Prioritized Living

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How to Save Money at ShopRite: 14 Secrets for Smart Shoppers

How to Save Money at Shoprite - 14 Secrets for Smart Shoppers

For most Americans, groceries make up a significant portion of their budgets — up to 15% of their expenses! And plenty of that cash is spent at your local supermarket’s checkout.

Your local supermarket may well be a ShopRite. With more than 300 stores on the east coast, ShopRite is a major chain frequented by millions of people each week.

So what can you do to whittle down that grocery spending? Are there steps you can take specifically at ShopRite to keep your bill low and pocket more of your money each week?

There are! If you’re wondering how to save money at ShopRite, check out these 14 smart tips for saving at this popular chain.

[Read more…]

How to Reach Your Goals Faster

How to Reach Your Goals Faster

You feel completely stuck.

Maybe it’s taking forever to make progress on your big goal, and you’re losing motivation.

Maybe your progress was good until you came screeching to a halt.

Or maybe you’re struggling to take that very first step.

Setting a goal, working toward it, and reaching it can be a definite challenge. And it’s no reflection on your character or strength of will if you find yourself stalled before the finish line.

Sometimes all you need to reach your goals quickly is a change of perspective and some simple tools.

Wondering how to reach your goals faster? Work through these 9 powerful steps. [Read more…]

15 Ways to Recharge Your Batteries This Weekend

15 Ways to Recharge Your Batteries This Weekend

Is this your week? Your Monday through Friday draaaags on while the weekend is over before you know it.

But the time you have between end-of-day Friday and wake-up time on Monday is actually about 60 hours. And those 60 hours are yours.

If 60 hours seem too unwieldy to manage, try breaking it down into chunks. Time management expert Julie Morgenstern’s strategy is perfect here:

And when you’re ready to plan your chunks of time, choose from this list. Those 60 hours will feel like a much-needed break from your busy week! [Read more…]

Got Unclaimed Funds? Here’s How to Find Your Missing Money.

Got Unclaimed Funds? Here's How to Find Your Missing Money

Americans are currently missing out on $58 billion of their own money. Just this year, Utah alone distributed record-breaking quantities of cash — $29.3 million — to its residents. And Virginia broke its own record by returning $87.1 million.

With all that cash floating around, you’ve probably got one simple question: Do any of those unclaimed dollar bills and assets belong to you?

Finding out is easier than you think. So we’re walking you through the places you may have unknowingly misplaced some money. We’ve got the shortcuts for tracking down the funds you’re legitimately owed and the details on how to file your claim. [Read more…]

Here’s Why Your Budget Needs a Sinking Fund

Here's Why Your Budget Needs a Sinking Fund

When it comes to saving, you’ve got your eye on a few different buckets.

There’s your emergency fund, your retirement savings, and maybe even a college savings plan for the kids.

But there’s another type of savings that many people haven’t heard about . . . but it’s one that can dramatically improve your financial life!

It’s the sinking fund.

They’re simple to set up, easy to manage, and oh so important in reaching your financial goals. Here’s how you can use sinking funds to plan your expenses without messing up your budget. [Read more…]

Your HSA is Actually a Retirement Secret Weapon

Your HSA is Actually a Retirement Secret Weapon

Sure, you’ve heard about the traditional tools for retirement planning. IRAs and 401(k) plans offer unique benefits for saving your cash now to enjoy when you’re older.

But what about a Health Savings Account? Most people think an HSA is just a place to keep short-term savings to cover your family’s medical costs this year.

But an HSA is actually an incredible and often-overlooked tool for funding your golden years. And its special treatment by the IRS may get you the most bang for your buck when you include an HSA in your retirement plan. Here’s how: [Read more…]

54 Awesome Kid Gifts Under $25

54 Awesome Kid Gifts Under $25

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Ohhhh man, the holidays are coming!!!

And this time of year, you’re probably wondering what on earth to get your son or daughter (or niece, nephew, or other favorite kids!).

You want something that will wow that special kid . . . without busting your budget.

And it’s 100% possible.

These 54 kid gifts are all under $25 and will bring a big smile to any kid on Christmas morning. [Read more…]

How to Make a Habit Stick: Secrets & Tools to Reach Your Goals

How to Make a Habit Stick: Secrets & Tools to Reach Your Goals

All of us are creatures of habit. Those hundreds of little things we do on autopil0t and even our bigger routines make up our habits.

Of course, hopefully, most of those actions are good habits! But each of us has not-so-great habits we’d like to eliminate . . . or replace with better ones. And there are good habits we’d all like to adopt. But how?

First things first . . . how long does it take to make a habit? For the simple stuff, it can be as little as just 21 days! On average though, research shows it’ll take you 66 days to create a habit.

So, if you want to start and build a habit, you need a few tips and tricks to get you across that finish line two months down the road. And maybe a tool to keep you motivated along the way!

Ready to take your desired habit from pipe dream to reality? Here’s what you need to make it happen! [Read more…]

How to Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate

How to Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate

When it comes to your credit card debt, you have much more power than you probably realize.

You already know your card’s interest rate plays a major rule in how quickly your debt adds up . . . and how soon you’ll be free of it. But did you know that the interest rate you’ve got isn’t necessarily the rate that you’re stuck with?

Here’s a little-known secret: You can actually negotiate your interest rate with your creditor. A poll conducted by CreditCards.com found that only 25% of cardholders contact a credit card issuer to negotiate. But the astounding news is that nearly 70% of those who did landed a lower interest rate!

Best of all, joining that 70% is easier thank you think. Here’s how you can successfully negotiate your own interest rate: [Read more…]

How to Organize Your Passwords: My LastPass Review

This post is part 6 in the series How to Organize It.

How to Organize Your Passwords - My LastPass Review

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

How many passwords do you have?

Until relatively recently, I didn’t realize just how many login credentials I own — more than 100!

Think about it: You have logins for your E-mail accounts, bank accounts, credit cards, investment accounts, your streaming video accounts, online retailers, travel sites, social media sites, utility providers . . . the list goes on!

And you might think you’ve got it under control by using variations of a few passwords across all these sites . . . uuuuuntil the day that there’s a security breach.

Yeah, that happened to me.

One day, one site was compromised. So my logins at a bunch of sites were suddenly potentially vulnerable. I knew I needed to beef up my passwords and have different passwords for every site I visited. But how on earth would I keep track of them???

The answer is a password manager.

I latched on to one out of necessity, but I will seriously never go back. Here’s why I’m obsessed with LastPass, an awesome password manager. [Read more…]