Contrary to popular belief, in the world of engagement rings white sapphires are making a huge comeback right now as well as other sapphire gemstones. This is something that many people hadn’t expected to happen, but it’s certainly a good thing for those looking to purchase an inexpensive yet very attractive engagement ring for their significant other.

To tell you the truth, I really like the fact that white sapphire engagement rings are becoming incredibly popular today. As far as betrothal rings are concerned, diamonds have been a girl’s best friend, but the trend is changing and white sapphires are beginning to reign supreme.

More often than not, guys would love to buy their girlfriends an engagement ring that really stands out amongst the crowd. It’s something that’s going to make them feel incredibly happy and loved because the ring looks very special. Diamonds all look the same and they aren’t really special at this point. But white sapphires are something totally different because they are bigger, less expensive, and there are actually rarer than diamonds at this point.

To help you see the truth about white sapphires rings and why they’re so popular, we’re going to share some of the biggest benefits to owning one today. So if you’re considering buying one as an engagement ring, you’re going to learn that you’re definitely making the right choice.

White Sapphires of the Ethical Option

Nobody likes to think about this when buying diamonds, but the conditions that many diamond miners experience are terrible to say the least. You don’t have to feel anxiety, upset, or hurt because you’re buying a diamond that many people could have potentially bled and died over. You have no reason to feel like this whatsoever.

The Sapphire mining practices are so much different than the diamond mining practices. Plus, one of the main sources for white sapphires is in Sri Lanka, which is known as a place that really cares about the stonecutters and miners. It’s the African diamonds that people end up getting killed over.

So, if you’re looking to make an ethical choice for your engagement ring purchase, we highly recommend choosing white sapphires over diamonds. You’ve never heard of anybody coining the phrase blood sapphires, but blood diamonds certainly exist and they’re a serious problem.

White Sapphires Are the Durable Option

You may not realize this, but sapphires are incredibly durable. They are some of the hardest gemstones available on the planet today. On a scale of 1 to 10, sapphires are about a 9, which is incredibly strong as you can probably tell.

So, you never have to worry about accidentally dropping your white sapphire engagement ring and watching it shatter into a million pieces. In fact, you can drop it and you will not even see a scratch on it unless you work really hard to ruin the surface. And since this is an engagement ring, nobody would be foolish enough to do that.

Conclusion

Hopefully you can see why White Sapphire engagement rings are so popular. Do not hesitate to pick one up for your significant other sooner or later.

Today we have a guest post for you from Jeanne at Everything Finance.

Everyone starts learning about money from a young age. Perhaps you ask your father for money to buy a piece of gum at the store. He hands over some change, you pay the cashier, and she gives you the bubblegum.

When we are older, our wants and needs grow larger than a simple piece of bubblegum, however, and they cost more too. In order to pay the bills we must get jobs and learn how to budget.

But the fact is that some of us are more diligent about budgeting than others. In addition, even when you are a religious budgeter, there are still 5 budgeting mistakes that could sink you.

1. Lack of Accuracy

As you create your very first budget you may have trouble deciding what categories you need and how much they should be. If you use the wrong figures it is one of the budgeting mistakes that could sink you.

In the last few months if you have been making rent payments, buying groceries, and paying other bills you are already part of the way toward creating an accurate budget. Take the last three or four months of spending for each area and average them.

Or, if you are just moving out of your parent’s house and into your own place, use your bills for the next couple of months to get an average for each category. Once you know these figures you should be able to set up a budget.

2. Being Too Strict

It’s easy to say you are going to stick to your budget no matter what. If your budget is too strict, though, you may be guaranteeing your own failure. That is another one of the budgeting mistakes that could sink you.

Life is short not to get some enjoyment out of it. Restricting yourself in such a way that you suck all of the fun out of life makes you wonder what the point is. In addition, you may be more likely to blow your budget.

An occasional indulgence is ok as long as you plan for it. Make sure you give your budget a little wiggle room so you can stay on track with your spending each month.

3. Spending Without Tracking

Spending with no thought or tracking is just the opposite of being too strict. If you are doing this then a budget isn’t helping you.

You must track what you have spent in order to know when you will be out of money. You can do this with budgeting software, paper and a pen, or a simple spreadsheet on a computer. After you begin tracking your spending you will be on your way to budgeting.

4. Forgetting to Add Items

Sometimes people simply forget items in their budgets. Common items that get missed are things like yearly taxes, haircuts, doctor bills, and gifts among others.

Not planning for these expenses is another one of the many budgeting mistakes that could sink you financially. Once you identify these items and their frequency, divide the cost per year by twelve and add them to your monthly budget.

5. Lack of Communication

If you aren’t communicating well with your spouse or partner your budget could be headed for trouble.  Each person in the relationship must have their basic needs provided for along with some wants. To reach this goal you must be clear about these items and their costs.

The consequences of not talking about money and budgeting when it is needed could cause overspending and resentment at the least. Conversely, by working on your budget together you can avoid overspending.

Managing money is a learned skill that is not always clear-cut or easy. But as you can see there are ways of avoiding these budgeting mistakes that could sink you.

