Most of you might know about Mint.com, the premier online personal finance management service. Mint Data is a new service by the same site that shows real-time local spending data (US only) and helps consumers decide where they should spend their money.
The anonymous spending data is sourced from Mint’s huge user base. Using that data, this new service tells you the average amount of money that a consumer is likely to spend on a particular restaurant, or a shopping destination in US cities, in real-time.
You can check the popularity of restaurants and shopping spots according to the money spent by people there. There’s also a list of America’s highest spending cities according to the data from Mint’s users.
Features
- Check the real-time local spending data.
- Do a search for a destination and see how much consumers are spending there.
- Data sourced from Mint.com.
- Restaurants and shopping spots ranked by popularity.
- Similar tools: Bundle, VisualEconomics and TipJar
Check out Mint Data @ www.data.mint.com (via ReadWriteWeb By Abhijeet from GT Cool Stuff)
One of the reasons Aaron Patzer founded personal finance site Mint.com was because of his frustrations with Intuit’s financial management software Quicken. Quicken, says Patzer wasn’t user-friendly, and in Patzer’s own words “felt like a product from 1996.” Flash forward two years, and Patzer’s Mint.com (which was also a TechCrunch50 winner) was bought by Intuit for $170 million in the Fall of 2009. Clearly, Intuit perhaps agreed with Patzer, who is now vice president and general manager of Intuit’s personal finance group, that its own financial products needed a a makeover. Today, Quicken 2011 is debuting its software for Windows that includes more features from Mint.com.
This is the first version of Quicken to reflect the collaboration of the Quicken Desktop and Mint.com product and engineering teams since last fall. The new version for Windows users includes 360-degree financial view that brings together all accounts, including bank, credit card, investment and retirement. Intuit has also added support for 7,000 more banks and now lists 12,000 banks and credit union in the U.S.
Quicken’s new automated engine categorizes transactions (i.e. business, clothes, groceries, etc.) Credit card payments are automatically matched to transfers from checking or savings, to ensure they’re not double-counted. You can also create budgets within the software based on an individual’s historical spending and the software will include expense alerts and a graph to project cash flow help users avoid late fees and penalties. Pricing for Quicken 2011 ranges from $29.99 to $89.99.
Patzer says of the new version: “It combines the best of Quicken with what we built into Mint.com to help ease the burden on people trying to manage their money…The product is customizable and intuitive, two things that people have come to expect from modern software.”
One feature that is clearly lacking between Quicken and Mint is the ability to sync your Quicken desktop software with your Mint.com web account, and integrate the data (Quicken Online users are being merged to Mint.com). But Patzer says that this will soon be added to the suite of products. His goal is for Quicken and Mint to work seamlessly across all platforms, including mobile.
On another note, the Intuit acquisition doesn’t seem to have stunted Mint.com’s growth. Patzer says that the platform has grown from 1.7 million users in September of 2009 to 4.2 million users currently.
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
Most of you might know about Mint.com, the premier online personal finance management service. Mint Data is a new service by the same site that shows real-time local spending data (US only) and helps consumers decide where they should spend their money.
The anonymous spending data is sourced from Mint’s huge user base. Using that data, this new service tells you the average amount of money that a consumer is likely to spend on a particular restaurant, or a shopping destination in US cities, in real-time.
You can check the popularity of restaurants and shopping spots according to the money spent by people there. There’s also a list of America’s highest spending cities according to the data from Mint’s users.
Features
- Check the real-time local spending data.
- Do a search for a destination and see how much consumers are spending there.
- Data sourced from Mint.com.
- Restaurants and shopping spots ranked by popularity.
- Similar tools: Bundle, VisualEconomics and TipJar
Check out Mint Data @ www.data.mint.com (via ReadWriteWeb By Abhijeet from GT Cool Stuff)
One of the reasons Aaron Patzer founded personal finance site Mint.com was because of his frustrations with Intuit’s financial management software Quicken. Quicken, says Patzer wasn’t user-friendly, and in Patzer’s own words “felt like a product from 1996.” Flash forward two years, and Patzer’s Mint.com (which was also a TechCrunch50 winner) was bought by Intuit for $170 million in the Fall of 2009. Clearly, Intuit perhaps agreed with Patzer, who is now vice president and general manager of Intuit’s personal finance group, that its own financial products needed a a makeover. Today, Quicken 2011 is debuting its software for Windows that includes more features from Mint.com.
