10 Financial Tips for Sexy Consumers

Being sexy can be summarized in 3 main areas: attitude, confidence and image. Attitude relates to your views on life, usually an optimistic person who can take criticism well and always remains positive. Confidence is how you feel about yourself no matter what someone else says about you or does to you. Image is the physical appearance of a person, their smile, their teeth, their hair, their walk, their laugh, their face, their body, how they dress, how they smell.

According to a study by ING 61% of the men that participated in the survey feel that women who are frugal are smart and sexy. Cash is king and having a savings account makes you more attractive and appealing. When you are in debt and have bad credit it is hard to focus on anything else and if you do, you can’t give it your all because of your financial problems especially when it comes to relationships.  Saving is smart. Investing is smarter. Good credit is smart and sexy. Saving the environment is sexy. Saving is sexy. Here are 10 financial tips for sexy consumers.

1.     Being debt free is fantastic. Save money on interest by paying more than the minimum monthly credit card or loan payment which helps pay your balance down faster so you can get out of debt. Keep debt balances at than 10% of your monthly income.

2.     Pay down debt as fast as twista rhymes. Pay ½ the balance with the 1^st paycheck then pay the remaining balance with the 2^nd paycheck or pay the minimum monthly payment when you get the bill, then each week pay as much as you can toward the balance.

3.     Act like a celebrity and go green. Help save the environment by filing your taxes electronically and get your refund in 2 weeks from the date of filing. Use tax preparation software like Turbo Tax or Tax Cut to help with the tax filing process.

4.     Stay cozy and keep money in your pocket. Do an annual check on your heating system. Insulate your attic. Automate thermostat settings and use the lowest setting. Seal drafts and cover floors to retain heat. Open blinds during the day to let heat in.

5.     Social media can be your enemy. Many debt collectors and some state taxing authorities are searching for consumers on social media networks who owe debt. If you owe debt, hide your profile from public access or just be responsible and pay your debt.

6.     Plan for the unexpected. Create an emergency savings fund to cover all of your monthly bills and expenses for 9-12 months. Create a backup plan if some financial crisis occurs and you need extra money. Have a plan A, B, C and D.

7.     Shop like the rich. Set a budget and find bargains online, use coupons or shop at holiday sales. Mix and match basic pieces with fashionable accessories such as belts, earrings, bracelets, shoes and purses. Buy knockoff pieces for extra style. Shop at discount stores and outlets for name brand pieces for less.

8.     Cut back. See what areas you can reduce spending by creating a balanced budget to stay out of debt. Thirty-five percent should go towards housing, 15% towards debt, 25% towards transportation, 10% towards savings, and 15% towards other expenses.

9.     Plan for the future. Open a retirement account and save at least 10% towards your retirement each month. You will need 60-80% of your pre-retirement salary for a minimum of 20 years to have enough money during retirement or at least $1,000,000. 

10.  Don’t be a question mark.  Know your net worth (assets - liabilities). Verify your net worth annually. Know how much you earn, how much you owe and how many assets you have. Use the figure as a baseline to increase your net worth on a yearly basis. 

How to Save Money At Starbucks

Americans love drinking coffee but love drinking Starbucks even more. Americans have even become addicted to Starbucks. Americans who never drank coffee now go to Starbucks to drink coffee or some variation. The Starbucks marketing team is great to have that kind of affect on people but how has it affected you?

For the past several years Starbucks has dominated the coffee industry but now have a little competition from companies like McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. This is especially true now during the slow economy. Americans are most conscious of their spending and some are making a great effort to live below their means and reduce their spending on extra treat such as Starbucks.

In January 2010, Starbucks increased their prices in certain areas and customers are not happy about the price hikes. Some customers have skipped the Starbucks and opted for coffee from Starbucks competitors.

Some Starbucks lovers are buying their Starbucks from other retailers such Safeway, Kroger, Walmart, Target, CVS as or online at sites such as discountcoffee.com or amazon.com.

The average price of one cup of Starbucks coffee costs $5.50 and in one year that equals to $1,375. If you buy a complex or specialty coffee with extras you could pay up to $9 for one cup. What would you do with that extra money?

Although Starbucks now offers an instant coffee for $1 you can still get coffee cheaper at the grocery store or buying in bulk at discount stores such as Costco or Sams Club. If you buy coffee from the grocery store a 27.8 ounce can of ground coffee can range from $7.39 to $10.99. Costco sells 18 – 2.5 ounce bags of coffee or 45 ounces for $42.03. Compare that with 1-12 ounce bag of Starbucks ground coffee for $9.99. If you love coffee here are some ways to save money.

1. Regular Coffee – Drink regular coffee instead of Starbucks. Remember what you did BS (before Starbucks) - you drank regular coffee. People seem to be addicted to Starbucks as though they never drank regular coffee. Unless you have several shares of Starbucks stock which earns more money each than you spend a month at Starbucks skip it. Every once in a while splurge on a cup of Starbucks but don’t make it a daily habit.

2. Short Cappuccino (Short Cap) – Order a short cap which is only available by request. It is smaller and costs less than the “Tall” Cappuccino.

3. Starbucks Regular – Buy the Starbucks coffee instead of a latte. You can save approximately $1.50.

4. Pairing – Starbucks sometimes offer customers options when purchasing a latte and a desert. Ask about their "pairing" specials. You can save approximately $1.00-$1.40.

5. Substitute Latte – Order 1-2 shots of expresso or macchiato in a large cup and fill with milk. You can also use half-n-half instead of milk in the macchiato. You can save approximately $.50-$1.20.