They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That’s especially true when it comes to our health. One way to maintain good health is to make certain we get the proper nutrition. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best ways to nourish our bodies. Vitamin and mineral supplements, while not a substitute for eating right, can serve to ensure that you reach and maintain optimal nutritional health.

But vitamins and supplements can be expensive. The good news is, if you do eat healthy, you don’t need to take a whole alphabet worth of vitamins. Unless you have a specific deficiency, which has been diagnosed by your doctor, a multi-vitamin is sufficient for supplementing your diet and ensuring all your nutritional bases are covered.

Here’s some useful information about supplements in general to help you make wise choices:

  • Talk to your doctor about vitamins. He or she can tell you if you could benefit from a specific supplement. In addition, some vitamin supplements can interfere with the effectiveness of prescription medications, so he or she needs to be aware of what you take.
  • Mega doses are unnecessary. Even though in appropriate amounts, vitamins and minerals are beneficial, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Taking more of a particular vitamin or mineral than your body needs can cause a harmful, even toxic, buildup. Additionally, having high concentrations of certain vitamins or minerals can interfere with the absorption of others, actually leading to a deficiency where one did not exist.
  • Take the “right” calcium. When taking a calcium supplement, choose calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate is more easily absorbed by the body, so you get more benefit from the calcium.

Tips for buying vitamins:

  • Do your research. Do some reading before you’re in the store. Learn what you’re looking for, why you need it and how much of it your body needs. A pharmacist may be able to steer you in the right direction as well. Bear in mind that, while salespeople may be knowledgeable, it’s their job to sell you vitamins. They’re not the most unbiased people to ask about what you should buy. If you’ve done your homework, however, you won’t fall for hype or sales pitches.
  • More is not always better (or necessary). Don’t overdo your dosage. If you need 1000mg of “Vitamin Z” don’t pay more for 2000mg capsules, thinking you’ll get twice the benefit.
  • Compare ingredients. Name brands aren’t automatically “better” but they generally are automatically more expensive. You’re likely to find the same ingredients in the same amounts in cheaper brands but do take the time to check the labels to make certain.
  • Price around. Make the effort to learn what constitutes a good price for the supplement(s) you take. Vitamins and supplements are sold at membership clubs, online drugstores, discount stores, your local drugstore and grocery stores to name a few. Take advantage of a good price but remember, they expire, so don’t stock more than you can take before their expiration date.
  • Resist the urge to self-prescribe. Vitamins and supplements are well-advertised and can lead you to believe they can do more for you than they really can. If you think a certain supplement may be beneficial to you, talk to your doctor for all the facts before purchasing.

The time to consider vitamins and supplements is before you buy them. Knowing exactly what you need will help you make the right choice for your health and your pocketbook.

How do you save on vitamins and supplements?

When it comes to your finances, every little bit can help. This includes your banking fees. When you pay bank fees, that’s a significant money leak that goes right out of your pocket. If you want to reduce your bank fees, here are some ideas that can help you save money:

1. Shop Around for the Best Banks

One of the things you can do is shop around for the best banks. Look for banks that don’t charge fees, or that have low fees. Be choosy. After all, you are the customer! Look for a bank that is likely to have good customer service and that will let you access your money without charging you.

2. Create a Financial Plan

One of the reasons many people incur fees is due to overdrawing their accounts. A spending plan can really help you avoid this state of affairs. Take a look at your monthly income, and plan your monthly spending so that you are living within your means.

Among the biggest reasons that people end up with fees is due to spending more than they earn. The bank may let the transactions go through, but your fees will add up — it’s one of the best ways for banks to make money.

3. Avoid ATMs

Avoid ATMs that charge fees. You might be able to your bank’s ATM fee-free, but other ATMs might not be as inexpensive. You can avoid ATM fees by going into the bank, or even by getting cash back at the store when you use your debit card. For better results, you can even bank with an institution that offers to reimburse you for ATM fees, or use a credit union that belongs to a co-op or network that includes free ATMs.

4. Know Your Bank’s Terms

Keep track of your bank’s terms and conditions. Carefully read bank statements that come your way. These often include notices about changes to fees. Many banks are instituting new fees, and testing out new fees. Pay attention to mail you receive from your bank, and keep track of the kinds of actions you can take to avoid fees.