This is the first version of Quicken to reflect the collaboration of the Quicken Desktop and Mint.com product and engineering teams since last fall. The new version for Windows users includes 360-degree financial view that brings together all accounts, including bank, credit card, investment and retirement. Intuit has also added support for 7,000 more banks and now lists 12,000 banks and credit union in the U.S.
Quicken’s new automated engine categorizes transactions (i.e. business, clothes, groceries, etc.) Credit card payments are automatically matched to transfers from checking or savings, to ensure they’re not double-counted. You can also create budgets within the software based on an individual’s historical spending and the software will include expense alerts and a graph to project cash flow help users avoid late fees and penalties. Pricing for Quicken 2011 ranges from $29.99 to $89.99.
Patzer says of the new version: “It combines the best of Quicken with what we built into Mint.com to help ease the burden on people trying to manage their money…The product is customizable and intuitive, two things that people have come to expect from modern software.”
One feature that is clearly lacking between Quicken and Mint is the ability to sync your Quicken desktop software with your Mint.com web account, and integrate the data (Quicken Online users are being merged to Mint.com). But Patzer says that this will soon be added to the suite of products. His goal is for Quicken and Mint to work seamlessly across all platforms, including mobile.
On another note, the Intuit acquisition doesn’t seem to have stunted Mint.com’s growth. Patzer says that the platform has grown from 1.7 million users in September of 2009 to 4.2 million users currently.
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
Most of you might know about Mint.com, the premier online personal finance management service. Mint Data is a new service by the same site that shows real-time local spending data (US only) and helps consumers decide where they should spend their money.
The anonymous spending data is sourced from Mint’s huge user base. Using that data, this new service tells you the average amount of money that a consumer is likely to spend on a particular restaurant, or a shopping destination in US cities, in real-time.
You can check the popularity of restaurants and shopping spots according to the money spent by people there. There’s also a list of America’s highest spending cities according to the data from Mint’s users.
Features
- Check the real-time local spending data.
- Do a search for a destination and see how much consumers are spending there.
- Data sourced from Mint.com.
- Restaurants and shopping spots ranked by popularity.
- Similar tools: Bundle, VisualEconomics and TipJar
Check out Mint Data @ www.data.mint.com (via ReadWriteWeb By Abhijeet from GT Cool Stuff)
One of the reasons Aaron Patzer founded personal finance site Mint.com was because of his frustrations with Intuit’s financial management software Quicken. Quicken, says Patzer wasn’t user-friendly, and in Patzer’s own words “felt like a product from 1996.” Flash forward two years, and Patzer’s Mint.com (which was also a TechCrunch50 winner) was bought by Intuit for $170 million in the Fall of 2009. Clearly, Intuit perhaps agreed with Patzer, who is now vice president and general manager of Intuit’s personal finance group, that its own financial products needed a a makeover. Today, Quicken 2011 is debuting its software for Windows that includes more features from Mint.com.
This is the first version of Quicken to reflect the collaboration of the Quicken Desktop and Mint.com product and engineering teams since last fall. The new version for Windows users includes 360-degree financial view that brings together all accounts, including bank, credit card, investment and retirement. Intuit has also added support for 7,000 more banks and now lists 12,000 banks and credit union in the U.S.
Quicken’s new automated engine categorizes transactions (i.e. business, clothes, groceries, etc.) Credit card payments are automatically matched to transfers from checking or savings, to ensure they’re not double-counted. You can also create budgets within the software based on an individual’s historical spending and the software will include expense alerts and a graph to project cash flow help users avoid late fees and penalties. Pricing for Quicken 2011 ranges from $29.99 to $89.99.
