Staying out of debt can be tough. Spending less than you earn is the best way to ensure your personal finances won’t suffer. But to avoid risk in other ways you must learn to find the best deals for the things you buy. This means looking for the best deals and sometimes buying used instead of new. To help you out with this task, here is a list of things that you should never buy new.

CDs, DVDs and video games can all be bought used to save up to half of the retail price. You can find used media and games at Gamestop stores and online at SecondSpin and Wherehouse. If you are a frequent DVD renter, think about renting online through Netflix or trade them with other people through Peerflix.

Used books can be bought through the usual sites: Amazon, SecondSpin and Half.com, as well as sites like bookfinder.com and abebooks.com. You may have not thought about this but you can borrow books for free from your local library. Libraries still exist and good ones can be found in every major city. Textbooks usually carry a high price tag so it pays to buy used or rent them. So if you’re a college student and are looking for textbooks, try Chegg.com. Here you can rent books by receiving them through the mail. Simply return them when the semester is over. This is ideal for textbooks since they almost always go unused as soon as the class is complete. Read more…

Do you spend money when you shouldn’t? Credit cards seem to be made just for you? Budgets? You don’t need no stinkin’ budget… If you can’t seem to limit yourself by willpower alone you may need some extra help in the form of Intacard. While the idea of prepaying has been around for awhile, Intacard does something a little different by being an easy to use prepaid debit card that is not linked to a traditional bank account or credit card. Just transfer money to it and go. As their website says: “Intacard is the easy way to pay for whatever you are “inta” either online or offline.”

Intacard may be just a simple prepaid debit card but in addition it has a few good features that may peak your interest. For starters, approval is a no-brainer. Bad credit and under 18 are welcome. There are also 3 ways to get cash onto your card once you have it. Direct bank deposit, place funds via a regular credit card or go to an Australian post office to place funds (this one is a little harder to do if you’re based in the States). You can also upload your custom design to make your card unique.

Currently the card is only available with Cirrus and Maestro, with Visa and Mastercard coming soon. Did I mention Intacard is based in Australia? But don’t be disappointed yet Americans: Read more…

For many students, college is the first time out in the real world and mastering money is a major milestone on the road to independence. Some rise to the challenge while others stumble slightly, while still others fall flat on their face and need reconstructive surgery to repair the damage. To avoid being the latter, here are the most common student money mistakes and how to avoid the financial turmoil caused by them.

Not knowing enough about credit cards before you get one. Many credit card companies sponsor giveaways and other events at universities. The whole point is to push credit cards on unsuspecting students. Don’t fall for it! These cards usually have good introductory rates but when a couple months go by the real rates kick in, you’ll be left wondering how your $200 balance turned into $600 in the blink of an eye. If you want to get a credit card, read Choosing Your First Credit Card to get good tips on what to look for in a card. Read more…