Some banks will waive fees if you maintain a certain account minimum, or if you have more products, such as loans and investment accounts, with the bank. You can also receive special fee-related treatment if you engage in a certain amount of transactions each month. Make sure you understand the requirements so that you don’t end up paying fees.

5. Opt Out of Standard Overdraft Services

If you really want to reduce your ability to be charged overdraft fees, you can opt out of the standard overdraft protection services. These services allow transactions at ATMs and stores to go through — even though you may not have the money in your account. Opting out, though, means your transaction is rejected. That helps you avoid the related fees.

However, some transactions aren’t included. Many automatic payments, such as when you mortgage payment is automatically deducted from your account, still go through, even if you opt out. But opting out can prevent overdraft fees for every day spending.

Some people just seem to have a knack for spending money, even when they don’t have money to spend. When they do have money, it seems to burn a hole through their pocket before it has the chance to make it to the bank.

Compulsive spending is like any other bad habit – easy to become entrapped in, and difficult to break free from. The compulsion to spend money plagues all of us at one time or another, but for some it is an outright addiction that can create significant debt, bad credit, and a host of other problems. Many compulsive buyers are ashamed of their behavior and may even try to hide it from family and friends.

For those who are willing to admit their problem, there is hope.  If you are compulsive buyer, don’t worry – you can choose to remain anonymous. The following are some tips for curbing your impulse buying and breaking bad spending habits once and for all.

  1. If you are a compulsive spender, don’t go shopping ‘just to look.’ Why? Because you know you won’t ‘just look.’ You will see something you like and will feel compelled to buy it. As much as you may enjoy shopping, until you can get your spending habits under control, shopping is your proverbial kryptonite. Get in the habit of shopping only for what you need and/or have carefully decided to purchase before you enter the store.
  2. Shop with cash, not with plastic. It’s much easier to visually keep track of how much you are spending when you are using cash than it is when you are using a debit or credit card. As a further precaution, take only money designated for shopping with you so you don’t blow money budgeted for other areas. When the money is gone, you’re done shopping. It’s that simple.
  3. If necessary, close credit card accounts and shred cards to keep yourself from giving in to a spending spree. If you don’t have a credit card to use, you won’t have to fight the temptation to not use it.
  4. Study yourself: when are you most likely to spend on impulse? Is it when you’re with friends? Is it when you’re alone? Is it when you’re sad, angry, happy, or bored?  Identifying the trigger emotions and settings is the key to changing your response to them.
  5. If you see something you want, write it down and wait a few hours, a few days, or up to a month before re-assessing your need for it. For smaller purchases, you may only need to leave the store and wait a few hours or days to let the ‘buzz’ get out of your system so you can make a clear-headed decision. For more expensive purchases, it’s wise to wait several weeks and then re-assess your need for it. You may frequently find that your ‘need’ for something is only a fleeting perception.

Changing bad habits is hard for all of us, but important, nonetheless. Getting your spending under control will not only contribute to your financial health and future, but your emotional and physical well-being as well.

Smartphones were once a luxury. Since their evolution, they’ve become in-disposable tools with so many uses. Not the least of which is saving money.

Apps abound that propose to save you time and money. With this list, you’ll have 5 top programs for your phone putting saving money at your fingertips. Use them wisely and you’ll feel the difference in your wallet.

Without further ado, your top 5 Smart Saving Apps for Smartphones:

1. GasBuddy puts an end to circling around searching for the cheapest gas. With this app you’ll find the gas closest to you and at the cheapest prices. It is a community of users that updates the prices and you can earn rewards toward their giveaways every time you report them in your area. They’ve earned a 5 star rating on iTunes with over 9,000 reviews. Don’t drive around guessing anymore. Use GasBuddy to save time and money.

2. Mint, named Best Mobile Personal Finance Tool by LifeHacker, helps you keep track of your balance. No more guessing. No more waiting for to get home to check online. Check your balance before you decide to spend on that beautiful cashmere sweater and save yourself the heartache of overdraft charges. So useful, it’s received 4.5 stars; the biggest complaints being there’s no sync with the desktop app. Use Mint to stay on top of YOUR mint.

