budgeting

Everyone has that one extravagant possession he’s always wanted, but never had the money for. Even you probably think about your dream wedding, vacation or home every now and then and long for the cash you need to buy it. So why keep wishing when you can start saving instead? If you want something bad [...]

One of the most common misconceptions about budgeting is that is takes a l-o-n-g time.  Most people who do not learn how to make a budget do so because they believe they don’t have the time to budget. But, if your budget is doing its job you should be able to budget without a major [...]

The Associated Press reports a new finding by FICO, Inc. that 25.5 percent of consumers, or nearly 43.4 million people, currently have a credit score of 599 or less. With a quarter of the nation suffering from credit card debt and poor credit scores, it’s obvious that many are not aware of the number of [...]

Vacation is one of those luxuries that can easily cause you to go over budget. Even the best budgeter gets caught up in the spur of the moment. I know no one really wants to budget on vacation.  But, I promise you, there is one thing worse than budgeting on vacation — that is, being [...]

Many people that create a budget have a difficult time sticking to it for one reason — incidental expenses. Although incidental expenses are only a small fraction of your expenses, they can have a really big effect on your budget. These tiny expenses often go unaccounted for and can destroy your carefully crafted plans. Here [...]

Yesterday I received the news that so many others have heard, my job will be coming to an end. Luckily, my boss was very kind, and has alerted me three months in advance with the hopes that I will be able to find something else. At this moment I’m hoping it will give me the [...]

You know the drill when you set up a budget. You write down how much income you have and then you decide how it gets split up. You can use various techniques like a zero based budget, an envelope system, or you go through each budget item step by step tweaking your projected expenses to [...]

School is about to close its doors and release kids into an extended summer vacation but with money tight for so many families around the country, many parents are fretting about what to do with the kids at home. They will be less traveling and likely more whines of boredom when money concerns limit parents [...]

There are hundreds of questions that pop up on a parent’s or soon-to-be parent’s mind. How should we raise our children? What lessons should we instill in our children’s minds at an early age? Financial literacy — like any other fundamental life lesson — must begin at home. The concept of money to children can [...]

It’s that time of year: many people are beginning to look for their tax refunds. If you were on top of things and e-filed early, you might already have a refund. If you are looking forward to a tax refund, you are probably considering what to spend it on. Before you do, though, consider your [...]