You’ve been waiting for your next pay check to come so you can go on that shopping spree. You’ve had your eye on a pair of shoes for a month; there was an adorable sweater and a beautiful dress in the window. And when you walk out of the store with that full bag you feel on top of the world.

But when you look at your bank account you realize you spent more than you had intended. Here are ten tips to keep your wardrobe updated while keeping your wallet full!

1. Sort through your closet

We’re all guilty of forgetting what we own. You go shopping and buy a black tank top only to find you already had two black tank tops already stuffed in the back of your dresser drawer. And try on the clothes you haven’t worn in awhile. Sometimes you forget how good they look and they’ll feel brand new.

2. Make a list

If you see a look that you like in a magazine or a girl walking down the street, write down the items you don’t own. When the budget allows a shopping spree you’ll know just what to get. Sticking to the list may involve a bit of willpower, but don’t forget the power of birthdays and holidays. Keep adding to the list until your next birthday and holiday and your patience will be rewarded. If you didn’t get what you wanted? You most likely got a gift card or money to put towards it.

3. Sign up for email coupons

Having your inbox full of emails may be annoying, but if you sign up for emails from the places you actually shop at it will be worth your while. You’ll receive notifications of sales and thirty percent off coupons on a good day. Be careful not to rush out every time you receive a good email because despite the percent off and sales you’ll find yourself spending more.

4. Skip the fads

Leopard print jeggings may be the all the rage right now, but think of how often you’d wear an item before purchasing it. An occasional fashion splurge is okay (a cobalt blue trench coat anyone?) as long as you see yourself wearing the same item for multiple seasons to come.

5. Go for solids

Classic colors like black, white and gray never go out of style. Reds, blues, browns and greens can be layered together to create many options. Use accessories to change your outfit from day to night. If solids bore you look for details like ruffles or rouching or a clever cut like a boatneck neckline. Classic colors are just that: classic.

6. Beware of bags

We love bags. We love to match them to our shoes. But also get bored of using the same on after awhile. To fix this problem simply rotate your favorite bags throughout the year to feel like new. If only we could all be Kim Kardasian and afford the best bags in an available colors . . . If you just have to have a new bag, put a low price limit on each bag you buy since you won’t be using it for a long period of time.

7. Think about it

There’s a sort of high feeling you get when watching the cashier ring up your purchases. To avoid the guilt feeling once you walk in your front door, ask yourself “Do I really need that?” The ruffled neon yellow blouse may trigger a fashion revolution for you, but will it pay itself off? Another question to ask yourself: Is the item bound to show up in a Vogue spread? If the answer is yes then it’s not practical enough for real life.

8. Get ideas

There’s no harm in looking. As long as you have the strength to avoid pressing the “put in cart” button feel free to go online and look at what your favorite stores have to offer. Most offer pictures of models wearing full outfits. If you like an ensemble you often find that you have all of the items to put it together. Ms. Matching and Ms. Mixing are our best friends.

9. Time your shopping sprees

Don’t only wait for regular sales and discounts, but after the season is over, the store wants to get rid of their items to make room for the upcoming season. Buying clothes out of season can be tricky, but the prices will make it worth your while.

10. Have a party

Yes, have a party! Get your girlfriends together for a clothes swapping party! Save money, spend time with your friends and eat good food. You’ve seen her wearing the prettiest shirt you’ve ever seen…

So you go, girl! You can love to shop; it’s okay! Just take these tips and your bank account will thank you.

Do you have any shopping tips you’d like to share? Meet us in the comments section!

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Holly Jenkins

I'm a 21-year-old recently graduated newlywed finding my place in the real world. Writing has been my only consistent passion throughout my life and my dream is to make of a career of it. I also love reading, watching movies, spending time with my husband and family, playing sports and playing board games. For now I'm enjoying the path God has me on and can't wait to see what His future holds for me.

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As Christians we want to serve God with all of our hearts, minds, and body. How do we serve Him with our money? There are four words: Tithe, Give, Save, Live, that we will explore in relation to handling our money. These are vital concepts to apply to our financial lives and the way we approach money.

What is Money Anyway?

Money is a necessary part of our lives here on this world, used to buy goods – both needed and wanted. Back in the day the barter system was used with sheep, cattle, or camels; then eventually the denarius, the gold, silver, or copper coins made the world turn. Now, a hundred dollars is represented by a piece of paper with a picture of a person on it. But this isn’t just a piece of paper. This represents time.

