St. Croix County

Congratulations; you made it through another semester! Finding cheap summer activities is easy; enjoy the park or even a friend’s house’s yard by playing bocce ball, Frisbee golf, ultimate Frisbee, basketball, ladder golf, walking, biking, rollerblading, relay games, etc. If you want to go on a big trip, go somewhere in the area, maybe catch [...]

If you are lucky to have a job that offers a 401(k) retirement plan, you may wonder what happens to the account if you ever decide to move to a new company. Some companies will let you transfer the money accumulated into your new company’s 401(k) account, or you may have to transfer that money [...]

Pay off high-interest debt first. Education loans usually have a low interest rate, and you usually don’t have to start paying back money until 6 months after you are out of school, so pay off the others first.

Don’t procrastinate! In the financial world, you could have to pay late fees or more interest on something. Some people may work better under pressure, but not when it comes to finances. If you do work better under pressure, assign yourself earlier dates to get things done, including an outline of that semester paper, or [...]

Continue cleaning more than just your closets to save more money: clean your appliances. Gently vacuum behind appliances to get the dust out and clean out the vents on refrigerators, dryers, and heating and cooling units to save on electricity and make them last longer.

Spring cleaning time! Rather than just pulling the stuff from the bottom of your dresser to the top, or from the back of the closet to the front, really go through all your clothes. You can have a yard sale and make a couple extra dollars; if you don’t have a lot, have a yard [...]

10 days till taxes are due! If you have them done already, great! If you owe money and were waiting until the beginning of April to file (in order to hang onto your cash longer), now is the time to file. If you cannot afford to pay, send in whatever amount you can afford. There [...]

Sign up for free customer reward programs. If you haven’t already, it’s smart to create a separate e-mail account just for these reward programs to send you coupons. Check this account before you go shopping and maybe you will find some good deal. However, be careful with some programs as you have to pay to [...]

How much is enough in your savings account for an emergency fund? About 3 months’ worth of living expenses is a good rule-of-thumb; however, having more is great!

Need a bit of extra cash? Spring break is a great time to start looking for that summer job. Keep in mind that there is no limit to how many internships you can have, or how much volunteering you can do. Also, make sure that you keep in contact with various people as you never [...]