This article provides numerous tips for managing personal finances better. Some suggestions include selling unused household items for extra cash, reducing energy costs by decluttering and painting the roof white, avoiding credit cards to eliminate interest fees, rearranging bill due dates to spread them out, cooking at home instead of eating out to save money on food costs, using the library instead of buying books, developing diverse income streams, buying generic products, and freezing credit cards in ice to resist impulse spending. The overall advice is to not feel overwhelmed when improving personal finances and to start with small, achievable steps.

1. Great Advice For Handling Your Personal Finances

2. With the economy struggling to get back on its feet,
many people are struggling to keep their heads above
water financially. If you're one of those people, you've
come to the right place. This article compiles a bunch of
different tips to give you a starting point to managing
your personal finances.

3. Selling some household items that are never used or
that one can do without, can produce some extra cash.
These items can be sold in a variety of ways including
many different online websites. Free classifieds and
auction websites offer many options to turn those
unused items into extra money.

4. There are ways you can save on your home's electricity
bill each month. A great way to save money in
summertime is by getting rid of clutter in your living
room. The more clutter you have, the longer an air
conditioner has to work to keep you cool. Make sure
that you don't put too many things in your refrigerator.
The more items you have stored inside your fridge, the
more the motor has to work to keep your items fresh.
Painting your roof white is a great way to regulate your
home's room temperature which will reduce energy
consumption.

5. Get rid of your credit cards to improve your financial
situation. Credit cards charge huge interest rates and
their fees can be massive as well. It can also be very
tempting to run up a larger balance than you can
comfortably pay off each month. Instead of plastic, give
cash only a try.

6. If you are having trouble managing all of your bills
because they are coming due at the same time, you may
be able to rearrange your due-dates to make things
easier for you. Contact your credit card company or
utility company and ask them if you can change your
due-date so you have more time between each bill.

7. If you eat less fast food or eat out less in general, you
can save a lot of money. Buying the ingredients and
putting meals together at home will save one money, as
well as giving one an appreciation for the effort it takes
to make good tasting meals.

8. Drink water when you are eating out! Some restaurants
charge almost $3.00 for a soda or glass of tea! When
you're trying to manage your personal finances you just
can't afford that! Order water instead. You'll still be able
to eat out on occasion but over the long run you'll save a
bundle in the cost of drinks alone!

9. Cut down your old towels and make wash cloths or
cleaning rags. Just because a towel is worn or stained is
no reason to throw it away. Measure out several
appropriately sized squares or rectangles and cut them
out. You can leave them as is or use your sewing
machine to quickly stitch around the edges.

10. A simple piece of advice that is proven time after time to
save money, is to avoid buying your groceries when
you're feeling hungry! Yes. it's true! If you head to the
grocery store when you're hungry, you'll buy a lot more
food because you're craving it. Furthermore, always
make a list, and stick to it.

11. A great personal finance tip that can help you save
money is to head to the library when you feel like
reading. Checking a book out at the public library is free.
Next time you're at the bookstore, remind yourself that
you can read the same book for free at the library.

12. Develop diverse streams of income. Don't get stuck
depending on a single source. This will help you be
prepared for any changes that occur which might have
adverse effects your income. Don't judge opportunities
to earn money by the amount, but rather the ratio of
reward in proportion to investment of time and energy.

13. Use your favorite credit cards regularly if you don't want
to lose them. Credit card companies may close or reduce
credit limit on inactive or unprofitable accounts without
advance notice, which may negatively affect your
finances in the future. Use them regularly and pay off
the balances to stay out of debt.

14. You may want to consider buying generic products when
you are shopping if you want to save money. Many
generic products have the exact same quality as brand
names do and you will be saving tons of money by
purchasing them. You can buy generics for just about
everything you need.

15. Money spent on a home to live in is a much better
investment than money spent on a home to flip for a
profit. If you're looking to make some type of financial
gain, the housing market is really something you should
avoid right now. It could cripple your personal finances
in irreparable ways.

16. Set objectives for your money management. Rather than
setting up one tremendous goal, such as "retire
comfortably", map out the steps you will need to take to
get there. By establishing what you need to do and the
order you need to do it in, you will be giving yourself a
clear path to your goal as well as providing yourself with
small opportunities for success along the way.

17. If you have multiple credit cards for different retailers,
place them in a zippered sandwich bag filled with water,
then freeze the bag in your freezer. This helps you to
resist temptation by creating a number of obstacles to
an otherwise impulsive spending spree. Not only will
you have to wait for the ice to thaw, but you might also
end up making a mess - an excellent deterrent.

18. While making a personal finance plan or improving an
existing one can be scary, anyone can improve their
finances with the right help. Use the advice in this article
to help you learn the best ways to take control of your
finances and to improve your life without feeling
overwhelmed.

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