It has been nearly two years since my wife and I were struggling to make ends meet. Luckily we had a large emergency fund, but that is about all we had going for ourselves. We both were working jobs that paid us little money and we were living in one of the most expensive regions in the country. Luckily, we both had a four year degree and some work experience. Many other young people face far worse in many respects, but that doesn’t mean what we went through wasn’t difficult.

It very much was. As a way to get through the financially difficult times, we had to cut back. This often meant passing up on opportunities to go out with friends, simply because we couldn’t afford it. It also meant sacrificing in many other areas. But, what we came to learn through this challenging time, was that it didn’t mean giving up on life altogether. It is easy to understand why many people think this – because this is often what it becomes, but there are creative ways to enjoy life to the fullest without breaking the bank.

Prioritizing

The first thing we had to do was prioritize our expenses. This meant taking a close look at our entertainment budget. Going to a movie and spending $30 did not mean as much to us as buying tickets to see michael mcintyre in concert. While everyone may not share the same passion for concerts, it’s all about setting your priorities. This also means that you have to cut some things out. It’s not a matter of saying which are most important, but also how far can your limited number of dollars reach.

Optimizing

After you have prioritized your spending, you can start to think of ways to make the most of your money. This means looking that those priorities and trying to make your dollars reach the farthest. This may mean cutting back on some more areas, but it may also mean that you spend more money in certain areas. For example, my wife and I learned that we enjoyed going to the movies (the few times that we went) when we got a giant diet coke. Yes, it was expensive, but it made the experience for us. It doesn’t mean you can’t be creative and bring snacks with you, but find out what is most important to you and optimize your experiences.

Create Memories with Others

The last and perhaps most important tip that I have learned is that creating memories with close friends is most important. While it may be cheaper to spend time at home alone, it is much more enjoyable if you do it with friends. The best part is that you can find creative ways to hang out with friends without spending money. This could mean board games, sports games, etc. There are many cheap and/or free things to do with a group of people.

While you may not have a lot of money, enjoying yourself is still possible. Be creative and see what you can come up with to save yourself some money while also enjoying life. The last thing you want to do is to live with regret.

Have you figured out how much you need in order to retire? Have you adjusted this for how you actually want to retire? Retiring young would require you to start saving more upfront. Maybe you want to work part-time because you could never see yourself with empty hands. Or maybe retirement to you means finally doing things that you love, whether you make money from it or not.

Retirement may be awhile away for you (it sure is a long time away for me), but I’m sure all of us have thought about how we would spend retirement.

Yes, at first all you might want to do is lay on the beach for hours and hours, but what about after that? I’m sure most of you want to keep busy at least some-what, I know I do. So have you ever thought about how you would fill your time?

Ways that you can possibly spend your retirement:

1. Volunteer.

Volunteering might be on your mind right now, but maybe you’ve been putting it off since you don’t have enough free time. But what about when you retire? You will have a lot of time available, and you can finally spend your time dedicated to organizations that you believe in.

There are so many organizations that need your help, so open up your phone book or your laptop and start calling places when you have time. This is something that I definitely want to do when I retire, but something that I should be doing now. Giving back to your community has so many positives, so why would you not volunteer when you have so much free time?

2. Travel.

Love traveling? Travel the whole time in your retirement! Some countries can be insanely cheap to travel in, and thus you can stretch your retirement dollars in these areas. Of course some areas and countries are more expensive, so you should save and budget accordingly.

Since you won’t have a job tying you down, exploring new countries when you are retired is a great time to do so. You can do adventurous things such as go on safaris, skydive, try exotic foods and so on. Being able to travel without something or someone to tell you to come home would be my dream.

This is something that I definitely want to do, but not full-time. Maybe for a couple of months (maybe even a year, depending on my health and how old I am) since I know that it would be exciting. Having a stable place to call home in my actual home town is something that I love.

3. Have a part-time job.

You’ve been working your WHOLE life most likely, and some of you might not see yourself being 100% jobless. You can find a nice part-time job that is stress free and still allows you to interact with others. The extra income is another positive! Some part-time jobs even offer full benefits such as health insurance.

