Are You Money Smart?

Get the upgrade… after all, you’ve had the old phone for so long and the new one looks awesome.

Keep the old phone as long as you can -- every month you put off the upgrade, you’re saving money.

Sell your old phone and put the extra cash toward the new phone. While you’re at it, you downgrade your data plan to save a few bucks.

Sweet, I didn’t realize I was due for an upgrade! Maybe I will... at some point.

Write a carefully constructed grocery list and price compare different stores

Go to the nearest store with a general idea of what you need...you'll figure it out when you get there.

Buy what’s on sale...you can get creative with recipes!

Who has time to grocery shop? Or to cook? Order in instead!

Pay off some debts-- those college loans are building interest like crazy.

Splurge on a night out or new outfit to celebrate, and put the rest in savings.

Straight to the retirement account.

Go shopping or plan a vacation — it’s well deserved!

Check the box for whatever the recommended amount is and send it off to HR to be done with it.

Examine your returns and the expense ratios of the funds you’re invested in before tinkering with your asset mix and increasing your contributions to the maximum allowed.

Decide 6% is really too much to give up each pay cycle and bump your contribution back down to 3%.

Ugh, boooorrrring. Recycle.

Sign up at the closest gym to your home or office so there’s a chance you’ll actually go.

Kick off your plan with new workout clothes from the mall for extra motivation.

Who needs to pay to work out? I can exercise outside or at home for free!

Do your research — take advantage of free trial weeks and search for the lowest monthly rates in the area.

Make them something homemade...a DIY gift is thoughtful!

Buy them an expensive present you know they’d like...you’ll figure out a way to pay it off later.

Organize a group gift with your friends — that way you can all split the cost!

Take them out for a coffee or a drink -- it’s the remembering that counts, and we get to spend some time together.

Search for deals on Groupon or Living Social and steer the group to a cheaper restaurant with a great discount available.

Ask a friend if they can pick up your tab — you’ll get them back next time!

What do you mean ‘budget’? If everyone’s going out, I want to be there - I’ll just fill up on bread and order something cheap if I’m short on funds this week.

Decline, and offer to host a potluck or dinner party next time instead.

Look for a roommate to split the bills.

Sign the lease anyway and hope for a raise.

Keep looking, expanding your search to cheaper areas or smaller apartments -- a nice place isn’t worth going broke.

You love it too much to let it go, so you take on a part-time job to make up the difference.

You’re pretty broke, so you offer to pay the whole check with a credit card and have everyone else give you cash.

You take on accounting duties and tally up everyone’s share.

You immediately grab the check -- and when your friends insist on splitting the bill, you still put in a few dollars more.

You go with the flow and pay what you owe.

Tell him he’ll have to wait until his birthday or put it on his Christmas list -- let Santa deal with it!

Help him count what's in his piggybank and encourage him to save up the rest to buy it for himself.

Just put it on the credit card. He’ll love it so much, and he’s only this age once -- it’s worth splurging for even if it’s more than you can afford right now.

Tell him it’s too expensive, but take a few extra shifts at work so you can buy it and surprise him.