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Money Management

Aug 14
Love0

10 Inexpensive Date Ideas for New Relationships

By Love and Money, Money Management No Comments

Whether you are spending time with your longtime beau or with a new love on the special day, dating is always part of putting the spark into new relationships.

You may be asking yourself why ideas have to be inexpensive? Great question. Unfortunately, the dollar amount of gifts and dinners has uprooted the opportunity to spend and share quality time together on this commercialized day.

Do you still have an expensive piece of jewelry, teddy bear or article of clothing from an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend? You probably no longer value those items, correct?

On the other hand, can you remember that special moment like a conversation over coffee, walk in the park or perfectly timed moment in silence simply appreciating one another?

These are moments that you can’t put a dollar amount on, but we sincerely appreciate and yearn for more of them.

Here is a list of 10 inexpensive date ideas for new relationships. These ideas will hopefully promote conversation, fun and eliminate the superficial value placed on things.

Rent a movie. 

Don’t rent just any movie though. Identify a movie that you have heard your mate mention as a favorite or one they have wanted to see. Create an atmosphere where you cook or cater a special meal and your atmosphere is now set.

Play a sport together. 

You might laugh at this idea, but I’ve heard a number of women express appreciation and pleasure after a day of tennis, golf or even putt-putt. Of course you might have to dress the date up with a neatly packed basket of gourmet sandwiches, wine and dessert for your post-activity enjoyment.

Go ice or rollerskating. 

If you are willing to put down your guards and expose yourself to some potential embarrassment, ice or roller-skating are fun ways to spend time together.

Have a board game night. 

A board game of your choice accompanied by a great meal, wine and cheesecake can allow you to spend quality time together. Playing board games also breaks the monotony of the normal date experience.

Go bowling. 

This is one of my favorites. Bowling allows you to place yourself in a not-so-normal recreational environment. A number of cities offer bowling establishments that are different than one you grew up with. Many have upscale locations that create more social friendly, culturally relevant environments.

Have a day in the park. 

The day in the park alternative is one that is often overlooked, but those who take advantage of them are often greeted with great conversations and the opportunity to learn more about that special person. Hey ladies, if your man is one who lacks communication, these boundary-free environments are usually great at eliminating walls of communication.

Go bicycling. 

Before heading out for a night on the town, get your joint workout in by bicycling across your city. Places like the Silver Comet Trail (Atlanta, GA) provide bike rental shops and a dedicated trail for you to explore together. Take on a 10, 20 or 30-mile ride and then celebrate by visiting a local cafe for breakfast or lunch. This allows you an opportunity to decide whether or not you want to attend a movie or restaurant with live music later in the evening.

Hike a mountain. 

Not for the faint of heart, hiking a mountain provides both a fitness outlet and opportunity to openly communicate throughout the experience. Since a number of people are becoming more health conscious, any opportunity to combine getting fit with quality time is great alternative.

Stage play/Live Performance. 

Stage plays and live performances allow you to get dressed-up and enjoy a day/night of entertainment. Women especially appreciate being able to get dolled-up and enjoy the cultural experience offered by the arts and music.

Go to a driving range. 

With the popularity of golf increasing, more and more people have an increased interest in learning or exploring the game. Taking a date to the driving range allows you to instruct, if you’re good, or learn together if you’re both rookies. It’s fun to learn or at least be goofy while having fun with one another.

Any other ideas on fun, inexpensive dates? Leave a comment below.

This article originally appeared on BlackEnterprise.com by Kenny Pugh, a coach, speaker and Manager of KTP Financial, LLC. He leverages his expertise to help clients improve their businesses, finances and relationships. Kenny Pugh has over 17 years of business experience primarily in the financial services industry. Follow Kenny Pugh on Twitter: @mrkennypugh.

Aug 12
Love0

How to Save on Your Grocery Bill

By Money Management, Saving, Shopping No Comments

Everyone wants to save on groceries, but it’s not always obvious how to eat cheaply.

Here are some tips for every type of shopper — and eater.

The number cruncher

If you want to get your costs down as much as possible, consider clipping coupons or using a rebate app to make sure you don’t miss out on deals.

Rebate apps work like high-tech coupons: The app will show you rebates available on certain items. After you buy those items at the grocery store, you can snap a picture of your receipt and your refunds will become available. You can transfer them into a PayPal account.

Related: How to split the tab (without losing friends)

You can also keep costs down by comparison shopping — shopping at different stores for the best price on each item on your list.

“I typically will look at the [store’s] weekly circular online, and depending on what is on sale, that’ll determine what we’re eating that week and whether or not we’ll buy in bulk,” says Anne Marie Ashworth, a certified financial planner with Abacus Planning Group in Columbia, South Carolina.

The healthy eater

It may feel like a challenge, but there are ways to keep your grocery budget in check while still buying healthy foods. For organic produce, check out low-cost grocery stores like Aldi.

