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Creating a Budget
Don’t forget to download the Debtguru Budget Excel Worksheet! How To Create A Simple Budget (and Stick to it) “Budget” is perhaps the scariest word in the English language: Few things strike fear in the hearts of average Americans like the thought of sitting down and – gasp! – writing a monthly budget. Maybe it’s denial: Do you really want to be held accountable for the $50 in gossip magazines... -
How to Save Up $300 in time for the Holidays
I know, I know: It’s October. It’s not even Halloween yet, and I’m rolling out the holiday topics. But the thing is, it’s almost November. Pretty soon, malls will start putting up Christmas decorations. Department stores will start offering crazy “early bird” sales that start at five a.m. Your kids will start dropping hints about this year’s “must-have” toys. Before you know it, the holiday season will be in... -
Hate Budgets? Try This One!
Budgets have kind of a bad rap. If you’re like most people, “budgeting” is probably not on your list of favorite things to do. In fact, if you’re like most people, the very word “budgeting” probably makes you cringe just a little. After all, unless you’re a serious financial geek, there’s nothing particularly fun about creating those little spreadsheets and tracking all of your monthly expenses, down to the... -
Thou Shalt Live Within Your Means (for financial happiness)
During a recent family vacation, I spotted a sign in front of a church parking lot that said: “Thou Shalt Not Park Here.” That sign gave all of us a good laugh – and it also gave me the (divine) inspiration for this week’s topic. Whether you’re looking for ways to get out of debt or strategies to stretch your hard-earned dollars just a little bit farther, these... -
Six Good Reasons to (Responsibly!) Use Your Credit Card
For this month’s blog, I thought it would be fun to talk about something I almost never talk about: the benefits of credit card use. Yes, you read that right. There are benefits to credit cards. I spend most of my time working with people who are struggling with crippling amounts of credit card debt – and there’s no doubt that, if used irresponsibly, credit cards can wreak havoc... -
5 Rules for Back-to-School Shopping
School’s almost in session again, and that means the inevitable back-to-school shopping trip. Pencils, notebooks, art supplies, clothing, lunch totes – it all starts to add up pretty fast. If you’re on a budget (and these days, who isn’t on a budget?), it’s a good idea to have a game plan before you hit the stores. Here are five ways to make sure you don’t blow your back-to-school... -
“I Don’t Make Enough to Save”
Four Ways We Talk Ourselves into Financial Disaster You make plenty of money – enough, at least, to allow you to pay bills, eat, get to work, and save for the future. You even made a budget once; a neat and attractive Excel spreadsheet that organized and allocated your monthly earnings, down to the penny. You even had spending money left over. Well, you should have, anyway. ... -
How’s Your Financial Health? Time For An End-of-Summer Money Checkup
August is the Perfect Month to Assess Your Finances So back in January, you decided that this would be the year you finally got your finances in order: you’d pay off all of your credit card debt (or at least you’d avoid acquiring any new debt). You’d build up an emergency fund. You’d put a thousand bucks into your retirement account. You’d write a budget and this year... -
Simple (& Painless) Strategies To Build Savings
Maybe you’re looking for a way to start your much-needed emergency fund – or perhaps you’re just trying to scrape together some extra cash for your summer vacation. Whatever the reason, you know that you want to start saving. But how? It’s easier than you think. In fact, there are lots of easy, and painless ways to make a little bit of change add up to a lot... -
Five Frugal Mother’s Day Ideas
According to the National Retail Federation, the average American is expected to spend $150 on Mother’s Day gifts this year. That’s a pretty big chunk of change – but when you factor in about $30-$40 for a flower arrangement and $75-$100 to take the family to Mother’s Day brunch at a local chain restaurant, you see how quickly those two traditional gifts can add up. This year, instead of...