A goal everyone should have for themselves is to stay out of debt. However, staying out of debt has earned a bad reputation for itself as being no fun. The truth of the matter is that there are some practical ways to stay out of debt and still enjoy life!

October is Financial Planning Month, and with the new year right around the corner, now is a great time to make sure you are on track to meet your short and long term financial goals. Here are three tips to keep your spending in check and finish the year out strong:

The college years are almost synonymous with a tight budget and substantial financial concerns. Many college students fall heavily into debt, including credit card debt, because they have a lifestyle that they simply cannot afford. Others graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. 

One of the great pieces of American mythology is that the rich somehow have some special ability that the rest of us don't have. Are they smarter than we are? Are they more clever, or do they just have unbelievable luck?

For better or worse, debt happens.  However, when debt becomes overwhelming, it may be time to consider debt consolidation.  I'm sure you've turned on the television, or surfed the web, and seen countless ads for debt consolidation loans from hundreds of lenders. Debt consolidation can give you piece of mind and get you back on the right financial track.

Sometimes we all just want to be able to wave a magic wand and make our wallets fuller and lives easier. Unfortunately, magic isn't real so that’s never going to happen. Sigh. Instead, here are some quick tips on saving money that are easy to follow and totally do-able!

We can all stand to be better at money management, but sometimes it can feel really overwhelming to tackle. The good news, you don’t have to make huge, sweeping changes to your life or habits to be better at managing your finances. Try some of these quick tips to help you gain control over your finances.

No matter what size your family is, groceries are a big part of your monthly budget – you have to eat after all. When you go grocery shopping, though, you can feel like you have no control over the final cost, making saving money on groceries difficult. To help you gain control over your grocery bill we have put together a few steps for how to save money on groceries.

While there are many reasons people seek to be more energy efficient, most people do it to save money. If your energy bills increase during the winter, you may want to consider using these five tips to save on energy bills, before winter is here. 

My Money is your free Personal Finance Management tool available exclusively inside your First Alliance Credit Union online banking account. It is a robust, feature-packed tool that helps you stay on top of all your financial accounts, budget and goals.