To spend less on fruits and vegetables in general, shop according to what’s in season. You can buy seasonal produce in bulk and freeze it for soups or smoothies at a later date. Avoid buying fresh, pre-chopped vegetables, which are often more expensive.

The online shopper

Amazon, Instacart and many local grocery stores offer online food shopping.

Roger Ma, a certified financial planner based in New York, says he uses the online grocery service FreshDirect almost exclusively.

To save money, Ma plans meals around what’s on sale and buys discounted non-perishable items in bulk. He also uses FreshDirect’s DeliveryPass, a flat fee for unlimited deliveries, to keep delivery costs down.

Amazon Prime members are also eligible for free shipping on some orders.

Related: Want To Save More Money? Why You Should Shop Online More Often

The planning averse

Planning ahead is a good way to stick to a budget, but it can be tricky.

Jeana Salman, an LPL Financial Planner with Delta Community Retirement & Investment Services, recommends a meal-planning service called The Fresh 20 to help keep you on track. You can subscribe to different plans: a year-long subscription costs about $74 for access to grocery lists, meal-prep guides and recipes, and a cookbook.

The provider

If you spend a few hundred dollars on groceries each time you shop, you’d likely benefit from a credit card that gives extra cash back for groceries.

The American Express Blue Cash preferred card offers users 6% cash back on up to $6,000 in yearly purchases at U.S. supermarkets. According to American Express, customers who spend $400 at eligible stores per month can earn more than $300 back each year.

Originally appeared on Money.CNN.com and written by Danielle Wiener-Bronner @dwbronner

Aug 11
Love0

Prepare to Become Financially Naked

By Love and Money, Money Management No Comments

Did you know that intimacy does not just apply to physical, emotional, or sexual contact with people in a relationship? Intimacy can apply to finances also, hence the term financial intimacy!

Possessing a joint account sounds like the ultimate climax of financial intimacy; however, it may be ideal for some relationships to practice financial abstinence. There might be secret details hindering someone from disclosing their finances.

Revealing your financial situation can present significant vulnerability. However, if you want to become intimate sexually, in the same way, this commitment should apply to being financially naked.

This entails disclosing the details of your present and previous financial situation. If someone is not ready to reveal this information, this does not offer the best kind of financial intimacy. Money issues should be dealt with on their own.

Combining your finances without sharing this data is similar to having unprotected sex without being aware of one another’s STD and HIV status…it is financial fornication!

Importance of Financial Disclosure in Relationships

It is an open secret that issues connected to money lead to more disagreements between couples compared to any other matter in the family. It has been recognized as being among the key contributing elements to the reason couples divorce.

The truth is that in most instances, couples are not offered awareness on the essential skills to control and talk about their finances before getting married.

In many homes, discussing money is still thought to be an extremely taboo topic. Many couples cannot tell whether they are compatible financially with their partners before entering a serious relationship.

People handle their money differently and have different behaviors, beliefs, and patterns that form financial separation and pressure in a relationship. Typically, opposites attract in regard to how finances are managed by a couple, making them compatible financially.

It can be hard to create financial intimacy initially in one’s marriage. However, after this has been implemented, couples can become compatible financially, making the relationship thrive.

Guidelines for Forming Financial Intimacy

  • Attain knowledge and transparency regarding your financial beliefs and patterns.
  • Make an effort to comprehend and respect variations in the way your partner regards money.
  • Implement objectives that are well defined and distinct.
  • Discover a method of combining your financial abilities for you to work jointly as one team.
  • Create a money management strategy that offers the two of you information always.
  • Try and find solutions as a team, to solve issues. Be ready to negotiate.
  • Concentrate on common objectives.
  • Practice listening without passing judgment.
  • Talk about how to solve issues that might arise.
  • Be ready to consult an expert for help, if required.

In any relationship, a healthy interaction with your finances is necessary. Truthfulness and open communication do not just raise physical and emotional intimacy, but also financial intimacy.

Originally appeared on BlackEnterprise.com.

Aug 09
Love0

How to Split the Tab Without Losing Friends

By Money Management No Comments

“Whether your friends are open about money or more private with their finances, splitting the bill at dinner can be tricky.” says Laura Sanicola of Money.CNN.com. Check out her tips on How to Split the Tab Without Losing Friends.

Do you have to pay for other people’s drinks if you didn’t order any? Do you chip in for an appetizer you didn’t eat? How do you split tax and tip?

The good news is that mobile payment systems like Venmo and Zelle have made splitting the bill quick and easier than ever.

But they haven’t completely removed all the awkwardness from eating out with friends.

Here are a few ways to avoid looking stingy, overpaying, or ticking anyone else off.

Make decisions beforehand

One of the best ways to avoid confusion (and later, resentment) among your friends is to definitively decide before the meal which way you’re splitting the check.

“Establish who is going to pay the bill up front,” says Jacqueline Whitmore, an etiquette expert. “Don’t whip out a calculator without warning after a meal, because you run the risk of looking cheap.”

Waiters are often more than willing to split the check, Whitmore says, so don’t be embarrassed to inquire before the meal to make things easier on your group and the waitstaff.

