Advice

I am here to offer you advice. If you have any questions or issues with any part of life, I can give you any advice I can. If you have relationship issues, roommate issues, apartment issues, budgeting issues, job issues... ask me about it and I will give you some advice. Just post a question in the comments or e-mail me at rfwarlick@vzw.blackberry.net and I will reply ASAP. 

Fashion on a budget

Most people want to look their best anytime they leave home. Most people want to stay up on the latest fashions, but not everyone can afford the latest fashions. There are entire blogs devoted just to this: staying fashionable on a budget. This blog will talk about some tips and tricks, but if you want more detailed information, google fashion on a budget and follow some of those blogs.

• Online Codes: Especially during economy lows, stores are constantly passing around codes for their online stores. There are websites devoted just to giving you codes to get discounts. Whenever you order something online, check some of these out first. A great one that I have mentioned before is www.retailmenot.com. Before you buy something online again, be sure to check this website out and you may be able to get free shipping, or an overall discount, and you can buy more! 
• People.com! This website is in connection to the gossip magazine that is found in grocery and drug stores. But it does have a section in which it shows where to buy less expensive versions of celebrity clothing. The exact website is: www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/shopping. 
• Shop! There are some great stores out there that have very fashionable clothes at lower prices (and lower quality). But if you are the type of person to wear an outfit that is in style for a single season, buy less expensive clothes, even though they may fall apart after a few months. Forever21, Wet Seal, and Charlotte Russe are some of my favorite examples. 
• Department stores! Department stores have great clothes a lower prices. Most department stores have a large section of well known and expensive brands. Instead, go to the juniors, petite or women's section and shop here. They often have great sales and great looking clothes at lower prices.
• Second hand stores! While some great things can be found at Goodwill for just a few dollars, and these should definitely be checked out, I'm more talking about Plato's closet. You can take your old clothes here and get money, and then spend it on clothes. Many clothes were simply grown out of and are still in style. They are also very picky (so don't expect to be able to sell everything) but this also means that you will find fashionable clothes. 

It is always important to look your best, and dressing fashionably is always a plus. But unfortunately, this can sometimes be expensive. I hope this helps you look your best while staying within budget. And if you want more detailed information, be sure to google fashion on a budget to find entire blogs devoted to this subject.

Money Saving Tips

Especially with the economy, it is often necessary to save money where you can, especially when you are already the bottom wrung at work. This will help you save money where you can. 

• Buy store brand- Stores are getting better at copying ingredients of the national brands. It is often a good idea to at least try the store brands, because if you do like them you could save a lot of money, $30 for every $100 spent. Some items that are good to buy store brand are your staple items: rice, flour, sugar, salt, milk, applesauce, apple juice, frozen vegetables, frozen juices, or vinegar. You shouldn't buy toilet paper, macaroni, salad dressings... 
• Use coupons and sales. Buy a divider and clip coupons every Sunday, or go online and print out coupons. Sales, especially around the holidays, are always a good idea. Before you buy anything always check your coupons or sales, or maybe even hold off for a sale.
• If you buy items online often, you should be using discount codes everytime. There are websites that have lists of shopping codes by store that can give you discounts and free shipping. Some of these include www.retailmenot.com, www.currentcodes.com and www.couponcabin.com
• Buy energy efficient light bulbs. They cost a little more and are a strange shape, but they use a quarter the energy and last 10 times longer. They are especially good if you leave a light on all the time to prevent walking into a dark apartment. Most apartment complexes maintenance teams are willing to change out any light bulbs you can't reach. 
• Drink tap water instead of buying bottled water. Most bottled water is taken out of a tap anyway. It may taste a little different, but it is something you can get used to. You can also fill up bottles with tap water, but be sure to constantly wash the bottles. 
• But fake flowers. Flowers brighten up any apartment, but spending almost $20 a week on new flowers can get expensive. If you buy fake flowers to just switch out each season, you can save a lot of money. 
• Don't continue to buy movies and TV seasons. Rent them instead. Blockbuster charges about $5 to rent a single movie, and this can get expensive. Try getting netflix. I rent two movies at a time and it costs only about $14 a month. You can rent as many as you want, but only a certain number can be out. This is a great way to watch TV shows you get into late, or you want to re watch instead of spending $50 for the entire season. DVR is also great. It costs only $7.95 a month and you can record two shows at a time. This way you aren't stuck at home all the time. 
• If you take a lot of pictures and then get them developed in an hour, this can add up. Many websites, including shutterfly and Kodak can print and mail pictures you load online for less than ten cents a picture plus shipping and handling. It only takes about a week to get them, and if you order in bulk you can save a lot of money
• Put some money in a savings account of some kind. You could add $20 to an account each week, or add 50 cents to a jar every day. Do something special with this money: Each year take a vacation with this money, use this money for Christmas presents, or save it towards a car or house. If you don't think about it and just add money to this "account," it can add up quickly. 

