The other day someone mentioned to my husband something about the fact that I always find the best deals and I always have a coupon for something. That’s actually a pretty true statement. I can sniff out a coupon a mile away. It’s almost like a game for me — to see if I can [...]
Just recently my husband and I have decided to tighten up our spending a little more than we have been doing in the past. We currently have an amount budgeted for extra spending (entertainment, fun things, clothes, etc.) and in the past, this has been more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. [...]
“Act now, and you may be able to pay less than you owe!” proclaims an ad for debt consolidation services. I’m all for paying off debts, but I was offended. Why should some people be allowed to pay less than they owe when others (like me) are habitually denying themselves things they want in order [...]
Do you ever find that it is difficult to remember things? A weak memory is often hard to fix, but there are some things you can do to help yourself remember things. I’ve actually found that having a budget helps me remember certain things. How is that? Well my budget is a spreadsheet where I [...]
I have always assumed that if your career/job pays you decent money that you should have no trouble getting ahead financially as long as you’re responsible with money. But recently an old friend who works in a high powered, high paying, high stress career made me rethink that assumption. My friend works for a large [...]
Countless employees dream of leaving behind a demanding boss, working from home, and earning a limitless income. Self-employment, however, is not the same as a life of leisure. As was already pointed out a few months ago, much of the mythos surrounding self-employment is simply mythical. Businesses that promote work from home “opportunities” thrive on [...]
Most people don’t associate personal finance with fun and it’s hard to blame them. There’s a lot of doom and gloom, especially these days. Writing out a budget seriously stinks. Really, who wants to find out they can’t afford the things they want and see it on paper? And it’s certainly no fun to do [...]
When saving money, meals in restaurants are rightfully one of the first expenses to be cut, but if you hate to cook as much as I do, budgeting for a meal or two out each week may save enough of your sanity to be worth the expense. On the days you do choose to eat [...]
Two years ago, I made the decision to pull the plug on my satellite subscription. I did it because I felt like a lot of my time was being squandered on worthless entertainment and I didn’t have the ability to regulate my television usage any other way. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who [...]
I love to read and will read just about anything. Needless to say, before I turned frugal I spent a lot of money on books and magazines. I solved the book problem by frequenting my local library. Magazines were a bit more difficult. Sure, I can read them at the library (and sometimes I do), [...]