We earn money from our job, eight, ten hours (or more) a day and that piece of paper is given to us as the reward for our labor. Think of it, every time we buy a $4 caramel macchiato, we are spending half an hour of time. An xBox is 30 hours (on a $10 an hour wage). Makes you think a bit about what you actually spend.

The 4 Aspects of Handling Money

1. Tithing – God’s Place in Money

This world was created by God. He owns it. He owns the animals and the trees and the hills. This is His Creation. He owns time as well. As Psalm 50:10,11 says “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.” If God owns everything, and we’re stewards of it, then the hundreds and thousands of dollars that we earn are his. They represent the time that He owns and gave to us.

Tithing is giving a tenth back to God what He gave to us. Really, it’s an acknowledgment that He is the Ultimate Giver, the one who gives us time, who gives us shelter and strength. He’s the one who gave us His Son so that we might join Him in eternity. What a treat to come into His House and give back a part of what He has given to us.

2. Giving – Out of Our Hearts

Giving falls right in line with that. Really, this money, this time, needs to be given away. It’s healthy to set aside that hard earned cash to be a blessing to others. The best way to hold our money is with our hands open. We can receive, but we also are able to give. We are commanded to take care of the poor and those in need around us. It’s part of being a Christian, of being a child of God.

We’re in the season of Christmas, where we give gifts to bring joy. It’s a reminder of the Ultimate Gift, of Jesus and His death and resurrection. What if we used part of our time, part of our wages to give year round? To represent Him to those in need?

What if we regularly bought groceries for a family in our neighborhood? What if we gave our time to mentor young people? What if we cleaned our church without wanting recognition?

3. Saving – Storing For Future Giving and Living

Saving is also a part of being a wise steward of our resources, of our time turned to money (or cattle, whatever currency you use). It means to store up, to set aside, and to redeem.

Saving is key to our lives and our stewardship of what God has given us. If we can save a portion of this money and put it in our storehouse (mutual fund, saving account, whatever) this money will grow. Then this savings, this grain, can then be used later for living, for giving and for bringing more glory to God.

As with tithing and giving, you have to do it with the right attitude. Saving and investing is a good thing, and it’s important that you remember that you’re investing it for God. This is all His and is to be given and used for His Glory. That said, there is a warning that needs to be said: It’s easy with savings to turn it into hoarding; becoming greedy and grabby. That’s where the sin of loving money comes in. Don’t allow your storehouses to become your god.

4. Living – God Provides in Our Lives

God is our provider. He will provide for us in all circumstances and we will see His Hand in everything we do in living a life for Him.

This is where budgeting comes in. We give our money purpose – from rent, utilities, food, and all the various important categories; to all those fun categories of movies, hobbies, and books. The key is to make sure your living has balance, that you’re moving the money to the right buckets at the right time. You should always have money in the rent, food, and utilities buckets before you move any to the movies, hobbies, and books buckets.

We have this money to be able to give glory to God, thus we need to remember to give Him the glory with what we spend.

These are not original principles, but they are sound. My challenge to you is to put God first in everything you do. Remember that He is King of all and we are stewards in this world.

That said: Meet us in the comments and tell us about how you’re applying these principles to your life. What has God done as you put Him first?

JC Reagan

JC is a writer over at God, My Weird Spouse, and I, where he writes about life, marriage, and God’s place in all of it. He believes that being weird is a good thing in this world of mediocrity. He and his wife want to stick out for strong marriages and the priority of God, as well as a Biblical worldview.

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Over the years, I’ve discovered my nieces and nephews consider me to be the best of all their Aunts and Uncles within our family. That’s right; among the dozens of other Aunts and Uncles … I’m the favorite! How can I make such as statement? How can I be so sure? Easy, every year when they go back to school they tell me so! I hear time and time again … Uncle Chuck you’re my favorite! … Don’t let a little fact like they’re selling something for a school fundraiser get in the way of the purity and truth they have spoken. After all, their love and admiration is a true reward … for only $10.99!!

