No matter what your money situation, it’s easy to spend like your money will never run out, especially when the company you keep tends to spend like mad.

One of the perks I had during my recent college experience was living within walking distance of all my friends, which meant rarely needing to spend a lot of money to have a good time. But things are different now and draining my wallet seems to be a consequence of hanging out with friends.

Peer pressure to spend money affects people of all ages. It’s your friend who always wants to go out for lunch or a co-worker who keeps up with the latest trends and fashions.  That’s the downside of all of this—we feel pressure from those around us to act a certain way even if it’s beyond our means. This is where the lessons we learn in grade school of “Just say no!” come in handy for money management.

Don’t spend unnecessarily

Within a group of friends, there can be a very diverse mix of financial situations. Some people can afford to spend more on their social lives and some live on a tighter leash. Don’t let friends who spend money all the time influence you to spend money you don’t have worked into your personal budget.

Find other ways to enjoy spending time together. Host a weekly or monthly get together to watch a popular show, like Dancing with the Stars, or have a board game night. Rotate who hosts the festivities and come to an agreement about food and drinks. Nothing has to be extravagant; it is supposed to be a low cost way to hang out with your friends.

But wait a minute! There are always two sides to every argument. Why should people (and their bank accounts) have to suffer because of popularity? The answer is: they shouldn’t.

The power of people

You can and should use the buying power of your group of friends to save everyone some money. Look for places that offer group discounts on tickets to events or restaurants that give bigger groups discounts on meals. Go shopping with friends who have similar tastes to take advantage of offers like “buy 3 get one free,” and split the cost so everyone gets a discount.

There is also a Web site that is dedicated to this exact practice. Groupon is a company that offers discounts to local businesses in more than 20 major U.S. cities.

Here is their basic pitch according to the Groupon blog: “Groupon subscribers receive free daily emails alerting them to an exclusive deal from a top local business (restaurant, spa, indoor activity, the World’s Largest of something, etc.), but these deals only go into effect if a minimum number of people agree to buy.”

This site provides a great service to their users. They encourage people to use the power of peer pressure to make sure everyone gets a break while helping local businesses in the meantime. The best way to ensure you don’t miss a good deal is to spread the word about the offer and share the discount with anyone who would be interested. Plus, there is a new deal featured every day, so there is bound to be something for everyone.

Is there a middle ground? Does a way to have fun with friends and be kind to your wallet exist? A lot of businesses have created days in honor of the saving savvy social butterfly.

Celebrate on “special” days

 The “special” days I’m talking about aren’t birthdays or holidays (although this certainly could apply to them). The next time you want to spend time with your friends and go out rather than stay in, do it on a day that your regular hang out spot offers deals.

It’s the “happy hour” concept applied to activities instead of restaurants and bars. Bowling alleys usually have one night a week where games only cost a dollar or shoes are free.  Golf courses frequently have twilight hours where you can golf at a discount because you only have so much time to play before it gets dark. Certain movie theaters offer matinee prices all day long during the middle of the week.

If you are going out to eat or to the bar, go during happy hour and on the days where restaurants offer special prices. Some places have “kids eat free” nights or all-you-can-eat pasta days. One of my favorite places in college had “half-off Wednesdays,” where everything on the menu was half price.

I realize these days usually attract a crowd, everyone wanting to have their share of a great offer, but that just means you’ll have to plan ahead. Make reservations if possible or allow your schedule to be flexible and account for waiting time.

So what does all of this mean for the peer-influenced money manager? Continue to be smart with your personal finances. Avoid following in the footsteps of liberally-spending friends, but use the weight of a crowd to save everyone money. So the next time you hear the phrase “Come on, everyone’s doing it!” make sure your peers are pressuring you to have fun while saving money, not throwing it away.

Looking for more money saving tips? The Quizzle Blog’s got you covered:

• 55 Money Saving Tips (Your Wallet Will Thank You)
• 6 Tips to Help you Save for a Down Payment on a Home
• Free Stuff from Uncle Sam
• 8 Ways to Save Money as a College Student
• Perfect Weddings Can Be Frugal Weddings

Quizzle is the free and easy way to manage your home, money and credit – all in one spot. For even more money saving tips and news updates, follow us on Twitter or become a fan of Quizzle on Facebook.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pierofix/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Just like free food always tastes better, free stuff from the government is more savory too.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best freebies from Uncle Sam to help you with everything from smart shopping and educating your children, to damaged bills and unclaimed money from the IRS:

Become a Smart Shopper

To help you become a savvy shopper, the government has created a guide chock full of handy tips and tricks. The 2009 Consumer Action Handbook includes information about preventing identity theft, understanding credit, filing a consumer complaint, filing for bankruptcy, finding a lawyer and much more. You can order up to 10 copies for free.

