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By [Really Long Link]Brandon Schmid

I think it's time to go back to school. Well, you don't actually need to jump on the school bus, get a new school bag, lug around about 10 pounds of paper and highlighters and dodge spit balls, but I think it is time for us to get some personal finance help. Here is a short quiz that you can zip through to discover if you know your finances.

1. It's always better to choose the longest amortization term with your mortgage because you'll pay less each month.

a: True

b: False

2. There's actually no difference on the amount of interest you'll end up paying over the length of your mortgage if you contribute once a month or twice a month.

a. True
b. False

3. What is a dividend?

a. A cash rebate traded among lenders
b. A payment of additional shares of stock to stockholders
c. A monetary bonus for employees
d. The opposite of multiplication

4. What is the best financial tool at your disposal?

a. Planning a household budget
b. Using a computer for your taxes
c. Always keep your checkbook in balance
d. Seeking personal finance help from a professional

5. Do you know what as asset is?

a. A car, laptop or clothing
b. It is cash, property or stocks
c. Anything owned that has exchange value
d. All of the above

ANSWERS:

1. b - False

It's incredible how much interest you end up saving if you lessen the amount of time over which you pay a mortgage. Try making a larger payment each month so you can save save thousands upon thousands of dollars. The more quickly you can pay it off, the better.


Amortization period Monthly payment Total interest over the lifetime of the mortgage

35 years $565.25 $137,408
25 years $639.81 $91,940
20 years $712.19 $70,925

Amount saved with a shorter amortization period -- $66,483

2. b- False

By making your mortgage payment once every two weeks or twice a month you will eliminate your mortgage much faster. In fact it ends up being an extra payment per year. If you are more of a number person, this chart will create a little better understanding and provide a little personal finance help.

3. b - A payment of additional shares of stock to stockholders

A lot of people who dabble in stocks only choose stocks that pay in additional shares to stockholders. Imagine you had taken dividends as your stock option when Microsoft or Apple were in their infancy? Plenty of investors did and made a fortune.

4. a - Planning a household budget

All of the options in question are important financial aides to use but the most important one is planning a household budget. It is wise to understand where all of your money is headed and how much remains to spend and save. Always make a household budget if you want to keep track of your finances.

5. d - All of the above

This one may have fooled you but an asset by definition is 'anything owned that has exchange value'. In short an asset can be anything. Certainly many assets are better investments than others (like property or stock options) but even the slow old laptop that your parents bought for you when you headed off to college is an asset.

I trust this quiz was fun and gave you some of the personal finance help you deserve. You have to stay on top of your cash and learn as much about your finances as possible. The more informed you are chances are you will achieve your financial goals. I know you have already created a number of financial goals.

Cheers until next time!

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Smile With This Frugal Shopping Tip

December 11th 2009 03:20
Shopping, especially grocery shopping can be no fun. Getting your list ready can be a hazel in and of itself let alone the coupon cutting, line waiting, child screening, spill on aisle 7 avoiding craziness the supermarkets can be. It was high time fellow shoppers took action to help each other out and brighten the mood at these haunts.

There is a very simple way that you could do this: as you go through the torture of cutting out your own coupons take the chance to cut out additional coupons of those products that you always see people buying that you never happen to buy. This could be the female razor that is simply too feminine for your chiseled chin. Or it could be that Axe body spray that you simply don't want females all over because you don't play for the other team.

The product itself doesn't matter. What matters is that you don't buy it but others do. You take these coupons with you to the store in your messy pile of coupons that you have to dig through. Better yet you put them in their own specially marked envelop so that you don't complicate your own situation. Having them handy is the key. Then as you walk through the store you place the coupons near the products that they are for like a human, coupon-laying Easter bunny.

Then, as some person who actually wants the item walks up they will have a pleasant surprise as they realize that not only do they get a delicious cup-o-noodles but they also get a nice $0.50 discount on said noodles. This will increase their happiness to the max. You will also benefit in know that your actions had a direct and positive affect on another human being. The satisfaction will tingle for hours on end. For those particularly brave and very interested in being strict utilitarians you might want to consider handing the coupons out to individuals rather than leaving them blindly on store aisle and end caps.