Back to School

For those of you who have school age children within your family you know the pressure you can feel to buy something from a little niece or nephew who has big puppy dog eyes or a purr as sweet as a kitten. You may not even have young children in your family, but you have a close friend in the office who always shows you little Johnny’s pictures. However, unfortunately for you … you may have unknowingly gushed one too many times and are now considered prime fundraiser grounds! Or perhaps you simply picked the wrong place to live. You know, one of those family friendly desirable neighborhoods we all love.

Of course, all the kids will regale you with stories of how they want to win the cheap sparkly thing their teacher is giving away or having their name written on the board. The parents see the fundraising sales as harmless and the mega guilt trip as cute. After all, it’s “only a few bucks” … right!

Through a Parent’s Eyes

When my own kids started approaching school age I can honestly say the thought of pay back crossed my mind a few times. “They had their turn … Now it’s MINE! Let’s go get’em kids …CHARGE! (Or for those using Dave Ramsey methods … CASH!)”

However, now as a new school year begins to unfold and my oldest begins her journey into kindergarten, I’ve become keenly aware of something. Parents always want the best for both their children and the schools they attend. As a parent, I recognize the sincere desire to provide a great academic environment for our kids.  All parents I believe feel this.  We want the best teachers, classrooms, computers, athletic facilities, and curriculum. Unfortunately sometimes yearly school budgets don’t allow for this.

I’m sure we could all argue about a school district’s poor budgeting skills, mismanagement of resources, or overpaid employees. Yes, there is good and bad with every school system. So what’s a parent to do? What’s the family member to do? What’s the friend or neighbor to do when they’re being hit up for these purchases?

Suggestions to Overcome Puppy Dog Eyes: School Fundraising Ideas

1. Stick to the budget.

Always be honest with your budgeting! Remember a budget is not a tool to constrain you. A budget is a way of giving every dollar a purpose. If you want to give or donate something to various schools then plan for it in your budget.

2. Pick the least expensive item.

This is not a shopping trip and you’re not picking up a great sale item. Many times all the items being sold for a fundraiser have a standard profit margin. So buying the most expensive thing doesn’t necessarily mean you’re giving more to the school.

3. Know what you’re giving to.

This is a particular pet peeve of mine. I always make the parents (or kids if they’re old enough) explain what the fundraiser is for. While I love my family and want to support our local schools I also want to know what I’m giving my money too. And this is giving! I can always buy a tub of cookie dough at the grocery store.

4. Offer a cash donation.

Many of the items offered for sale can cost over $10, and yet only raise $1 of revenue for the school. If you really don’t want any of the items being offered, then check with the parents or the school and see if you can give $5 directly to the fundraising effort. This would have the same effect as buying $50 worth of products!

A Real Man’s Takeaways

As a good provider and community member I want the best for the next generation. I believe there are very few people who would want to see any child or schools fail. However, if you can’t afford to buy an item say no. Preferably let parents of smaller children know ahead of time. This can save the child from a potential awkward moment. Remember both the parents and the children don’t know the ends and outs of your budget.

Finally, I want to emphasize that I love the kids in my family! I have enormous respect for their teachers and their schools. I’m blown away constantly by the job teachers do on a daily basis. I freely admit I give whenever I can, but I never give more than I can afford. Please feel free to do the same if you see a new little kindergarten student of mine ever coming your way … She has a purr as sweet as a kitten and a compliment to follow. Maybe you can be a favorite too!

How do you plan for school fundraisers? Do you feel schools are taking advantage of the children? Do you feel the pressure to sell the stuff yourself? Meet us in the comments!

Chuck Detwiler

Chuck formed RealManMoney.com in 2010 to give Real Men a place to talk about money and finances. Like many other people, he's made plenty of financial mistakes, but has also enjoyed financial success. Chuck started writing as a way to document his own personal journey to Financial Manhood. With his supportive wife JoAnna on board they tackled the financial monsters of debt, budgeting, and spending. Somewhere along the way his efforts turned into something more . . . a passion for personal finance and a desire to help others. You can visit Chuck at RealManMoney.com or find him on Facebook.

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iPhone. Android. Windows Phone 7. Palm (HP). There are many smartphones on the market today, and they can be tempting. Being able to pinch and zoom, play with bunch of online apps, browse webpages in full HTML as you would on a computer, and have information at your fingertips is an amazing experience.

But is it the right experience for you? Do you really need all that fancy stuff? Or do you need a basic phone that does what every phone ought to do: make phone calls. Let’s explore this in greater detail.

How will you use your cell phone in the future?