Take Advantage of FREE Educational Resources

If you’re a teacher, you know how expensive educational resources can be. To lend you a hand, Uncle Sam has put together the Federal Resources for Education Excellence (FREE) website (free.ed.gov).

FREE is among the most popular K-12 websites maintained by the U.S Department of Education because of all the great resources being offered by contributing federal agencies. At FREE, you’ll get access to more than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources from dozens of federal agencies.

Trade In Your Damaged Bills

Do you have a few damaged bills, dog-eared and torn, that have found a permanent home in your wallet? Turn that money in for usable currency.  The Bureau of Engraving and Printing will trade in your shredded and mutilated currency for money you can actually use. Every year the U.S. Treasury handles approximately 30,000 claims and redeems mutilated currency valued at over $30 million.

Once you send your currency to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, experts will examine it and approve the issuance of a Treasury check for the value of the currency determined to be redeemable.

Find out If You’re Entitled to Money from the IRS

If you’ve filed taxes recently, you may have some free money sitting at the IRS. Millions of taxpayers never receive their refund. This is mainly due to an error with the address or direct deposit information you provided, or a recent move to a new address. If you didn’t receive your refund this year, you can check the IRS – Where’s My Refund to see if cash is waiting for you.

There are also over 5 million unclaimed economic stimulus checks being held by the IRS. Many of the unclaimed checks belong to people who do not normally file tax returns, such as those whose only source of income is Social Security. If you think you may have unclaimed stimulus funds owed to you, find out for sure by visiting the IRS Stimulus payment tracker.

Get a FHA Home Loan Insurance Refund

If you had an FHA home loan in the past, you may be entitled to an insurance refund. FHA loan borrowers were previously required to pay a set amount of insurance premiums up-front, regardless of how long they were going to live in the home. Homeowners are entitled to the refund if their insurance was terminated when a) they sold their home, b) they paid off their mortgage early or, c) the they refinanced their mortgage into a non-FHA loan.

You may be entitled to a refund under the follow circumstances:

Premium Refund

• Acquired loan after September 1, 1983
• Paid up-front mortgage insurance premium at closing
• Did not default on your mortgage payments

Distributive Share

• Originated your loan before September 1, 1983
• Paid on your loan for more than 7 years
• Has FHA insurance terminated before November 5, 1990

Give Your Kids the Gift of Free Stuff

The government offers several free publications for children. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development offers a free Milk Matters Coloring Book. Milk Matters is a public health education campaign to promote calcium consumption.  Parents can order the FREE coloring book and either download it from the Internet or have it delivered in the mail.

Firesafety.gov is another great resource for families to help educate kids about fire safety and prevention. Parents can visit the website to download free publications for their children. Available in both English and Spanish, the site offers coloring book, word searches, and escape plan diagrams.

For more helpful money saving tips, check out the Quizzle Blog:

• Plan the Perfect Wedding on the Cheap
• How to Save for a Down Payment on a Home
• 8 Ways to Stretch Your Money as a Poor, Broke College Student
• 55 Money Saving Tips (Your Wallet Will Thank You)
• Protect Your Credit during the Holidays with these 7 Tips

Looking for more free stuff? Quizzle’s got you covered with a totally free credit report and free credit score, no catches, no trial subscriptions, no credit card required.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/a2community/

Every girl dreams of having that perfect wedding. But, when the time comes that perfect wedding might be limited to the amount of money that you can contribute. I am currently planning for an October 2010 wedding and have already spent $6,000 just on my reception alone. A friend of mine is getting married this weekend and planned her entire wedding for under $5,000. So I wondered, in what areas could myself and others save so we don’t spend too much money?

Be Frugal With Your Wedding Reception

Some banquet halls can charge as much as $80 a person on the weekend. If you plan to invite 150 guests, you’re bound to spend $12,000. Look for banquet halls that charge under $20 a person. Most banquet halls will give you a discount if you book your reception during the lunch hour or if you book on a holiday such as Halloween.

Take time to look and re-look over your guest list. Don’t feel like you have to invite every person you think of.  Narrow your list down by who must attend and who you want to attend if there is enough space. Even though some banquet halls require that you have a minimum number of people attend, most halls will waive that requirement if you book with them immediately.

Bargain Shop for Your Wedding Dress

I felt the second most important purchase in your wedding planning is your dress. Though you may be tempted to spend hundreds even thousands of dollars on a wedding dress, that money could be spend in other areas. Take the time to check out sites like Milanoo, which sells wedding dresses at wholesale prices.  I looked over the selection of dresses and found several under $150 that were very comparable to my $1,000 wedding dress. For me, this is the one area where I could have saved the most money.

