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MoneyKey’s Key Thinkers Scholarship is designed to reward post-secondary students for their academic achievements. We asked “What does financial responsibility mean to you and what steps should students take to plan their budget?” and received hundreds of submissions. Below is the winning essay from the Winter 2017 Scholarship recipient Amy Carothers: $6,000. Entering college, I knew what I was… Read More What does financial responsibility mean to you? – Amy, Key Thinkers Scholarship Winner
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Each year, American families spend billions of dollars supporting their children’s athletics. Not only do they want their children to be healthy and active; they use sports help their children make friends and build confidence. However, the rising costs of youth sports are leaving some unable to partake in the fun, and other families overstretched… Read More The Least and Most Expensive Sports for Kids
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Valentine’s Day is synonymous with love but it’s also synonymous with spending. Over the past five years, Americans spent an average of 18.5 billion dollars each year on Valentine’s Day, which works out to around $140 per person for the portion of the population that celebrate. To stay within budget, we recommend following the two key tips… Read More How to Enjoy Valentine’s Day Without Spending a lot of Money
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MoneyKey’s Key Thinkers Scholarship is designed to reward post-secondary students for their academic achievements. We asked “What does financial responsibility mean to you and what steps should students take to plan their budget?” and received hundreds of submissions. Below is the winning essay from the Fall 2017 Scholarship recipient Reilly McNamara: To many college students, the idea… Read More What does financial responsibility mean to you? – Reilly, Key Thinkers Scholarship Winner
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Winterization is the process of preparing for winter. When it comes to your home, winterizing is especially important to mitigate the adverse effects winter can have on your place of residence and the costs associated with those effects. If you’re like many Americans, you were probably unimpressed with your electricity bill over the holidays. With… Read More 9 Ways to Winterize and Improve Energy Efficiency
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Happy New Year! If you made some financial mistakes last year, don’t worry, now is a great time to reflect and think of some realistic resolutions to have a successful year this time around. Recognize bad habits Before you start rattling off a list of things you want to accomplish this year or resolutions you hope… Read More New Year, New Budget? Creating Realistic Financial Resolutions
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You might wonder if there’s a difference between savings and an emergency fund. An emergency fund, similar to a retirement fund or a vacation fund, is savings intended to be used for a specific purpose. As such, your emergency fund should only be used for emergencies, like a necessary repair or medical expenses. Saving money… Read More Build an Emergency Fund in 4 Easy Steps
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If you’re still a student, then your financial situation is different than that of someone starting off their career. For now, there is no real opportunity to start saving your money unless you’re a ‘Mark Zuckerberg 2.0’ who is on the brink of releasing a Fortune 500 social media company. Knowing how to properly manage… Read More Managing Your Finances as a College Student
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It’s that time of year yet again where most retailers make about 70 percent of their annual earnings. During the same period, the average American will accumulate nearly $1,000 in additional debt. To keep your finances under control this holiday season, we recommend avoiding these common financial mistakes: Not setting (and sticking to) a budget… Read More Common Financial Mistakes to Avoid this Holiday Season
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13 Tips for Inexpensive and Healthy Lunches The colder months can lead to eating more and exercising less, so now is a great time to assess your meal preparation and eating habits. Nutritious, budget-friendly meals are easier to make than you think. To prove it, we’ve compiled some easy tips on how to save money and time by… Read More How to Prepare a Cheap and Healthy Lunch
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MoneyKey Back-to-School Sweepstakes August 20 - September 10,2017 MoneyKey Back-to-School Sweepstakes August 20 - September 10,2017
MoneyKey wants to help you with your Back-to-School shopping! Enter daily for a chance to win one (1) of three (3) prizes of $150 in Walmart eGift Cards. Enter here or on MoneyKey’s Facebook page by clicking on the Sweepstakes tab. Winners will be able to redeem their eGift Card at Walmart stores, Walmart.com, Sams Club and… Read More Back-to-School Sweepstakes! (Closed)
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stay·ca·tion /ˌstāˈkāSHn/ Noun: a vacation spent in one’s home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions. Last-minute summer fun might be closer than you think using these cheap staycation ideas. Try Local Events Farmers’ Markets Heading to a farmer’s market isn’t just a way to pick… Read More Last-Minute Summer Staycation Ideas
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If you don’t currently have a budget, don’t worry because you’re not alone as only one in three Americans prepare a detailed household budget. Technological advances in financial services such as online banking have made it easier to track your money coming and going; so many people may feel it isn’t necessary to set a… Read More 3 Reasons Why a Budget can Change Your Life
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We all could use a little inspiration sometimes, whether you’re stressed, frustrated or downright exhausted, one of the motivational quotes below might be the pick-me-up you need to get you through the day. “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan “When everything seems to be going against… Read More 26 Motivational Quotes to Help You Get Through the Day
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When it comes to your finances if you knew better, you’d do better, right? If you feel like your money is disappearing and can’t figure out why it’s probably because you’re not paying attention. Interest, fees, and mindless spending are usually to blame. Doing a quick self-assessment and making small changes to your spending habits… Read More 3 Ways to Stop Spending Money and Start Saving Instead
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Small dollar installment loans are useful for someone who needs cash quickly to cover an unexpected expense. An installment loan allows you to repay your loan in small scheduled installments. We’ve outlined some key points below to help you understand how installment loans work and what you should consider before you decide to apply for… Read More 3 Things You Need to Know About Installment Loans
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One of the fundamental differences between how business was done in the past compared to today is the prevalent use of the Internet. Businesses now understand that one of the key factors for success is gaining people’s attention and, today, the Internet has become one of the best ways to capture the attention of the… Read More 5 Things Everyone Should Know About Online Installment Loans
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Stretch Your Payday Further A major reason why we often face the payday cash crunch is because we incur expenditures our budgets don’t cater for. Learn to be more frugal and eliminate unnecessary expenses by following the tips explained below. Impulsive Spending Ruins Your Payday Do you remember grabbing the pack of halls, candies, or a… Read More On Payday Avoid These 5 Unnecessary Expenses
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To celebrate this holiday, we’ve complied a list of 5 fun facts about our former presidents.  On July 4, 1826, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of one another. This was also the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in… Read More Presidents’ Day Trivia
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New Year’s Eve is all about celebration. Celebrating all the positives that have happened this year and looking forward to all the opportunities next year may present. However, it can also be incredibly expensive as costs for certain events and restaurants skyrocket. Don’t blow all of your money before 2016 starts, instead try one of… Read More Budget New Year’s Eve: Celebrate without the Expense 
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With the holiday season fast approaching there is always the same question, can I re-gift this? Since the recession re-gifting has become socially acceptable and can really stretch a holiday budget. While re-gifting is now considered acceptable, it is also important to follow certain rules and etiquette. Here are the top five re-gifting rules. Brand… Read More Top Five Re-gifting Rules
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While Halloween is a fun holiday, you can easily find that you’ve blown your budget on name brand candy and fancy store bought costumes. Having an amazing costume doesn’t need to involve a costume store. We’ve compiled a list of ten unique, fun and easy DIY Halloween Costumes. Pig in a Blanket All your need is… Read More DIY Halloween Costumes