Last week I posted about ways to use credit cards effectively during the holiday season. If you're not careful, you could make your 2010 very difficult because you'll be owing interest on your holiday credit card bills for months to come (if not all of 2010). This problem will only be compounded if you've got a big tax headache coming to you next year. One thing to always keep in mind is how you spend money today can affect your financial future.

So how can you make sure that your tax burden is a little less burdensome? The surest way to lower your tax income is not all that helpful, but you'll see it mentioned: make less money. Helpful, right? On the flipside, there are probably a lot of people out there who would love to have to pay more taxes--it means you've made more taxable income. That said, there are good ways to lower your burden if you're looking to save some money in 2010.

Here at Savings.com, we stress that credit cards are not your best bet when saving money. A 20% off sitewide code is great, but if you're putting that payment on a credit card with a 15% APR, that will basically negate the savings from a coupon. If you don't pay off that bill immediately, you're going to be paying interest for months into the future.

When it comes to Christmas shopping, the same principle applies...and then some. If you carry a balance on your credit card, it's quite likely that you could be paying off this year's holiday gifts well into the next year - if not the whole year round until the next holiday season comes around! If you bought Christmas gifts on credit in 2008 and your credit card is not yet paid off, it's like you're paying for Christmas throughout the year. The answer? Don't pay with credit. Of course, that's not a feasible strategy for everyone.

Halloween's over and with it the scary season. Some would say the scary season of the bad economy is coming to a close as well. How true is this? Well, it depends on who you ask because if you're struggling financially, there's no doubt that you're going to be pessimistic about the overall economy as well. But there are some encouraging signs that the economy is coming out of its slumber. This is good news for retailers who are probably a bit worried about the spending habits this coming holiday season.

Let's look at some of the major indicators. Last week it was revealed that the Gross Domestic Product went up 3.5%. Given that a recession is defined as two negative quarters for the GDP, it would appear that the GDP is a great indicator of our new fiscal health. Still, there are those who argue that the GDP isn't that great of an indicator, and may not mean that we're in a recovery mode, just that we're effectively treading water. However, there is some evidence that we're entering a recovery as well.

It's Halloween week and there aren't many things scarier to your financial future than a bad credit rating. It was bad enough a few years ago, but now a bad credit rating is even worse. Why? Because not so long ago it was still possible to squeak by with a bad credit rating. There were countless offers for "Get a loan with bad credit!!!" After all, that's the root of the financial mess that's happening right now: too many loans were given to people who couldn't afford it and then the house of cards came tumbling down.

So if banks and other lenders were risk-averse before, imagine how they are now. The bad credit deals are few and far between. The remedy: you have to clean up your credit rating if you hope to get any kind of loan with a decent interest rate--or get a loan at all. A bad credit rating can also affect getting an apartment, or even a job. Lots of people look at your credit rating. It's an important number which states, "I'm responsible"...or not.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about debt consolidation, one method to help you get your debt under control. In the most common scenario, you get a large loan to pay off your bills and then just pay off that one loan. Well, what if you were actually able to lower the amount that you owe every month? Sounds too good to be true, right? Yes and no: it's possible and debt negotiation can be effective, but there are pitfalls as well.

Debt settlement is the process of negotiating your debt with your creditors so you owe less overall. The thinking is that a creditor would rather have something from you than to have you default on the loan. So actually being broke can put you at an advantage in negotiations. A major caveat is that in most debt settlement scenarios you need to pay off your debt in full. So if you owe $20,000, you could potentially only pay out $15,000--but all at once. Chances are if you can't afford to pay your bill on a monthly basis, you can't pay a lump sum either, even if it is attractively cheaper. However there are other options.

There's an interesting article out of the Washington Post showing that people are using their debit cards far more often than credit cards due to the current financial downturn. It seems not so long ago there were cries and worry about the opposite approach--people overusing credit cards because they didn't have enough cash on hand to get by otherwise. Credit cards 101 says that as soon as you start putting groceries or other necessities on credit, you've got to take a good, hard look at your spending habits.

Nonetheless, there are likely still a large number of people who are living on credit right now. Given the bad employment numbers, there are some who absolutely need to spend on credit, even if it's not advisable. But as pointed out by the article, people are being more fiscally responsible during the recession, which is good news for consumers (though not necessarily for retailers).