This is one of the best questions you could ask yourself. Asking yourself how you will use your cellphone in the future will show you the type of phone you ought to have.

A pretty bad question is: how do you use your cellphone today? If you have a basic phone that merely has simple features such as an alarm clock and calculator, how do you know you won’t get good use out of the more advanced features of a smartphone?

What are your current needs?

Also, ask yourself what your true needs are. If you have a business that depends on email orders, you should probably have a data plan capable of email. Who knows, you might be responding to emails just a little too late and miss out on business opportunities!

Let’s say you’re a realtor traveling from house to house. You’re going to need a good GPS, and why not have that built into your phone? Many Android-based smart-phones have the capability free of charge. And yes, they’ll even speak out the directions for you: “Turn left, turn right!”

You’ll also save money on shopping. You can compare online prices to those in a retail store. For example, one day I was buying a new washer and dryer at a small appliance store. The salesperson offered me a certain deal on the pair, but looking on my iPhone, I found lower prices online. I told the salesperson, and they gave me an extra $100 off the units. Amazing! That just paid for several months of my data plan!

What is your current budget?

Don’t forget to consider your current budget. If you can’t afford the data plan, that’s okay! You shouldn’t get it if it will break your budget. Annually, many smartphone data plans cost between $300 and $360. That’s a lot of money that you could put towards insurance or investments.

In the end, do what’s right for you – not the salesperson or the retail store. Explore your options before you step foot on the sales floor, and you’ll be better prepared to deal with the pressure.

Do you have a smartphone? How do you justify the data plan? Meet us in the comments!

Photo by Yutaka Tsutano

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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Apple® announced that iPad 2, the next generation of its “magical” device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and walking your dog (okay … I added the last one) began selling on March 11^th, 2011.  Sales began in over 200 Apple stores throughout America. Customers who bought an iPad 2, at an Apple store, were offered a free Personal Setup service.  This helped new buyers customize their iPad 2 by setting up email, loading new apps from the App Store℠ and getting the free dog leash adapter (yep … I added that one too).

Isn’t Apple the greatest!  People were up and running with their new iPad 2 before they set foot in the real world. iPad 2 was also made available to the great unwashed masses (the less tech savvy among us) at AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, Wal-Mart, and dog parks everywhere (okay … I think you get the idea).

Are you driving an iPad 2?

How much have you collectively spent on iPads, iPhones, iPods, or other electronics?  I used to believe cars were the quickest depreciating assets the average person would buy.  However, I’m starting to rethink this belief.

Consider the comparison for a moment:

• When you drive a new car off the lot you instantly lose about 1/3 of the value. When you open the box on your electronic device you instantly lose a significant part of the value.
• A new model comes out every year depreciating your car further. A newer version of your electronics continually comes out making your version worth less.
• People doubt the reliability of used vehicles. People think used electronics may be infected or unreliable.

Isn’t it amazing how people get sucked into the frenzy to own the newest, greatest, you can’t live without electronic thingy? Apparently, people need these devices so bad they will stand in line overnight or in freezing weather to make sure they get one of the first highly overpriced gadgets.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. - Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

Do I think all electronics are bad?  No.  However, I don’t think going crazy over one is advisable either.  In less of course you’re the one selling them.  So how do we begin to spend our money wisely on these items?

Find a better ride!

Despite what Apple, Microsoft, or Intel may tell you – You can survive the next few electronic upgrades without the best 5G with 3-D, ultra-thin, ultra-light, 100 gig, dog-walking electronic device.  You just have to know the right questions to ask yourself, not the salesperson.

1. What do you need your electronic device to do?
   • Make phone calls – That old fashioned thing of listening to voices.
   • Text Messaging – Hmmmm … or can you call?
   • Picture Taking – Combination devices may actually save you money. Example: Camera/Phone
2. What don’t you need you electronic device to do?
   • Run an “app” on how to find the best dog groomer – Really?
   • Internet connectivity – Do you really NEED this?
   • Worldwide use – Even though you leave the US once every 5 years… Really?
3. What’s your budget?! Don’t consider the salesperson’s desire to be employee of the month!
   • Do you have cash on hand?
   • Can you buy a used device which is just as good? TV’s are great examples of this.
4. Wait, wait, wait!
   • Big purchases can wait one day.
   • If married, ask your spouse for a second opinion.
   • Married or not, ask a trusted advisor for advice.
   • Look for better prices – many companies will match competitor pricing.

