Feeding your family is expensive.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average American family of four spends $8,513 a year on groceries. That’s an average of $709 a month.

And with food prices rising at the fastest rate since 1990, you’re spending even more these days to buy the same amount of food.

By following just a few simple tips, though, you can cut back on food costs and make your grocery budget stretch a little further without having to give up your favorite meals and snacks. (more…)

Popularity: 3% [?]

It’s tougher to get a car loan these days, even for borrowers who have an excellent credit score, reports Newsday (“More Consumers Rejected for Car Loans,” Sept. 25, 2008).

In the ongoing credit crisis, “prime” borrowers — those consumers who have a credit score of 720 or higher (on a scale of 300 to 850), a score that just a year ago would have easily qualified them for most loans and lines of credit — are increasingly being denied for car loans. (more…)

Popularity: 4% [?]

When you’re deeply in debt, it’s easy to become so overwhelmed by your financial mess that you start to go into denial about just how much you owe: You stop looking at your credit card and bank statements, you don’t answer the phone anymore so you don’t have to deal with debt collectors, you leave your bills unopened because you know (more…)

Popularity: 4% [?]