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Diapers and wipes are one of those expenses that never really stop coming, so they’re also one of the best places to put your couponing skills to work. A few smart habits can take a huge bite out of your baby budget. Here’s where to start. As always, the golden rule applies no matter what you’re couponing for: always save your receipts.   Join the A Dime Saved Community to get even more couponing tips and tricks! Join here!     1. Download the Pampers Club App If you buy Pampers diapers or wipes, get the Pampers Club app. This is Pampers’ own rewards program, and every pack of diapers or wipes has a code printed on it that you can enter for points toward gift cards. You’ll typically earn around $10 for every 10 diaper codes you enter, and about $0.05 per wipe code. One important tip: never enter your codes unless there’s a current offer running. Instead, save your codes in a plastic bag or write them down as you go, and enter them once a bonus offer pops up. Also double-check that you’ve activated any offer, meaning clicking to add it to your account, before you scan or enter your codes. Otherwise, you could miss out on the bonus entirely. 2. Pick a Store (Or a Few) And Start There Some of the best stores for couponing diapers are Target, Kroger (or Pick ‘n Save), Meijer, Walgreens, CVS, and Dollar General. If a store has extra loyalty perks or bonus rewards tied to baby items, that’s usually a good sign it’s worth your time. If you’re brand new to this, resist the urge to sign up for every account at once. Pick one store, get comfortable with how their coupons and app work, and build your confidence there before adding more stores into your routine. Bouncing between five different apps as a beginner is a fast way to burn out. 3. Check for New Coupons Every Sunday Most stores release new coupons, both manufacturer and store coupons, on Sundays. Store coupons are different from manufacturer coupons because they’re exclusive to that one retailer, and they tend to be especially generous for diapers and baby items, particularly at Kroger (Pick ‘n Save), Meijer, and Target. Make it a habit to check your store apps regularly so you don’t miss these. As an example, Meijer once released a batch of store coupons all at the same time: $15 off $75 pickup orders, $10 off $50 of Huggies, $5 off $20 of wipes, $10 off $100, and $15 off $75 of baby items. Stacking all of those together brought the cost of three boxes of diapers and several boxes of wipes down to roughly 72% off. Store coupons truly are your best friend when it comes to diapers, so it’s worth the few extra minutes each week to see what’s available. 4. Be Patient and Only Buy When the Savings Are Worth It Deals come and go, and that’s okay.

A 150,000-mile car priced at $8,000 can compete with a 50,000-mile car costing $20,000 when maintenance history, condition, repair needs, and warranty coverage enter the comparison – Shutterstock An $8,000 car with 150,000 miles and a $20,000 car with 50,000 miles create very different ownership bets. The cheaper car leaves $12,000 in your pocket, while the lower-mileage car gives you 100,000 fewer miles on the odometer. That makes the decision more complicated than simply choosing […]

Once you start couponing, it’s easy to get swept up in the hype. Between deal sites, Facebook groups, and people posting their latest hauls, it can start to feel like there’s one “right” way to do it. The truth is, there isn’t. Everyone’s approach looks a little different depending on their goals, their budget, and how much time they want to spend chasing deals. Here’s how I do it, along with a few starting points and the personal rules that keep my couponing sustainable instead of overwhelming.   Join the A Dime Saved Community to get even more couponing tips and tricks! Join here!     1. Start With Loyalty and Rewards Programs Sign up for the free loyalty and rewards programs at the places you already shop. Start with what you use most often, like your grocery store and pharmacy, then branch out from there to other food places and retail stores you visit regularly. In exchange for your phone number, you’ll usually get access to coupons and points right away. Start with these lists to start: 85 Places That’ll Feed You for Free on Your Birthday (No Catch!)  21 Awesome Birthday Freebies You Can Snag for Your Birthday 2. Ease Into Cashback Apps Pick a few cashback apps to start with rather than downloading every one you hear about. As you get more comfortable, you can always add more. I like starting small and slowly building up, rather than trying to juggle a dozen apps from day one. If you want to just get started with my faves, then start with these: ​Fetch​ – or use referral code M425DF ​Receipt Hog​– or use referral code YOR60689 ​Receipt Jar ​ -or use referral code RobyGT2V4 ​Ibotta​ – or use referral code ykrpcbv 3. My Approach To Couponing There are a lot of different ways to coupon, and once you start following couponing sites and groups, you’ll notice people doing things very differently from each other. My perspective comes from someone living on a tight budget who coupons to save money on the things I regularly buy. I’m not a reseller, and I’m not in it for the thrill of the hunt, although I’ll admit that part can be fun too. Here Are the Rules I Personally Follow: I only coupon for things I need. I don’t buy something just because it’s on sale or clearance, even if it’s a genuinely great deal. That said, I do let myself grab treats or fun extras when they’re free or close to it. I keep my out-of-pocket cost (OOP) low. Some people rack up huge rewards by spending more upfront, and that’s a completely valid strategy. It’s just not mine. I try to keep my initial payment low, which means I sometimes miss out on bigger deals. Cashback and rewards apps often have a minimum cashout amount, so if I earn $5 back but need