3. Skype is a free app that allows you to talk overseas for free. Yes, for free. Download Skype and make free video calls from anywhere. You’ll no longer be chained to your desk when you call friends and family across the waters. The ratings on this last version, however, aren’t up to par with the earlier ones. But as an experienced user, I can say that I haven’t had any problems (outside of an occasional connection issue. that are existent no matter what service you use to call overseas anyway).

4. KiK Messenger let’s you say good bye to overseas text charges. Tired of being charged up to $1.25 for a text message any time you’ve wanted to just say hello. How many times have you opted NOT to say anything because of the international text fees? With KiK Messenger, you can text and never sweat another international fee. Go ahead! Text your cousin Jo in UK and tell her how much you miss her! Keep in touch with your friends and family with this 4.5 star rated app that even lets you send and share pics!

5. GeoQPons let’s you find and use coupons via your smartphone. You can now keep that $2.00 off coupon for diapers instead of having to remember to haul it around! This app has a 4.5 star rating and even includes local stores. They, too, have a rewards program that will allow you to earn a $10 Amazon gift card if you recruit a local store to start advertising on their site. Never sweat another lost clipping again.

That’s the top 5! With these apps, you’ll save in the places that matter most to you.

What apps do you know and love and can’t live without?

When we were children, our fathers often reminded us that we didn’t need to’ “turn every light in the house on,” because they were well aware of how using unnecessary energy drives up the electric bill. It was an important lesson to learn and hopefully we continue to heed their advice by tuning off unnecessary lights and other energy-using appliances around our house, like fans, electric blankets, space heaters, televisions and outdoor lighting.

Sometimes we don’t even realize how much energy we’re using at any given time. It’s a good idea to give the subject some thought so as to become more aware of what is using energy without giving us any particular benefit. Between being vigilant around the house and making some minor changes like raising the temperature on the thermostat in the Summer and lowering it in the Winter, using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs and automating the on/off times of our lighting and temperature control, we can really help cut back on energy usage. After all, the less power we consume, the less our energy provider can bill us for.

A newer take on wasteful power consumption focuses on less-obvious sources of energy usage: the energy that electrical appliances use when they are plugged in but NOT in use. It’s true – some appliances suck power even when they’re not actively being used. This type of energy drain is sometimes referred to as, “vampire,” “standby”or “phantom” energy loss. According to the Union for Concerned Scientists’ “Greentips” feature, phantom energy loss accounts for approximately five percent of a U.S. home’s electric consumption, at a cumulative nation-wide cost of $5.8 billion per year.

The frugal among us don’t want to pay for something from which we get no benefit, so let’s discuss which appliances are the biggest energy vampires. These are the major culprits:

  • Battery chargers (for phones, digital cameras, electronic devices, tools…) draw power even when the device is fully charged or not even connected.
  • Appliances and equipment which have standby or “sleep” mode, like computers and monitors, draw power to keep the device “on” even when it’s inactive.

Basically, any appliance that needs power available to update information or display data (like a modem or digital clock) can be considered a vampire if what it produces serves no benefit to you when you’re not using it. For example, a game console that remembers the date and time is a vampire if it’s sitting hooked up but unplayed.

Here’s an interesting and handy Energy Calculator to help you become aware of and familiar with the things around your house that can secretly suck power, wasting energy and your money. Going through the exercise of discovering the appliances and devices that draw energy – and how much – will help you to cut back where you see waste.

It’s recommended that you unplug appliances and devices that you use infrequently so they’re not displaying, say, the time or their status, when you’re not using it. To avoid hassle of plugging and unplugging more frequently-used vampires, plug all your phone chargers, for instance, into one power strip which can easily be plugged in when needed and unplugged when it’s not.

It’s always nice to find small ways to save that don’t significantly impact your standard of living or disrupt your habits or routines. In the same way a sale price, a coupon or an all-around frugal mindset saves a little here and a little there, these small changes can and do add up to big savings and more money at your command.

Where are your energy vampires lurking?

