If you and your family are preparing for a move, saving money on that move should be a priority. Moving is expensive but there are ways you can reign in the costs. Following these simple steps will help you cut back on moving costs for you and your family.

The More Planning Time the Better

The longer in advance you can plan the move for you and your family, the more savings you are likely to find. Planning way ahead will help you to compare costs and give you time to do the research. Moving is a lot like traveling in that if you must make last-minute decisions you are going to probably pay more for the service.

The time of year that you are planning the move for you and your family will also affect how much you will pay to hire a moving company. Summertime is the busiest season to move. About 60% of moves in the United States happen between May and August. If you can move a little earlier or a little later, you can see significant savings. Plotting to move your family carefully can be one of the easiest ways to save money on your move.

Take on Part of the Move Yourself

Moving companies typically offer a suite of services. These added-value services come with a steep price tag. For example, most moving companies offer packing and unpacking services which can ring up the cost of your move. Instead of paying for a moving company to do the packing and unpacking, you can delegate duties to your family and get the house packed up without picking up the tab.

Put your family to work and make each family member responsible for packing up their own room. Of course, if your children are very young, you may need to enlist the help of extended family members like grandparents. Doing part of the job yourself will result in significant savings that you can put toward the work that needs to be done in your new home, like landscaping. Saving money on your move and putting it toward landscaping in the new place can result in a 14% return on your investment when you resell your new home down the line.

Save For the Move

Remember that first tip to plan as far ahead as you can? If you start planning months in advance, you can start saving as soon as possible for the move. It will be less of a hit to your budget if you tuck a few hundred dollars to the side each month to cover the costs of the move instead of using credit cards for the move. Saving for the move may not reduce the overall cost of the move but it will lessen the financial hit.

Look for the Best Value in Moving

A DIY move may seem like the best way to save money, but you have to consider whether it is the best value. Consider the cost of renting a moving truck, the time it would take to load all your family’s goods, and then unload the goods at your destination. Time is money. If your family includes younger children, a DIY move can be harrowing. Of course, you also have to consider safety. Can you carry that fridge with a friend down a couple of flights of steps? Will you have the “manpower” to make the move?

Finally, Do This

Many people do not realize that they can negotiate moving costs. If you and your family are moving, treat it like you are buying a new car. You may be surprised to find that you can ask for discounts and get them. Saving on your move is essential because there will be things you will need to have money for when you get to your new place. For example, a new video surveillance system to keep your family safe. About 67% of burglaries can be avoided by adding a surveillance system.

You can curtail the cost of moving your family by just taking a few simple steps and, in some cases, asking for a better deal. Good luck on your move and make savings a priority.

Any freelancing job comes with the added fun of being your own accountant. Sure, you’re your own boss too, but now you’ve got to handle all the finances yourself. You need to make sure you’re working enough to live, a little extra if you’ve got something to save for, and, crucially, that you are doing your taxes right.

It’s already a hassle doing your own taxes every year, so to shake up the routine for the sake of taxing a freelance job can feel like a headache. If you’re having trouble, take a look at these tips to help make your taxes easier.

Don’t mix personal and business

You might have decided that, since you are the sole trader of your business, and the bank therefore doesn’t require it, you’ll not bother with a business bank account. That’s fine; however, not recommended. Keep your personal finances separated from your business for a lot of reasons.

For one thing, it will stop you just from spending business money on a new pair of shoes you just had to have, or personal money set for the utilities on an unexpected business bill. A little bit here and there can lead to more. Keeping the two separate will keep you from confusing the two, when looking at your account, which tend to present everything as one big pot.

By keeping business and personal accounts separate, you will see clearly how much money is tied up in business, how much to budget for costs, and you won’t have to decide which expenses are business related down the line.

Keep all your documents digital

There are a lot of logical reasons to keep your documents digitally stored. There is the obvious, that it lowers physical clutter, keeps things accessible, provides a backup, etc., but it also makes everything a lot easier to find. If life had a search tab, we’d never have to have a hide-a-key.

When it comes to taxes, you need to keep a hold of all your documents for at least five years after the 31 January tax deadline. That’s a lot of documents to go hunting through for something that happened five years ago.

This is important for purchases and expenses. Expenses are one of the few ways you can reduce your taxable income, and there are a lot of expenses that you can gain in a year. But getting your expenses wrong could be a tax liability. The taxman is going to need proof of all of these expenses in order to write them off, and they will be a lot easier to find and present to the taxman if they’re not in a huddled pile in a drawer in your office.

Another tip is to file them in chronological order and label them with a date so that you can easily pull them. There are lots of accounting software out there to help you with this. When it comes to creating a digital copy, you can invest in a scanner to make things clearer.