What kind of electronic purchase do you wish you could take back?  Have you ever felt buyer’s remorse over an overpriced phone?  Do you have a desk drawer full of gadgets which work great, but are exactly two nano-seconds slower?

Maybe, you’re a person on the other end of the buying spectrum.  Did you start the download of this article last night? Do you still have a rotary phone on the kitchen wall?

Whatever your current spending habits may be at this time . . . Don’t let your next electronic purchase turn into a clunker of a decision!

Did you buy an iPad 2? What was your justification? And, was it worth it? Meet us in the comments!

Photo by Pedro Eugenio Antunes

Chuck Detwiler

Chuck formed RealManMoney.com in 2010 to give Real Men a place to talk about money and finances. Like many other people, he's made plenty of financial mistakes, but has also enjoyed financial success. Chuck started writing as a way to document his own personal journey to Financial Manhood. With his supportive wife JoAnna on board they tackled the financial monsters of debt, budgeting, and spending. Somewhere along the way his efforts turned into something more . . . a passion for personal finance and a desire to help others. You can visit Chuck at RealManMoney.com or find him on Facebook.

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There is no doubt that Christmas is an expensive time – but it only comes around once a year. But what if Christmas didn’t come around at all? Think of all the money you would save for a family holiday, a new couch, or even a new car.

If you’re thinking that your Christmas bill would never total the price of a car, and you’re not going to change your name to Ebenezer, take a closer look at what the average household spends on an average Christmas each year, catering a Christmas dinner for just 25 people and taking in a few Christmas parties.

How Much is Spent on Christmas Food?

Everyone has their own traditional Christmas menu and yours may include several more salads or fruit in place of cookies with coffee, but regardless Christmas is essentially focused around food and sharing meals with family and friends, and Christmas dinner in a typical household for 25 guests would include:

• Pre-dinner snacks. This gives you a chance to finalise the cooking if your guests arrive early – or you’re running late and you can easily spend $20 on a selection of cheeses, $6 on a couple of packets of crackers and another $6 on a few packets of chips.
• Salad. A green salad is a popular choice and a refreshing side for Christmas dinner and you’ll need a lettuce for around $2, a cucumber at $1, some carrots at $1, around half a kilogram of tomatoes for $2 to serve around 10 people, therefore, you would need to make two salads for your 25 guests.
• Turkey and ham. Both turkey and ham are around $7 per kilogram and you’ll need around half a kilo per person. This will see you spending over $80 on your meat.
• Seafood. Seafood is intrinsically Christmassy and if you are choosing salmon for example, you’ll need to allow around half a kilo for every two people at $30 per kilo for the fish.
• Dessert. You can buy a 1.5 kilo Christmas cake for around $13 which will serve 30 people, plus you’ll also be serving coffee and biscuits at the same time for around $10 a packet. You may also buy two packets of biscuits as an alternative dessert.
• Condiments. For Christmas dinner you’ll need seafood sauce, cranberry sauce, salt, pepper, salad dressing and custard for the Christmas cake which will all total around $25 of your shopping bill.
• Drinks. If you set yourself a limit of $15 for a bottle of wine, remember you can get around six glasses from a bottle, and expect everyone have two or three glasses each. You’ll also need soft drinks or juice, and a two litre bottle for around $2 will stretch to around 10 glasses.
• Eggnog. A Christmas tradition in many homes, and for the best tasting eggnog just the way your family likes it, you’ll need to spend around $30 on bourbon or rum, $5 on eggs, $2 on sugar, another $2 on whipped cream, splash out on vanilla essence for $5 and spend $4 on your spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon.

This brings your total food bill for Christmas dinner to $465. While some of the meats can be transformed into leftovers meals in the following days, there is still a significant amount of your Christmas budget going towards just one meal.

How Much Will Christmas Presents Cost the Average Household?

It is easy to overspend on Christmas presents with so many options, gadgets and gift possibilities. That is why many families set a budget for presents, but even if you had agreed to spend just $50 per person the average household is still buying for:

• Your immediate family including your partner and your children.
• Your parents and your parents in law.
• Your sister, her husband and her children.
• Your brother, his wife and their children.
• Your partner’s sister, her husband and her children.
• Your partner’s brother, his wife and their children.

That’s already 23 people and a total of $1,150 in gifts for everyone. If you include $10 for a 10 pack of gift cards that’s another $30, plus ribbon and wrapping at around $20. This assumes you and your partner only have two siblings each, and you and they only have two children each, but extended families can easily extend much further.

Plus, if you buy for grandparents and aunts and uncles you can be looking at around six more presents and $300 more in gifts. And don’t forget the work Secret Santa gift your need to buy, and the gifts for your friends which can all run another $300.

For those you don’t exchange gifts with, you’ll probably still send Christmas cards to your extended family, friends and neighbours, your hairdresser, school teachers to name a few. This Christmas card list can easily add up to 100 people, and at $10 for a 10 pack of Christmas cards you’ve added another $100 to your gift budget.

This brings your total Christmas gift spend to $1,900 for the average household, with an average sized family.

Average Cost of Christmas Decorations

Getting into the Christmas spirit is important at home, and so the average household still finds itself investing in new decorations year after year. For example:

• A real Christmas tree. To get the look, feel and smell of Christmas in your home, you have probably opted for a real Christmas tree and a six to seven foot tree will cost you around $50.
• New decorations. Christmas tree ornaments and display decorations can become worn, tired or even broken from year to year, so if you invest in just five new decorations at $15 each that is another $75 in decorations.
• Flowers and centrepieces. To soften your decorations and bring Christmas to life many people choose to decorate with traditional Christmas poinsettias which can cost around $55 each. For a traditional table centrepiece with roses, lilies, orchids, berries and spruce you can pay around $150.
• Christmas lights. Damaged by the weather or simply with too many blown globes, to replace a set of fairy lights as part of your Christmas decorations can cost around $20.

As a result, the average household is spending $405 on maintaining their Christmas decorations each year.

Average Cost of Christmas Parties

Christmas is an inevitably social time, and even if you go to just two parties this Christmas you can still be spending $20 to bring a drink to one party, and another $20 to make a dish to take to another. You’ll need to pay a babysitter to look after the children, and at $10 per hour for each party you can easily spend $100 on childcare.

Plus, to get into the party mood you may also spend another $100 on new clothes or accessories. Then, if you want to spend time with just your family, dinner out can run to $100 too. This brings your Christmas party total to $340.

While the average household could save a total of $3,110 if they didn’t celebrate Christmas, without the fun, festivities and family time to look forward to, the year would seem even longer.

Alban is a personal finance writer at Home Loan Finder, a home loan comparison website.

Guest

This article was written by Alban, a personal writer at Home Loan Finder, which provides free information on home loan equity.

Drinking, smoking, drug abuse, and gambling are considered “hard” addictions, which are the most costly to society. In the United States, $18 billion was spent on alcohol and drug treatment in 2009. Alcoholism is recognized as a disease that carries a $166 billion annual cost, smoking carries an estimated annual cost of $157 billion, and gambling carries an annual cost of about $40 billion.

The Faces of Addiction

Patrick Swayze, Corey Haim, Johnny Carson, George Michaels, Lindsay Lohan, Charles Barkley, and Pete Rose are celebrated names associated with smoking, drinking and gambling addictions, respectively. The faces of people who have addictions are your neighbors, friends, family, politicians, celebrities – everyone has some sort of addiction, male and females of all ages.

The problem enters when these vices take over your life, causing emotional and physical dysfunctions. About $500 billion, annually, is lost in overall productivity and medical treatment through government assisted programs – paid for by taxpayers and businesses. Not to mention, the amount of money thrown away by addictive people who buy liquor, cigarettes, and lottery tickets or play at poker/craps tables.

Alcohol, Gambling, Smoking

Alcoholism, smoking, and gambling addictions are just 1 of 5 of the most expensive addictions worldwide. In the U.S., 20.4% of adults aged 18+ are reported to consume five or more alcoholic beverages in a 24-hour period – the Canadian heavy infrequent drinker consumed 21.4%. Excessive drinking usually leads to health problems such as injuries, liver disease, heart attacks, and fetal alcohol syndrome. In Canada and the U.S., men are more likely to be in this category, than women.

Compulsive gambling also has high social costs. Gambling is associated with increased crime, lost work time, and financial hardship for families. Compulsive gamblers display and relate their experiences, just like an alcoholic or an addictive smoker – lying to everyone, stealing money, usually from family and the inability to stop by oneself.

