How much of your income should you live on? And what does the budget break down look like? The answers may vary from household to household based on individual circumstances, but let’s discuss some generalized percentages as a framework to start from. According to a survey conducted last year by the Federal Reserve Board, when faced with a $400 emergency, 47% of Americans could not come up with the money, or would need to borrow money or sell a possession in order to do so. Almost half of America lives paycheck to paycheck. Let that really sink in: almost half of us are spending 100% (or more) of what we make. Obviously, that’s far from optimal. We need to do a better job of allocating how much to spend (and where) and how much to save. As I’ve stated previously in this budgeting post, zero…
This post contains affiliate links. I never recommend something I have not used myself. All opinions and experiences are 100% mine. Who doesn’t love easy money? There’s not much better than making some fast cash utilizing the wonderful world of technology. Money making and money saving apps are some of my favorite ways to bring in a little extra dough. But which ones are worth the time and storage space on your phone?These are a few of my favorite money makers and money savers for 2017. Surveys are So 2016 Have you ever caught yourself saying, “Geez, if I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that, I’d be rich!” Guess what?! Now there’s an app for that and it’s called 1Q! Okay, so maybe it won’t make you rich—scratch that, it definitely will not make you…
This post may contain affiliate links. I never recommend anything I have not tried myself. All opinions are 100% mine. I have previously talked about meal planning before as a means to lowering food costs. And since that time, I’ve had a few people reach out to inquire about it more. So, I thought I would dedicate a whole post to meal planning and include a few recipes to get anyone who’s interested, started. Like Anything, Meal Planning has its Pros and Cons. Pros: Meal planning eliminates the 5:00 panic of what to make for dinner. When you have a plan, your proteins can be thawed out and ready to go when you walk in the door from work. No more unsafe thawing practices or defrosting chicken in the microwave and trying to cut off the dried-up edges—you know the nasty parts…
I don’t mean to set your heart a racing, but if you haven’t checked the calendar lately, let me give you a head’s up. It’s Wednesday and Mother’s Day is on Sunday. Don’t have a gift for your fabulous mom yet? Congratulations, you’re officially a procrastinator. Didn’t your mother teach you never to put off until tomorrow what you can do today? Well, there’s no time like the present–haha, see what I did there?! So, what do you get for the one person in your life who endured hours (and for some of us unlucky moms, days) of excruciating physical pain to bring you into this world and years of emotional ups and downs watching you navigate the minefield of life? A bouquet of flowers? Another “world’s best mom” coffee mug? A gift basket…
This post may contain affiliate links. I never recommend something I haven’t tried myself. All opinions are 100% mine. If you’re familiar at all with public figures in the personal finance realm, you’ve likely heard of Dave Ramsey. He’s a radio host, author and motivational speaker with a Christian perspective, who teaches people how to beat debt and build wealth with his 7 Baby Steps. A few of his hallmarks: he’s anti-debt and pro-cash. He has a lot of great advice, but there’s one piece of his program that I really disagree with—and listening to it could potentially cost you a whole lot of money. So, let’s first talk about his program. Dave Ramsey developed the Financial Peace University and if your financial prowess consists of simply collecting your paycheck and paying your bills, then it’s…
If you have children, then you likely have many hopes and dreams for them. One of those hopes and dreams may be a college education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average all-inclusive (tuition, room and board, fees, etc) cost in 2014-15 (the latest figures they have available) of a public 4-year college was $18,632 annually. While it may feel like rising tuition and fees are pushing that dream further out of reach, there are things you can do right now and in the future to help manage the costs. Save, Save, Save Obviously, if your child has some time before they’re leaving your nest for college, you should start socking away some money. One of the best ways to do this is by investing in a 529 plan. It’s a tax-sheltered account that families can use to…
Have you heard about this? Appropriating the poor is apparently a trendy thing now. And tiny house living is public enemy number one. I’ve heard of appropriating the wealthy. I think we all know someone or “someones” who have appropriated the wealthy by purchasing expensive things that they really have no business buying. But appropriating the poor is a new one to me. When I was in college, circa 2000, I worked in customer service for Lowe’s (not a bad gig—they paid better than minimum wage and I scored [my dad] a 10% employee discount). One of the head cashiers was an individual that I knew from high school. I had overheard breakroom talk about what a nice car this guy had and their questioning how he could afford to own something so pricey. While chatting with him at one point, he mentioned that his…
What Money Myths Do You Believe? Many of us have some preconceived notions about money; whether those beliefs have been passed down to us by family, are clichés we’ve heard along the way or simply our own assumptions. My guess is, some of these beliefs are actually money myths. “Easy come, easy go” is one that immediately comes to mind. Is money really easy to come by? I suppose in the sense that money comes from work and there’s plenty of work to be done out there. But we all know that hard work isn’t necessarily rewarded with a commensurate amount of money, nor does there seem to be an adequate number of high-paying jobs available nowadays. So no, I wouldn’t definitively agree that money is easy to come by. As for the easy go part, I think most of us have heard, or…
This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions and recommendations are 100% mine. Using the Best Grocery Apps to Cut Your Food Budget Saving money on food is one of the most impactful areas of the budget to cut back. After housing and transportation costs (includes auto loans, maintenance and fuel), food comes in third as the biggest portion of the American household budget; if you own your cars outright, it’s likely that your food costs then come in second. Food costs, including both eating out and at home, comprise about 10% of the average family’s pretax income. So, it should come as no surprise that the desire to cut those costs back as much as possible has led to a rise in the popularity of grocery apps. And there are lots of them to choose from. Here are the 5 best grocery apps that I use…
This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions and recommendations are 100% mine. Do the Side Hustle Side hustle–such a popular term these days, especially with millennials. It seems everyone is looking for ways to bring in a little cash outside of their regular 9 to 5. Occasionally, delivering pizza or working the register at Target (hello employee discount!) is all you want, but sometimes it’s not. Here’s a list of 10 side hustle ideas for when you’re looking for something other than the traditional minimum wage second job. Uber Signing up to be an Uber driver is super easy (my husband applied and was approved quite quickly), but there are some basic requirements everyone must meet: 21 years of age or older. 3 years of driving experience. an in-state driver’s license (depending on your state). a clean driving record. pass a…
