Nobody should be afraid of trying out new experiences.

Often, we’re at our happiest when we have something to look forward to. These five ‘life-changing’ ideas are all about setting goals for yourself, working towards those goals and enjoying a sense of achievement when you reach them.

Sometimes the things we would like to try cost money. How often have you thought ‘if only I were a millionaire …’? Getting on top of your finances as they stand today is a good place to start working towards a wealthier lifestyle.

Go traveling

They say that travel ‘broadens the mind’. Sometimes a change of scene is all that’s needed to lift yourself out of the doldrums. If you don’t know where you’d like to go, ask friends and relatives about their travels and where they recommend. Borrow travel guides, watch documentaries and research countries and cultures on the internet. You don’t need to go around the world for new experiences – a simple city break may be all that’s needed for a change in perspective. Set up a savings account for your travel funds and watch it grow over the weeks and months.

Change career

If your career is leaving you unfulfilled, have you ever considered retraining in something else? You could volunteer in your spare time in a role that interests you. Perhaps you’ve always had a burning passion to work with children or animals, or to write a novel? If you’re in a steady job with a secure income, you’ll need to think very carefully before you do anything hasty like ‘jumping ship’. However, there is no harm in seeking career guidance.

Get (better) qualified

If your qualifications (or lack of them) are holding you back, look into government funding, bursaries or student loans for your chosen field of expertise. You might be eligible for government funding for teaching and nursing as well as for some other professions. Education can be for fun too – dark winter evenings can be brightened up with an evening class in something that interests you. Taking up a new course can be a good way to meet new people and get your grey matter working.

Repay debt and start a savings account

It’s always a good idea to have some savings in your bank account for a rainy day. If you have debts, it can be difficult to save – but repaying the money you owe is a worthy goal in itself.

If you have debts and you’re struggling to pay them off, you might be able to change your situation for the better on a debt solution like a debt management plan or an IVA (find out more about these here). These solutions are only for people who are really struggling to repay their debts – but anyone in debt can take a few steps to improve their situation.

The first step is to draw up a budget and address your spending. If you’re spending more than your income, try cutting back on spending where you can. If you’ve already tried this and it’s not making enough of a difference, it might be time to get some expert debt advice.

Volunteer

Volunteering for a charity that means something to you, or for a cause you believe in, is something probably everyone should try at least once in their lives. Whether you want to help other people or develop your career through voluntary work, volunteering is a worthwhile way to invest some of your spare time. If fitness is your goal, there are dozens of charities that need people to run, swim and climb mountains to raise money on their behalf.

There are dozens of ways to change your life for the better. You really need to think about your personal values and the things you want to achieve in your life. Think about what you would need to do to get where you want to be in life and use that as your motivation for change. Good luck!

Tags: health, lifestyle, Personal Finance, self-improvement, wellness

This is a guest post by Matt. His info is at the bottom of the post.

The major reason that financial records become unruly is the lack of a specific place to put each document. By the time effort is applied to gain control, the mess is so deep it seems impossible to conquer. The best approach is to set aside smaller increments of time to tackle each area within the room where all the paper has accumulated. Apply these tips and work consistently over a period of weeks to clean out the old and organise what must be kept while including new arrivals.

1. Know the requirements. Refer to government regulations to determine the length of time to keep tax records and supporting documentation. All other information can be evaluated for personal preference. Bank records are no longer necessary in paper form because most banks have converted to long-term electronic repositories for customer access of account records. Automobile maintenance records, medical records, payslips, and home maintenance records can be kept for appropriate time periods, but should be purged periodically.

2. De-clutter prior to filing. Set out three open boxes that will serve as trash, recycling, and shredding collectors as each drawer is cleared. Empty every drawer and eliminate all paper that is no longer necessary. Look for personal information and ensure that all those documents are placed in the “shred” box. While cleaning out paper from various collection areas, throw away empty packages and pens that no longer write. Take this opportunity to de-clutter the entire office area.

