Although nearly everyone I know is having to pay in this year, I am actually getting a pretty decent refund check back from the government. It is the only perk of being paid low, hourly wages. Usually when I get a lump sum of money, I'll pay off a credit card or some other type of bill. This year, I don't plan on doing either. Instead, I plan on putting most of it into my currently non-existent savings account.

The natural response for most people who are getting a refund, is "How should I spend it?" If you have trouble budgeting your money (like me), you need a proper plan of action before the money ever gets in your hand. Otherwise, you might end up blowing the money without ever realizing it. Luckily, I've mapped out seven pretty smart ways to use your refund check, but they aren't all boring! I still believe that you can budget your money and treat yourself generously, if it's done in moderation!

1. Get a Shellac manicure. You deserve to be pampered, and a manicure is a fairly inexpensive way to do it! At most salons, a Shellac manicure is around $35. In the grand scheme of things, this is an incredibly affordable way to give yourself a small treat, especially if you rarely ever get your nails done at a salon. Plus, Shellac manicures last for about two to three weeks, so it's worth it!
2. Save it. You don't have to save all of it. You don't even have to save half of it. But you should save some of it. Put it into your emergency fund (or create an emergency fund with it) and don't look back. Train yourself mentally to forget that you have that money. When a real emergency comes up (like having to take your dog to the ER or having car trouble), you'll have a little bit set aside, and you'll stress a lot less.
3. Fix your car. There is nothing worse than having car trouble. I can attest to this since for the majority of my life (until last year) I've driven old beaters. So take your car to the shop, and finally get that rattling noise fixed once and for all!
4. Use it to help pay for your wedding. You may not have gotten a lot back, but when it comes to weddings every little bit helps. Use some of your refund check to pay for a wedding expense. It could even help pay for your dress!
5. Pay off debt. (You probably knew I was going to say this, didn't you?) Well, it's one of the smartest ways to use your refund check, but it's absolutely no fun. However, you will probably feel like a burden has been lifted off your shoulders once that nuisance debt has been paid off!
6. Put it towards vacation. If you haven't taken a vacation in a while (like over 6 months), you should most certainly use this money towards a vacation. No matter what area of your life is stressing you out, no matter how much work you have to do--everyone should take a little break from the every day grind and live! Vacation is the best way to relax and enjoy your life!
7. Spend it on medical expenses. I need my wisdom teeth pulled and, after over 9 years of use, I need a new pair of glasses. Here are two ways I can use my refund check towards medical expenses, but what about you? If you need a medical fix, use your refund check for it!

Whether you blew it on a shopping spree or paid off debt, how did you spend your refund check? Let me know in the comments below, and don't worry, I won't judge!

As a teenager, it seemed as though the next few steps in my life were going to be easy. You go to college and you get a job. That's what all of the older kids did. What I didn't know was that I would graduate college one year after the recession began, and that my dream job would be even harder to grasp, much less finding a job with a good salary and benefits.

Since graduation, I have not been able to find a job that pays more than $10.50 an hour. Even though I have liked my jobs, that doesn't mean I am not financially stressed. I have around $40K in student loan debt--and that's even after receiving a $10K scholarship. Sometimes I feel like I could have skipped college altogether considering I have worked jobs that don't even require a college degree. On the optimistic side of things, I still feel like getting a college degree is still a good idea. I just wish I'd have known then what I'd be getting myself into, and that I wouldn't just magically graduate with a good job.

And, if you're finding yourself in a similar situation, which I know a lot of you are, you'll be incredibly surprised at these shocking facts about the underemployment of college graduates today. Read on, beauties!

1. There are 2 million recent college graduates that are currently unemployed.
2. There are 317,000 waiters and waitresses in the U.S. today with college degrees.
3. Nearly 25% of retail sales associates have college degrees!
4. About 365,000 cashiers have college degrees.
5. All in all, 17 million college graduates were underemployed in 2008!

However, I don't want to be a total Debbie Downer today. Instead, I'd like to offer you a bit of hope by saying, "You are not alone!" There are millions who are disgruntled about their student loan debt and the current unemployment rates. I know its hard, but use this time to prime yourself for a better career. Take on side projects at work that you might be interested, take a small second job that you might enjoy--like working at a florist or your favorite boutique.

The best advice I can give you is to always have attainable goals laid out for your future so that you don't lose all hope. Trust me, if you lose sight of who you are and where you eventually want to be in life, then the current economy can really take a toll on you! Don't let things get you down. Use this time to build yourself up mentally and prepare yourself for your dream job! I need to remember this just as much as you do, but we won't get anywhere if we just quit!

