Living for today - Planning for Tomorrow
Most people think that saving money requires sacrifice and self-denial. However, when I became frugal, I felt like my life got more abundant, not less. And I’ve heard many frugal people express the same sentiment. How can your life feel more full and abundant when you’re spending less money than ever? The answer is gratitude! Adopting a frugal mindset causes you to be more intentional
It’s that time of the year again — tax season! Since I’m a freelance writer and take deductions for business expenses, my taxes tend to be more complicated than average. I’ve made the mistake of waiting until the last minute to file, which as you can imagine was super stressful! I’m determined not to repeat that experience, so I sorted everything out last week and
The beginning of a new year is a great time to analyze your finances and set new money goals. About 65% of Americans are planning on making a financial New Year’s resolution for 2023. Setting resolutions is relatively easy, but seeing them through to completion can be extremely difficult. Statistically, only about 9% of people keep their New Year’s resolutions. How can you ensure you
Purchasing a car is a significant financial investment. The decision becomes even more complicated if you are operating on a budget. Finding an affordable car may seem difficult, but it is not impossible. Luckily, there are a lot of helpful tips you can use to purchase a car while shopping on a budget. 1. Compare Multiple Quotes One of the easiest ways to purchase a
Believe it or not, my favorite personal finance book isn’t loaded with money-saving tips. It isn’t even a personal finance book at all. It’s called Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke, and it’s about neuroscience (dopamine specifically) and how to find balance in our age of instant gratification. Reading it fundamentally changed my relationship with money and helped me stop overspending, so I wanted to
If you have children, you’ll need to get them dental care at some point in their childhood. Up to half of all children require orthodontic care. Braces aren’t cheap, so it’s important to find the best ways to save up for your child’s dental care and find the best financing options available. Below are some of the many tips you can use to finance braces
It’s probably no surprise that summer is the most expensive time of the year. The cost of road trips, outdoor concerts, and summer camp for the kids adds up. A study by MassMutual showed that half of Americans spend more money during the summer than other seasons. Women were more likely than men to report that they spend more in the summer months, especially due
In May, inflation hit a 40-year high of 8.6%. The cost of essentials like gas and groceries has risen sharply, so we’re all losing purchasing power and feeling the pinch. This high-inflation environment is also eroding the value of our savings. Bank accounts don’t offer enough interest to outpace inflation, so we’re effectively losing money by parking our cash in savings accounts. With economists predicting
My partner and I just got married in March. We decided to keep the event low-key and have a small ceremony in our backyard with close friends and family. Thanks to their generosity, we’ve received a couple thousand dollars in wedding gifts. Since we didn’t expect to receive this much money, we’ve been trying to figure out the best way to utilize it. If you’ve
A few months ago I wrote a blog post about why I don’t do no-spend challenges. To me they seemed like the personal finance equivalent of crash diets. Instead of outright banning unnecessary spending for a month or more, I believed in taking a more moderate approach. I gave myself a small monthly fun money budget so I could still treat myself occasionally without going
