Track Your Expenses!

One of the reasons budgets fail is because a crucial first (and ongoing) step is missed in the budgeting process: tracking your expenses. If you don't know what your starting point is, then there's little chance that you'll be able to harness your cash flow to your benefit. Here are a few tips to help you track your expenses effectively, then transform your current cash flow into a well-oiled budgeting machine. Step One: Don't Budget As funny as it sounds, your first task in creating a budget is not to budget. exorbitant to begin with). This gives you a realistic starting point, and a benchmark upon which to build and track your budget going forward. Use a Spreadsheet (or Equivalent) Each time I whip out my wallet, I record the money I spend in a notebook that I keep in my purse. So create a spreadsheet that allows you to analyze your data, past and present. You can create a separate spreadsheet tab for each month, or you can record all the data on one sheet, using running totals. Be Honest

Sheet Music 7 ways to haggle for the best bargain At Paris' famous Marche aux Puces, it's known as "marchandage." In Mexico's open-air weekend markets, it's called "regatear." Here in the U.S., we know it as "haggling." Think again. "You can negotiate anything, anywhere these days," says Allan Stark, president of Negotiate4U, a Web-based company that negotiates discounts on everything from cars to cellphones. To be successful, here are seven strategies to use to get the price you want. Sound Library FindSounds Search the Web for Sounds What types of sounds can be found on the Web using FindSounds? Below is a partial list. Click on any link below to perform a search, or enter one or more words in the search box above and then click on the Search button. Animal Sounds alligator, baboon, bat, bear, bobcat, buffalo, bullfrog, camel, cat, cheetah, chimpanzee, chinchilla, chipmunk, cougar, cow, coyote, crocodile, deer, dinosaur, dog, dolphin, donkey, elephant, elk, ferret, fox, frog, gibbon, goat, gorilla, grizzly bear, guinea pig, hippo, horse, hyena, jaguar, kitten, lamb, lemur, leopard, lion, llama, marmot, monkey, moose, mouse, orca, panda, panther, pig, polar bear, prairie dog, puppy, rabbit, raccoon, rat, rattlesnake, rhinoceros, rodent, sea lion, seal, sheep, snake, squirrel, sugar glider, tiger, toad, whale, wolf, zebra Insect Sounds bee, cicada, cricket, insects, katydid, mosquito, wasp

The Geek’s Guide to Getting Almost Anything for Free Does it pay to be Internet savvy? Yes. In more ways than many people imagine. Sure, the Internet is a great way to research just about anything you could ever want to know about; and it’s an outstanding communication, marketing, and entertainment tool. But the Internet can also save you a boatload of money. And we’re not just talking 10 cents off here and there. Want proof? 1. 2. 3. 4. Does it pay to be a bit of a geek? Matthew Toren is a serial entrepreneur (Co-founded YoungEntrepreneur.com), mentor, investor and award winning Co-Author of Kidpreneurs (Basic Principles of Entrepreneurship for Kids).

Presentations - Visualize Data This image gallery offers best-practice examples, advice, free resources and insight from experts on the best of data and information visualization. 1 of 17 Data Visualization Advice, Examples and Free Resources"Excellence in statistical graphics consists of complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision and efficiency," writes information visualization guru and author Edward R. More Insights Promo codes, Coupons codes & Discounts Are Here For May 2011! Find Free Shipping Coes & Discounts Codes at CouponConnector.com Classical Music Download Sites Classical music can be an ambiguous term. It is widely used to identify the Classical period, which approximately covers the years from 1750 to 1820. On the other hand, Western art music from 1000 CE to the present is also called classical music. The following is a list of the best classical music download sites that provide a mix of both, i.e. classical music ranging from Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods and via the 20th century to Contemporary classical music of our time. All tracks and albums are legal to download. They are either copyleft / public domain or available under a Creative Commons license. Classical.com Classical.com is the classical pendant to iTunes. Every week, however, an entire album is available to download for free. As I write this article, the free download is an album of famous Strauss waltzes, available as mp3’s in 128 and 192 kbps. This is a fantastic resource to discover classical music as such. Wikipedia:Sound/list All downloads are in .ogg format.

15 Out-of-the-Ordinary Ways to Save Think you’ve trimmed all the excess spending from your budget? Think again. We scoured the web in search of the top money-saving services online, and found some not-so-common ways to save. From free product samples to tuition-free college courses, we’ve rounded up great bargains that will surprise even the savviest saver. Score Free Stuff 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Get the Best Price 8. 9. 10. Snap Up Coupons, Samples and Discounts 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Kimberly Fusaro writes about personal finance as Little Miss Fortune.