Update 1/14/2009

• Woot.com: This is a great website that sells very nice items for dirt cheap prices. They sell one item on special everyday, and make sure you check it out early because they usually sell out! They also sell tshirts and wines. One drawback is that it may not be something you actually need, so think for a minute about how much you'll use it, how necessary it is, and how much you have to spend. But if you have a little extra money to spend and want to buy something that takes a lot of extra money, go check it out! 

Budgeting!

Unless you're lucky, chances are you don't have a lot of extra money. You are the bottom wrung of your job, and your pay reflects this. You are on your own for the first time, and don't have your parents to bail you out. This blog will help you in your first years on your own, showing you how to make smart financial decisions, and how to save a few dollars here and there. 

• One of the most important things is for you to save your money from one month to spend in the next month. Basically, any money you bring in during January, put into a savings account and don't spend until February. This way you will know exactly how much you have to spend, rather than guesstimating, and possibly coming up short.
  
• Create a budget!  This will show you exactly how much of your money is necessary for bills, and how much you have to spend on groceries, clothing and entertainment. Your budget should include your set expenses such as rent and utilities first. Then you should add a guesstimation of the rest of your fluctuating expenses, such as gas and food. The remainder is what you have for entertainment: clothing, movies, bar tabs... The Internet is full of helpful websites with budgets. A great one is http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/instantbudget/instantbudget_101.jsp. This website has you fill out a 7 question analysis that allows you to see how your peers spend their money, and then has you fill out a column of your own spending. Another great website is http://financialplan.about.com/cs/budgeting/l/blbudget.htm. This one is simpler. It is n easy worksheet that can be printed and filled out. 
  
• Create a spending registrar for your checking account and write down every penny that goes in and out of that account. This is just a little booklet about the size of a check book. Your bank teller will be happy to give you a few registrars. Especially when you pay bills by check, some things may not go through for a week or two, enough time to forget that one bill in the five that you paid.
• Get a credit card! But before you go out and get a $20,000 credit card limit and max it out, read this paragraph. Unless you are one of those one in 100 very organized people, it is nearly impossible to record every transaction you make. This is how a credit card with a very small limit will help. The best way would be to get one through your bank. They usually have the lowest rates, but are also the hardest to get. A website that compares credit cards is www.creditcards.com. This is a website that allows you to search for a credit card by what benefits you want, your credit, the issuer... Once you get a card, adjust the limit so that it reflects the amount you would be able to pay off in a single month. You should put your groceries, entertainment, clothing, and other various items on this card. Then every few days pay it off. If you get one through your bank, you should be able to transfer funds online from your checking account to your credit card at no additional charge. Record this amount that you transfer in your registrar. It is much easier to record a few large payments a week than dozens of small transactions. 
• Clip coupons! There are dozens of coupons and sales advertised in the Sunday paper every week. Most newspapers will have an option that involves only Sunday delivery, or you can always buy one. You could also borrow a friends paper once they are done using it. Before you go shopping always look through your coupons and pull the ones you may use. There are also some websites that will give you coupons online: www.coupons.com, www.valpak.com, www.couponcabin.com. 
• Speak with your superiors at you job about discount benefits. Many companies have partnered with other companies to offer each other discounts. You may be able to save money on eye exams, cell phone plans, or vacations. All of these are very expensive items that could blow through your budget, but if you get a discount you may be able to save a lot of money.
• Shop at discount stores! Many stores, such as Marshall's and TJ Maxx are able to buy items at a discounted price and pass these savings on to you. Their stock isn't steady, but they constantly have very pricey and luxurious items at greatly discounted prices. I once found a nice Coach bag for about $150 at TJ Maxx. Plato's Closet (www.platoscloset.com) is a great second hand store for young people. Basically, you drop off your gently used clothes and get money back for them, and then you can buy gently used clothes at a discounted price. Just be sure to wash your items before you wear them. 

Budgeting is one of the most important things of living on your own. It is very easy to get in trouble with money because you want to buy certain things. But you have to understand that anything you buy on a credit card, you have to pay back with interest. You should only spend money that you have, and record every penny. Pay your bills as soon as you get them so that you know what you have left. Shop at discount stores, it's the same item, just a better price.