3. Choose a quality cabinet. Drawers where files are to be stored must be durable enough to handle substantial weight. If the current storage place is rickety and is to be replaced, choose a cabinet with enough space and sturdy hardware to be opened and closed without much force applied. Purchase enough filing supplies to complete the sorting and organising without stopping in the middle.

4. Design a working system. Group documents in large categories that are meaningful. Dates are most important for tax documentation and medical records. Other categories can be grouped by type for easy storage and retrieval.

5. Gather long-term items. Separate the legal documents that must be kept permanently. Irreplaceable documents must be kept in a fire safe or safe deposit box. Wills, divorce decrees, property deeds, birth certificates, and any other significant document must be protected from loss. Annual review of these documents insures they are accurate and present over the years.

6. Sort items to be referenced. Files that must be accessed within the next twelve months are to be filed at the front in a meaningful group. Receipts should be organised as purchases are made to make tax time easier. Bills should be organised and kept in a file that is visited at least weekly to prevent late payments. Use a colour coded file set as a reminder to visit this set of information often.

7. Shred sensitive information. Whenever old documents are removed from the existing files, shred any piece of paper with personal information including addresses, phone numbers, and personal identifiers. Replacement versions of legal documents should be the trigger to shred old copies.

8. Acquire safe storage. Purchase a fire safe or rent a safety deposit box to house the irreplaceable documents. In locations where natural disasters occur more often, the better choice is a safe deposit box.

9. Use electronic documents. Instead of keeping months of bank statements, switch to online access to bank statements and records. Refer to online receipts for purchases. Use software to file taxes and keep paper copies of only the receipts. Take periodic backup copies of all information on the personal computer in the home office. Store a copy of the backup in the fire safe or safe deposit box.

10. Create a master sheet. Once the filing system is organised, take some time to create a master sheet that explains what each file contains. Use general terms and ask another person if the sheet makes sense. Store this sheet in a plastic sleeve in a visible place for the convenience of someone who might have to access your files in your absence.

If conquered in small increments of time and effort, any paper mess can be made into a meaningful filing system where financial records are easily accessed. Every decision must be personally meaningful and there are not specific rules that help every person to be more organised. Make the system usable and easy to update, and your records will stay in order for years to come.

Matt is part of the team at CreditCardCompare.com.au, an impartial service that reviews credit cards and provides innovative tools to help make it easier for Aussie consumers to find the best offer that fits their needs.

Tags: decluttering, organizing, Personal Finance

Blog carnivals allow you to get a lot of information about a single topic through a variety of links all compiled in one post. A good blog carnival is aggregated and edited carefully to make sure that the links are all of high quality.

Right now there are two personal finance blog carnivals that I want to draw attention to:

1. Best of Credit Cards and Money Blog Carnival. One of the posts in this article is a review of the Continental Airlines One Pass Plus credit card.
2. The Carnival of Credit Score and Debt. One of the posts in this article is a review of the Escape by Discover credit card.

Tags: Blog Carnivals, credit cards, money, Personal Finance

Groupon is the big name in the social deals sites but it’s definitely not the only one in the market. In fact, there are so many Groupon clones that it’s hard to even count them all. But there is one in the mix that may stand out more than the others – and may in fact even be better than Groupon itself. That site is SociallyIdeal.

SociallyIdeal Doesn’t Require a Minimum Buy

Most social deals sites operate on the idea that an item can cost less if it is bought buy a lot of people all at once. For that reason, sites like Groupon require that a minimum number of people purchase the deal before it can be activated. Although it doesn’t happen often, this can mean that you go ahead and sign up for a deal and then don’t get it after all. You aren’t charged but you can definitely end up disappointed, thinking you’re getting a great deal and then finding out that you’re not getting that deal after all. SociallyIdeal doesn’t require any minimums so you don’t have this problem. You get the power of social buying without the requirement that a huge group buy into the same deal.

You’re Billed Right Away

Because you don’t have to wait for others to get the deal you also don’t have to wait until the deal closes for your credit card to be billed. This is a benefit to some people who are tracking their spending and want their current credit charges to reflect all that they’ve put on the card as quickly as possible.

Great for People in DC

This site is specifically good for people who are interested in DC Daily Deals. People who are living in or traveling to the nation’s capital can take advantage of the deals offered on the site. The site also offers deals for Baltimore and will be adding additional cities in the future. This is not to say that Groupon doesn’t offer DC deals. In fact, they offer deals for numerous specific areas within the DC metro area and because of that their DC page is actually kind of noisy. SociallyIdeal is more straightforward and simple when it comes to DC Deals.

All of the Normal Perks Still Apply

SociallyIdeal does offer the standard format and perks for deals that you’ve come to expect if you’re a Groupon user or a user of Groupon clone sites. For example, you still get $10 when you refer someone new to the site. You can share deals via Facebook and Twitter. Deals change daily and offer you as much as 80% off of the cost of products and services (although the standard is typically closer to 50%). It’s what you’re used to from daily deals sites but with some added oomph.

Tags: daily deals, groupon, Personal Finance, saving money, sociallyideal

Today’s question of the week is inspired by a book that I recently read. It’s called The Secret Currency of Love: The Unabashed Truth About Women, Money, and Relationships. It’s a fascinating anthology from women authors about the different methods they have of handling money in their marriages. The stories there run the gamut from women who keep their bank accounts entirely separate from their husbands and split all bills down the middle to women who let their husbands deal with the entire financial realm of their relationships and don’t even know what their household income is.

So, today’s question of the week is:

How do you deal with money in your relationship with your spouse or significant other?

I currently don’t live with the man that I’m dating so it’s easy for us to keep our money separate. When we go out on dates, he either pays for the date or we split it. We haven’t discussed it in too much detail but I think we’re both comfortable with this arrangement. When we’ve gone on vacations then we’ve split the costs in half, more or less, although we’re not strict about keeping tabs on who owes what. We just kind of naturally take turns paying for the bill on a trip. At holidays, we tend to buy each other small gifts and don’t spend a lot of money on each other. I’m not honestly sure how all of this would change if it came to the point where we were living together so I’d love to hear how other people are doing it. Leave your answers in the comments.

Tags: money, money and relationships, question of the week

Today starts a new feature on Diary of a Smart Chick. Every Tuesday I’ll be featuring a question for the readers of this blog. The idea is that we can discuss and debate about some of the topics that I really enjoy writing about. I’ll pose the question here and then you can respond and interact with each other (and me) in the comments.

Today’s question of the week:

Does being frugal have to mean making sacrifices?

Frugality is a topic that I write about a lot. What I’ve discovered is that people have extremely differing definitions of what it means to be frugal. For some people it means making a lot of financial sacrifices and doing a lot of penny-pinching. For others it simply means realigning your values so that you are saving money without feeling like you’re making sacrifices at all.

For me, being frugal means making choices but I don’t necessarily think that it means making sacrifices. If there is something that I truly want then I usually purchase it and find a way to fit that into my budget. However, I would be willing to make sacrifices if my finances demanded that I do so. So what’s your answer to today’s question of the week?

Tags: frugality, question of the week, what is frugality

One of the topics that I particularly enjoy writing about is saving money and living frugally. Following you’ll find links to a selection of my top articles that each offer ten or more tips for some form of frugal living. In total it’s over 100 frugal living tips to help you save money!

1. Top Ten Tips for How to Grow a Frugal Garden
2. Twenty Simple Tips for Spending Less on Food without Resorting to Ramen
3. Ten Tips for Reducing Shipping and Handling Fees
4. Ten Ideas for Romantic Frugal Summer Dates
5. Ten Frugal Summer Fun Ideas for Families and Couples
6. Ten Ways to Turn your Travel into Cash
7. Ten Tips for Breaking an Internet Shopping Addiction
8. Twenty Five Frugal Ways to Say I Love You

Frugality is a popular topic during the recession but I hope that it’s one that remains popular with readers even after the economy improves. Do you think that it will?