Print Your Own Invitations

While most invitations don’t cost a lot of money, it is still an area where hundreds of dollars can be saved. Most name brand invitations can cost as much as $3.00 per invitation. By shopping smart you can find invitations that cost under $1.00 per invitation.

Don’t forget that your wedding invitations are not the only ones you will need. Consider all the events prior to the wedding that you will be having such as an engagement party, bridal shower and rehearsal dinner. Since you won’t need a lot of invitations for those events, consider doing them at home. Stores like Target and Michael’s sell custom do-it-yourself kits. I recently had an engagement party and did all the invitations and thank you cards at home.

Less is More in Regards to Flowers

While booking my wedding reception the venue allowed me to view some receptions that were already set up for later that day. In my opinion some of the rooms were so over decorated that it took away from the mood. I found that the rooms with less decorations and flowers looked the best. I have decided to not use extravagant center pieces and stick to something simple. For under $5 a center piece you can create a romantic setting with floating candles and rose petals.

Don’t be Afraid of FREE

When planning your wedding, don’t be afraid to ask for free stuff. When ordering invitations, ask if you get a set amount free if you order over a certain amount. Some sites will give 50 free invitations or free shipping. When researching banquet halls I came across one that included a free engagement party. While I did not want to book with that banquet hall, I suggested the idea to the hall I chose. The hall threw me a 2 hour party with free hors d’oeuvres, cake, champagne toast and bar.  You never know what you can get for free until you ask.

If you’re in the market for a new house or recently unemployed, some good news hit home this week. The Senate voted Wednesday on measures to extend the first-time home buyers tax credit as well as unemployment benefits; the bill passed by a vote of 98 to 0. On Thursday, the House of Representative passed the bill by a vote of 403-12. The bills are now making their way to President Barack Obama to sign. President Obama has made it very clear that he WILL sign them into law. So how does this work for you?

Not Just a First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit

So do you want to buy a house but you’re not ready to buy one this year? If so, I have some good news! According to Fox Business the Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to extend the $8000 first-time home buyer’s tax credit.  The current tax credit will be extended to April 30, 2010. This means that you as a first-time buyer can take advantage of the credit as long as you have a contract in place by April 30, 2010 and close on the mortgage before July 1, 2010.

Have you owned a house for at least five years out of the past eight years and are looking to move into something bigger? If so, I have good news for you too! In addition to the extension of the original credit, the Senate has also introduced a new home buyer’s tax credit for those who already own a home and are looking to move. Those who have owned a home for at least five years out of the past eight years would also be eligible for a tax credit of $6500 if they move.

The tax credit for first-time home buyers currently allows first-time home buyers to claim a tax credit equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to the maximum of $8,000. The credit, which is set to expire on November 30, 2009, has allowed the housing market to come back from its recent fall. Many bankers, financial analysts, and realtors feel that the housing market could decline once more if the tax credit is not extended. Many have spoken and the Senate listened. However, the Senate has assured consumers that the tax credit will NOT be extended beyond April 30, 2010.

In addition to introduction of the new tax credit, the Senate has also raised the maximum income earnings that qualify an individual for the tax credit. Currently any single buyer who earns over $75,000 or a couple who earns over $150,000 a year is not eligible for the current credit. However, under the new law, a single buyer can earn up to $125,000 and a couple up to $225,000 a year and still be eligible for the tax credit.

When you’re ready to purchase a house, check out Quizzle to calculate how much home you can afford.

Unemployment Benefits Don’t Have to End Now

Currently unemployment stands at 9.8% and is expected to rise another .10% when the latest figures are released November 6, 2009.  Even though some analysts feel that the economy is slowly rising, many of those unemployed still can’t find work. If your unemployment benefits are coming to an end there is no need to worry, as your benefits will be extended up to an additional 20 weeks.

The Senate has passed a bill that will extend unemployment benefits for an additional 20 weeks in states that have an unemployment rate of 8.5% or higher, while all other states will receive a 14 week extension. To see how many weeks you may qualify for check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Here at Quizzle we want to keep you posted with the latest news. Check back often to find out the latest scoop on the two major economic bills.

Hi! My name is Angela and I am the Web Project Manager intern here at Quizzle.

This next year is going to be a big one for me. Not only do I graduate from college, but I am also hoping to buy a house in June and am getting married in October.

In addition to saving for the wedding, my fiancé and I have begun to save for a down payment on our first house. We would like to put down at least 10% (~$10,000). In saving for such a big purchase, we’ve learned a few things that work and a few that don’t. Here are our six best tips for saving money for a down payment:

1. Check your credit report

The first step to buying a house is to understand what other expenses you will incur in addition to the down payment, for example, closing costs.