Halloween season is upon us, but nothing is quite so chilling or spooky as mounting money troubles. There are ways out of a current financial mess. Because of the state of the economy, some may not sure if some types of loans are still available. Sub-prime mortgages, for one, are not being handed out at the same rate as a few years ago, but what about debt consolidation loans?

Well, there's good news and bad news.

It may still be September but Halloween is upon us. It's seems these days the new holiday season starts immediately following the last holiday. Seconds after Labor Day was over, you could see your local Walgreens stocking up their Halloween wares. Which is just fine because Halloween rules. And these days there's so many more cool Halloween decorations than when I was growing up. Kids today have it good when Halloween rolls around.

But with all the light-up skeletons, talking candy bowls, fake severed hands and so-on, we need a way to pay for those Halloween deals somehow. So today we look at some of the most Halloweenish careers out there today. Trouble is, it's a year-round gig, not just an October thing so it takes a special type of person to make this their livelihood.

Chances are if you're shopping online, many of you are using a credit card that will charge interest on the purchase. Unless you're paying off your credit card in full at the end of the month, this is not the best way to save money--even if you are using Shoes.com promo codes or Best Buy coupons on your purchases.

On the one hand, financial advisers say that credit card users should always pay off their credit cards in full every month to avoid interest charges, but most cardholders will respond with the obvious: If I could pay in full, I'd pay in cash (or by debit card).

If you're really smart, you can use a credit card to earn rewards points and then pay off those balances right away--actually earning money on your shopping. But many people don't do this.

So let's look at the best ways to use credit cards:

The health care debate isn't the only thing in the news these days. In a recent radio address, President Obama talking about retirement savings and how people can best prepare for the future. The Obama plan has two pretty significant proposals that will help people save who might be avoiding the issue.

In the Obama proposal, employees will be able to add unused sick days and vacation days into a retirement account--something that's normally lost if remained unused. Another proposal is to allow people to deposit their tax refund into savings bonds. This is a kind of forced savings proposal because you can't borrow off a savings bond for five years without a penalty, meaning those savings will be locked tight from people who don't have the willpower.

Now that tried and true investments are not as solid as they used to be, and people lost a significant amount of value in 401(k)s and other investments, retirees need to look into other areas. What it comes down to is that good old-fashioned saving is more important than ever.

Here are some of the basic steps you should take and how the new national initiatives should help people struggling to save.

Happy Labor Day! Although it seems an oxymoron to use the word "labor" in the name of a holiday that's usually a blissful reprieve from work, that doesn't prevent us from enjoying the day off. What exactly is Labor Day? You might not know this, but it actually started as a Canadian holiday.

From trusty Wikipedia,

"The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes ("Nine-Hour Movement")...In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired by events in Toronto, he returned the USA, to New York and organized the first American 'labor day' on September 5 of the same year."

In addition to celebrating the drive and ingenuity of the American worker, let's face it: Labor Day is a day celebrating the de facto end of summer and transition into fall. They say that spring is the time for "spring cleaning." Well, fall may be the time for "fall saving." Chances are you spent a tad more than you wanted to for your summer vacation, so now you're looking for ways to cut costs before the holiday shopping season.

Here are some tips to help you do just that:

We here at Savings.com don't do all of our shopping online - just 99% of it. Something like buying groceries is not something you'd think about doing online, though there are plenty of opportunities. Take Meijer.com, which offers $20 off orders of $125 or more. You can use the code to stock up on grocery items for less.

However, we're realistic at Savings and realize that grocery purchases are something that people generally want immediately, rather than waiting for those orders to be shipped. A good way about going about it would be to buy items that are not an immediate necessity (i.e. not milk and eggs) and make purchases online that you don't need for tonight's dinner. It's a good way to save on bulk purchases.

But how about when you're buying in-store? Many of these tips can apply to buying online as well, so consider this an overall way to save money on grocery costs.

Does it cost more or less to be a couple vs. being single? After all, if you're part of a couple, you'll be able to combine incomes. Which means you'll have more money coming in - especially if Mr. or Ms. Right is independently wealthy.

Let's assume your significant other is not a member of the Hilton family: how important is doubling your income?