Is your budget so tight you can barely breathe? If so, you would probably do anything to free up cash as to relieve some stress. While you may not be in position to overhaul your entire budget, you should definitely consider the five tips below. At the very least they will allow you to free up some breathing room for the time being:

1. The easiest way to relieve budget stress is to increase your income. Simply put, you have three options for doing so: 1. Ask your current employer for a raise. 2. Change jobs so you can earn more money. 3. Take on a part-time or side job. Which one of these three options best suits your lifestyle? If you can implement one of these ideas you will notice more income, and fewer budget related problems.

2. Cut expenses. Your budget should include an expense column. This column more or less tells you how much money you spend every month. As you are looking at each expense you should have one thing on your mind: lowering them no matter what it takes. For instance, if you are spending too much on eating out you can lower this expense by simply staying home for dinner. Does it get any easier than that? Many expenses can be lowered without hassle.

3. Negotiate a better deal. Did you know that almost all of the utilities you pay for are negotiable? For instance, if you are paying too much for internet service call your provider and ask them what they can do for you. There is a good chance that they can offer a better package, or maybe even knock off a few bucks for no reason at all. Remember, you never know how much you can save until you attempt to negotiate with all your service providers.

4. Refinance your loans. This is something that may or may not work for you based on your credit score, available funds, etc. If you have good credit you may be able to refinance your loans to save money. This holds true with everything from your mortgage to your car loan to student loans. By lowering your rate and/or extending your payment period you can most definitely save money on a monthly basis.

To go along with this, don’t be afraid of credit card balance transfers. If you are carrying a lot of credit card debt at a high interest rate you may be able to transfer your balance to another card, and in turn take advantage of no finance charges for three to six months. Just like a loan, a lower interest rate on a credit card cans save you a lot of money.

5. Find expenses that are not crucial to getting by, and then cut them. It is a silly (and dangerous) idea to not use your furnace because you are trying to save money. But it is a good idea to get rid of your super-premium cable package. By opting for basic cable you may be able to save in upwards of $50/month. There may be many expenses within your budget that are not exactly crucial to living a good life.

If you follow these tips you should be able to escape your tight budget, and subsequently give yourself some room to breathe from a financial point of view.

One of the best ways to save money on your next vacation is to find the cheapest airfare possible. With the help of the internet, more particularly Kayak.com, you should be well on your way to doing just that.

What if I have never used Kayak.com before? Don’t worry. This short tutorial will give you all the information you need to get started.

The following steps will help you move from start to finish. And when everything is said and done you can be rest assured that you have booked the cheapest possible airfare for your trip.

1. Navigate to Kayak.com, and then take a closer look at what the home page has to offer. It is here, on the “Flights” tab, that you will find all the information that is needed in order to obtain flight quotes and itineraries.

2. Select round trip, one-way, multi-city, or weekend. This should be based on the trip you are taking. If you don’t know which option to choose, go with round trip as it is the most common.

3. Enter the airport you are leaving from as well as the destination you are headed to. This information is required for obvious reasons.

4. Choose your departing and returning date. The departing day is when you want to leave, and the returning day when you want to come home. In addition to the date, you can also choose the time of day you want to fly. Your options include: anytime, early morning, morning, afternoon, evening, and night.

5. Select the number of travelers, cabin type (economy, business, first), and whether or not you prefer to fly nonstop.

6. The last step may very well be the most important. One of the most intriguing features of Kayak.com is the ability to compare deals to those from other sites such as Hotwire, Priceline, Expedia, Travelocity, and Airfare.com. You can select which sites to compare. If you are searching for the cheapest airfare you will want to compare Kayak.com prices to all other options.

7. When you are ready to move forward, click “Search.”

8. After several seconds you will be presented Kayak.com deals in your main window. Additionally, any sites you were comparing will popup in a new window. This makes it easy for you to toggle from screen to screen to see what you are being offered.

9. Which site offers the deal that is best for your wallet and your travel arrangements? If you choose a deal from Kayak.com, upon making a selection you will be routed to the proper site for completing your purchase. In other words, you will not purchase direct from Kayak.com but instead one of their partners. Be ready to input personal information, as well as credit card details to conclude the process.

Does it get any easier than that? If you follow these steps you will be well on your way to finding the cheapest airfare.

As a college student you may think that having a budget is the stupidest thing in the world. After all, budgeting is for old people, right? If you feel this way you need to reconsider. No matter how old you are a budget is very important, and this is definitely the case when you are in college.

Unfortunately, college courses rarely teach students anything about budgeting, personal finance, or how to handle money. They figure that most students should have these skills in place by the time they reach college. Of course, this is not the case with most students and probably never will be.

