Five Ways Take Advantage of Low Gas Prices

We have been enjoying a period of the lowest gas prices in a very long time. At the end of the past few months, I’ve had to double check my budget for errors because my gas expenses were a lot lower than they would usually be. Many of us are spending almost half as much money on gas as we were six months ago. While the prices are starting to tick back up from the low of $1.99 in many places, we should not let this moment pass by without using this as a way to gain more traction towards meeting our financial goals. Make sure the money that you are now not spending on gas serves a purpose other than evaporation in your budget. Here are five things that you can do to take advantage of these low gas prices:

Switching Brands to Save Money

We all have certain brands and products that we love that perhaps we have used our entire lives. I grew up using things like Vaseline lotion, Listerine mouthwash, Kellogg’s cereals, Kraft barbecue sauce, shopping at Walmart to save on all of those purchases, etc. Many of those products followed me into my adulthood as purchasing was a habit. However, when I decided that I needed to curb my spending, I realized that the products that I was accustomed to using were not always on sale when I needed them. Furthermore, the store that I thought was saving me a ton of money on those items weren’t even offering the items at the best prices.

When is Christmas This Year?

This seems like a silly statement to make, right? This is something that I’ve heard Dave Ramsey say a lot on his radio show over the years. We all know that Christmas is on December 25 every year! However, many of us allow Christmas to creep up as if it is on some unpredictable, rotating schedule each year. We don’t plan for it, and then we end up forgetting about all of the financial goals and progress we have made all year in order to have presents to put under the tree.

The Biggest Mistake After a Raise

We all love the idea of getting a raise. Oh the things we could do with more money! Whether you are an hourly employee, salaried, or working on full commission, you will experience a raise (hopefully) many times throughout your career . It could be a raise in your current pay within the same job, a promotion to another position, or moving to another company that pays more money. It is a wonderful feeling to make more money, because it helps us feel more accomplished at what we do.

However, there is a huge mistake many people make when they get a raise. Because of this, they really don’t see much long-term gains from the increase of their income over time. What is this mistake?

Which is the Cheaper Store? Walmart or Traditional Grocery Store?

The topic of discount stores vs traditional grocers often spark a lot of debate. Which type of store offers the better value for the money on groceries? Discount stores like Walmart and Target, or traditional grocery stores like Publix, Kroger, Meijer, etc.?

Based on my experience, I believe that traditional grocery stores will provide you with the maximum amount of savings on grocery items. Here are three reasons why.

What goes into the budget?

Now that we have a clear understanding why creating a budget is important, it is now time to start creating our first budget. It is not as complicated as it seems, but it will play a monumental role in bettering your financial situation.

So, what goes in the budget?