Author: Elizabeth

About This Week's Action If you think about it, your wallet is the cornerstone of your financial life. It's what you grab when you make a purchase or deposit a check. It's where you keep the cash you spend. And it's where you put the receipts showing what you spent. If you're anything like me or my friends, after a little while your wallet can get out of control. There are gift cards with $0.05 on them and receipts from a year ago. If you want to take control of your financial future, you need to start with taking control of your wallet. If you want an added bonus, clean out your entire purse too. Why Clean Out Your Wallet Control The main reason to clean your wallet is to…

Welcome to the this week's Women's Money Week Action Step. Before you get started, we recommend that you read this post about getting started with Women's Money Week. About This Week's Action Are you currently getting a discount on your cell phone plan? And how many cell phone minutes did you have left over last month? 50? 100? 300+? I'm guessing you have no idea. Most people just pay their bill and as long as it doesn't ring up as too much more than the previous month they don't even bother checking their minutes. But you could be throwing money down the drain. This week's action is to check (and change) your cell phone usage AND check for possible discounts. Why Take This Action You'll Save Money By downgrading your cell…

Welcome to the this week's Women's Money Week Action Step. Before you get started, we recommend that you read this post about getting started with Women's Money Week. About This Week's Action "Taxes, didn't I just finish dealing with those for the year?" is probably what you'll ask yourself  when I mention that this week's take action step deals with taxes. And while April 15 does seem like just yesterday, the reality is that it's already halfway through the year and it's time to ensure that your tax payments are on tract. So, this week's action is to check your tax withholdings and adjust them as needed. Why Take This Action You'll Take Back Control (and Prevent Surprises) The most important reason to check your withholdings is to prevent any surprises…

Welcome to the this week's Women's Money Week Action Step. Before you get started, we recommend that you read this post about getting started with Women's Money Week. About This Week's Action This week's action step is incredibly easy and has the potential to save you hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars and many many hours of your time.  What is it? Unsubscribe from retail email lists.  Just choose at least 1 or more retail lists that you're on (like Amazon, Gilt, Target, Macy's, or Title Nine Sports) and unsubscribe from the list. Why Take This Action You're Removing a Trigger How often do you get an email from Amazon that says "[Those shoes you were looking at] are 25-35% off?  Or from Target saying "Here are our weekly ads."  You get…

Welcome to the second Women's Money Week Action Step. Before you get started, we recommend that you read this post about getting started with Women's Money Week. About This Week's Action Donating items is not something most people prioritize as a way to get their finances in shape - but donating stuff actually has a number of financial benefits. Over the Memorial Day weekend, go through your home, apartment, even car - to find 25 items to give away. Why Take This Action Donations are Tax Deductible When most people think of donating in relation to their finances, they think of the tax write-off. And, if you itemize your taxes, you can deduct the fair market value of items you donate. Make sure you get a receipt from the organization you're…

Welcome to the first Women's Money Week Action Step. Before you get started, we recommend that you read this post about getting started with Women's Money Week. About This Week's Action The first Women's Money Week action is: Get Your Credit Report and Your Credit Score - all for free. Your credit report and credit score are two entirely different animals. Your credit report details your various credit card accounts, loans, mortgages, and more. Your credit score (also called your FICO score) is a three digit score that rates your credit worthiness. The three companies that put together these reports and scores are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can get your credit report from all three credit bureaus for free annually. And you can check your credit score for free anytime…