Patzer says of the new version: “It combines the best of Quicken with what we built into Mint.com to help ease the burden on people trying to manage their money…The product is customizable and intuitive, two things that people have come to expect from modern software.”
One feature that is clearly lacking between Quicken and Mint is the ability to sync your Quicken desktop software with your Mint.com web account, and integrate the data (Quicken Online users are being merged to Mint.com). But Patzer says that this will soon be added to the suite of products. His goal is for Quicken and Mint to work seamlessly across all platforms, including mobile.
On another note, the Intuit acquisition doesn’t seem to have stunted Mint.com’s growth. Patzer says that the platform has grown from 1.7 million users in September of 2009 to 4.2 million users currently.
eric seiger
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
In these tough economic times, many are finding it difficult to make ends meat but this article will shed some light on what you need to change and what needs to stay the same. Most importantly, make a budget and stick to it then live beneath your means. Once you adjust your spending the remaining money can go into your savings which you will appreciate once the rainy day comes. The quickest way to save money is to always pay your bills on time to avoid late charges. Next, ask yourself what can you really afford and what can you not afford to do without. A prime example is your vehicle; most people have "too much" car and not enough insurance. Ask yourself, "What purpose does my vehicle serve?" Most people use their vehicle to travel less than 20 miles from home on any given day and back. Do you really need a Hummer to do that? Sure, you work hard and you deserve some luxuries but wouldn't you rather have these when you retire and can fully enjoy them? I am all for having the things you want but only if you can afford to pay cash for them. If you are making payments on everything that you own then your stuff owns you! Do you drag yourself to a job you hate everyday because you have to make the car payment or you have to pay the credit card bill? If so, it's time to reevaluate.
Below are tips for the important areas of your financial life which will allow you to live well now and later.
- Budget - Your budget should be based on percentages of your income and not a fixed amount. For example, if you make $3000 per month (bring home pay, after taxes) and you have set your housing budget at 30% which would be $900 per month. If your total housing expense (including mortgage/rent, insurance, taxes, maintenance, and furniture) is more than $900 per month then you are living above your means and something has to go! Most everything in the category is negotiable so taking the time to renegotiate could save you a considerable amount. If you are shocked at these amounts just remember that some of these expenses are paid yearly so you will want to divide that number by 12 and put that amount aside for when it's due.
- Saving & Giving - Coming from an accounting background, I have never been able to figure out why this works but it does! When you are saving & giving consistently, something spiritual happens with your money and it tends to multiply. You should be saving in three different categories: emergency fund, retirement fund and education but there are also other monies that will be saved. For instance, your yearly real estate tax and insurance but those are expenses not savings and are only to be used for the purpose intended. Giving is a personal choice but it is necessary. It doesn't matter if you give to your regular house of worship, charity, etc.; the point is you want to give!
- Housing expense - The example has already been given above as to how to budget these expenses but what happens if you need to make cuts? You home will always be your biggest expense but if you are living way above your income then you will want to consider taking drastic steps. If your housing expense is 50% or more of your income then you will have to downsize in order to survive financially. For a time, you might want to consider a small efficiency apartment or selling your 5 bedroom home and moving into a 2 or 3 bedroom home. Most people won't need to make such drastic changes and usually it only takes an honest evaluation of where your money is going. Here are a few more tips for cutting your housing expense: Reevaluate your insurance policies on a regular basis and decide if you have what you need or if you have too much. Consider taking home repair classes which are held at community centers and home improvement stores. Instead of purchasing new furniture consider slip covers or swapping furniture with a friend or relative. Regularly rearrange the furniture and décor in your home for a fresh perspective.
- Utilities - Most everything is negotiable so evaluate your cable, internet and phone services. Do you really need internet on your cell phone or home internet service? What cable channels do you watch and do you really need the premium channels? Are you watching TV enough to justify having cable? Take an honest look at which services that you use and how you use them. Just because it's convenient doesn't mean that it's justified. You may feel that you don't have control over your gas, water or electric bills but you can certainly conserve and keep a close eye on your bills to make sure that they are accurate.