Smoking is considered to carry the highest incidence of death because of the chemicals used in tobacco products which produces lung, throat, mouth, pancreas, kidney cancers and heart attacks. Anti-smoking organizations, report that globally, over one billion people use tobacco and out of this, it’s estimated that 500 million deaths will occur through smoking related diseases.

Addiction Lifelines

Due to the love of families, loved ones, try to cope with addicted persons, experiencing anger and helplessness, as they frantically search for help – but you are never alone. There are a number of community agencies, that provide addiction treatment options, intervention information, and family counseling. There are 800 helplines that offer support and locations of the nearest organizations to help you. There is collaborative help for all three addictions, throughout the Canadian provinces and U.S. cities: Alcoholics Anonymous, Nicotine Anonymous, and Gamblers Anonymous. These organizations for the most part are non-profits.

In Canada and the U.S., and other developing nations, governments have increased taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, lottery and gambling winnings. These taxes are called “sin taxes.” The U.S. Federal government collected $20 billion in taxes in 2009, the Treasury Department credited most of the $6 billion rise in revenues collected through excise taxes. For Canada, “sin taxes” are more complicated. Tobacco taxes vary from province to province, in conjunction with other federal goods and services taxes.

The Christian Dollar Recommended Reading: The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley

This book will help you find a way out of your addictions and get you set on the right path.

References:

http://www.nih.gov/
http://alcoholism.about.com/
http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/
http://www.aa.org/
http://www.canada.com/health/index.html

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You want to have fun, and you should! The question is . . . how do you have a night’s worth of fun without digging deep into your wallet?

We used to go out to the movie theater all the time. Once we started our budget, everything changed. Expensive date nights weren’t an option – at least all of the time. We had to find frugal ways of having a blast. Here are a few of the ways we enjoy spending our free time.

3 Frugal Ways To Have Fun

1. Grab a deck of cards and invite great company. This happens to be one of our favorites. Friends, cards, and a home-cooked dinner has almost become a tradition at our household. Instead of roaming the mall aimlessly with a chunk of cash to spend, we enjoy pleasant conversation sprinkled with a hint of competitive gameplay.
2. Splurge once a month and have a date night! Yes, you can still go out have a nice dinner with your loved one. Just keep it to a minimum! Set a date night budget and stick to it! Doing something special every once in a while helps cut down on stress and encourages you to keep the plan moving!
3. Go on walks or bike rides when it’s nice and sunny. Where we live, it rains – more than you could imagine. So when we have a sunny day it seems just plain wrong to sit around and do nothing. Going on walks (or runs) is fantastic for your health and is a great alternative to paying for a gym membership if all you’re going to do is use the treadmill. Long strolls through the neighborhood gives you an opportunity to reflect on your life and brainstorm new things! You’ll feel refreshed by the end of your walk – trust me.

Don’t Equate Spending Money With Fun

I think too many times we equate spending money with fun. Don’t get me wrong, it is okay to spend a little money here and there when you’re on a budget and within your means. But don’t spend money just for the sake of having fun. There are so many other ways to have fun without breaking the bank. Learn to be content in everything, and you’ll save more money than ever before.

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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Drink water? Save money? YES! Think about it. When you go to the ‘fridge to get something to drink, what is it you reach for? Juices? Soda? If so, try this simple money saving trick: drink water!

The key is to catch yourself before you take a swig of that expensive drink. Here’s an idea: tape a note to the handle of your refrigerator door that says: “What are you thinking? Go get some water!” We are creatures of habit. You have to stop yourself from drinking the sugary expensive beverages.

Try this: Curious about how much money you’ll save by drinking water instead of expensive drinks? Add together all the beverages you drink within a month and find out! You might be surprised by how much you’ll save by eliminating the majority of your drinks.

Not only will you save money, you’ll be better hydrated and refreshed. It is commonplace knowledge that Americans are generally deficient in hydration. Drinking water will give you more energy and allow you to operate at a level of productivity unknown to many.

Replacing unhealthy snacks with water can also be a money saver. Drink a full glass of water before you reach for the bag of potato chips and you’ll no doubt consume less.

The more water you drink, the better off you’ll be. You’ll be healthier and have more spare change in the process. And that, is today’s money saver. Thirsty?

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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