One of the biggest difficulties with maintaining a frugal lifestyle is related to what we consider “needs.” It’s very easy for luxuries to progress to the level of “needs,” even though they aren’t actually necessary for survival. Consider some of the items that, in modern society, many people consider “needs”:

  • Cell phones (and even smart phones)
  • Televisions
  • Cars
  • Computers and Internet access
  • A larger home with individual rooms for each child
  • Gaming systems and other media equipment
  • Cable/satellite TV
  • A large number of extracurricular activities for children

It’s true that some of these items might be considered needs. If you don’t have public transportation readily available, it might be necessary to own a car in order to get to work and earn the money you need to live. However, do you really need two cars? Or do you need a car with the bells and whistles?

I know that I need a computer and Internet access. I work online, earning money from home, so without Internet access our family has a hard time meeting its obligations. But there is no need for me to buy a new computer each year, or pay for really expensive service.

When Luxuries Become “Needs”

Even though some of the items that people decades ago would have seen as luxuries are occasionally needful, the majority of items that we have come to accept as “normal” are luxuries. Indeed many consumer items have slowly threaded their way into every day life, and many of us can’t imagine life without them. But that doesn’t make them truly indispensable. In fact, if you really thought about it, you might discover that many of the items we consider essential to maintain an “acceptable” quality of life are actually the products of lifestyle inflation.

Before you buy the latest electronic gadget, or decide to “upgrade” to a bigger house, it’s important to consider your true needs. Many young people might think that a smart phone — with its expensive monthly service plan — is a need. However, the truth is that a smart phone is really just a luxury. Most people find that a regular cell phone (or even no cell phone at all) is sufficient.

The problem with turning former luxuries into current needs is that it obscures the realities of frugal living, and it can lead you to believe that you are cutting back everywhere you can, even if you truly aren’t. If you view three household televisions as “needs,” you are going to have a hard time cutting back. If you think that you “need” cable TV in order to live the good life, that’s between $40 and $200 a month (depending on your package) you are spending each month. Sell some TVs, get rid of the cable, jettison the smart phones and data plans, and consider downsizing. You might be surprised at what you can live without if you just cut the cord.

There are so many aspects of modern society that we just accept as “needs,” even though they aren’t. Take a closer look at your spending, and consider how you could live the good life without succumbing to consumerism.

Mail-in rebates have been around for a long time. But, honestly, how many of us actually bother mailing them in by the deadline unless they are worth a significant amount of money? The good news is that’s there’s a new, faster, more convenient way to take advantage of rebate offers, and it takes place where many shoppers are finding themselves increasingly more at home, both figuratively and literally: the Internet.

Rebate websites may be an unfamiliar term if you are newer to Internet shopping, but are definitely worth considering for their money-saving potential. There are hundreds of rebate sites to choose from, many of which have been long-standing and are very reputable. Here’s how they work:

  • Rebate sites are free to join. If they aren’t free, something’s wrong. Rebate websites make their money from the retailers they are promoting sales for, not their users. Often, sites will even offer initial bonuses just for signing up with them and referring friends because this increases their revenue.
  • Rebate websites allow you to receive cash-back percentages or flat-rate rebates for purchasing items or services from online retailers they are affiliated with. Many sites offer anywhere from 5-30% or more off your purchases. Sometimes rebate websites also offer additional incentives for using links on their websites to purchase items from featured retailers. These deals tend to change regularly, so it’s a good idea to check out which rebates are being offered and where so you know where to shop for a particular item.
  • Payments from rebate websites are made using either PayPal or check at regular intervals or whenever your rebates reach the minimum balance, usually between $5-$10.  There aren’t limits on how much cash back you can earn, however. The greater your spending activity, the greater the rebates; just keep in mind that you are still spending money.
  • Rebate websites feature many popular retailers, so you can choose a site which offers rebates on merchandise you buy regularly to increase your savings. If you are using rebate sites to shop for items you wouldn’t have purchased otherwise, it’s not helping you save money. Shop around for rebate websites, themselves, to find one or more which offer rebates for retailers you already frequent to truly increase your savings.
  • There is no limit on how many rebate websites you can join. The more rebate websites you join, the more your savings potential, since each site features a different set of retailers. Many rebate sites send daily or weekly emails alerting you to the latest deals so you know when and where to shop to get the most savings. Again, you will only save money as long as you are still purchasing items you would otherwise.

