Before you purchase the next item, ask the vendor for a better deal. Cars, cable, cellphone, utilities and more often have pricing that is flexible or negotiable. This also includes vacations or haircuts.

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Paying someone else to do what you can do yourself is often the most expensive part of home repairs and maintenance. Save that money by doing many tasks yourself. In the process, you’ll gain the satisfaction of self-reliance and save money at the same time.

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Happy New Year! Like many of us we are thinking about how we will spend our tax refund this year. Many Americans receive thousands of dollars in tax refunds each year. Often the tax refund is spent all at once or little by little until it is all gone. Use the money to pay off a small loan or pay down a loan with a high interest rate. If possible take a portion or the entire refund in an emergency savings account to give you a boost in you savings that adds security to your household.

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Another goal of the tax overhaul was to lower federal income taxws for individuals and corporations as well. Which category does your household fit in?

• 10 percent – for those with a taxable income of $0 up to $19,050
• 12 percent – more than $19,050 up to $77,400
• 22 percent – more than $77,400 up to $165,000
• 24 percent – more than $165,000 up to $315,000
• 32 percent – more than $315,000 up to $400,000
• 35 percent – more than $400,000 up to $600,000
• 37 percent – more than $600,000

The same seven tax rates apply for heads of household, single people and married couples filing separate returns. These exemptions will end:

• interest on home equity loans
• interest on home equity lines of credit (HELOC’s)
• employee work expenses
• tax preparation fees
• investment interest expenses
• personal casuality and theft losses (except items caused by national disasters)
• personal and dependent exemptions
• moving expenses (except active-duty military members who are ordered to relocate)

Modifications will begin in 2018 for:

1. interest on home mortgages
2. state and local income taxes
3. charitable contributions
4. medical expenses

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Consumers have ranked these car insurance companies highest based on customer satisfaction. How does your auto insurer stack up?

1. California: Ameriprise
2. Central: Shelter
3. Florida: Metlife
4. Mid-Atlantic: Erie Insurance
5. New England: Amica Mutual
6. New York: New York Central Mutual
7. North Central: Auto-Owners Insurance
8. Northwest: PEMCO Insurance
9. Southeast: Farm Bureau Insurance (Tennessee)
10. Southwest: CSAA Insurance Group
11. Texas: Texas Farm Bureau

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Transfer your balance to get a period of relief from high interest rates, then tackle those balances before that period runs out.

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Not everything is getting more expensive. We used to pay for these items, but now they are readily available at no cost. Some items actuallu have gotten cheaper in recent times. In fact, many are now free. Following are 10 examples of things that used to cost money but no longer do.

1. Classified Ads
2. Reading the news
3. Books, movies, and more
4. Budgeting software
5. Your credit report
6. Music
7. Long-distance phone service
8. Data storage
9. GPS

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A debit card is a lot like cash, because transactions are instaneous. The minute you check out is essentially the minute that money leaves your bank accounts. Using debit can be risky, too. They don’t offer a lot of financial protection and are more attractive to thieves in certain situations. For these reasons and others, sometimes you’re better off using a credit card or cold, hard cash. Here are nine examples:

1. Online purchases
2. Gas
3. Eating out
4. Hotel reservations
5. Car rentals
6. Other rental items
7. Big-ticket items
8. Subscriptions and automatic purchases
9. Cash back at independent ATM’s

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There are multiple ways you can trade an unwanted gift card for something more useful. Gift cards have been the most popular type of present for more than a decade now. So there’s a good chance you received one for the holidays – perhaps one you didn’t want. If you’d rather have had something else instead of the gift card you got, don’t fret. There are multiple ways to convert an unwanted gift card into something more useful, including cash. Here are three:

1. Sell it
2. Trade it in
3. Regift it

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Annual tweaks to Social Security system will impact benefits soon. Here’s what is in store for workers and retirees in 2019. Retirees will see the largest Social Security benefits in seven years in January 2019. But the higher cost-of-living adjustment is not the only way the system will change next year. Other changes that will take effect in 2019 include:

1. Full retirement age will continue to climb – Americans born in 1957 – meaning they will turn 62 in 2019 – full retirement age will increase to 66 and 6 months. That is two months later than it was for folks who turned 62 in 2018.
2. The earnings limit for working retirees will increase – from $17,040 to $17,640 if you reach full retirement age after 2019; from $45,360 to $46,920 if you reach full retirement age in 2019.
3. The tax cap on workers’ income will increase from $128,400 to $132,900. Earnings over 132k will not be subject to social security taxes.

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