September 2011
5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
September 20, 2011
By Meg Favreau
Meg is the Senior Editor of Wise Bread, a website with thousands of ways to help you get your finances in control and live large on a small budget.
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I would like to begin by telling you that I unabashedly love food. I love trying new food, I love making favorite old meals, I love eating healthy, and I love an indulgent pile of nachos, a slice of fudgy cake, and other not-so-good-for-me treats. In short, there’s little food that I don’t love.
But I also love saving money, and I know that food – especially healthy food – can sometimes seem prohibitively expensive (or, if it’s cheap, seem mind-numbingly bland). The good news is that there are a lot of ways to eat delicious, good-for-you food while saving money.
1. Learn to Cook
This is the biggest key to saving money on groceries. If you can’t cook recipes you enjoy, you’re going to spend more money to eat out or buy expensive, not-so-healthy already prepared foods. Cooking can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before. The trick is to arm yourself with patience, some good recipes, and, if you’re lucky, a friend, relative, or even cooking-show host who can teach you some techniques.
Start simply – look up recipes for some of your favorite simple foods on sites like Allrecipes.com or Food.com, where users can rate and comment on recipes. Remember that everything might not turn out great at first, but you’ll only get better with practice.
What’s Your Number? Online Retirement Calculators
September 19, 2011
By This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , America Saves Communications Manager
We all know that we need to save up for retirement. The question becomes how much do I need to save? One of our Facebook page fans recently suggested that one should save 15% of gross income savings for retirement but was unsure if that was for one person or both in a joint household. As for the 15% part, I found this great article that details the difference between saving 10% and 15%. As for who needs to save that percentage, I’m not an expert but I’m pretty sure both you and your significant other will need to save for retirement.
Luckily there are many online calculators to help us figure out how much money you (or each of you) will need to save. Each calculator works a bit different but to make sure you are saving enough you can run the numbers twice. Once with just your income and how much you are saving; and once with your joint income and how much each of you are saving. Learn more about savings for retirement on America Saves, and then calculate your number.
Here are some great resources to help you find your number:
Read more: What’s Your Number? Online Retirement Calculators
1 in 6 Americans Live in Poverty
September 14, 2011
By Katie Bryan, America Saves Communications Manager
The U.S. Census Bureau announced yesterday that in 2010, median household income declined and the poverty rate increased.
Specifically, the poverty rate increased from 14.3 percent in 2009 to 15.1 percent in 2010. That means 49.9 million live in poverty in the United States. In addition, the Bureau found that real median household income declined 6.4%.
This means that budgets are getting tighter across the nation. These numbers exemplify the importance of having an emergency savings. Having an emergency savings fund may be the most important difference between those who manage to stay afloat and those who are sinking financially. That’s because maintaining emergency savings of $500 to $1,000 allows you to easily meet unexpected financial challenges like repairing your car, paying for a visit to the doctor, or flying to visit a sick parent.
Don’t get caught unprepared. Click here for tips on how you can save money for your emergency savings and here to learn about the differently financial products available to help you save.
Are you financially prepared for a sudden emergency? Let us know on our Facebook page.
The Art of Saving
September 13, 2011
By Renuka Patel, Market President,
Financial experts agree that saving should be a part of every household budget; unfortunately many Americans aren’t prepared for financial emergencies, nor are they saving enough for retirement. Like most skills, saving money gets easier with commitment and practice. Just as an artist hones his skill to master an art, consumers can develop their skills and creativity to master the art of saving.
As we approach the final quarter of 2011, consider the following tips to help save and build wealth:
New Resource on Identity Theft
September 12, 2011
By Katie Bryan, America Saves Communications Manager
Did you know that the Carnegie Mellon University CyLab found that 4,311 or 10.2% of the children in their report had someone else using their Social Security number? Identity theft continues to be a major issue and can affect both the young and the old. Do you know what to do if you think your identity has been stolen? Last week, the Consumer Federation of America launched a new resource, IdTheftInfo.org, to help consumers and business with this very issue.
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