Re: Rising Inflation
Inflation is a big concern for me. Inflation can be easily overlooked as strain on your cashflow. Higher gas prices mean higher cost of milk and other truck-delivered goods. Phone companies stash all kinds of extra fees to the service price you signed up for. Health insurance rates and school tuition rates increase higher than the inflation rate. Even the highest saving account rates don't match the 4% inflation rate, so even my emergency fund is losing.
I took a Financial Peace course a while back (Dave Ramsey), now I see everything with more perspective. I'm increasing deductibles for all insurance, shopping for new car insurance, shopping for cheaper internet provider, looking for a rain barrell, use the library instead of buying books/videos, looking to friends and family and garage sales to buy good used furniture/appliances/toy for the kids/etc, cut back on restaurants, opened a medical flexible spending account at work, contribute as much as the employer will match on the retirement account, have rabbit ears on the TV, never turn down a free lunch, update the computer as much as possible before buying new, use pre-paid calling card, use the knowlegable guys at Home Depot to teach me to repair my own home instead of hiring a contractor, don't use credit, give as much as possible away to church and charity instead of creditors, mulch the flowerbeds, use soaker hoses and learn as much as I can about everything.
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