Part-time jobs could include dog walker, store greeter, customer service, nanny, instructor, tour guide, translator, blog owner, etc. The list is really endless, so of course don’t think those are the only jobs included.

4. Start new hobbies.

Do you have a long list of things you want to try, such as knitting, painting, teaching, collecting, DIYing, etc.? Well now you finally have more time! Maybe create some kind of list and cross things off as you complete them. Is having too many hobbies a bad thing? I don’t think so

5. Start a new business.

Have you always wanted to start your own business? I’m sure a lot of us have dreamed of what our personal businesses would be. If you aren’t as reliant on income, then this can be a fun and stress-free way to begin your dream. And you never know, without the extra stress, you might become extremely successful!

How do you want to spend your retirement?

Lately, we’ve been having some cold days where I live. Just the other day it was almost 90 degrees, then the VERY next day it was only 35 degrees. What?! This crazy weather is most likely hurting my wallet. One day I have the air conditioning on and then the next day I have my heat on.

Some of you probably don’t do this and would tell me just to adjust myself to the temperature, but I like to feel comfortable in my house

If you’re like me, all you did was flip the switch to turn on the heat but didn’t think of anything else that you could’ve been doing. However, every year my gas company gives me a comparison of my usage and costs compared to the year earlier, and this year I would like to beat that and use less heat and spend less money on my bill.

There are many things that you can do to save money on your heat bill this year. All of the tips below are really quick and easy things that you could be doing, but maybe you haven’t thought of them yet since we are so early into the cold weather season so far this year.

1. Curtains.

There are curtains that you can buy that can help keep the heat in and keep the cold drafts out. They might be fairly expensive near you, but they can be a good investment. Also, opening curtains on sides of the house where all of the sun’s heat comes in is good also. Open up those blinds and soak up the sun!

2. Wear warmer clothes.

I’m still running around in my warm weather clothes and pajamas around my house, when I should be bundling up. Wearing an extra layer of clothes such as a cardigan or pants can help a lot once it starts getting colder. Wearing socks and slippers definitely helps as well.

3. Thicker blankets.

Instead of cranking up the heat when you’re about to go to bed, buy a warmer blanket! Seems like a no brainer right? I’m sure you have extra blankets around the house, get them out of storage and put them on your bed. Heated blankets work wonders as well and they usually don’t cost too much.

4. Adjust the temperature for when no one is home.

If no one is home for hours and hours during the day, then turn the heat down so that you can save more on your bill. However, if you will only be gone for 1 or 2 hours, then it’s probably best just to leave it where it’s at, as your furnace will have to work extra to get it back to where it was before you left (thus eliminating any gain that you could’ve made).

5. Monitor the thermostat.

Do you notice a big difference between 68 degrees and 72 degrees? Your body may not notice that big of a difference, but your wallet definitely will. Adjust the thermostat to see what you are comfortable with. Higher temperatures of course equal higher bills. Lately we’ve been keeping it at around 68 degrees and I believe last year our bill averaged around $150 a month.

6. Change your fan setting/direction.

A tip that I didn’t know of until last year was that you should be adjusting your fan setting. Usually there is a “winter” setting that is located right on your fan. Just click it over and that will help you save money as well.

What do you do to save money on your heating bill?

Everyone who is human has struggled financially at some point. It may not be to the same degree as others, but the statement still holds. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone is always learning new things. While many people will try to convince others that they have it all figured out, it is a lot of deception.

When lies are unveiled and the truth is not hidden from sight, we all begin to realize that personal finance is complicated. Not only do unexpected expenses pop up out of nowhere, but we also face difficult financial times that are beyond our control. This recent recession is evident of that idea. While managing your personal finance is often difficult and challenging, forcing you to make decisions without certainty of success, there some basic principles to managing your personal finances.

1. Spend Less Than You Earn

The one way that you can alleviate much of the stress associated with finances is by reducing your spending. In fact, the less you spend the better. Start with spending less than you earn. Not just some months, but all months. This will prevent you from financing your current situation on hopes of future pay raises and will keep you in the black. If there is one thing that I have learned over the past few years, it’s that life is much better in the black than in the red.