If you are already a fan of online shopping, do a little research on rebate websites to see which ones offer the most cash back advantage to your shopping habits and start saving today. In a way, rebate website memberships are a little like ‘extreme couponing’ within the walls of your home, where there will be no one to criticize your crazy money-saving methods.

There’s a massive difference between smart and dangerous couponing. If you’re into “Extreme Couponing,” you might be a hoarder. But you don’t have to be. Couponing is simply clipping and using coupons – not clipping and using coupons to grab enough groceries and goods to get you through the Apocalypse.

That’s hoarding.

The way to coupon that actually saves you money is to clip, collect, and redeem coupons for the items you use and want to try. You can even stockpile for the next store cycle of advertisements (I’ll get to that part in a minute).

You should NOT clip and use enough coupons to wipe out the grocery store shelves, unless you want to be a hoarder.

If you love Charmin toilet paper and you’ve got a couple of coupons? Great! You can never have enough toilet paper, unless we are talking about 250 coupons just for toilet paper. If this is the case, then walk away. No, run away. Few Americans can comfortably or sanely store 250 packages of toilet paper. Only buy what you can reasonably use in the next 6-8 weeks.

Be Aware of Grocery Store Cycles
Grocery stores cycle their sale items every 6-8 weeks. Once you’ve been in the couponing gig for a while, you’ll know what sales are approaching, without a lot of thought.

Charmin’s sale won’t circle around again for another six weeks, at least. Florida Orange Juice will be on sale next week, then dip into hiding for a month and a half. Until you have the cycles figured out, do this:

  • Check the sales this week
  • Clip enough coupons
  • Buy the stock you can use for the next six weeks
  • Repeat next week
  • And the next

Do NOT buy significantly more than what you need. You should be smart about your purchases and savings, instead of buying for the sake of buying.

What do you do if you’ve found that you’ve bought more than you need?

  • Donate the excess.
  • Give it to your neighbors.
  • Just skip this cycle of purchases.

Once you get into serious couponing, you’re running your home as a warehouse and you’ll need to manage it that way.

A warehouse manager can’t afford to stock more than she has room for, and a good manager knows how to streamline their floor with intelligent organization.

Organize Your Coupons and Your Stock
Wherever you get your coupons from, be sure to keep them organized. Get a binder with top loading clear inserts that let you easily see what you have inside. Group them together by grocery store sections you shop, or by the floor plan of the grocery store. This allows you to easily flip through the pages as you stroll through the store. Once you’re an expert couponer, you’ll need to organize your stock as well.

Organizing your stock is a great way to keep yourself far from the world of hoarding. A well-organized system let’s you easily see what you have. This helps you avoid overstocking, even when the air freshener’s cycling again and you could save 70%.

Hoarding is a dangerous habit, and hard to control once you’re knee deep into buying “just because” you have the easy excuse of a coupon. Keep yourself in check and calculate how much you’re going to need each item over the coming 6-8 weeks so you can buy only that. Organize your coupons along with your stock and you’ll always know when too much is too much.

Are you a couponer? What are your secrets to smart couponing?

Recently I discovered a saving secret at my new grocery store – a cart full of bargain bread! At certain fortunate times of the day, a customer can find a cart in the bakery department overflowing with loaves of bakery breads and bags of rolls at super-discounted prices – often one-sixth the regular price! That’s a significant savings by anyone’s standards. During a recent shopping trip I bought each of the following for $.49: a bag of 5 bagels, a bag of 12 bolillo rolls (perfect for sandwiches), a 1 lb package of 2 sweet Italian loaves and a 1 lb loaf of bakery white bread. That day I came home from grocery shopping with an all new meaning of “carb loading.”

Even if your grocery store doesn’t offer a bargain bread cart, you can find discounted bread at name brand bread outlet stores. Make a stock-up trip to one every couple weeks for great prices on baked goods. For very little monetary investment, a plethora of bread can enable you to make many different dishes and ingredients.

