More Ways to Save Money

I recently came across an article from U.S. News outlining money saving websites that I, for one, didn’t know existed. As I am always intrigued by ways I can save money, I thought I would pass them on. I’m not sure how effective they are, since I haven’t tried any of them yet, but I do plan to check them out.

Many of my bankruptcy clients have tried numerous ways to make money prior to having to file for bankruptcy. Many of them have resorted to selling things on Ebay and Craigslist. Of course, you don’t need to be nearing bankruptcy to want to sell things you don’t need, so this can really help anyone. When you post something on an online sight, you have to decide how much you want to sell the item for. Priceonomics is a website that helps you decide what your item may be worth, based on the data they have available. This can also help when you’re buying something and aren’t sure what to pay.

If you haven’t heard of groupons, you’ve really been living with your head buried in the sand. There are numerous companies out there offering daily deals for everything from restaurants to spas. Many of these offers, however, are for goods and services that you may “want,” but may not “need.” Well, there is a site called Aisle 50 that offers items that may fall more into the “need” category, such as grocieries, allowing people to spend their money on necessities rather than frivolities.

If you still want to subscribe to the many groupon type sites, but want to narrow down the types of offers you get so that you’re not bombarded with ones that don’t interest you, you can check out Dealupa. Apparently this site allows you to combine all of your deals and it filters them into ones that will interested you based on criteria you give.

Carsabi is a tool to help you research the fair market value of a used car. As far as this one goes, I still think you should check their information to Kelly Blue Book and Nada to see if they coincide, but it might help as an additional resource. You can apparently find cars that are for sale in your area and compare different ones offered by local dealerships.

Lastly, Springcoin is a website that helps you track your budget while you try to pay down your debt. I am a bit skeptical about this one as well, but it can’t hurt to give it a look. It may amortize loans and create a budget based on your income versus expenses, family size, etc. It may be helpful as a guideline or a starting point, especially if you don’t currently have a budget that you work from.

There are a lot of tools out there to help you save money and get the best deals possible. It’s always smart to consider “wants” versus “needs” whenever you’re spending money, and of course, if you find that you’re just notable to make ends meet and are getting deeper into debt because of job loss or medical emergency, consult with a professional. Greenwald & Hammond offers a free consultation, so talking to someone won’t put a further strain on your budget.

Submitted by:

Kerry Hammond, Esq.

Bankruptcy Attorney