You’re probably heard of lifestyle inflation, especially in today’s current economic climate. You may even feel its influence whenever you get a pay raise or bonus. With an increase to your wage you probably feel you deserve a better car and a bigger TV; with a yearly bonus you may even think you can pay for a extension to your house. Rather than banking it and keeping your cost of living stable, you spend it instead.  While I’m not saying you should never spend your money, keeping your lifestyle inflation under control will benefit you and your finances significantly in the long run. When things are rough (as they arguably are now) you will really appreciate the benefits.

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Today is Blog Action day, an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers together to post about the same issue on the same day, with the aim of raising awareness and promoting discussion. Last year it was all about the environment, this year the topic is poverty. Thousands of sites are likely to get involved so be sure to keep an eye out. If last year i anything to go by, there will be plenty of original and insightful ideas. For my contribution I want to take an introductory look at lifestyle inflation.

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Customer service is an increasingly big issue for people nowadays, with many companies getting shot down for not being able to provide even the basics. The focus is so much on money, profit and keeping shareholders happy. With such vast company structures, the people who run things are so far removed from their customers that showing loyalty to businesses no longer means anything. In fact it can cause us to lose out on better service and better deals. Below are the three big reasons why you shouldn’t give companies your loyalty. You won’t get any back.

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On Monday I talked about how we can cut back on the amount of food that we waste. The simplest way to do that is to just not have as much on your plate. We often prepare more food than we can actually eat, and it got me thinking about other areas of life where the same situation applies. When I clean my teeth, do I really need to put that much toothpaste on my brush? A pea sized amount has turned out to be quite sufficient. When I wash my hands do I really need to use that much hand wash? I’ve found because it foams up so well it goes a long way.

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It’s the new year so that can mean only one thing… sales! With so many companies eager to sell off their Christmas stock (or in the UK at least, recoup lost revenue from the quiet holiday season) there are plenty of bargains on offer. Or are there? It can be a great time to stock up on the basics and buy those goods you’ve been waiting for at a more reasonable price. However it can also be a bad time to buy stuff you don’t really need and spend money needlessly. Fortunately, you can be a smart shopper during the sales and not get caught up in the shopping hype by reading the following guide.

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