That way you get that extra boost of happiness by witnessing first hand the joy you bestow on these lucky individuals. This will increase your happiness significantly. It also might increase the beneficiary's happiness as well, since humans are very social by nature. You might even start up a conversation and become grocery store friends. Who doesn't want grocery store friends? If you are of the opposite sex and find each other attractive for physical, emotional, spiritual, or intellectual reasons you could even start up a romantic relationship after first establishing a solid friendship.

Then you could tell your children that they should be frugal too since you met your spouse by being frugal and employing a coupon sharing shopping tip. Remember, the quality of life of those around can be directly impacted by your actions. If you are loving and kind around them they will benefit and so you will - both in the deep inward satisfaction that will result in you as well as the benefit you will receive in kind from someone looking toward your benefit in the future. Being kind is always rewarding.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
To find out more about frugal shopping and about frugality in general check out My Family's Money.
ARTICLE SOURCE:
Populate.NET
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Green Living on a Budget

October 12th 2009 12:51
Many families would like to go green, but feel they cannot afford it. However, there are many easy ways to help the environment while on a budget.

Going green is something that can be accomplished by everyone! Here are some easy ways to help the environment while saving money.

If you drive a gas-guzzler, you may have a hard time trading it in. If you could use less gas, you would save money and help the environment. Consider walking, biking, or using public transportation. Planning your trips and grouping as many into one trip will save gas.

Do you have a baby? Believe it or not, you can parent green, too! Breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and homemade baby food are environmentally friendly and budget friendly, too. If you need more information on these natural parenting methods, simply use the Internet to search for information and web articles.

When you go shopping, do you come home with a ton of plastic bags? These bags are horrible for the earth, and humans use a large amount of them every year. Some stores will take back your used bags, and there are many creative ways to use them at home. However, most stores sell reusable shopping bags for a low price. They typically cost a dollar a bag, and a great option for the environment.

Read More
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Back to School - Back to Baking

August 17th 2009 19:41
Every year as school time comes, I get back into the kitchen with my baking at full blast. I bake bread for school lunches, muffins for breakfasts and dinners for the entire week on Sunday. This is a great time saver and money saver.

School Bread for Kids


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Think Big - Think Frugal

July 14th 2009 13:14
For families that need to save more money, buying in bulk has gained a lot of popularity. While the cost of buying in bulk may be more on the front side, the price per unit is less in the end.

Price per unit is the key to buying in bulk. The more you buy, in most cases, the less you are paying per unit. That unit could be an ounce or a pound, among other units of measure. The smaller the package, the more the consumer will pay, thus the power of buying in bulk


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In order to live a frugally happy life, you need to find the best savings accounts for your personal money. These accounts will provide an instant return on investment and allow the finances to build themselves over time. All the household needs to do is consistently add to the savings account and the money will build exponentially.

Not everyone feels they have the money to save week to week, but that is not really the case. With a savings account that yields high - you can place less money in the account and that money will grow as if you had deposited more


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Get to Kneading My Friend

May 30th 2009 01:41
Today, I ran out of bread. I was left with two hungry children, some lunch meat and nothing to put the meat on. It was then that I remembered not so long ago, I used to bake bread every day. The cost of baking bread is minimal compared to the $2.00 a loaf it costs to keep 20 slices of the stuff in the house. When you make your own bread, you also know and can regulate the exact ingredients.

Fresh Bread Recipe


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More Money Saving Tips

April 25th 2009 14:54
At home, you could start living on less fuel and energy for example.

Save money on your heating bills by ensuring your attic, which is warmer than most of the other areas in your home, has more than at least 12 inches of insulation so that it retains the heat and does not require much heating. Never keep a cracked glass or windowpane on your windows as these allow the hot air, or cold air as the case may be that is found within the room to be let out. Similarly, make sure that there are no loose hinges, gaps or loose door knobs that let out the air from inside the room as this could lead to longer use of the heating or cooling systems


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The Cutbacks in How to Save Money

March 28th 2009 01:14
Cut back on groceries and gas expense to save money.

Groceries


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How to Live on Less to Save More

March 19th 2009 01:59
Living on less is living sensibly but if the less stretches to the point of deprivation, then it cannot be termed as wise or sensible.
There are many areas in your life where with a little bit of judicious thinking and calculation, you could live life on less and save more for the future and at the same time not feel deprived or discontented. It is more important to assess your needs and spend for them, rather than give in to those impulses or ideas that can only mean more spending and saving less.

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