“I will prove to you that almost anything is price negotiable”. Mack Powers, of MackPowers.com, said those words to his date/girlfriend.

To prove his point, he declared the entire day of shopping to be his test/proof. JellyGeneration interviewed Mack recently and you will find his experience fascinating. (It should be noted that Mack wanted to impress this particular date with his mastery of all things finance.)

There is more to negotiation success than save by using cash

This is not an article on “buying with cash helps save you money.” Paying cash often does help, of course, but teaching our kids (and reminding ourselves) that there are other solid principles involved in the buy-sell relationship is crucial.

Have you ever been to the Grapevine Mills Outlet Mall in yes, …Grapevine, Texas? If not, (ok, probably not!) the mall name is truly as advertised - a discount mall. Hence, the “I can negotiate everything challenge” was perhaps even...

This could be the year you not only get your Christmas and holiday shopping done early, but you can actually buy those gifts with less money, and less stress.

Per The National Retail Federation (NRF.org) we spent an average of $730+ in past Holiday seasons:

After all was said and done, NRF found that holiday sales increased 3.8 percent to $602 billion. More than 90 percent of Americans celebrated Christmas, Kwanza or Hanukah last winter, the most-celebrated season of the year.

Here are concrete suggestions on how to get a handle on this expense:

#1 List whom/what you are buying for...by this weekend.

Many of us can name the obvious family members, but go ahead and think thru those smaller gifts you buy at the last minute for those people that you always forget to buy for. Think thru your daily life and list those that might slip our minds: the piano teacher, your parents care giver, the mail man, the school teachers, friends, the boss, co-workers, the small hostess gifts for any...

I heard a radio report recently:  “Meg Ryan is Broke”.   And then I read this: “Elvis died almost broke”.

That caught your attention, didn’t it?  Well, it did mine.  I’ve always thought Meg to be a cute, rich, famous blonde.  I should dislike her on that alone, I think!  Elvis had two planes and a chef that made him banana/peanut butter sandwiches, right? 

But the beauty of the above is that the same “caught your attention” scenario works for our offspring, too!  They may pay attention to almost anything Kardashian, or perhaps for them it might be Tom Brady.  Regardless, it provides a great opening for we parents. 

How parents can start the “money talk” conversation 

Actually, there are several ways to capture their attention before dispensing your obviously fantastic words of money wisdom to your offspring!  We’ve noticed many of our students respond to...

You are in the checkout line.  There sits that widget that screams "buy me".  
You need your morning caffeine.  On the way to work, gourmet coffee shops entice you.
You need your afternoon carbonated drink.  Your car practically knows the way thru the drive-thru.

Can You Avoid UnPlanned Spending?  Just use this Habit Trick

Yes, You Can.   
Wouldn't it be wonderful to decide how much you want to spend on the "silly" items in your life and then have the tool to stick to it?  Odds are, you've heard of this tool already but have just ignored it because you are just too busy or it seems too complicated to deal with.  But allow me to re-introduce you to:  Prepaid Debit Cards.  

How they work:

• Get a card that you are able to transfer money to.  
• Transfer your pre-determined $ amount for a pre-determined timeframe on that debit card.
• Consider the card to be for your "silly" spending temptation.
• Then, spend.  Think of using it...

YOUR FIRST MOVE . . 

Sadly, life isn't like monopoly where the person that gets Boardwalk and Park Place usually win.  The bigger truth today is that we often don't realize the importance of having checked our credit reports at the most crucial times needed.  We are inundated today with "check it once a year".  That's true, of course, but what is even more pressing is when we encounter these major milestones in our lives and don't check our credit reports first.  

I won't beat around the bush.  This applies to all of us.  It especially applies to our young adults.  So whether you are the young adult or the parent, avoid heartache and CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT.  

WHY check your credit report?

• potential employers can look at your credit report (not the score, but the report)
• home buyers will have their credit checked
• car buyers can have their credit checked
• student loan institutions will also check your credit history  
• any time you...