- Groceries/ Eating out - A long time ago we discovered that we could greatly cut down on our food expenses by doing a few things: LEARN TO COOK. Have the skills to prepare quality meals at home and you won't be as tempted to eat out. Use coupons and sign up for store reward cards which save money on your purchases and gas. When you do eat out, skip the alcoholic beverages and dessert and use coupons whenever possible. Several restaurant chains have websites where you can sign up for discounts and coupons. We routinely save 25 - 50% when going out to eat.
- Automobile expenses - Save your money and purchase your vehicles with cash. It may take a while to do this the first time but once you are accustom to putting this money away every month it will be a breeze and you'll have the security of knowing that your vehicle is paid for. When buying a vehicle, you should always think about gas mileage, repair costs and insurance costs. You can find this information online. For example, a solid 10 year old car with good gas mileage and maintenance records will be less costly than a newer vehicle. As with your home, evaluate your insurance and keep up the maintenance. Finally, ask yourself "What do I really need? How many vehicles does my family need? What purpose are my current vehicles serving?" These are important things to evaluate when planning your budget.
- Clothing - Consider buying your clothing at thrift stores or garage sales especially items that you don't wear very often. One of my favorite activities is getting together with a group of friends and "shopping in their closet" or swapping clothing. A clothing swap is really handy when you have small children and are constantly in need of items. When you do purchase new clothing, make sure to get good quality, versatile clothing in neutral colors and also consider any dry cleaning expense.
- Insurance - Make sure that you have just the right amount of insurance and negotiate your premiums. If you have a car that's more than 10 years old, you certainly don't need full coverage insurance. If you are a 2 or 3 car family, you don't need rental car coverage. However, if you are renting your home you do need rental insurance. Evaluate your needs and what you want to protect.
- Education - As I mentioned earlier in this article, there are some things that you can't afford to do without and education is one of them. Most local colleges offer continuing education courses for working adults for a nominal tuition. These courses could help you to get the promotion that you want or advance you in your career but talk to your employer and find out what they would view as a valuable skill. You may be wasting money by sending your children to a private school when you could help to improve the schools in your area. Take a tour of the local schools both public and private and compare them apples to apples, you might be surprised by the quality of education in the public schools. Also, volunteer at your child's school and stay informed about what's going on.
- Subscriptions/ Dues - Take an honest look at the subscription and dues that are in your budget. How often are you reading that magazine and how often can you attend the club meetings? As always, what is this expense profiting me?
- Entertainment/Travel - This is probably my favorite area to get creative in because nearly everything is negotiable! An incredible amount of money can be saved by traveling at unusual times, using state parks instead of private resorts, rail travel instead of flying (if time permits), travel in off peak seasons, being flexible. If you are purchasing older cars for cash as suggested earlier and you are taking are car trip, it's worth the money to rent a car or travel by rail. In terms of local entertainment, find out what's free in your area and utilize public museums, parks and free concerts and plays. Be creative with your travel and entertainment and you could save a lot of money in the process.
- Credit Cards/ Loans - Wean yourself off of credit cards and loans and pay cash whenever possible. Do you realize that you are giving your money away? You can buy plane tickets, rent a car or buy online with your bank debit card so there is no need to have credit cards.
With a little thought and planning, you can live a very good life on a budget!
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
Cee-Lo Green sings 'Fox <b>News</b>' on 'Colbert Report' - The Dish Rag <b>...</b>
With William Shatner and possibly Gwyneth Paltrow taking a stab at “F*** You,” Cee-Lo Green shows them how it's done.The musician appears on Comedy Central's...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: NHL and Phantoms <b>News</b> - Broad Street Hockey
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes... Remembering Pelle Lindbergh: [Flyers Faithful]; Looking at Peter Laviolette's impact on the Flyers: ...
<b>News</b> Poll FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures
epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. ... News Poll FAIL. epic fail photos - News Poll FAIL. Submitted by: Unknown. Incorrect source or offensive? G-rated, math is too hard, news, News Poll, opinions, poll, television ...
eric seiger
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