When you are young and working, retirement savings may be put on the back burner out of necessity in order to pay off more immediate bills and debt. If so, you are not alone. A shocking 36% of Americans have yet to begin saving for retirement. In fact, 41% say they don’t even have $500 socked away for emergencies. But without retirement savings or a retirement plan you will not be able to maintain your standard of living when you retire. Although retirement may seem far away and it may seem very difficult to save, saving money now has major benefits.

Every store you go into in October is filled with Halloween themed décor, food, and candy for sale. Putting your mortgage, rent, and other monthly payments before Halloween festivities is not always an easy task. Especially when you see everyone all over social media buying pumpkins and attending expensive Halloween attractions.  

Studies show that Americans are expected to spend $9 billion on Halloween candy, costumes, and decorations alone. This is a very large amount since American household debt has reached over $13 trillion this year. The average consumer is found to spend $169.81 each on Halloween festivities, which can be out of reach while paying off debt.

Healthcare expenses are pretty much unavoidable, which is a big reason why so many people worry about paying them.

Recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and CIA World FactBook says that Americans spent $3.65 trillion on healthcare in 2018. And Health Affairs reports that prices for healthcare goods and services are projected to grow 2.5 percent per year on average.

You may ask yourself how you will ever get out of debt, when something as essential as healthcare is so expensive. New Era Debt Solutions offers these strategies for making healthcare more affordable for yourself and your family:

Some people make purchasing decisions based on how much of their workday it will take to pay off the item. For example, if you endure long commutes to work, you might break down how many gas trips you’ll need to make in a given week. Depending on your situation, it could equate to an eighth or even a fourth of your day’s salary. When you think about it in these terms, fueling up can feel like all your money is disappearing into your gas tank.

New Era Debt Solutions offers 6 ways you can more efficiently fuel up your vehicle and your finances at the same time: