FitSugar

Now Is a Good Time to Join a Gym

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:00:00 PDT

One of the positive sides about the economy being so uneasy right now is that good deals are everywhere. In an attempt to save money, many folks have ditched their gym members and started working out at home and outside. Combine that with the fact that gyms see a decline in membership at this time of the year anyway and many are offering great deals on memberships. Plus, most gyms are a lot less crowded right now (as opposed to the beginning of the year), which means you'll be able to take advantage of the free space and you'll really be ready to go for the new year.

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Recession Proof Your Workout: DIY Home Exercise Equipment

FitSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:30:00 PDT

The economy is on almost everyone's minds these days, but it's important that despite the tough times, we keep ahead of our health. If you're trying to cut back on your costs, you can easily transform a few items at home into your exercise equipment. The Mayo Clinic had a few good ideas as to how. They are:

Canned goods. Many canned goods can serve double duty as hand weights.
Milk or water jugs. Fill empty milk or water jugs with water or sand and secure the tops with duct tape. To adjust the weights as your fitness level changes, simply add more water or sand. If you wonder how much weight you're lifting, simply weigh the jug on your household scale.
Step stools. A low, sturdy step stool can become exercise equipment if you use it for step training - an aerobic exercise resembling stair climbing.

I've got a few ideas of my own to add to the list so

What's Your Advice for Working Out on a Budget?

FitSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 09:30:00 PDT

Everyone gave amazing advice for motivating a fellow Sugar user last time -- Thank you! So, here's another question that someone sent me that could use everyone's advice too:

Hey Fit! I am thinking about trying to tone-up my body, problem is that I am pretty tight on money these days (just graduated college, but unemployed) and I can't afford to join a gym. Can you recommend cheap ideas for working out on a budget until I can scrape up the cash for a gym membership?
-Budgeting in Baltimore

Got advice to give? Leave it in the comments section below.
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6 Strategies to Save More This Year

Kiplinger — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:27:21 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Saving doesn't come easily for us young adults. Entry-level salaries don't give you a lot to work with. And, well, we also tend to spend what we make - and then some - on the latest gadgets and flashiest fashions.

But don’t worry. We’re not doomed to frivolity and the wreckage it can make of our finances. Here's how you can start saving smart throughout 2012:

Periodically calculate how much you spend. What better time to review your budget than at the start of a New Year? “It’s really hard to [track your spending] each month, so aim for just once or twice a year,” says Jill Boynton, a certified financial planner in Newington, New Hampshire.

Just be sure when you do it that you track everything. Boynton recommends filling out a spreadsheet with a month’s worth of spending. Or you can try an online budgeting tool such as Mint.com (See our slide show: Which Budgeting Site is Best for You?). But note: Mint works best for those who deal mostly in plastic as opposed to cash. When you make an ATM withdrawal, the site labels the transaction as “Cash & ATM.” Unless you diligently manage your cash transactions (you can manually edit Mint’s labels), you can easily lose track of where the money goes.

The drudgery of tracking spending can pay off when you find surprising expenses you could easily cut. At the end of 2011, I crunched my own numbers and found that I shelled out about $200 a month at Starbucks and other restaurants. I’m sure I could cut that by at least half. That’s like finding a $100 bill every month in my back pocket.

Read on for more strategies.

5 Ideas to Increase Your Income This Year

Emily Co — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:05:39 PST

You're doing everything right - saving and skimping - but somehow that's not enough. If you're not making enough to put aside a good chunk of savings for your retirement account and to pay off your debt, bills, and day-to-day expenses, you probably need to make more income. Here are a couple of ideas to raise your cash flow:

Ask for a raise: If you don't ask, you don't get, so resolve to ask for the pay that you deserve this year. First of all, you need proof of why you deserve the raise, so start keeping track of all your accomplishments in a document. Or you can even email them to yourself and automatically squirrel away these accomplishment emails in an inbox folder. Make sure you can clearly show how you helped the company's bottom line and cite numbers and use examples. Do some market research on sites like glassdoor.com and salary.com so you can bring this data to the negotiating table. Start working on other efforts such as being more visible in your company and spearheading events. Also, ask for a raise at the right time - try to time it when it's review season or when operating budgets are being created and approved.
Get a new job: The job market seems to be picking up, so you might actually find better opportunities. Start by freshening up your LinkedIn and looking up companies you'd like to work for. Once you have a few in mind, reach out to people in your network to see if they know anyone who can pass your résumé to the right people. Remember to negotiate the salary for your new job since it's the starting point for future raises.

Read on for more ideas.

Shocking Truths About the Underemployment of College Graduates

OnSugar Blog — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:15:10 PST

OnSugar blogger Beauty and the Budget shares the shocking unemployment statistics of college graduates.

As a teenager, it seemed as though the next few steps in my life were going to be easy. You go to college and you get a job. That's what all of the older kids did. What I didn't know was that I would graduate college one year after the recession began and that my dream job would be even harder to grasp, much less finding a job with a good salary and benefits.

Since graduation, I have not been able to find a job that pays more than $10.50 an hour. Even though I have liked my jobs, that doesn't mean I am not financially stressed. I have around $40K in student loan debt - and that's even after receiving a $10K scholarship. Sometimes I feel like I could have skipped college altogether considering I have worked jobs that don't even require a college degree. On the optimistic side of things, I still feel like getting a college degree is a good idea. I just wish I'd have known then what I'd be getting myself into and that I wouldn't just magically graduate with a good job.

Read on for more.

How to Stop Keeping Up With the Joneses

LearnVest — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:15:16 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like there are many money lessons to learn from The Real Housewives.

One spent a season building a $1.8 million mansion and driving around a $1,280-per-month Escalade, only to file for bankruptcy with almost $11 million in debt.

Shortly postbankruptcy, she dropped another $60,000 on a shopping spree so she could continue to fit in with those in her social circle.

Even if you don’t end up with millions of dollars in debt - or have friends who are millionaires - trying to keep up with the Joneses (or the Gorgas, in this case) can not only make you feel lousy about yourself, but also inspire bad spending decisions. We call this phenomenon “money comparisonitis.”

How Having "Comparisonitis" Affects Us

In our own lives, the dangers of gazing enviously at the Real Housewives’ spending sprees, our neighbor’s new car, or that family down the street who can send their kids to private school are not only the fact that it makes us feel bad, but that it literally distorts our view of reality.

In other words, we look at celebrities like the Kardashians or the wealthier people we know, and we try to emulate their spending habits. “You’re not being truthful with yourself,” says Susan L. Hirshman, president of She Ltd., a consulting firm focused on enhancing women’s wealth, and the author of Does This Make My Assets Look Fat?. “As they make more money, that allows them to live a certain lifestyle.” In other words, you have to face facts and spend in accordance with your own budget, rather than feeling entitled to live a certain way just because other people do.

Read on for more.

8 Things Couples Should Consider Before Setting Up a Joint Bank Account

Business Insider — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:15:24 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

When it comes to marriage or a long-term domestic partnership, the whole "what's mine is yours" idea isn't always the wisest way to approach your finances.

That doesn't mean there isn't a way to make joint bank accounts work, but Dr. Taffy Wagner, CEO of Money Talk Matters, cautions partners against ditching their financial independence altogether.

"Couples are all in love and want everything to be joint," Wagner says. "But when they automatically put all of their money in one account and one person is managing it, a lot of the time the other person has no idea what is going on."

That's no way to start the beginning of your lives together, so we asked a few experts for tips every couple should consider before merging their finances.

Sharing is caring. One way to treat a joint bank account is like a mutual money pot for household bills and other expenses, such as groceries and vacations. Financial planner Casey Weade said he and his wife maintain joint savings accounts for big budget goals like vacations, which they both contribute to equally each month. (See eight tips for drafting a budget.)

Don't ditch your own piggy bank. "Each person should have an individual account that they can use to
pamper each other or themselves without it affecting the household bills," Wagner says. "The key to their individual accounts is both would have access to each other's account if needed so there are no secrets."

Read on for more.

Reader Asks: Should I List My Current Job?

Savvy Community — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:20:53 PST

This reader wants to know if she should list her current job since she hasn't been there long. For more career questions, check out the Ask Savvy community group.

I was working as a legal assistant for five years, but due to lack of raises and a cut of hours I was forced to look for employment. I have bills and rent to pay.

The new job is a paralegal position, which I minored in college. I hate my new job. The people are rude. The hours are terrible and my boss yells at me and everyone else for everything. It's unlike anything I expected and I have responsibilities that aren't even considered in my job description!

My friend works for the state and has told me about a position that has opened up for a legal secretary; the pay is actually MORE than my paralegal job now and it's 10 minutes away from my house. My friend is a head supervisor and said she is going to try her best to get me in. Since the job was not posted on any public sites, I feel like I have a good chance of getting an interview.

Problem is, should I list my old job? Should I not? I don't want them to think I'm jumping from job to job. Help!

Ask anything budget-, etiquette-, or planning-related - well, almost anything - by posting your questions in the Ask Savvy group, and I'll find the right expert to help you out.

6 Tips to Start Your New Job Right

Kiplinger — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:08:12 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

I learned some valuable lessons about how to succeed in the "real world" while starting out at my first full-time job, and you can, too.

I never expected my social circle, at age 22, to use the phrase "I feel so old" so much. We know we still have our whole lives ahead of us, but making the transition from college to career can really make you feel like you've aged 20 years. For example, unlike in my college years, convincing myself to go out on a Friday night these days takes almost as much work as getting out of bed on a Monday morning. And I never thought I would be spending my beloved lazy Sundays running whatever errands I didn't get done during the week. Even four internships, including one with my current full-time employer, the Kiplinger Washington Editors, hadn't fully prepared me for this whole professional-life thing.

To help you make the adjustment and overcome common obstacles you might face when you're just starting out, here are some lessons I learned in the first few months of my first job. I hope these tips will help you feel as young as you are. SEE ALSO: Our Quiz on Navigating the First Weeks at Your New Job

Read on for tips.