$99 Nook at Best Buy

Since we told you about the Amazon's Kindle giveaway, it's only fair to share that Barnes & Noble's Nook eReader will be on sale at Best Buy on Black Friday for $99, which is $50 off regular price.

Take $4.99 of that savings and buy "The Easy Budget" to read on it, and you'll be teaching yourself to find these kinds of bargains every day.

We're not schilling for anyone here, though, so as we always say, you can read "The Easy Budget" on your laptop, desktop computer or any other device you already own.

Have a great day finding bargains!

You should follow "The Easy Budget" on Facebook here.

Win a Kindle, buy the Easy Budget to read on it

We see that Amazon.com is giving away a free Wi-Fi Kindle a day through the end of November on Facebook. If you don't already have one, go click the Like button and, if you win, you won't even have to subtract any money from your budget.*

Then head over to Amazon.com and buy your copy of "The Easy Budget."

If you don't win, you still can buy "The Easy Budget" and download a free Kindle app for whatever device you own. Or get the Barnes & Noble or iTunes version.
You should follow "The Easy Budget" on Facebook here.

*Note: The Kindle giveaway is entirely an Amazon.com promotion and has nothing to do with "The Easy Budget."

Use cash, stick to budget while Christmas shopping

You want to bring smiles to the faces of your family and friends this Christmas -- but you don't want to bring a frown to your own when the bills come due in January.

Experts advise using cash rather than credit cards, and as this site is constantly reminding you, create a budget and stick to it.

Read more details in The Birmingham News here.

You should follow "The Easy Budget" on Facebook here.

Creative Commons photo courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51486173@N00/223052548

'The Easy Budget' now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes

"The Easy Budget: How to Always Have the Money You Need" e-book by Owen Tew is now available on Amazon.com , Barnes & Noble.com and iTunes.*

Just click on the links above or the icon on the upper right of this page to whichever online store you'd like to purchase from and you'll be on your way to better budgeting!

And you can still buy the book on Lulu.com.

You should follow "The Easy Budget" on Facebook here.

*You must be using an iPad, iPod or iPod Touch to find the ebook on iTunes. To read it on a PC or Mac laptop or desktop computer, buy it from Barnes and Noble. Also the Easy Budget app on iTunes is not affiliated with "The Easy Budget" ebook.

Kardishian credit card a pretty bad deal

Not only is it targeted at teenagers, the Kardashian sister's new credit card also comes with some fees that aren't too hot, Newser reports.

But if you read this blog, you already figured that, right?

UPDATE: The Kardashian sisters are now suing to have their names and likenesses removed from the controversial cards.

Woman Paying With Credit Card by Petr Kratochvil

Creative gift-giving on a budget

How do you figure gift-giving into your budget?

Some people set up specific accounts, like Christmas clubs of the past. I've opted to use my budget, which doesn't designate specifically to gifts, so I'm forced to be creative.

In my case, I've got lots of money left over in the Food and Clothing categories -- so if you're on my gift list you can expect something to wear or something to eat. (Food-related items work, too: dishes, etc.)

Since I have no young children to buy for this works out, but obviously I'd have to find a way to get toys if I had kids making desperate pleas.

Usually, your Miscellaneous fund will take care of you here, but if not you'll have to look into Entertainment or other areas. If you're flush with cash in your Auto/Travel fund try a gas station gift card.

You should follow me on Facebook here.

Photo by Petr Kratochvil, PublicDomainPictures.net

Don't Let Bank Fool You Into Automatic Savings Plan

I can't speak to anyone at my bank anymore without them trying to sell me on a so-called automatic savings plan in which $1 will be taken from my checking account and added to my savings account every time I use their bank debit card.

Do they take me for a fool? Obviously, they do.

They act as though this is a savings plan, but all it does it take money from one account and put it into another. The problem for you -- and bonus for the financial institution -- is that they are banking on you forgetting to keep up with all these transactions. Next thing you know, you've gone below your minimum deposit in your checking account and the bank charges you a fee for it.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with banks. On the "love" side, I don't want to stuff my savings in my mattress, so I have to keep my money somewhere safe. On the "hate" side, I see a lot of their tactics as nothing more than legalized thievery. And this is one of those tactics.

If you want to take some of the money from your checking account and put it into savings, just do it yourself and make the subtraction in your checkbook register. You're smart enough to do things like a grown-up -- and you're smart enough not to be robbed by your own bank.

(Photo by Alan Cleaver)