Instead of putting together a list of April Must Haves, I've compiled a list of April Must Do's to help you Spring clean your finances. Checking all of these off your list will take less time than your normal Spring cleaning, not to mention the lack of dust bunnies. Get a fresh start this month with these must-do savvy moves.
Wal-Mart's secret has been let out of their plastic bags — apparently, shopping at their super stores will not actually save you $2,500 a year. The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has announced that the company's ads, implying that their hot deals could leave you with an extra $2,500 in your pocket, were in fact misleading. Wal-Mart admitted they had no support for the message but said they'd consider the findings in its future advertisements, “ensuring that the positive impact we have for all American families is even more explicit.”
We're all aware that eating out can be a serious drain on your wallet, and I'm not here to lecture you on where you should budget your money. If you love eating out but manage to save as much as possible by cutting expenses in other areas of your life, so be it!
The New York Times published a brief, inconclusive article on the prospect of restaurants suffering more during a recession. The article stated that "restaurant traffic does not always fall during a recession" — mind-blowing information, I know. But it got me thinking, with the ongoing conversation of a possible recession and the instinctual response to save more, is eating out one of the first things to go? Or are meals out similar to the "lipstick indicator," which replaces more expensive indulgences with lipstick, or in this case, ordering from a menu?
Your wedding engagement is undoubtedly one of the most meaningful and memorable moments of your life, so it's no surprise that you want to scroll through your address book and call everyone whose number has been saved. In the midst of your dialing marathon pause when you reach a co-worker's name, and exercise care and common sense when it comes to telling them your big news. The extent that you share your personal details with anyone in the office will surely vary depending on the overall tone of your workplace, but there are some general guidelines that should be noted. Find out how to handle announcing your engagement at work when you read more
I'm sure there are people out there that don't mind mulling over tax returns, after all, it's how some people earn a living. But if you're not one of those that can even look at a W-2 without a slight feeling of dread, you need to be sure that you're in the proper mind-set when you're finally posted up with your lap-top, W-2 in hand. If you're someone who's short on patience and lacking like for your tax return, you especially need to set yourself up for success when choosing a time to file your taxes.
The worst idea is to tackle your tax return when you have something to attend to after the time you've allotted for tax filing. Give yourself plenty of time to complete your return, because as with most things, it will probably take longer than you expect. Schedule an appointment with your tax return, just like you'd schedule a haircut. And do yourself a favor — don't wait until April 15th, or 14th for that matter, to complete your tax return. You want to make sure it's accurate so that you don't run in to trouble later and can get your tax refund as soon as possible.
Wedding bells are here again! Today we're kicking off our second-annual wedding season bonanza on the Sugar Network! Over the next few months, the Sugar sites will be sharing all sorts of wedding ideas and tips, from fashion and beauty secrets to registry picks and party plans to advice on getting in shape for the big day. Together with our sponsor, Macy’s, we've also created a new site called IDoSugar.com, where you'll be able to find all of our great wedding content in one place.
We're kicking things off with Engagement Week, which will cover everything you need to know from the wedding proposal to budget-planning. Stay tuned all Spring for more wedding coverage, including showers, parties, wedding trends, honeymoons, and more.
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