Love is blind--and never more than when it comes to our money.

But how do you keep from choosing a dubious financial partner while falling head over heels? It isn't easy, as any of us who've loved and wound up in the red can tell you.

That's what this list is for. In between the flowers and the heart flutters, take the time to see if the person you love fits any of these eight signs.

By the way, this advice is steeped in real-life experience, as well as a recent survey by TD Ameritrade about the biggest financial dealbreakers in Americans' love lives. Not to mention research from the National Marriage Project about the most likely predictors of divorce-many of which center around money.

After reading these signs, if you're tempted to say, "Oh, but my lovebunny isn't really like that ...", call your mom or your closest girlfriend and discuss. One sign alone doesn't mean your relationship is in jeopardy. And for each, we'll give you a recommendation of what to do next if your true lo

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Sometimes shelling out a little extra money upfront saves you a hard-earned cash down the road, and splurging becomes an investment that pays for itself. Here are just a few examples of when it pays to spend more:

Resealable Food Packages
When food doesn't get sealed properly, it spoils and goes to waste, so look for packages with resealable tubes, bags or containers. They may cost you a bit more at the grocery store, but can save you hundreds of dollars a year in uneaten food. Or, if you're a bulk buyer, consider investing in a vacuum sealer or even some good quality vacuum bags. "It's a really good way of taking advantage of sales at the grocery store, especially on really pricey items like meats and cheeses. You can buy in bulk and then they're ready when you want them," says Jody Rholena of ShopSmart Magazine.

Class Packages
Stop the "pay as you go" insanity at your local yoga studio, spin or aerobics class. If you've taken three or more sessions in a row, ask yourself -

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Cut your bills with these money-saving tips on buying household essentials, clothing, and personal products.
By Kaija Helmetag and Yelena Moroz

Pet Food
Amazon.com's Subscribe & Save service ships various household products (anything from coffee to dishwasher tablets) to your doorstep on a schedule of your choosing, from monthly to every six months. It offers numerous pet-food brands-both grocery-store varieties, like Pedigree and Friskies, and more natural ones, like Newman's Own Organics-at prices up to 15 percent lower than what you would pay at a big-box pet store. Bonus: Delivery is free, even for 40-pound bags.

Annual savings: $50

Also See: How to Save on Online Shipping Costs



Toilet Paper
Most of the time, mass retailers like Sam's Club (which have an annual membership fee) and Target charge 8 to 10 percent less on toilet paper than grocery chains do. However, near the first and 15th of each month, many supermarkets discount paper products by 20 to 40 percent.

Annual savings:

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If you've noticed your grocery bill creeping a bit higher lately, you're not alone. The rising price of gas means that many other products are being marked up a bit, too, in order to cover transportation costs.

Which, sure, makes sense--but doesn't make it any less painful for your pocketbook. So we've pulled together some easy ways to help you stick to your grocery budget. Just a few simple steps and some shopping savvy, and you can trim that grocery bill back down in no time.

1. Timing is Everything

Plan your weekly shopping trip on Wednesdays, when new store coupons are usually released. Grocers should still honor last week's deals along with the new sales, so there are double the opportunities to save.

2. Go Paperless

Speaking of coupons-thanks to technology, you're no longer required to pour through the Sunday circulars and show up with a binder full of clip-outs to get good deals. Try downloading the Coupon Sherpa mobile app, which offers mobile coupons to many different r...Read More »

By Jack Otter

Money Mistake #1: You Used Your Debit Card to Pay for Gas, an Appliance, a Rental Car, Reserve a Hotel Room or Anything Online

Buy a coffee at Starbucks with a debit card and $2.01 will be deducted from your checking account--end of story. But fill up your car for $30 and the gas station might put an $80 "hold" on your checking account for a couple of days until the station reconciles its accounts and transmits your purchase to the bank. While that money is locked up, you can get hit with overdraft charges for subsequent purchases--even if you have enough money in your account.

The worst move is to check in to a hotel with a debit card but pay the bill with a different card. The debit-card company might keep the hold for as long as 15 days, unaware that you paid with another card. Spend four nights in $250 hotel room, and, when the phantom incidentals are added in (a hotel might tack on an estimate for anticipated minibar or room service charges to the "hold"), you

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