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Do you have an Amazon visa credit card?

Amazon recently announced that you may now use your Amazon credit card rewards towards purchases on Amazon.com. Yes, there’s now a way to get free stuff on Amazon.com!

I’ve had the Amazon visa credit card by Chase for a few years, since I frequently shop at Amazon.com for their great prices and fast shipping. I was so excited about this that I used my racked up rewards to buy something right away. It’s like getting free stuff on Amazon!

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Even though we may love our careers and families, there is a need to take “me time” to keep your sanity. That’s where girl’s night out comes in. Doing fun things with your best gal pals mean the world to us single moms.

While indulging in these fun nights has not been easy with the recession, it has definitely taught us to keep getting creative and to spend less while still having fun. Here are some tips on planning the night that we’ve picked up over the years.

Health insurance may be easy and affordable to obtain for those who are young and healthy. But when you have a pre-existing condition, it can be downright challenging, if not impossible. Don’t those with pre-existing conditions need health care the most?

If you are self-employed, unemployed, or your job doesn’t provide health insurance benefits, when you have a pre-existing condition, you are either denied for health coverage when you apply, have to pay a much higher rate, or are offered coverage that excludes your condition.

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I heard about the fairly new Amazon Mom program last year. So when I became a mom, I couldn’t wait to join and explore the membership benefits.

With Amazon Mom, you get 30% off diapers and wipes and the coveted Amazon Prime. Here are the details of the benefits of Amazon Mom membership.

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Weddings are notoriously expensive. You want the best for your special day but that doesn’t mean you have to pay an arm and a leg for it. If you are flexible on some of the details, you can still have a beautiful wedding on a budget.

The key to a budget wedding is to save as much as you can on minor aspects of your wedding, such as invitations and favors, so that you can put more money into the areas in your budget that you care most about.

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I thought I knew it all when I graduated from college. I could do no wrong and the world was my oyster. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening, especially when it came to money and finances.

The idea behind this post is to spotlight the 5 pieces of advice that I wish someone had given me when I graduated. It sure would have saved me a lot of heartache.

We’re all working hard to make ends meet in the current economy by scrimping, saving, and sacrificing the finer things. Going to the movies, buying new treats for ourselves, and going out to eat frequently have been some of the first things to go.

But fine dining doesn’t have to be a no-go while you’re on a budget if you plan and research carefully! The internet is the best tool you have for research before you go out for a nice dinner in town.

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There is no denying that college is expensive. It doesn’t matter whether you attempt to acquire a traditional degree or an online degree either; pursuing a higher education takes some serious cash. And while loans and scholarships is the route that many take to pay for school, these options may leave you in debt or only cover partial tuition costs, respectively.

However, if you are looking for a way to go to school completely free while being guaranteed a job directly after graduation, an alternative way is to find a “corporate sponsor” to foot the bill.

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Most of us are familiar with the frustration that comes with waiting for a raise. You don’t want to ask directly because you’re afraid it may cause problems and your boss hasn’t exactly initiated the conversation, either. HR services can only get you so far and walking that tightrope can be tricky.

How do you ask for a raise without creating problems? Is that even possible?

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It is no secret that when you go to buy car, life, home, or other insurance the insurance company is going to ask you a lot of questions. Why? They want to know what kind of risk you are.

Knowing the amount of risk you represent helps them first determine if they want to insure you, and secondly, what price to charge you for the insurance. However, have you thought that you should also be assessing your risk in buying insurance from a particular company?

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In an effort to save a couple of hundred dollars every few months, most movie addicts switch from catching a flick at the movie theaters to renting them at home just to get their entertainment fix.

But even renting movies from traditional movie rental businesses like Blockbuster can burn a pretty hole in your wallet—a single rental can cost as much as $5. Fortunately there are other alternatives. To learn how to rent movies on the cheap, continue reading below.

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Recently, I saw a segment on the Rachael Ray Show about how to increase your chances of winning the lottery. Her guest, Richard Lustig, wrote a book on it since he won the lottery seven times.

I don’t really advocate playing the lottery instead of looking for a job or saving and investing your money. But I also don’t see anything wrong with playing the lottery for fun if it’s in your budget.