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If there is anything that worsens how you feel about your financial situation, it's probably being around someone that always brags about money. For me one of the most difficult things is to hear someone else bragging about their impressive salary and benefits package, expensive getaways, and huge end of the year bonuses. And of course you try to be nice, because you're their friend and you love them, but really you just want to tell them to shut it.

Money problems can make you bitter, especially towards others with more money and success, but there are classy ways to contain yourself around a money bragger:

• Compliment them. Have you ever heard the expression "kill 'em with kindness?" Well, this goes along with that. Your friend might not being trying to hurt your feelings, but they could just be really proud of how much they've accomplished. Maybe they don't get a lot of praise from other people, so you tell them you're proud of them! That could be all they needed.
• If they're being competitive, ignore them. You can tell a friend is being competitive when he or she brags about recent purchases or income and then immediately want to know what you bought or what you make. Whether they are jealous of you or not, this is childish behavior and shouldn't be acknowledged. Simply compliment them on their recent success and change the subject.
• Never burden them with your financial troubles. When a friend starts to brag about money, it's easy to become upset and envious of them. Still, it's never a good idea to start talking about your financial problems after they've just gotten done talking about buying a $4,000 pair of shoes (or whatever). If you want to talk about your finances, wait until later. Otherwise, you'll just be a Debbie Downer.

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It's 2012 and for most of us, our top New Year's resolution is to create a budget. It's a healthy resolution, of course, and if you're looking for tips on creating a budget, you can always check this site! However, you might be overlooking a few things and it could be costing you hundreds of dollars over time.

There are more ways to adjusting your finances than just sitting down with a ledger, pay stubs, and a calculator. You should really look at every aspect of your financial lifestyle, but there are a few super easy tips you should take into consideration first.

• Unsubscribe to mailing lists. Are you a member of discount designer shopping sites? Online shops? Your favorite stores? Budget savvy beauties are always sourcing for an amazing deal, but email alerts about sales and special discounts could make you more susceptible to spending when you don't need to. (I don't know about you, but when I'm offered a special discount or a certain dollar amount off via email, I always click on the link--even if only to see if I like the items enough to buy them.) Go through your mailbox and get rid of those mailing lists! You don't necessarily have to get rid of all of them, but it's a really good idea to unsubscribe from most mailing lists. That way when you have a little extra spending money on hand, you can check your favorite sites to see what deals they have going on at that time.
• Cancel ALL monthly memberships to "personalized" boutiques. Although sites like JewelMint and ShoeDazzle offer an amazing service, it's not financially savvy to subscribe to memberships like these. Why not? It takes away your spending power. Sure you get a great product every month, but instead of spending when you want to you're spending when they want you to. And those monthly memberships really add up over time. It's much wiser to buy on your own time, at your own convenience. This way you have the power, and that's what truly makes you in control of your finances. If you are truly penching pennies right now (like me), I highly advise cancelling ALL online shopping memberships.

Hopefully no one in my family is reading this, BUT... I always get bad gifts. To put it quite plainly, most of my family isn't really fashion forward. Actually they don't even care about fashion. I suppose I can't blame them. This is Mississippi after all, and while stylish citizens do exist here, for the most part "kuntry gurl" style reigns supreme. (Go ahead, say "kuntry gurl" in a fun-loving, redneck voice. It was meant to be that way.)

So while some of you might never imagine being gifted a tacky holiday sweater (complete with an all-over button collar), that idea isn't so far fetched for me. But as for the rest of the world, you know the disappointment of getting a bad gift. And although you know how to feign a smile and force a thank you, you still aren't quite sure what to do with that gift once Christmas is over.

As an experienced unwanted-gift receiver, I've spent years wondering what to do so rest assured this list is planned to perfection.

What should you do with unwanted gifts? Here are 5 suggestions:

1. Sell them on Ebay. Why not make a little cash off of a free gift? After all, someone's trash is someone else's treasure.
2. Donate them to the Salvation Army. 'Tis far better to give than to receive, right?
3. Make something out of them. Pinterest it! There are plenty of ideas in the DIY section.
4. Regift them. But oh-em-gee please remember who gave them to you!
5. Return it. You're one of the lucky ones if you know where the gift came from, so take advantage of it! Get a store credit and spend it on something you'll really love!

*On a side note: I hate to be all mushy, but the quality family time spent together is way better than getting gifts anyway. Be thankful for that... as you trade in your gift.

