Rebates are one of the ways retailers entice us to proceed with a purchase and offer ourselves some soothing rationalization for doing so. We calculate the rebate when figuring an item's total, yet in the end many of us end up paying full price.
According to consulting firm Vericours, 40 percent of rebates go unredeemed, meaning our forgetfulness / laziness / apathy gives retailers a big win. I'm certainly guilty of procrastinating rebate redemptions until they're expired, are you?
Have you ever wondered how consumers around the globe spend their money, or how other citizens in your own country allocate their paychecks? Forbes did the legwork to satisfy our international curiosity and looked at the consumption patterns for 18 countries. Their figures don't reflect the most recent increases in food and energy costs, but the overall, global picture is very interesting. Hit click slideshow to see which countries spend the highest and lowest percentages of their income on everything from alcoholic beverages to education, and visit Forbes to see the exact percentages for all 18 countries.
If transferring money to savings every time you say no to spending is too broad and out of reach, I have a better idea that may help conquer your biggest spending weakness. I've been throwing away too much money on weeknight delivery and am using my new strategy to cut down on my expensive habit.
Every time I make the decision to say no to eating out or ordering in, I'm using a designated notebook to write down the amount I would have spent. At the end of each month I calculate a total and transfer that money to savings, but those transfers could be made on a more frequent weekly or biweekly basis instead.
When I see my savings grow with the money I would have spent, it motivates me to continue the process and drastically cut the amount I usually spend on my biggest budget drain. Do you think this tactic would help you overcome any spending weaknesses?
More than half of you indicated that you're not fairly compensated for your job, which means the majority of you are disappointed every time you look at your paycheck.
When we're not properly rewarded for our efforts it can be hard to keep giving our all at work, and sometimes it becomes obvious that our situations won't change unless we ask for more. Have you ever requested a raise?
Five Dinners That Improve With Time In theory, we can all sing the virtues of leftovers: By eating them, you're not only saving money, but also time, energy, resources, and possibly calories. But in reality, some of you just can't stomach the idea of eating yesterday's food. YumSugar has come through with five tasty ideas for dishes that taste better the next day.
If you believe that just being around money can inspire you to become rich, then it may be meaningful to know which states are home to the most millionaires in the US.
Find out which states you should visit to rub shoulders with the wealthy, and which ones aren't so stacked, when you take the quiz!
Self-employment is a goal that many workers strive for: Setting your own hours, making the big decisions, and controlling your work life are appealing parts of being your own boss.
While those aspects excite some, the prospect of self-employment causes stress in others who would rather leave the risk taking to somebody else. Would you want to start a business and be accountable for its success or failure?