I found it interesting that this author had 3 simple strategies to increase your chances of winning the lottery.

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You can travel around the world without breaking the bank. Traveling is considered a luxury by most people. With the uncertain economic times, most hesitate to travel due to budget constraints. But exploring the world need not be expensive. You can travel on a budget and still have the best time of your time.

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I recently wrote about Extreme Couponing Fraud. However, not all extreme couponers cheat to get deals. Featured in this post are extreme couponer blogs that I follow.

Ever wonder how extreme couponers save so much money? They spend a lot time matching up coupons with store sales.

Don’t have time to do this but still want to save money? Follow these extreme couponers and get the same deals that they get.

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We all know that saving money is essential, but statistics tell us that most Americans don’t do it on a consistent basis. In fact, just prior to the economic collapse of 2008, personal savings rates were at all-time lows in the United States. Much of this was fueled by the property market bubble, which led people to believe that their homes could never depreciate.

Therefore, the ever-increasing value of their home equity each year, dis-incentivized people from saving money. Why save money every month, when home equity is building so strongly every

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I was away last week because I gave birth to my first child.

The whole birth experience was quite an ordeal, going in and out of the hospital, getting admitted to the hospital to be induced, under stressful circumstances, and then getting discharged 12 hours later, without giving birth, by someone who wasn’t my doctor.

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Last week, TLC debuted its new series “Extreme Couponing“, featuring people who save extreme amounts of money using coupons. Deals like scoring hundreds of dollars worth of goods for as little as $10 were featured.

You can either be inspired or depressed after watching this show. How can the average person get these kinds of deals? The truth is they can’t.

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Do you like saving money on groceries, hair care products, makeup, medicine, and whatever else happens to be in your cart when you reach the checkout lane? Of course you do!

There are a variety of ways to save money on the items you purchase by using coupons. Once you start looking you will soon realize that coupons can be found all over the place! Here are a few places to start:

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Green is the new pink. It has become more fashionable to be eco-conscious and to take steps to reduce your carbon footprint. There’s no better way to reduce your carbon footprint than to increase the mark of your actual footprint – by walking, that is.

But if you live in the suburbs of a small state like I do, it can be nearly impossible to walk to the places I need to go. However, there are some great cities to live in that are well-known for their walking culture or their accessibility by walkers.

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What did you think of the TLC show "Extreme Couponing"?

I feel like not everyone can achieve those kinds of savings, 91% off? And I don't have 5 hours to scope the grocery store and another 5 hours of searching and matching up coupons and sales to get these deals, nor do I live in an area where stores double or even triple coupons.

Many students start off their new life as a college graduate deep in student debt. Graduation day becomes a bittersweet event, marking the date when many parents expect their kids to stop depending on them financially. Suddenly, new graduates are launched into the world without parental support, or college subsidized housing...

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If you suffered unemployment for several months, there’s a chance your credit slipped during the time you were between jobs.

Even with an emergency fund, severance package, or unemployment benefits, some consumers simply don’t have enough money to pay for everything and often have to let go of some expenses.

Don’t get down on yourself for having bad credit and instead divert that energy to getting your credit back on track!

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Getting rid of of credit card debt can take months, if not years, depending on the amount. If you are going to pay it off the honest way, without borrowing anymore money, how do you eliminate credit card debt fast?

First, start with these 5 ways to pay off debt faster. Set up a budget and cut spending. Then look for windfalls to help pay off credit card debt faster.

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Unless you’re a trust fund baby, chances are you don’t have a lot of money lying around as a college student. Even though a large proportion of college students work, many work part-time or take up flexible jobs that pay just above minimum wage so they can work and go to school at the same time.

Still others participate in unpaid internships or don’t have any money beyond what their parents might provide for living expenses and groceries. If you want to make the little money you have stretch, take a look at the following handy tips for living frugally in college.

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It’s a common misconception that there are no coupons for natural and organic foods, that if you want to eat healthy, you don’t “coupon”. That’s not true. You just have to look harder!

Most coupons for natural and organic foods aren’t available in your Sunday paper like most other grocery coupons, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Save money while being healthy.

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