Holly Lasvenkova – Money Expert Blogs   Financial Guru Holly Helps You and Your Business Make Better Money Decisions

In a marriage, what one does not know will not hurt him or her. Well sad to say this does not apply when it comes to finances. A survey reveals that about 31% of married people have been telling money lies to their partner at one point or another of their relationship.

The reasons for telling these lies vary from avoiding an argument or just keeping one’s partner in the dark but sadly these money lies can seriously hurt your marriage.

“Rounding down” prices

This lie involves rounding off to the nearest whole number that will make a tag price a lot cheaper. Is it really just $60 or $69? You might be starting at this small amount but sum these small amounts and you can be way off your weekly budget. How do you avoid telling this lie? Well, you can either find something cheaper on the shelves or be honest and show the receipt to your partner.

The bank account is fine

Money issues can be one of the worst issues married couples will have to argue about. One may purposely say that the savings account is fine even when the hard earned rainy-day money is starting to deflate. When one is in charge of managing the finances, it might be tempting to keep the other person in the dark. It is very important to have a team approach when it comes to finances.

What’s yours is mine

There is no problem when sharing funds as long as there will be no begrudges especially when only one spouse is working. It should be clear that spending shared money is okay but if it is not, you might want to consider having separate savings accounts. There should be no secret funds and you should be saving together.

Paid the bills, or not

There will be times when you miss a due date for a bill and it will be tempting to tell your husband that you have already settled it. Honesty is still the best policy when it comes to situations like these. You do not want your partner to be surprised especially on matters that may affect your credit score and credit history.

Fuel prices have been sky rocketing in the past few years, and a good chunk of our pay check goes to our transportation cost. If you are thinking of saving some money on your transportation, here are some suggestions:

Public transportation

If your work is in another county or city, it is but reasonable to take public transportation. Most cities have very efficient train system and bus services even if you are from the suburbs. Just do the math and you will see that you will be spending more on fuel rather that your daily commute using a bus pass. Plus you can read or nap while you are on the road.

Car Pool

Another alternative is to car pool with friends, classmates, or co-workers. Aside from saving money since you do not have to pay toll gates, parking, and fuel by yourself, you also help keep the air cleaner since your car in the garage means one car less spewing carbon dioxide on the road. Just make sure that you coordinate and plan well with your car pool buddies so you can avoid schedule and meet up hassles.

Choosing the right car

If you really have to drive your own car to work, then start saving money by choosing and buying the right car. Look for fuel efficient cars. If you are going for a used car, look for a model which is more recent and a vehicle with a low mileage. Once you own a vehicle, make sure that you maintain it well so it will run smoothly. Change your oil as advised, keep the tire pressures right, and easy on the pedals.

Other ways to save money on transportation

Make sure you have the right insurance policy for your vehicle. Try to increase your deductible, get rid of the comprehensive if you own an older vehicle, and bundle your insurance policies to save some hard earned money.

Plan your trips well so you avoid unnecessary trips. You can also use websites to monitor fuel prices or locate gas stations where fuel maybe priced a bit lower.

You will be swamped with tons of money saving tips as we begin the New Year. Some may be do-able while some may seem to come from another world. If you need to save some money, here are some useful tips for you:

Complain

If you bought something which do not satisfy you, you have all the reasons to complain to get the most out of your hard earned money.

Pause before you buy

A few days of waiting before buying something you like always works. This pause gives you enough time to think and decide if you really are buying wisely. You can also use this time to compare prices and if you can get a better deal from a different store or see if you have better alternatives.

Keep track of your finances

You should know what’s going in and out of your bank account on a monthly basis. Once you get your bank statement go thru the record and try to balance it or compare it with your own notes. You will learn a lot if you know where every penny goes.

Eyes on the interest rate

Do not believe the 0% interest offer you see everywhere. This just means that they have already rolled their profit up with the sticker price of the item. If you are paying for it cash, ask if you can get the item on a cheaper price.

Make use of technology

As much as big companies make most of their computers and other devices to be profitable, make most of your computer at home. You can use it to help you monitor your finances, make a budget, do grocery and shopping lists, and even managing your time wisely.

Information about the credit crisis and the 2000′s financial crisis in general. Stuff like credit default swaps, sub-prime mortgages, collateralized debt-obligations etc gets explained in layman’s terms.

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Of all the reasons for you to refinance mortgage loans that you already have, the ability to get a better interest rate is perhaps one of the best ones. There are many ways in which this reason can apply to your particular life. That is why there are already so many people out there that routinely refinance loans at a regular stage so that they can get a better interest rate for the second part of the mortgage.

One example of such a deal would be getting a fixed interest rate reduced through the refinance mortgage deal. Say that you had a mortgage loan with an 8% interest rate and a 20-year term that had been paid halfway through. At this point, the bank might very well be willing to refinance your mortgage down to a 7% or 6% interest rate in order to keep you a happy customer and therefore get more of your business later. Some banks do it, so it is definitely worth asking about.

Another example that occurs quite a bit more often is doing a refinance mortgage loan in order to get into a fixed interest rate from a variable one. People might do this if they feel the market conditions have been bad to them throughout and they might also do it if they feel that the variable rates are about to shoot through the roof. In any case, this is one of the most common reasons for a refinance to take place.

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