It seems contradictory, but I love being frugal and I also love spending money. Over the last few years, however, my love of frugality has outweighed my love of spending -- and it's been good for my savings.

Yes, it's OK to spend money sometimes. If you have it, and you're comfortable with your present and future finances, by all means, spend away. But a lot of us, including myself, spend when we shouldn't spend. It's to be expected, I think, in our consumer culture. I can't walk down my block without being sold something every minute or so, from billboards to petitioners to window sales.

Anyway, a couple of readers requested an article on how to avoid spending sprees. It's something I've been thinking about lately anyway, so this was a great reason to give the subject more thought and put something together.

I'm in the middle of renovating a house, a project that started in January 2013 and will end -- well, who knows when it will end? We have a lot of plans for this house.

Truly, the only reason we're able to afford this project is because we're doing the work ourselves. And the only reason that DIY is saving us money is because we have my dad on the job, who is a stonemason by trade but can do everything from laying tile to rewiring ceiling fixtures. Without him, we would either have had to hire a remodeling company, which we can't really afford, or try to do everything ourselves.

Not that we're completely inept, mind you. I'm pretty proud of my circular saw know-how and painting skills. But I know enough to know what I don't know and that DIY-rookie mistakes can end up costing you quite a bit in the long run. For instance, one of the big things we did was to shorten the wall between the kitchen and the living room. No, it wasn't load-bearing (everyone asks that), but can you imagine if it was and we tried to take it out?

As the holiday season approaches, it's time to start looking at your budget and figuring out how you're going to buy everything you need without breaking the bank. One of the best ways to make the most of your Christmas shopping is to use cash back credit cards.

Really? Credit Cards?

It seems counterintuitive to use credit cards for a major holiday spending spree. Instead, many consumers suggest that you save up, make a budget, and then pay with cash. However, when you follow this plan, you end up missing out on some of the great perks that come with rewards credit cards, particularly cash back cards.

It's important to understand, though, that using credit cards for your Christmas shopping isn't a license to overspend and rack up the debt. You should still save up money throughout the year, and create a budget for your holiday shopping. Instead of paying with cash or debit, though, you should pay with your rewards credit card.

This month, I started getting collection calls. Apparently my Internet provider wanted $61 for a modem that I returned last May. I'd been trying to resolve the problem for months, but nothing seemed to work. No matter how many times I asked to speak with a supervisor and was promised that the matter would be taken care of, that "I'll be the last person you'll have to talk to," I was getting nowhere.

During the umpteenth call, I began to wonder if I was in the first circle of my very own inferno. Maybe I'd been damned to an eternity of crappy, staticky on-hold music, interrupted only by the assurance that my call was very important. Damned to repeat my story over and over to people whom I began to suspect were dwelling somewhere in the eighth circle.

Eventually, I hit a wall. The last supervisor I spoke to said that since I couldn't prove that I returned the modem, I had to pay for it. So now what?

Hello folks. Today, I decided to do some research on exactly what we are spending our money on the most. I researched everyday items we use and things we do to come up with a list of how these habits are, unknowingly, eating away from our budget.

Of course, some "things" that made the list we can not do without, like house maintenance and coffee. But we can analyse this list, and maybe we can see where we can “cut back a little”.

Maybe your spending on a specific item is higher than the average listed in the lists, so maybe you want to do something about it.

We've all heard the advice to "read the fine print" before we sign anything, but does anyone actually do it?

I recently spoke with a man we'll call Randy. Six months ago, Randy went to a state fair, the kind that vendors of all kinds descend upon to hawk their wares.

One of those vendors was a hot tub company with a very recognizable name. They've been in business for decades. Randy stopped by their booth. "They had a specific color of cabinetry and material that was a perfect match for our deck, so I decided to order it," he says.

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and we thought we would share some ideas for frugal Father’s Day gifts. I find it harder to choose Father’s Day gifts than Mother’s Day gifts. Often, fathers like electronic gadgets, which do not really qualify as frugal Father’s Day gifts.

Well, we're here to help you find affordable gifts for Father’s Day. Here are some frugal Father’s Day gift ideas:

1. A Day Off

Your Dad works hard and deserves a day off from time to time, so make Father’s Day that day. Let him know that from the moment he gets up till he goes back to bed, he can do what he wants - watch TV, hang out with the guys, tinker with the car – it’s all fair game on Dad’s Day Off.

2.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone.  It’s December 24 and hopefully you are not out browsing through shopping malls and wandering up and down the streets as you finish up your last minute shopping.  I personally love to start my shopping in October or November but I know a lot of people who intentionally wait until three days before Christmas to start their last minute shopping. There are several advantages and disadvantages of waiting until the last minute to start your holiday shopping, so let me ask you a question, GRS friends... are you a last-minute shopper?

The advantages of last minute shopping

- Great deals and discounts.  The closer we get to Christmas the more stores start to advertise sales to get shoppers in the holiday spirit. I personally love Christmas decorations and I love how the store windows and shopping malls are decorated for the holidays, it makes me want to sprinkle glitter on everything and wrap all of my presents in a bow. Continue reading...

One of the most important things you can do for children is to teach them the basics of financial literacy. It's important to teach your kids financial responsibility early, so that they are better equipped to succeed financially in life.

You can even give financially-minded gifts to other children in your life. Nieces, nephews, grandchildren, godchildren, and others can all benefit from your foresight. Here are some ideas for giving financially savvy gifts to the kids in your life:

1. College Fund Contribution

One of the best things you can do is open a college fund on behalf of a child. You can help him or her get started on the road to a good education. In the United States, you can contribute to a 529 plan, while in Canada the college savings plan is the RESP.

One of the current trends in shopping is doing it online. The Internet provides us with a way to shop from the comfort of our homes -- and we often don't even have to worry too much about high shipping costs.

However, there are some issues with shopping online, including security. One of the ways you can keep your information safe when shopping online is to use temporary virtual credit card numbers.

What is a Virtual Credit Card?

Some credit card issuers, knowing that you want to improve your security when shopping online, offer you the ability to generate a virtual number. These numbers might good for a single purchase, or you can choose to "approve" them for a certain amount.