Most likely, the reason the breads ware so steeply discounted is that their expiration date was quickly approaching. Of course, it was more bread than I could use in a short amount of time so the clock was ticking to put it to good use. Here are some of the frugal ways I use extra bread:

  • Freeze it – At the very least, stash some bread in the freezer so you don’t run out. Most homes go through bread rapidly so it’s nice to have extra on hand. Bread products freeze beautifully and can be quickly thawed.
  • Table bread – Any slices, loaves or rolls can be served with meals. Think of your favorite restaurant’s basket of mixed breads and rolls placed upon your table.
  • Garlic bread – Use sliced breads, or slice loaves or rolls, spread with olive oil or butter and a sprinkle of granulated garlic and pop into the oven for a few minutes for some tasty garlic bread.
  • Plan menus around the breads you have – Put toast and sandwiches on your household’s menu when you have extra breads on hand.
  • French toast /strata /bread pudding – Many recipes call for “day-old” bread for best results. These dishes require slightly stale bread to soak in a mixture of milk and eggs. The drier bread soaks up the other ingredients like a sponge.
  • Dry it – Croutons for salad or soup, homemade stuffing and breadcrumbs can easily be made by drying bread in the oven. If desired, season it with your favorite spices and flavorings before putting it in the oven (garlic, Parmesan cheese, onion, Italian herbs…) Panzanella (bread salad) is a delicious way to use dried cubes of bread, tossed with fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
  • Bagel chips – Using fresh bagels, slice very thinly, spread with oil or butter, season as desired and dry them slowly on a baking sheet in a low oven. These make a tasty snack on their own or can substitute for crackers with dips or cheese.

Bread is one of those grocery items that doesn’t immediately come to mind as a budget-buster, like meats. Like other groceries, however, breads can sneak up and take a bigger bite out of your budget than you expect. Cutting down wherever you can frees up money for other items.

Of course, you never know precisely what you’ll find in that cart of discounted bread – that’s half the fun! The more ideas you have in your recipe arsenal, the more you’ll be able to do with whatever you do find.

How do you save on bread?

With tax season in full swing, it’s time to figure out what you owe (and what might be owed to you). One of the questions that many have, especially if they have been investing, has to do with capital gains. Many people have questions about how their capital gains are taxed.

Before you file your tax return, make sure you understand the different taxes that you might pay on capital gains.

What are Capital Gains?

A capital gain is the increase in an asset at the time you sell. When you sell at a profit, the increased value of that asset (often an investment or real estate), is known as your capital gains. When you have capital gains, you pay taxes on the increase.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term Capital Gains

One of the first things that you need to understand is the difference between long-term capital gains and short-term capital gains. Long-term gains are those on assets held for longer than a year. So, if the aset as been held for a year and a day, it is considered a long-term asset.

On the other hand, short-term capital gains are those that are made on assets held for a year or less. Short-term capital gains are taxed as regular income, so you pay taxes depending on your marginal tax rate. Long-term capital gains, however, are subject to different tax rates. Right now, the top rate for long-term capital gains is 15%. For those in the lower tax brackets, there is no need to pay taxes on long-term capital gains. The top rate for long-term gains might rise, but it is unlikely that they will rise as high as the highest marginal tax rate.

Other Capital Gains Tax Rules

It is worth noting that the capital gains you see from selling a home (your primary residence) are exempt up to a certain point. Once you meet the requirements, you are exempt from paying taxes on up to $250,000 of capital gains for a single person, and $500,000 for those married filing jointly. Realize, too, that there are rules related to selling a home that you have used to get a home office tax deduction, as well as rules related to selling investment properties.

You should also understand that the capital gains on collectibles. Collectibles are are taxed at a 28% capital gains rate, regardless of how long you’ve held them. Understand that some tangible and physical investments, like physical gold, are considered collectibles and are taxed accordingly (except in the case of jewelry).

Bottom Line

Before you sell an appreciating asset, it’s important that you consider the tax implications involved. If you are in a higher tax bracket, you might be able to save on taxes by making sure that you sell long-term assets so that your gains are subject to a lower rate. Also, be aware of additional rules involving capital gains. If you have questions, you should consult a knowledgeable tax professional who can help you determine the best tax strategy to follow, as well as help you understand exactly how much you owe.