Blog Posts by SavvySugar

Source: 8 Ideas to Use Up Your FSA Before the Year-End

Now that it's nearing the end of the year, there are some money chores you need to take care of, such as making sure you've spent the money in your Flexible Spending Account because it will expire before the New Year. You're actually allowed to file an extension if you haven't used up all your FSA dollars, but you need to check your company policy to see if they allow that. Don't fret if you can't extend, here are some last-minute ideas to use your FSA money:

• Over-the-counter items: We're not allowed to spend our FSA dollars on over-the-counter medicines without prescriptions but there are plenty of nonmedicinal products that we can still use the FSA money for. For example, band aids, crutches, first aid kits, and rubbing alcohol.
• Acupuncture: Acupuncture is covered by your FSA, so if you have a condition such as pain, consider acupuncture.

Source: 7 Easy Ways to Make Vacation Bliss Last

All good things come to an end, and that includes vacation as well. Settling back into work is hard especially when you're missing the sun and sand or whatever you immersed yourself in during your travels, but the vacation bliss doesn't have to end. It's said that people reap more benefit from multiple short vacations rather than one long one, because we derive most of the pleasure of our trip from planning. Personally, I think there are plenty of happy aftereffects as well.

I recently took a trip and am determined to make the happy travel buzz last for a good while. Here are some simple strategies I've been using:

Put Your Memories on Facebook: Upload your images and videos of the trip onto Facebook and watch the discussions begin! It's fun to see friends commenting back and forth on pictures and videos, and it'll be a constant reminder of the special moments you captured of your trip with your camera.

Buy Souvenirs: A

Source: 8 Steps to Being Happy Without Spending a Dime

Happiness is something you can't put a price on, and it's something you shouldn't take for granted. Despite what you think, no fancy car, flashy bling, or other material possessions will make you happy. True happiness has to come from within and just like most things in life, it takes effort and hard work to achieve it. Here are eight simple steps to becoming a happier person:

• Stop being materialistic: If you find joy in things, that happiness will be short lived. Because what you have will never be enough, and things can always be lost or broken. Wanting what you don't have will create unhappiness, so you should always be content with what you do currently have.
• Not defining yourself with a title: Just like material possessions, titles can always be lost. If you define yourself by an occupation or a role you carry, such as a doctor or being a mother, you may feel lost if the title was taken away from you. You need

Source: Get Back on Track After Thanksgiving With These Money Saving Trips

If you travel for Thanksgiving, you can easily blow some serious cash: on air travel, tickets to holiday movies, drinks to catch up with old friends, and shopping on Black Friday. Just because you're on vacation that doesn't mean that your bank account is, too. The weekend has just begun, so leave the indulging behind and follow a post-Thanksgiving budget.

• Eat up all the leftovers. Avoid going out to eat, and if you're getting tired of turkey sandwiches, whip up a creative Thanksgiving leftover recipe that will transform your meal into something new and tasty. Alternatively, visit a friend's house and help them munch on their leftovers.
• Enjoy being a couch potato. Thanksgiving is all about the football games and the holiday movie marathons. Keep the sweatpants on and relish the free entertainment. Movie tickets are absurdly expensive these days, but if you must, limit yourself to buying one ticket to a

Source: Fall Into an Autumn Routine With These Tips on Staying Productive

Not sure how the weather's been elsewhere, but San Francisco's gloom has me wanting to stay indoors. So this weekend will be a good time for me to get things done and recharge for the week ahead. Want to know how I'll do it? Read on for my tips to staying productive.

• Don't think about work (too much). Having a definite time for fun with family and friends is a good way to get your idea juices recharged for the week ahead.
• Get in some solitary relax time. Sometimes all you need is a good magazine or book or an afternoon at the thrift store to clear your mind.

More from SavvySugar: 15 Tips For a Better Work-Life Balance

• Use shower time to steam up some good ideas. Stuck on a problem at work that has an impending deadline? Focus on your problem-solving while you lather up, and you just might have your eureka moment in the shower.
• Set up a new to-do routine. Post-it notes and lost

Source: Email Etiquette: 3 Occasions to Use BCC

Wouldn't it be simple if emails consisted of just a "To" and "Subject" field? As emails get more sophisticated, more and more features are being added on, but some of them are really handy to have. One of my favorites is the underrated BCC, or blind carbon copy. Here are a couple of rules to follow when using it:

• Emailing strangers: When you're sending emails to people who don't know each other and you don't need any of them to interact with each other over email, it's best to err on the side of caution and BCC them. There are people who don't like their private information revealed and wouldn't want their email address passed around.
• When people don't have to be in the conversation: You shouldn't clog up people's inboxes with unnecessary information, so when it feels like they no longer need to be on the email chain, you can make a note informing the recipients that you are moving person A to BCC. That way, person A won't be

Source: Helpful Banking Tips for 20-Somethings

I remember receiving my first paycheck postcollege - along with my first checking account fee. While you're a student, many banks will prompt you to sign up with a free checking account, but things change when you graduate. I was startled and annoyed at this fee, but little did I know the few years preceding college, I would rack up several others. Here are five important things you should be aware of when banking in your 20s.

• Know the fees associated with your account. Ask what types of fees to expect and how you can avoid them. They creep up, and your bank might not prepare you for new fees either. For instance, large banks like Bank of America are instating monthly fees for debit card usage. While charges are between $3-$5, it's still a pretty significant fee for debit card users.
• Your purchasing habits are stored. In the ever-connected modern day world, purchases made by debit and credit cards are stored and analyzed.

Source: How-To: Start Your Own Book Club

Starting a book club may be for you if you find yourself constantly gushing over books with your friends or having heated debates on which character is more swoonworthy. Getting a bunch of like-minded bookworms together for a book club is a fun and frugal social activity that will enrich your minds and friendships. Read on for tips on how to create your own regular book discussion meetings.

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