2. Create an Emergency Fund

The second thing that I have learned is that expenses pop up. Some people may have no other choice than to use payday loans, but you should do everything you can to give yourself a cushion. If you have a little extra money coming in each month, do yourself a favor and save that money in an emergency fund. Establish a certain amount and promise yourself that you will only touch it in an emergency. Some emergencies may be unexpected unemployment, car repairs, etc.

3. Invest Aggressively

Investing regularly is one of the only ways to build wealth. Unless you plan to live off of the minimal payments you get from social security, you will need investments in order to retire. While it may be hard to eliminate the lifestyle inflation, it will be worth it in the long-term if you can prioritize your savings and investing now.

4. Help Others

One of the core tenets of this personal finance blog is to do everything you can to help others. Our wealth that we build is a privilege. We need to use this wealth to help others who are less fortunate than ourselves. If we ignore this aspect, we run the risk of losing sight of what is important and becoming obsessed with money. While money is nice to have, it’s a means for something greater – it is not the end result.

While these are some of the basic principles of managing your personal finances, these are only the beginning. They help us with the basic framework, from which we can overcome some of the greater challenges that come our way.

Jobseekers currently find themselves in a difficult economic climate, with each new vacancy sought after by hundreds of applicants. In such a situation, it is vital that anyone who is invited to interview for a job does everything possible to make the best impression on the interview panel. By following these handy tips, you can maximise the chances of performing at your best.

Do your research

Before you do anything else, it is vital to look into the organisation at which you have applied for a job. Look not only at its official website, but at any independent reviews and analysis which is available. What does the organisation say it values most highly? What are the major projects currently being undertaken? Is the organisation looking to expand into any particular area of business?

Practice makes perfect

Once you have an idea of what the interview panel might be looking for, it’s time to practice your answers to the questions they are likely to be asking. You can find a whole list of potential questions on the internet, but the basic direction of them is almost always the same. The panel will want to know what experience you have in their area of business, how you work in a team, and whether you have the general skills they are looking for. If you can tailor your answers to fit in with the research you have done, proving that you understand the challenges the organisation faces and are well suited to help in meeting them, you will already be ahead of the competition.

Arrive early

When the day of the interview arrives, you need to project an aura of calm confidence. Nothing is less suited to this than sprinting to the interview, and only making it just in time. Even worse is being late! No-one wants to employ someone who can’t be on time for important events, so make sure you are at least 20 minutes early for your appointment. Importantly, as you are waiting, make sure you have something suitable with which to occupy yourself. Consider bringing along a sensible book or a magazine about the sector in which you are seeking employment. Don’t forget, some organisations ask their receptionists about the attitudes and failings of those whom they interview!

Dress smartly

However good your answers, if the very first impression you make is of being scruffy and unprofessional, you are unlikely to be given the job. Before you say anything, the interview panel will have formed an opinion based on your appearance and demeanour. If you create the impression that you are already ‘in the job’, the interview panel are much more likely to give you a sympathetic hearing.

Project confidence

Now that you are finally engaged with the interview, it is vital for you to project confidence to the panel. The best way of doing this is to imagine that you already have the job, and that you are talking to existing colleagues in a formal environment. If you can convince your interviewers that you are a natural choice for the job because of your demeanour, it will be very hard for them to choose anyone else. Don’t mumble or apologise for poor answers, and when you are answering questions, keep eye contact with the interviewer.

Stay calm

The best way to project confidence, and a guiding principle for the entire interview, is to answer questions calmly and with sufficient thought. The natural inclination when in a stressful situation is to speak quickly and without thinking things through. The fact that you have practiced your answers to the most likely questions will help here, but make sure you still pause and think before answering. As long as you don’t take too long before speaking, this will create an impression of thoughtfulness, and respect for the interviewer. Remember, they want to find someone really good to fill the position. If you follow these tips, you can convince them that you are perfect for the role.