Talking about the check beforehand also prevents miscommunication. One friend may have meant to agree to pay the tab, with or without expectation that they will be paid back.

Alternatively, your group of friends be fine with splitting the tab evenly. But the fairest way to avoid conflict is to bring up the subject before the meal, even if it initially feels uncomfortable, she says.

Choose your app

Apps like Venmo and Square Cash make it easy for one person to pick up the tab and everyone else to send them electronic payments for their share. Instead of reminding your friends individually to pay you, you can request a specific amount from each person based on their order.

Other apps like Tab and Plates by Splitwise, which utilize Venmo, have features that allow you to keep track of who paid last, and some even have options for special occasions, like covering the cost of the birthday girl or boy.

“While gifting can be nice, sometimes you don’t want that sort of pressure on a relationship,” says Jonathan Bittner, the CEO of Splitwise. “Our app is designed to help make relationships about what they should be about, and less about money.”

Paying only for what you ordered — particularly down to the cent — used to feel stingy. But the apps help reduce the pressure to round up or kick in a little extra.

If all of your friends agree to use an app, the social stigma disappears. Gabe Savit, the CEO of Tab, says that he is getting requests to make features more granular to keep better track of how splits were done.

“The data is interesting and indicative of how there’s a real desire for people to be as specific as possible with the bill,” Savit says.

According to Plates and Tab, users of all ages and locations are becoming more accustomed to paying for meals with the aid of apps, although demographics tend to skew toward younger people and more urban areas.

Always be considerate

If you know one of your friends is on a limited income, try to avoid putting them in a position where they might have to pay for things they didn’t order. The tactful way to do this is to let that friend decide which way of paying works best before the meal, and sticking to it. They may be more comfortable paying the exact dollar amount they owe instead of splitting a tab evenly.

“I wouldn’t be quibbling with friends over a dollar or two dollars,” says Whitmore.

Conversely, if you’re the one that’s tight on cash, requesting a separate check for yourself at the beginning of the meal can give you an out without forcing you to explain.

This article was written by Laura Sanicola and originally appeared on Money.CNN.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LauraSanicola,

Aug 08
Love0

Dear Money … I Love You!

By Love and Money, Money Management No Comments

Dear Money,

I love you.

It took me over 40 years to finally be able to say it out loud without feeling guilty and having an ulterior motive. Literally, all of my life I have been told that loving you is a sin. The problem was that no one taught me how to love you the right way.

I thought I loved you; butm now I realize that I just loved what I could get from you. I never took the time to learn you. Yes, I abused you when I had you and PAID the price as well as endured the consequences when you left me.

I can’t really blame you for leaving me like you did. My arrogance in believing that you wouldn’t … couldn’t leave me made me disrespect and take you granted. It was when you left me, completely and abruptly, that I really realized what I had, could have had and lost in you.

I’m Sorry.

After taking the time to acknowledge and admit the errs of my ways, I promise to treat you with respect. You are a gift from God, so I will spend more time learning about you.

Thank You.

You were there when unexpected financial emergencies arose. God gave me you and you fed, clothed and provided shelter to my family.

So, now I am excited about our future together. I want more of you. I want to share you with my family, friends and those that need you the most.

It’s selfish of me to keep you all to myself; that’s why I give the first and best parts of you to the Creator that sent you to me. I also keep a special portion of you for myself before I share you with the world who tries take all of you from me.

Not sure if you noticed, but I am now extremely apprehensive to give you all away. I’ve just decided to manage our financial relationship better so I can keep more of you to myself.

I want more of you.

I deserve to enjoy you. I deserve the security that you offer. I deserve the lifestyle you can produce. I deserve the nice things you can get. But most importantly, I deserve the peace of mind of knowing that you are there when and where I need you.

“Like the air I breathe, Money comes to me … abundantly and effortlessly.” – Law of Attraction Affirmation

I have to do right by you.

You are very sensitive, Money. So I will be more mindful of what I think and say about you, and especially what I do for and with you.

“Money can’t save you if you won’t save it first.”

Money, I appreciate you giving me another chance. But, even though I am going to work harder to do better, please forgive me if I make more money mistakes in the future.

I’m so excited!

I get so excited when I share your complexities like compound interest, return on investment and credit. I love sharing the security of your long-term financial commitments like investing, college and retirement savings.

I won’t just nickel and dime our time together. Rather, I look forward to receiving you by all of your names: Washington ($1), Lincoln ($5), Hamilton ($10), Jackson ($20), Grant ($50), and of course your most famous name, Benjamin (Franklin – $100).

Let’s be clear…

Anything in excess is a sin. Therefore my love for you is no longer based on lust, greed, envy or laziness. My love for you is now and will always be based on Respect. Respect of your power and reverence of the One who gave you to me.

So, thank you Money for being patient with me and coming back to me. I look forward to a long, abundant, opulent and healthy relationship and life with you.

Love,

Tarra

Do you have a #FinancialLoveLetter to Money? Share it below.