Stick to a routine

One of the main perks of freelancing is the flexible working schedule, which can be tempting to sway from anyway, so it’s important that you find some semblance of a schedule. But when it comes to accounting, it’s vital. The flexible work routine doesn’t really hand itself to accounting as you will need to be prompt with everything you are doing.

It’s recommended that you get a little done every day, rather than a lot done in a week. Set aside at least 30 minutes every day to file your documents as you need to to keep everything in order. Keep it to raising invoices, adding expenses, and reviewing reports on your dashboard and you’re done until January. It’s a case where a little tedium now will save you a lot of stress down the line.

Keep track of all sources of income

If you are freelancing, it’s likely you will have various sources of income, various clients hiring you for your work, various rates of work done for various people. Keeping track of all this is a lot easier with the new addition of online banking, and it’s important that you use it in your bookkeeping. There is accounting software that can help you here. You can link your bank feeds to the accounting software so that the software can do all the heavy lifting of tracking your accounts. Plus, your cloud-stored files will be available to the software for you to pull out as you need it.

Get professional help when you need it

Unfortunately, some of us simply don’t have the mind for numbers, never mind accounting. It’s a tedious process, with consequences if we get it wrong – and there is a lot of room for error.

If you find yourself struggling, there is nothing wrong with consulting a professional. You can hand over all your accounts and documents to a freelancer accountant to deal with and trust that they have your taxes handled. With the finances looked after, you can keep focused on growing your business. Growing your business will mean more income, and more income will mean more work for the accountant to get done.

Of course, all this will be moot if the freelance job you’re looking for is in accounting. Then you’ve just got a side task to get done.

Buying a new car does not have to break the bank. There are ways that you can save money on a new car or a used car. Why spend more money than you need to? These tips will help you to save a significant amount of money on your vehicle purchase.

Before You Get Started

Car dealerships have professional salespeople on board to sell you a vehicle. Professional salespeople know that there is an emotional aspect to any big purchase and they can play into that. A good way to ward off the risk of buying more vehicles than you can afford is to have a good idea of what you can afford and stick to that parameter.

Get in the mindset that you need to be in before you start shopping. Keeping to a budget is essential and budgets matter whether you are buying a car, truck, SUV, van, or bike (8% of households had a bike in 2018 according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, the most ever reported.) Standing your ground when it comes to your budget is essential to a successful purchase.

It Matters When You Shop

One of the easiest ways to save money on a vehicle is to make sure that you shop at the right time of the year, month, and even the right day of the week. There are savings to be had just by shopping at the right time. For example, the best month of the year to buy a car is December if you are focused on saving money. The best time of the month to buy a car is at the end of the month, and the best day of the week to buy a car is Tuesday.

Auto dealerships are like any other business, they have busy seasons, and they have slow seasons. They have busier days of the week and they have slower days of the week. If you can arrange to shop during the auto dealership’s slow time, you can realize savings.

Where You Shop

Prices for vehicles will vary a great deal. You can realize some significant savings if you are willing to travel a bit out of the way. Sometimes, even crossing state lines is a solution for saving money on a car purchase. In other words, think carefully about where you shop for your vehicle. If you can save a couple of thousand dollars by driving a couple of hours, it is well worth the effort. Do not assume that the dealership around the corner has the best deal, dig a little deeper and look a little further.

Due Diligence

Car prices can range greatly from one dealership to the next. One of the best ways to ensure you are getting the best deal is to do a comparison of the deals. About 60% of the car buying process for most car buyers happens online. Researching your options online is a convenient way to gather the information you need to make an informed decision.

Today, you do not even need a laptop or a desktop to get your research done. You can use your smartphone. A recent survey revealed that about 59% of respondents report that they prefer to shop on their mobile device and that the ability to shop on their mobile device helps them to decide what retailer or brand to buy. You can take the same route when you are deciding which vehicle to buy and where to find the best saving opportunity.

Ask About Discounts

Oddly enough, many people go into an auto dealership and never haggle about prices. Asking for a discount is a great way to save some money. Not all discounts are advertised. No matter what type of vehicle you are buying, you should always inquire about savings. Buying a vehicle is a big investment, asking for discounts is a great way to reduce the amount of investment you must make.

There are plenty of ways to save money on a new or used vehicle purchase. You do have to put a little effort into the process, but it is well worth the effort. Don’t pay more than you have to.

When thinking of making updates to your household, it’s good to think along the lines of which ones will be the most important and yield the best results for you. Read on to see some of the updates you can make that will be both simple and money-saving for you in the long run.

Get Good Window Treatments

One simple household update that can save you money is getting good window treatments. These should enable you to improve your privacy as well as energy-efficiency and thus enjoy a more functional home. One of the longest lasting options for window treatments you can get that will also be low maintenance is aluminium blinds, which are available for all sizes of windows. Find a color that will work well with the rest of your home and have them installed. The difference they make will be a noticeable one and it will give your family a more comfortable time indoors.

