you have to feed a large family on a budget. There are a lot of ways for you to cut your grocery bill, and save money. Here are a few things that you can do to feed a large family on a budget.

Begin by clipping coupons, or take advantage of online sites that offer coupons. You can use these coupons to receive merchandise for a big savings, or even at times free. You can save even more if you shop at grocery stores that offer to double or triple your coupons. Coupons have been a very big part to help feed my family on a budget.

Look at all sales papers from your local supermarkets and compare them to the coupons that you have. You want to make use of the coupons and sales papers so you can make the most of your grocery money. Now they have Apps for all of the Grocery stores, and I love an app called Ibotta. They reimburse you for certain items you buy in stores or online. It has saved me the most money in the last couple of months than any other one thing.

Start shopping late at night or early in the morning so you can catch the discounted meats. Meat tends to be one of the larges expenses for any large family on a budget, and there is ways to save. When you shop at night or in the morning you are more likely to find the meat at discounted prices. You can also ask your grocer when they reduce the meat so you can catch the best prices.

Start preparing your food from scratch, and prepare in large portions. Most of the pre made items that you purchase cost quite a bit more than preparing your food from scratch. Preparing food from scratch is actually much easier than most people think, and it helps when you are trying to feed a large family on a budget.

Learn to make use of all of your leftovers so you can feed your large family on a budget. Most of the money lost on groceries is due to the fact that most people do not use there leftovers. You can plan your meals around the leftovers; learn recipes to use with your leftovers, or even plan one day a week to have just leftovers.

Buy non perishable items in bulk if they are at a good price, and if you have the money. Before you make a purchase you should always make sure it is something that you will use, not something that you may use. I have helped someone clean out there pantry before only to find that most of the bulk items were expired. That means that she actually wasted quite a bit of money on items that she never used. That defeats the purpose, and will not help you feed your large family on a budget.

Read my Ebook Couponing for the Busy Mom to learn to save more money when shopping.

Save Money on Groceries

Saving money is a big thing for most families in today’s economy. Groceries tend to be one of our biggest expenses, and saving money on groceries can make a big difference in our family’s budget. There are some very simple things that anyone can do to save money when grocery shopping.

Begin by keeping a regular inventory of your grocery items. This will prevent you from purchasing items that you do not need. It will also help you use the groceries that you purchase without wasting.

Start to plan out your family meals for the week, or even longer. Planning your meals will give you a better idea on what items you will need to purchase at the grocery store.

Keep a running grocery list where your family can all use it. This will help you remember items that others need, and will prevent you from purchasing groceries that you do not.

Clip coupons and use online coupons. Some people believe that this is too much trouble, but it can save you a lot of money when grocery shopping. I have learned one of my favorite and most lucrative apps for saving money is Ibotta. I have received over $60 in the last month and a half from using this app.

Compare prices at different grocery stores before you shop to see which one has more of the items you need on sale.

Always eat before you go shopping. You tend to purchase more groceries if you are hungry.

Avoid quick buys at the grocery store. Quick buys are items that are in convenient locations such as eye level, end caps, and center product displays.

Always walk every isle to find the best prices, and remember to look up and down. The least expensive items are usually not in your direct eye sight.

Financial Ebooks

I have been writing small articles and financial tips for about 10 years now. I also went to school for business and received my degree in 2015. As a single mom I have found numerous ways of saving and making money in about every aspect of my life. I have decided to share my experiences in more detail through books. So far I only have 4 simple Ebooks about finances, but I do plan on having many more in the near future. If you would like to take a look, please do. These are just the beginning, and I am learning more about writing Ebooks with every one I publish. I have set the prices below $3 on the first few books until I can write the finance books in more elaboration.

Couponing for the Busy Mom

A Collection of Finance and Home Business "How to " Articles

420 to 700 Credit Score: A Personal Credit Score Journey

Single Moms Guide to Financially Preparing for Maternity Leave

It's Tax Time Again

It is that time of year again, time to prepare our taxes. Tax season can be a stressful time for a lot of people. I have to say that the best thing to do is file as soon as you can. This is true for those receiving a refund, or whom have to pay. Filing your taxes as soon as you can will release the stresses associated with tax season.

Other Financial Tips for Tax Season:

• Avoid using your tax refund for large expensive items, catch up on your other bills before spending your refund on things that you do not necessarily need.

• Put a portion of your refund into savings for future expenses. We usually have expenses that occur during the year that we wished we had the money for, or that takes a cut out of money for something else. If you put even a small amount up for these expenses you will be happy you did. 

• If you are doing online filing be sure to find one that is free, or the most inexpensive you can find for your situation. You should also look at a couple of different sites. My refund varied $200 to $300 last year on two or three different sites.

• If you are self employed or have  reasons that you may owe the IRS be sure to consult an tax professional. You may not want to pay the fee, but it may save you more money than you spend. A Tax professional can make sure that you can get all of the deductions possible.

Most of us tend to think of a tax refund as free money, but it honestly isn't. We have actually worked for that money, and we need to use it wisely just as we would our income that we receive every month. Learn to be smart with your money, you will be so happy that you did.

Direct Sales Tax Deductions

$10 off $50 purchase at Walgreens.com

Walgreens has an offer that is a good way to save a few dollars on items that you need. The offer is $10 off a $50 purchase at www.walgreens.com. The only exceptions to the savings that I noticed is contact lenses, electronics, photo orders,  and gift cards. This offer ends November 5th 2011.

Walgreens also has free shipping for online orders over $25 for up to 10 pounds. There is an additional .49 for each additional pound.

Walgreens weekly online specials