Just because you are not making much money, or any for that matter, does not mean you can live without a budget. Remember, it is important to know what you are doing no matter how much you are earning and spending. Here is a list of things you should do if you need to create and manage a budget for the first time as a college student:

1. Determine how much money you are going to be earning every month, if any. This will not pertain to every college student. Some will have a job, others won’t have any income, and many will only rely on what their parents give them. No matter if you earn zero dollars per month or $2k you need to know this information.

2. Know your expenses. College students are funny. While most of them don’t have any income, a large number still have quite a few expenses. If you want to set a “proper” budget it is imperative that you do not spend more than you earn. If you do you are going to find yourself begging your parents for money, selling your blood, or worse yet using credit cards.

3. Ask for help. Most college students are stubborn, there is no denying this. But guess what? You can get all the help you need if you are willing to find it. A great place to start is with your parents. Anytime you can get advice from somebody who has been in your shoes you should take it.

4. Closely track your purchases, no matter how big or small. Did you spend money at the bar last night? How about at the bookstore this morning? Be sure you track every last dime that comes out of your pocket or bank account. This will help to avoid problems when it comes to balancing your checkbook and overdrawing on your account.

5. Make list of things you “need” and things you “want.” This is often times overlooked by college students. Remember, you don’t need beer every night and a new wardrobe every weekend. You do need books, school supplies, and money for food and housing, though.

Many people make the budgeting process entirely too complicated. Once you know the basics of starting and managing a budget there is nothing so complex that you should feel overwhelmed.

During my college years, when developing my first budget, I had no idea what to expect in terms of income and expenses. But soon enough the numbers started to fit better, I learned more about spending and saving, and my overall budget became a success. In other words, you have to get started at some point in time even if you don’t know exactly what you are doing.

The following budgeting tips and tricks are sure to help you out:

1. Don’t be scared. Believe it or not, many people don’t start a budget because they are afraid of what they will find. Sure, you may find you are spending more than you earn but isn’t it better to know? Remember, your problems are not going to get fixed by hiding from them.

2. Your first budget doesn’t have to be the end-all. Your budget can and will change on a regular basis. Anytime your income or expenses change so should your budget. This is why your first budget doesn’t have to be perfect. Sure, you want it to suit you well, but don’t get caught up in minor details.

3. Be accurate. When recording your income and expenses accuracy is more important than anything else. If you earn $5k/month but use $6k/month in your budget the end result is going to be off by $1k. As you can imagine this would throw your entire budget out of whack.

4. Don’t forget your family. If you are married you need to include your spouse when budgeting. Even if your spouse doesn’t contribute any income they still deserve to be involved. After all, it is important for everybody to be on the same page and working towards the same financial goals.

5. There is more than income and expenses. You should also have a column for savings. Just because you earn more than you spend does not mean you should waste the “leftover” money. Everybody needs to save, and this should be included in your budget.

Who said a great vacation has to take place on the ground? If you have never been on a cruise (and even if you have) now is the time to change your way of thinking. The cruise industry has been hit hard by the recession, and there is no reason to believe that anything is going to change in the near future. For this reason, consumers should be aware that they can find a great deal if they are willing to open their eyes and search online.

When it comes to booking a cruise for less you need to know the finer details that go into this process. While this is similar to booking a flight in many ways, there are additional details that will make or break your deal.

Here is a short list of decisions you need to make if you want to experience the time of your life on the high seas without breaking the bank:

1. Destination. Just because you are going to be on a cruise ship does not mean you will never get off. Every cruise has stops along the way, and you need to choose which ones you want to make. Some of the most popular cruise destinations include Caribbean, Mexico, Bahamas, Alaska, Hawaii, and Europe. Which one of these destinations catches your eye? Better yet, which one offers the best deal on price? Only a comprehensive search will reveal this information.

2. Cruise line. This is where the real savings begin. In order to keep up during the recession cruise lines have become very competitive with one another. If you only check prices for one cruise line you are doing yourself a major disservice. To find the best deal use a site such as Kayak.com to compare prices, features and much more. Popular cruise lines include but are not limited to: Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean.

3. Length. How long of a vacation do you want to take? Believe it or not, you can opt for cruises as short as two days or as long as several weeks. The length of your cruise depends on two factors: your budget and the amount of time you have available. Obviously, if you are trying to save money you will want to stick to cruises that are not long; usually seven days or less.

4. Departure. To get the best deal on a cruise you will want to book your trip during an “off-peak” time. This tip may not always work, but you should compare a few time periods to see the difference. For instance, a cruise in February will probably be less expensive than the same one in June or July.

With the recession hanging over the cruise industry now is the time to find a great deal.