Switch to Energy-Efficient Appliances

If you’re still using old appliances in your home, you should consider upgrading to energy-efficient ones, which will make you good savings in terms of the energy you use over time. Shop for appliances with a good energy star rating to ensure you get the best use of energy within your home. From the washer and dryer you use to your thermostat and other items in your home, there are many items you can upgrade to get better energy-saving abilities.

Keep Your Estate Plans Updated

Experts recommend that you should update your estate plan at least once every five years. This should be done barring any major life events such as moving states and marriage as these can have a big impact on your time and resources and other general plans. With this in mind, ensure you have an expert close by who will help you keep your estate plans current and updated so that, in case of anything, you know that your family’s future is secured.

Seal Your Ducts

The ducts that you rely on to ferry treated air in and out of your home should be in a good state at all times. To ensure that they’re not leaking and costing you more energy, have them sealed. You could hire an expert to do this for you or do it yourself if you’re able. When you’re not losing treated air meant for use in your home and your heating and cooling is working efficiently, you can save a sizeable amount on your energy bills over time.

Take Regular Care of Your Lawn

Finally, your lawn is responsible for your home’s curb appeal, at least in part. Take good care of it to make sure it’s in the best possible state and won’t have your home looking old and neglected. With most lawns found to require at least one inch of water a week, you need to ensure that you water your lawn as often as is necessary after mowing it so it stays in good shape for a long time. Alternatively, get a xeriscape instead of grass, as it will need less water to thrive. The native plants that you will get should also be drought-resistant in order to give you the best results. You will be able to spend less time monitoring and babying your lawn doing something else that you enjoy.

With these simple updates, you can get a home that will look as good as it feels for your whole family. Take the time to make the updates suggested and you will get good returns in the form of saved time and money as well as improved value of your home.

Supporting small businesses is a great way to strengthen your local community. If the businesses within it are strong and healthy, they will be able to provide for the community’s needs and put money back into it. Since small businesses are so varied, there are many different ways to support them. If you want to encourage your whole family to support small businesses in your community, here are five ways to do so.

Leave Good Reviews

If you love a business, give them a good review online. There are many review sites where you can post your experience and encourage others to give them a try. You can also do this on social media, posting for your followers about how much you enjoy this business. Small businesses often have limited marketing funds, so word of mouth can be a lifesaver for them.

Give Second Chances

If you have a bad experience with a local business, don’t go straight to leaving a negative review. Unlike big corporations, small businesses won’t have a lot of reviews. Your single one-star review could have consequences for them. Instead, give them another chance to give your family what you need. Many small businesses have to deal with internal problems. An accounting industry overview showed that 36% of small businesses have timeline issues. Meanwhile, others feel unprepared, with 32% saying they don’t have enough guidance, 29% feeling that their accountant didn’t provide advice, and 23.6% saying their accountant didn’t educate them. With problems like this, there are bound to be some negative experiences. But if your family wants to support small businesses, try to give them a second chance to make it right.

Shop Online

If you find a small business to support, but can’t get to their physical location, try shopping online instead. Not only will it be easier for you, it will also give them a good idea of what people need from them. Over the next 12 months, businesses will overpay for three-quarters of their IT purchases. If your local small business runs a strong online market, they will be able to recoup those costs. Meanwhile, your family can support them and make purchases without leaving the house.

Switch Where You Can

While you might not be able to fulfill all your needs through small businesses, you might be surprised at what you can do. Small businesses are much more than just stores. In fact, 80% of the 322,488 clinical laboratories in the US are operated as small businesses. Look at what your family needs, then consider if a local small business can provide it for you.

Leave Tips

If you and your family go to a small business and have a wonderful experience, be generous with your tips. This is especially true for restaurants, where the waitstaff is nearly entirely reliant on tips in order to make money. While the standard for tipping is generally 20%, you might be able to offer more occasionally. These tips are good for both the small business’s financial health and as a morale boost. So, while it isn’t necessary to leave huge tips every time you’re out, make sure that you’re budgeting it into your plans as often as possible.

Small businesses face a lot of challenges, so it is important to support them in your community. There are many ways for your whole family to do this, no matter what kind of budget you have. So take a look at the businesses in your area and decide how you want to support them. Then apply these five tips. You might be surprised at the difference that your family can make.

Success Financial Team, a leading online business service provider, has been successfully helping businesses through many challenges. They have built their company based on core values such as excellent customer service, trust, and communication. Now, they weigh in on managing both personal and business debt to help people navigate through the stress of financial difficulties.

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