Although Christmas is almost everyone's favorite holiday, with the increasing financial difficulties we face in this economy, it's getting harder and harder not to turn into a total Scrooge. I love buying gifts, but honestly, I don't have the money. And without being too much of a political-occupy-Wall Street type, the market has definitely turned this holiday into a money-making machine.

For a holiday that should be all about family, friends, and loved ones, there are a few simple solutions to making this holiday a little less stressful financially. Below are five ways you can save on Christmas gifts, and some of them, you may not have ever heard before!

1. Donate to a charity, instead of buying everyone gifts. On Christmas, gather around the table with your loved ones and explain which charity you chose and why it means so much to you. One amazing charity to donate to is Operation Christmas Child. Anyone can do this, and you can each share a story about the gifts you chose for the child!
2. Buy gifts just for the children. Whether you choose to buy gifts just for kids under 18 or under 12, you can save a lot of money by not having to buy the adults presents. Of course, for families like the Duggars, you may want to choose another option!
3. Buy themed gift baskets for families. My mom's side of the family has done this before, and honestly, it's my favorite way of gift-giving. It's so simple and affordable to just to buy a gift basket for each family. For example, my Aunt and Uncle gave us a movie-themed gift basket one year complete with pajamas, movies, and popcorn for me, my mom, and my brother.
4. Set a limit on the price of each gift. If you have a lot of people to buy for, you can require that everyone buy a gift under a certain amount, like $25. You can always find cool gifts at thrift stores, flea markets, and even Etsy!
5. Buy everyone a gift card. Along the lines of setting a price limit for gifts, if you're one of those people who is never satisfied with your Christmas gifts or never knows what to buy anyone, gift cards are an easy solution!

How are you saving on Christmas this year? Share your ideas below!

Remember this old commercial? It's hilarious, and so true!

These frivilous spending habits certainly apply today. Think about it. You know these people--they're your neighbors, coworkers, family members, or maybe it's even you. You're to a point that you are sinking yourself into an unrealistic amount of debt. It's normal to have a house loan, car note, insurance, and student loan debt. Where we get ourselves into trouble is when we have a house and a car that we cannot afford. Let's face it, in our society we aren't just keeping up with the Joneses anymore--we're trying to keep up with the Kardashians! And that, beauties, is completely unrealistic.

Now, of course, I'm not trying to lecture. I've seen what credit card debt can do, and I'm currently struggling to pay my student loans off when I don't even have a job with a decent (read anything above $25,000) salary! I know your pain, and it's extremely tough. But the best thing we can do is to not stress about it. Instead, we should learn to take a rational approach to handling our debt and getting it under control. Don't worry about having to get it paid off now, now, now! The key is learning to manage your debt.

So let's say you have a normal amount of debt or an unnormal amount of debt. Whatever your case, you have debt. Now, let's get it under control using these four steps:

1. Take a rational and logical approach to creating a budget. Money doesn't grow on trees, so it may not be realistic for you to pay $100 extra on a credit card every month in addition to your minimum payment. However, if you are just spending that extra money on lattes or manicures...
2. Figure out where you can save (i.e. going out to eat, manicures, etc.), and where you can spend. For example, you can probably afford to pay that extra $100 towards one bill every month if you are only going to spend it on something you don't need. This means that you need to...
3. Find a balance between your needs and your wants. In some cases, you may have to cut down on most of your wants in order to pay off your debt. However, keep in mind that...
4. You still deserve a treat every now and then! It's completely unrealistic to think that you can go an entire month (or more) without buying something nice for yourself. First of all, if we all stopped spending to pay off our debt, the economy would go down the drain even further. Secondly, if you are accustomed to buying cool techie gadgets every month or lattes every morning, you don't always have to give those things up completely. But you might (and probably do) need to cut back drastically. And when you do decide to treat yourself...
5. Can you really afford it? Other than small treats that are less than $50, let's say you're jonesing for a bigger purchase, like a new Mac. Sure, Apple products are top of the line and worth every penny, but will you be in a bind after you buy it? I made the same mistake two weeks ago after buying an iPhone. I've been struggling ever since I bought it, and even though I love it, I shouldn't have been so impatient. So if you can't afford that big purchase...
6. Create a savings fund for big purchases. Never, ever decide to get yourself under another note or accumulate your debt further. Donate 20 bucks (or whatever) every week to your savings fund. When you finally have all of that money together, see if you still want to make that purchase or if you think you can spend the money elsewhere. You'll find that when you work so hard to save for something, you will either really appreciate your purchase or decide that your wants have already changed.