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

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

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

Normally when I participate in a blog carnival, I write it up as an entire post on its own. That’s because I like to share the different articles and links that were included in the carnival along with my thoughts on the writing there. However, I’m doing it differently this week since I participated in several blog carnivals at once. I’m just doing a roundup because the same post was included in so many carnivals. If you’re interested in the topic of the carnival, I encourage you to follow the link to check out all of the other great articles that were included along with mine.

The post was an educational article called Beware! 15 Common Scams that Can Steal Your Money. It was included in the following carnivals:

• Struggling Bumbling Newbies carnival
• Working at Home Blog Carnival
• Carnival of Money Stories
• Carnival of Everything Personal Finance
• eBay and Small Business Carnival
• Money Hacks Carnival

I thought it was a good article and I hope that others do as well. It’s certainly included with some top articles in these carnivals!

Tags: blog carnival, links, money, Personal Finance, scams

I recently wrote an article with ten tips to avoid picking up the bill. As a general rule, these tips weren’t about skipping out on your part of the bill. They were simply about how to avoid paying for other people when you go out.

These tips fell into three basic categories:

1. Getting your mind straight. These tips were related to making sure that you understand why you feel obligated to pick up the bill and to work on not feeling that way.
2. Making smart payment choices. These tips included ideas like paying your part in cash (so you don’t end up with the whole bill on your credit card) and making a mobile payment transaction at the table to repay someone who has just paid for your part of the bill.
3. Find ways to avoid paying altogether. This could mean going out with someone who will pay for you or simply doing things that are free.

Some people responded to me by saying that they didn’t think that picking up the bill should be that big of a deal as long as you’re not picking it up all of the time. I think that’s true but I also think that attitude can cause you to pay more for other people than your budget should really allow.

What do you think? Should we pay our part but avoid picking up the bill for others?

Incidentally, one thing I didn’t say in my article was that you can just get separate checks and pay for your own. That was pointed out to me in the comments on an article on The Consumerist which referenced my original article. That’s true but I’ve found that there’s a lot of places that won’t do that for you easily. If that’s an option, do you think it’s the best one?

Tags: don't pay for others, money, money etiquette, Personal Finance, picking up the bill

We all know that scams exist. We’ve all seen those letters from the person in need of baking assistance in Nigeria. Many of us have received emails telling us that a friend is in need and we must wire money to them. Some of us have gotten phone calls trying to convince us that our car warranty is up and that we need to renew it. These are all common scams that are designed to steal our money. We know that they exist and yet people continue to have their money stolen from them again and again.

The best way to make sure that you do not become a victim of a scam is to educate yourself about scams. Learn about which scams are most common. Find out how they convince you to give up your money or your financial information. Arming yourself with this knowledge makes it a lot easier for you to identify when you might become a victim of a scam so that you can avoid that terrible fate.

One great resource for getting this type of education is an article called Beware! 15 Commons Scams That Can Steal Your Money. This article lists fifteen scams and describes them so that you can understand them better. It also provides details about variations on the scams. And finally, it has loads of links to resources that can help you get even more information. Protect your money and protect yourself!

Tags: common scams, money, Personal Finance, scams, victim of scam