Living for today - Planning for Tomorrow
After calculating my new two person budget I realized that combined we would be socking away 47% of our income on a bad month and even more on the months where we earn more than average. The good news was that we will able to do this at a quite comfortable spending level. (Note that I’m not talking about spending ungodly amounts of money on
Just in case you didn’t know I got married a couple weeks ago! It was something I had been thinking about for a while but wanted to feel one hundred percent confident about when I did. So I did it on a whim when I felt ready. Jamie and I went and bought a marriage certificate and had my old boss make it official for
Valentine’s Day. There’s one thing I now like about it and that’s decorating a Valentine’s box for my kindergartner to take to school. But giving your significant other gifts for a commercialized holiday? It feels so dirty. I’ve always felt this way. I’m not a girly girl to begin with. I don’t like flowers, I don’t wear much jewelry, I don’t wear perfume, and I
Don’t Be Like Everyone Else The other day one of my close family members came over and saw my expense tracking worksheets laying on my kitchen table. “I need to start doing that too” she said. “Yeah I think you’d be completely surprised at just how much money you spend in certain areas.” I said in a general type of way – mostly meaning that
Are you wondering how much money you should be saving each month? If so, you’re not alone! This is a common, yet deeply personal question among the personal finance community. And to put it bluntly, there’s no one right answer. The Amount You Save is Relative to Income The cutting expenses vs. earning more debate has been around forever. And to be quite honest you
When you’re living paycheck to paycheck it’s so easy to become engulfed with financial stress. Trust me, I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there before. But if you’re deliberate in your actions, the way you’re both earning and spending your money, then it is possible to get one month ahead and eliminate that stress. Here’s what I did and it will work for
We’ve talked about what living minimally can do for your finances but I think it’s worth talking about again. The truth is, when you stop trying to keep up with the Joneses and instead start spending your time and money according to your values your entire life improves. What is Living Minimally? Living minimally is simply finding the things you love the most and getting
Working for yourself has a lot of pros, but it’s not all rainbows and sunshine like many people make it out to be. The fact is when you’re self-employed you’ve got to put some serious (unpaid) hours in the beginning just to make a name for yourself. After that you’ve got to learn how to manage clients, set your rates, and find ample time to
I’ve been obsessed with reading extreme frugality blogs lately. I’ve also noticed a trend: extreme frugality IS NOT about saving money, it’s about lifestyle. The people who practice these extreme frugality tips might just be some of the wealthiest people you ever meet. That’s because they build lives that are centered on other people, nature, and hobbies that make them happy, not money. They have
Last year one of my big goals was to double my income. And last month I almost did it! I went from earning about $2,000 per month to finishing the year at $3,850. This year my goal is to earn $5,000 a month or $60,000 per year. I’ve got to admit – last year my goal felt a little far-fetched. I was really struggling in
