This post comes from Dori Zinn at partner site Money Talks News. 

First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes the mountain of wedding debt you'll now have to pay.

Last year, couples spent an average of $28,427 on weddings and nuptial-related events, according to TheKnot.com. While the venues, the engagement ring and even the entertainment can cost thousands of dollars, the wardrobe isn't far down the list.

The average cost of the dress: more than $1,200.

 

This post comes from Gerri Detweiler at Credit.com.

How important is your credit score?” That question was posed to me recently as I stood onstage after delivering a presentation on how to optimize your credit to a group of some 500 women for the annual Women’s Money Conference in Las Vegas.

I only had a few moments to summarize the importance of credit scores to the audience and tell them that, with a strong credit score, they may save thousands of dollars each year. With more time and preparation, though, this is the answer I would have given:

1. A good score = Money in your pocket

Low credit scores cost consumers money; in some cases hundreds or thousands of dollars.

“A lower credit score can result in a borrower having to pay more than $5,000 for a $20,000, 60-month auto loan,” warns Barrett Burns, the CEO of VantageScore Solutions. But most people don’t realize that. “According to our joint survey in partnership with Consumer Federation of America, nearly 80% of respondents were not aware of this important fact.” The two organizations have created a credit scoring quiz consumers can use to test their knowledge.

“A good credit score can save a person thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a loan or mortgage by helping them secure a lower interest rate,” agrees Antony Sprauve, the director of public relations for MyFICO.

 

Hate to go food shopping? Bring the supermarket to you by having groceries delivered. You could actually save money doing this, despite paying a delivery fee -- and you might even help save the Earth.  

This post is by Gary Foreman from partner site U.S. News & World Report.

The average age of a car in America reached an all-time high this year of 10.8 years, according to a study by Polk, an automotive information and marketing firm. That means a lot of us will be facing needed repairs.

When that happens, some of us will be tempted to decide our car is not worth repairing and we should find a new ride. But is that true?

Let's look at these questions to ask yourself before you decide whether your car is worth keeping: 

This post is by Jeanne Kelly from partner site Credit.com.

I remember when I bought my first house. It was a great feeling of pride to be standing in a place that I owned, that I could call my home. Aside from being a place to rejuvenate from your busy day while you spend time with your family, a home is also a key step toward building a financial nest egg that you will rely on for years to come.

But did you know that buying a home can also hurt your credit? If you’re not careful, it can go from a positive experience to a negative experience — almost in the blink of an eye. Here’s how buying a home can hurt your credit if you’re not careful: 

 

This post comes from MSN Money contributor Michelle V. Rafter.

 

A woman putting something in her car in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood is robbed of her new Android smartphone at gunpoint. Thieves on the light rail in Portland, Ore., grab iPhones out of their owners’ hands as the train doors open and flee before anyone can catch them.

 

This post comes from Jim Wang at Bargaineering.

Back when I worked as a consultant in the defense industry, I was expected to wear a suit every single day into work. I was fortunate in that I had just made a trip to China and came back with five suits (at around $80 apiece -- they were very nice quality too), so I was well equipped to wear one every single day. (I would later learn that you just left a jacket behind your door and wore a full suit only to meet with clients.)

Even with five suits, I wanted to make sure I maintained them properly so that I could get the most out of them. While they were under $80 each, a great price for a great suit (that’s what happens when you go straight to the tailor), I knew they were worth two or three times that and wanted to treat them that way.

So I read up on how to maintain a suit and was surprised how simple it was.

Don't dry clean after every wear

First, understand what dry cleaning is. Next, understand that you don’t need to dry clean your suit after every wear. That great Art of Manliness article cited above covers when you should dry clean your suit or will a quick brush or ventilation do the trick. Dry cleaning is a pretty harsh (and expensive) process and so if you can avoid it, it’s best to dry clean when only absolutely necessary because it damages the suit.

Ventilation for 24 hours

After you wear your suit, let the suit ventilate for at least 24 hours. The idea here is that the suit has picked up some moisture from your body and will need some time to dry out. Also, if your suit picked up any new scents, like perfume or smoke, this also gives the suit a chance to rid itself of its new friends.