What are some of the budgeting mistakes you have made in the past?

Jeanne is a married mother of 2 grown children who works a full time job, has two side hustles, and also helps out occasionally on the farm she and her husband own together. Her background is finance and medical office management, and she hopes to help others improve their finances and change their futures.

Depending on what type of glasses you need, purchasing eyeglasses will set you back by as little as $20 while the higher end can go to as much as $750, for designer glasses with a lot of style and sophistication. Statistics suggest that the average American paid about $196 for his or her glasses.

Since you are going to be shelling out close to $200 on glasses, it pays to know how you can save. Here are some quick pointers.

• Say “no thanks” when your ophthalmologist sells you glasses

Your ophthalmologist will almost certainly try to sell you glasses, after giving you an eye exam and writing up a prescription. But, even if your eye doctor is a great person, the smart thing to do would be to pass on their offer to sell you glasses. This is because glasses sold by ophthalmologists are almost always extremely overpriced. It is just a quick revenue stream for them and they prey on your convenience to send you out with glasses immediately, but after you pay quite a premium for the glasses.  Buying glasses online, however, sidesteps many of the reasons for them being so expensive, such as office overhead.

• Buy online! Everyone’s doing it

There was a time where people used to be super skeptical about buying glasses online. Not anymore. In fact, buying cheap glasses online has become quite the trend recently, with all the thousands of choices available at an online store. Besides being able to give you very competitive prices, online stores have also come to specialize in express glasses delivery, sending out your glasses to you in less than 24 hours from the time you order.

Buying prescription glasses online is also a very simple process. All you have to do is enter your prescription information during the checkout process and also enter your pupil distance and your lens will be made out to match your exact needs. Besides great discounts and prices on eyeglasses, online stores make it incredibly easy for you to find glasses that match your exact style needs. You can use filters to buy glasses by the color, shape, and lens-type or even build quality that you specifically have in your mind.

• Buy frames built with cheap materials

When we talk about cheap here, we don’t mean the cheap as in bad quality. We mean cheap as in just cost-effective. Take metal frames for example. Not a lot of people wear metal frames anymore. Most have moved on to wood, rubber, plastic or more complex materials like titanium and acetate. But, if you know that you will be able to take care of your glasses well, there’s no need to pay for expensive build materials like titanium. Such materials come at quite a cost. The difference in prices between a titanium designer frame and a simple metal frame, for the same lenses, can even go up to $300!

Though metal frames are strong, they are not flexible like plastic or rubber which can take some bending and pressure, without breaking or snapping. Plastic and rubber frames cost more than metal frames but they are certainly not as expensive as titanium, wooden or acetate frames.

When it comes to investing, many experts agree that real-estate is one of the less volatile and safer ways to make money. There’s several ways you can dabble in the property market. Buy a fix-and-flip turning it over within weeks of purchase, build a portfolio of rental properties or invest in the luxury home market.

Buying luxury real estate can be better than having money in the bank

If you’re investing in a good area, buying luxury real estate will always provide you with a good capital gain making it a wiser choice then leaving your money in the bank. Enlist luxury house builders in Melbourne to construct a brand-new home with all the comforts or buy an established home in your chosen-up market area. Either way, the potential for a substantial profit is great.

Beyond monetary growth, buying a high-end property will enable you to enjoy several lifestyle benefits such as a pool, a five-star kitchen or a bathroom that will rival any top hotel. Entertaining and hosting extended family and friends is made more pleasurable when you’re in a home with all the luxuries.

A luxury home will also yield a greater rental return if you choose to purchase a high-end property as a rental investment. It also typically attracts an upmarket tenant who’s likely to look after and maintain the property well.

A luxury home can be the key to a comfortable retirement

For many, building a real estate portfolio is crucial in achieving a comfortable retirement. It’s estimated for a couple in Australia to enjoy a reasonably comfortable retirement they’ll require about $640,000 in savings. For those who wish to live a more elaborate lifestyle or leave their children an inheritance, they’ll obviously require a greater nest egg.

For many, this is not going to be achieved through super and employee savings alone and investing in luxury property may be the key. In a situation where you’ve purchased a high-end home in a well sort after area known for its growth, you could make enough to live comfortably during your later years.

When you near retirement, selling the property may give you ample profit to purchase a smaller home and cover the cost of living when you retire. If your kids are lucky, they may even enjoy a generous inheritance out of the sale.

Buying a luxury real estate investment all comes down to timing

It’s easy to see why high-end purchases like luxury double storey homes have the potential of being a great investment. Quality products typically retain their value over a greater period than average or poorly made products.

Take a car for example, a European car with a great brand and constructed of quality parts is more likely to achieve a higher resale price down the track than a cheaper made vehicle. Same goes for furniture, homeware goods, jewellery, and clothing.

But timing plays a huge part in whether investing in luxury real estate will pay off. You need to ensure you don’t over-extend yourself so you can hold onto the property during any volatile times. If you’re forced to sell a property during a market down turn, you may suffer a financial loss. Making sure your finances are in check and you’re purchase in the more attractive, established areas will help ensure your luxury real estate investment is a good one.