Check your credit report (you can get a free credit report at Quizzle.com) when you first decide that you are ready for a house, as well as periodically throughout the process.

Get an understanding of what is on your credit report and make a list of the items, if any, that must be taken care of to ensure you will be approved for a home loan. Knowing what items are on your credit report ahead of time can help you manage your money,  know what debt you need to pay off and ultimately, save for that down payment.

2. Know your income schedule

Check which weeks of the month have more bills than others so you know when you are able to put money aside for the down payment. Some weeks of the month may not have any bills allowing you to set aside an entire week’s pay.  If you get paid on a weekly basis, keep in mind that some months will have 5 paychecks as opposed to 4 paychecks. In these months you can set aside that entire paycheck as most budgets are based on 4 paychecks a month.

3. Create a budget and set goals

Creating a budget will show you how much money you have coming in on a monthly basis compared to how much money you are spending on debt and living expenses. You can create a simple budget using free personal budgeting software from sites like Quizzle.com.

Once your budget is created, look for areas in which you can cut down expenses. For example, my credit cards add an extra $500 to my expenses each month simply because I am carrying balances on them.  If I can spend a few months paying off those balances, in the long run I can save $500 a month. Imagine what kind of house you can afford if you have an extra $500 each month for a monthly payment!

Set new goals each month to eliminate certain expenses so you have room in your budget to save for your down payment and later on for our home loan payment. I’ve found that it helps to make a game out of it to see how many expenses I can eliminate each month.

4. Only carry cash

I know it’s sometimes tough to make time to stop at the ATM to get cash, but include it on your way to other errands such as getting gas. If you happen to use your bank card, use it as a debit card and get cash back when you are making other purchases.

By only carrying cash you are less inclined to use your credit cards, allowing you to pay down your debt even faster because you’re not constantly adding to your balance. Set a weekly budget amount – I like to call it my “Miscellaneous Fund” – and take out that much from the ATM each week.  If you budget yourself, say, $40 each week and only carry the $40 and no credit/debit cards, you will be more likely to stick within those limits. Any money that I have left over, I add it into the next week’s miscellaneous fund. Some weeks you might have enough money for extras, like going out for dinner.

5. Avoid going out for lunch and dinner

Even though it is really tempting to go out for lunch, it can become costly. Consider this: If you eat out each day at work, 5 days a week, you may be spending an average of $50 a week just on lunch! By simply bringing your lunch, you might only spend $10 each week.

Buy items in bulk such as snacks and water that will last you the entire month. If you always have that urge to eat out, then make it a once a week thing. Treat yourself to a Monday “get the week going” lunch or a Friday “we made it through the week” lunch. This lunch should come out of your miscellaneous fund that I talked about above.

I know that some restaurants are just too good to give up. I love eating out myself and some days I just don’t feel like cooking. But by eating out for dinner, you are more than likely to spend more than you’ve budgeted.  What you think might be a $25 dinner, will turn into a $40 dinner after an appetizer and dessert.

By eating dinner at home, the average household can save about $400 per month. If you must eat out then nix an appetizer, order water because it’s FREE, and eat dessert at home.

6. Cut out late night shopping trips

I’ll admit that when I am bored I love to go shopping. It’s probably one of my worst habits. By simply not going to the store unless you need too and skipping the mall all together, you’re less inclined to spend your hard earned dollars. If there is something that you must have, take a look at the budget and see what can be eliminated to help you make your purchase. See shopping as a reward if you eliminate something from your budget; reward yourself for meeting your ultimate goal.

Bonus Tip:

7. Use one bank account

If you are living with your significant other or married, you may want to consider using only one bank account. I have always said that I would never combine my money with my partner, however it just makes sense to do so. My fiancé and I only use one bank account; he has his paychecks direct deposited into my account and we pay all of the bills from my account. Because he is limited to spending what money I give him and I am less inclined to spend money that isn’t really mine, we have seen our money grow faster together than it would have separately. By using one account, it is easier to pay your bills and keep track of your budget.

Budgeting for a down payment isn’t that easy. I know there are times when you must spend that $30 to get your oil changed or $25 on a birthday present; those are occasional purchases. Even if you occasionally spend money you can still watch your bank account grow with the tips listed. I personally don’t see a reason to budget everything I buy, just as long as I keep those occasional purchases to… “occasional.”

Keep in mind these are just 6 tips of many that I have for budgeting and saving. There are a lot of other ways to save money, whether it be for a down payment on a home or some other goal. The key is to always remember your end goal. If you constantly remind yourself of what you are trying to accomplish, you will save money faster than you ever have before.