Living for today - Planning for Tomorrow
A couple months ago I wrote a blog post about how I’m not making any cosmetic updates to my 1970s house. But one home upgrade I plan to make as soon as I can afford it is adding solar panels to my roof—and I’m not alone. According to a recent survey by Pew, most Americans say they’ve seriously considered buying solar panels or have already
You turn off the lights when you leave a room, shut your air conditioner off if you’re not home, and try to conserve water. So why are your utility bills so high? Even if you use energy responsibly, these common culprits of high utility bills can still drain your bank account. Here are five hidden causes of expensive power bills and what you can do
If you’ve noticed that you’re spending more than ever on gas and groceries, you’re not alone. Over the past year, consumer prices have increased by 5.4%. Annual inflation usually sits at around 2%, so this is a big change for all of our budgets. Although wages have been increasing in many industries due to labor shortages, experts say that they may not be rising fast
A lot of people get minimalism wrong – thinking that they have to get rid of everything they own. But that’s really not the truth. In a gist minimalism is eliminating things from your life that don’t serve a purpose or bring you happiness. These aren’t just material items either. They can be negative people in your life or something such as a soul-sucking job.
Moving into your first apartment is an exciting time in your life. You’re striking out on your own and getting a space that’s all yours. But renting and budgeting for a first apartment is a big financial responsibility, and there are lots of hidden costs you may not think about. It’s important to plan and save for all of those expenses so you don’t end
Although becoming a one car family isn’t possible for everyone, if you can manage it, you’ll save a ton of money. Owning one vehicle is expensive, let alone two or three. Between maintenance and insurance, your spare car could be costing you hundreds of dollars per month. If you could save that money or use it to pay down your debt instead, you’d be able
As your income increases, it’s natural for your spending to go up. But when you secure a big promotion, it’s important not to let your purchasing habits get out of control. If you loosen your belt too much, you might end up neglecting your other financial goals like saving for retirement. To help you avoid lifestyle creep, here are four of my best tips. Save
Everyone wants to provide for their family and create generational wealth to give their kids the best chance of success. But if you don’t have a six-figure salary, how can you build a big enough nest egg to give your children a leg up in life? According to a recent survey, 33% of millionaires never made six figures during any year of their entire career.
For some, the eat at home challenge is not a challenge at all. We’ve got no place better we can go and eating at home seems to be the most cost-effective way to cut back during the COVID financial slump that many of us are seeing. But eating at home doesn’t mean that everyone is eating home-cooked meals. Ordering in is pretty tempting, and we
If you look at financially successful people, you’ll often find one trait in common: self-discipline. It takes a great deal of self-discipline to be successful in any endeavor. That makes finding the best practices to increase self-discipline important. One thing that I’ve noticed over and over is that improving your discipline in one area of your life often spills into every other area. If you