Letting your health plan roll over at open enrollment means buying next year’s coverage without checking next year’s prices. Before the window closes, add 12 months of each option’s premiums to what you’d expect to pay out of pocket, and compare the totals. Then confirm your doctors and prescriptions are still covered. Source

One mature perennial can often become several plants through division. Hostas, daylilies, iris, bee balm and other established plants can fill empty garden spaces without another nursery purchase. Jennifer McCallum/Shutterstock Walk through a mature perennial garden and you may be looking at hundreds of dollars’ worth of plants you haven’t created yet. Hostas, daylilies, irises, bee balm, and several other common perennials can be dug up and separated into multiple plants, giving you an inexpensive […]

pensive person stands against a green background with a hand thoughtfully near their chin. Finding out why a coupon that worked last week suddenly gets rejected at the register can be frustrating for smart shoppers. Pexels. One of the most frustrating coupon experiences happens when the same product worked with a coupon last week, but the register rejects it today. The product may look identical, and the coupon may even appear to be the same […]

Debt looks different depending on how old you are, according to a new study from Accredited Debt Relief, conducted in partnership with Money.com. The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults carrying debt found that younger generations are piling on debt faster and feeling more stressed about it, while older generations report more stability but are wrestling with their own pressure points, like Gen X’s shrinking retirement savings. The Generational Debt Gap Forty-five percent of Gen Z and 39% of millennials say their debt increased over the past 12 months, compared with 34% of Gen X and just 30% of baby boomers. Boomers were the only generation more likely to report their debt decreasing than increasing. The stress numbers tell a similar story: nearly 6 in 10 Gen Z and millennial respondents say they often or always feel stressed thinking about their debt, compared with just 36% of boomers. And when it comes to optimism, fewer than 3 in 10 Gen Zers and millennials feel confident they’ll pay off their debt,  versus 37% of Gen Xers and nearly half of boomers. “What stands out here is that debt hits differently in different life stages,” said Bobbi Rebell, Chief Financial Education Advisor at Accredited Debt Relief. “For a 20-something, that can mean delaying a first home or starting a family. For someone in their 50s, it can mean reworking a retirement plan they previously thought was on track. But the common theme is that debt throws off someone’s expectations for where they’d be at certain life stages in terms of goals and milestones.” What’s Really Driving the Debt? Interestingly, personal spending isn’t the top culprit. Nearly 8 in 10 respondents across every generation pointed to inflation as the biggest contributor to their rising debt, with two-thirds also citing housing costs and their own spending decisions. Some causes were more generation-specific. Sixty-eight percent of millennials blamed low wages or job loss, and more than half cited the cost of raising children or caring for aging family members. Gen Z stood out for pointing to a lack of financial education (51%) and recent changes to laws, taxes, and government programs (55%), likely tied to recent shifts in federal student loan policy. Milestones on Hold For younger generations, debt isn’t just a monthly stressor. It’s rewriting life plans. Thirty-eight percent of Gen Z and 31% of millennials say debt has kept them from saving for or buying a home. Gen Z also reported debt delaying career moves and family planning. For Gen X, the concern is further down the road: 41% say debt has forced them to cut back on retirement savings, the highest share of any generation. Boomers were far less likely to say debt has blocked major milestones, though about 1 in 5 said it’s forced spending cuts in retirement. Breaking the Cycle About 6 in 10 Gen Z and millennial respondents say their parents’ money habits shaped how they think about debt today, and roughly two-thirds of both generations say they want

My Sweet Retirement SIA Shares Price: Dividend Yield and Should I Buy Now? The SIA shares price sits at around S$6.55 as of 21 September 2026. Since the SIA shares price changes throughout each trading day, I always check the live quote on SGX or my broker before … SIA Shares Price: Dividend Yield and Should I Buy Now? My Sweet Retirement

My Sweet Retirement Endowment Plan Singapore: How They Work and What to Check First A guide to endowment plans in Singapore, covering participating vs non-participating plans, current guaranteed rates, how they compare to fixed deposits and SSBs, and what to check before buying. Endowment Plan Singapore: How They Work and What to Check First My Sweet Retirement

Don’t miss an episode of our podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors. Available on all podcast players. Here’s the latest episode: Small change, giant impact. One challenge in financial planning is when a “small” decision creates much bigger than we assumed. “End of Plan” is one such decision. Some planning software might call it “planning horizon” or “life expectancy” or any number of other euphemisms for “when might you die?” Yes, death is scary to consider. And it’s obvious how our lifespan affects our finances. The longer we live, the more money we need to live a successful retirement. But there’s so much more! If you’ve ever dabbled with financial planning software (Boldin, Pralana, eMoney, RightCapital, Empower, etc.), you might be unaware of the unintended side effects that “age at death” is creating in your plan. Defining the “Problem”… The (frequent) “problem” I witness follows this logic: Running out of money is a scary idea. I don’t want to underestimate when we’ll die. I’ll overestimate instead…I’ll live until 90. My wife, 95. Boom. I’ve “solved” the problem of running out of money. [Narrator: But they were completely unaware of the unintended side effects…] I agree that it’s important to “stress test” whether you’ll run out of money. Changing your assumed age of death is a good idea. But what else are people missing? Let’s dive into what people often miss. Side Effect 1: Social Security Claiming Extending your End of Plan to age ~85+ almost assuredly pushes your Social Security claiming strategy out to age 70. If you live a long time, you wouldn’t want to claim Social Security early. This one is straightforward. In fact, it might be less of an “unintended side effect” and more of a “known headliner.” Plenty of couples should be claiming Social Security before 70 — at least for one of the two spouses. But if you model your End of Plans out at 85, 90, etc., then the planning software might encourage you both to delay until age 70. Side Effect 2: Roth Conversions Roth conversions are tricky. Decades of unknowns lie ahead, and you need to account for them in today’s Roth conversion math. It’s a gray area. Nevertheless, what’s the effect of assuming someone lives until age 95? The main effect is that said person would have 20+ years of required minimum distributions, the last of which would be more than 10% of their account value. These RMDs would push this person into higher and higher tax brackets, likely making present-day Roth conversions more and more attractive. Said succinctly: later death = more Roth conversions today. But if that same person dies at 75? Roth conversions might be outright bad. If they die at 80? Perhaps much smaller Roth conversions would be appropriate. The choice of modeling death at age 85, 90, or 95 can encourage

This long box has a butterfly clasp lid and can hold 300 comics. Image source: Amazon This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase anything through these affiliated links, the author/website may earn a commission. Here’s the hard truth: without proper storage, even the most valuable comics can warp, fade, or tear over time. Whether you’re safeguarding a vintage Amazing Spider-Man or your latest indie gem, the right short and long boxes are essential for […]

You’ve decided to buy a house. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part. Buying a home in Jamaica can be exciting, but if this is your first time doing it, the process can also feel overwhelming. Between finding the property, getting a mortgage, paying closing costs, dealing with lawyers, valuations, surveys and trying to figure out exactly how much house you can actually afford, there is a lot to think about. I bought my first home […]

12 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Moving Interstate Moving interstate is one of those costs that sneaks up on people. A quote arrives, it says three and a half thousand dollars, and suddenly the fresh start feels expensive before it has begun. Here is the part worth knowing: most of that number is negotiable, […] The post How to Move Interstate Without Blowing the Budget: 12 Ways to Cut Costs appeared first on The […]