One of the main recurring expenses faced by modern families is the cell phone plan. By the time you pay for talk, text, and data, you could easily end up paying $100 a month or more for your cell phone plan — and with a contract you are locked into that price for two years.

Over time, that starts to add up. The good news is that many companies are now offering cell phone plans that don’t require you to sign a contract. You can get a plan for as little as $10 to $30 a month, and an unlimited talk, text, and data plan for as little as $50 or $60 a month. This is different from a prepaid cell phone. With the prepaid phone, you purchase a set number of minutes ahead of time. When you run out of minutes, you buy more. A no contract cell phone plan charges you a monthly fee for a certain number of minutes, or for unlimited minutes (and text and data, if you choose). However, you don’t have to keep renewing your monthly service if you don’t want to, and you don’t have to worry about fees for terminating your contract.

A no contract cell phone plan can be a good way to get the cell phone service you want, but at half the price. However, as with all financial decisions, your lower monthly payment comes with a trade-off.

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Looking to make a few bucks quickly?

Look no further than the mirror.

If you have hair longer than 10 inches that has ideally not been chemically treated, you can sell it and make some quick cash. Unlike other ways you can make money through parts of you, such as selling bodily fluids, selling your hair is non-invasive, and if you continue to grow it, you can sell it every year or wait a few years to make even more money.

There is a thriving hair market thanks to doll makers and those who wear weaves and other hair pieces. Some people even use human hair for jewelry and other crafts. The more unique your hair is, based on color and texture, the more it may fetch.

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We have already shared some homemade, low cost baby and toddler Halloween costumes, and today we would like to round out the bunch and share some children’s Halloween costumes. Again, why buy something they’ll wear for just one day (they won’t fit next year!) when you can make something yourself?

As kids get older, they get a bit more particular about their clothing, but there are still some easy, kid-approved costumes you can make at home. The key is to focus on what is popular now and what your child enjoys. Boys may love something with a gross factor, and girls may like something with a make believe element to it. Most of these ideas can be created with things around the house, making them very low-cost Halloween costume options.

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A decade ago, cell phones were just gaining in popularity; now, according to Pew Internet, “83% of American adults have some type of cell phone” and “35% of American adults have a smartphone.” Many American households have dropped their home land lines in favor of using their cell phones exclusively. While cell phones offer great convenience and we have come to rely on them as a necessity, they can often come with a hefty price tag. If you have a cell phone, you likely want to reduce the expense.

With the release of the new iPhone 5, we thought it’d be important to put a little perspective back into everyone’s lives. The iPhone is pricey – $199 if you get a 2 year plan, which starts at $80-$85 a month. It’s hundreds more if you try to buy it without the plan. If you’re in line to buy one of those, chances are you will need some of these tips!

Here are some strategies to help you save some cash on your cell phone bill.

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While I wait for the warmth of summer every spring, by the time summer is over, I am ready for the crisp fall air and the beautiful fall foliage. Fall is the perfect time to relax a bit, slow down and enjoy time with the family. Between autumn harvests and Halloween, fall offers families plenty of fun, frugal activities.

Try some of these activities in upcoming weekends:
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Some people swear by dollar stores and try to do most of their shopping there; others never step foot in the dollar store because they are convinced everything there must be cheap and poorly made. There is truth in both of these opinions. Some things you can buy at dollar stores are great deals, and others should be avoid at all costs.

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When I was in college, IKEA furniture was king. It was cheap, it was light, and what it didn’t have in durability it made up for in frugality. I had a rule of thumb when it came to IKEA furniture (specifically any item with moving parts) – “IKEA furniture can only survive one move.” Static furniture, like bookcases and couches, could survive several moves but anything with plastic pieces or moving parts, like a chest of drawers, could handle being shoved into a U-Haul truck only once. Move it again and you were inviting disaster! (it’s not an indictment of IKEA, it was more an indictment of how I, and my bribed friends, treated furniture when I moved)

I wish we had this coupon when I was at school, a nice $25 off $250 purchase for all you back to schoolers (or parents of back to schoolers) looking to pick up furniture on the cheap. If you can’t find what you want on Craigslist or Freecycle, this $25 off $250 might soften the blow of an IKEA visit.

Terms & Conditions of the coupon:
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It happens to the best of us. You are doing fine financially, and then you hit an unexpected financial bump. Maybe your car needs an expensive repair or your daughter needs braces. Whatever the financial bump may be, here are some good ways to make $200 in a weekend. Each of them alone might not net you $200, but if you do a few of them, you should easily reach $200, if not more.

Consider these sources of extra income:

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