Tags: Frugal Living, frugality, money saving tips, Personal Finance, save money, tips

I was recently reviewing all of the ways that using a food dehydrator can save you money. You’d be surprised at just how many ways there are! Some of these are more important than others though so I thought I’d share here what I consider to be the Top 5 Ways that a food dehydrator will save you money:

1. Facilitates buying in bulk. One of the best ways to save money on groceries is to buy bulk items at a discount. However, this doesn’t work if the food goes bad before you can eat it. If you use a food dehydrator to dry the food then it won’t go bad which means that you can more efficiently buy affordable food in bulk.
2. Reduces spending on costly items. You can use a food dehydrator to make your own herbs, spices, dried fruits and camping food. All of these are expensive items when you buy them in the store but you end up paying just a fraction of the cost when you dehydrate them yourself.
3. Increases the likelihood that you’ll make healthy food choices. A lot of people use their food dehydrator to make healthy foods, support raw food diets and go vegetarian. If you do this then you’ll be healthier which reduces the money you spend on medical care. That’s a big savings – and an important step for your life!
4. Gives you a gift you can always give. You can save a lot of money on gifts for others by using your food dehydrator to make homemade foods for people. I love homemade gifts so I especially love this point!
5. Can even be a money maker. A smart person will further increase the savings of a food dehydrator by actually using it to make money. This can be done by selling dried foods, offering classes in food dehydrator use or writing articles about your dehydrator.

So, what do you think – can you save money with a food dehydrator?

Tags: Food, food dehydrator, Frugal Living, save money

When you purchase a product, do you purchase the add-ons and accessories that come along with that product? If you’re a frugal-minded person then should you always skip those add-ons? In most cases, it’s smart to be wary of the add-ons but you shouldn’t automatically assume that they are a waste of money.

An add-on is an item or accessory that is suggested for purchase along with the item that you purchase. For example, if you order a hydraulic hammer from Maverick Hammers then they might suggest that you get one of their accessories. Such an accessory could be a stand for the hammer which would allow you to store the item without it getting damaged.

Is this a necessary purchase? It isn’t necessary but it may be worthwhile. The stand is beneficial to you in that it allows your new product to last longer because it prevents damage to it over time. It would be worth purchasing it if you thought you’d use it and it was being offered at a fair price.

In contrast, you might be offered something else with your hammer purchase such as touch-up paint. This is a great add-on for someone who needs it but if you don’t need it then it would be silly to go ahead and buy it just because it’s offered as part of the sale.

It’s tempting to get lured in to purchasing the add-ons for different items that you buy. There’s no harm in considering the purchase. However it’s definitely important that you make sure that this is an item that you really want / need so you don’t end up with buyer’s regret.

Tags: frugality, hydraulic hammers, maverick hammers, Personal Finance

One of the most common pieces of advice that I see on frugal living blogs is the advice that you should buy in bulk. There are pros and cons to buying in bulk but as a general rule it’s true that you’re going to save money if you buy items that you use regularly in bulk at a good price. But is that still true if you’re only shopping for one person?

The majority of articles that exist out there about buying in bulk assume that you’re buying for a whole family. But what about all of us who live alone or who live with roommates and shop only for ourselves? Does buying in bulk work for us? I think that it can if we’re smart about it.

Tips for buying in bulk when you live alone include:

• Buy only non-perishable items in bulk. It doesn’t make sense to buy things that are going to go to waste if you’re the only one using them.
• Make a list of what you use regularly. If you buy something every week or two then it’s probably a safe item to buy in bulk.
• Get a group together to buy in bulk. Just because you don’t live with your family doesn’t mean you can’t buy for a group. Get a group of friends together who would like to buy in bulk. Split the cost and split the items so that you each get only the amount of stuff that you need at a lower bulk price.
• Get smart about money. Make sure that you’re able to calculate the benefit of buying something in bulk. You may get a better deal buying a single size item and using a coupon. Do the math!

Do any of you single people out there buy in bulk? What are some other good tips?

Tags: buy in bulk when you live alone, buying in bulk, kathryn vercillo, money, Personal Finance, savings, should i buy in bulk, smartchick