Having friends who are seemingly made of money can force you to confront thoughts about your own financial situation. But do you really know what's going on in the bank accounts of others?

I clip coupons. All the coupons. Some would say I’m the resident Credit Union Coupon Queen! So why do I clip? Well, life is expensive and I’m always trying to save money no matter where I go. Bed Bath and Beyond, Macy’s, manufacturer’s coupons… I always have them in my purse!

“He that can have Patience can have what he will.”– Benjamin Franklin

The older I get in life, the more I discover the need to be patient. I have an issue with this, because I often find myself excited when I am working towards a goal and want to see immediate results. Unfortunately, that is not always how it works out. Here are some practical ways that I try to maintain patience in life.

Let’s talk about debt. It’s a term that most people dread, probably because many of us have accumulated some type of debt throughout the years. In fact, CBS news reports that U.S. consumers have approximately 3.4 trillion dollars in outstanding debt. Why? Well, it’s probably because our paychecks are remaining the same, while our expenses continue to increase. Life keeps getting more and more expensive, so how do we get out of debt? The following tips have helped me lower my debt tremendously.

Every year Christmas approaches very quickly. I love to shop, but I don’t love having to come up with such a large amount of money during the holidays. I think many people can relate to the same problem, so a couple years ago I came up with a plan to help relieve the stress of holiday spending. I decided to open up a Christmas club account to start saving for the holidays all year long.