August 2017

Month

Thu
31 ^st

3 Ways to Save Money as a Family (Video)

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This week and next weeks posts will be a little different – in a good way! I have partnered up with a local lifestyle blogger – Starla – in order to bring you a couple videos about money management as a family! Today’s video is about 3 easy ways to save money as a family!

You may enjoy these other videos about saving money:

I hope you enjoyed that video. Stay tuned for next weeks video which will be about 3 money talks to have with your spouse. Subscribe below so that you can be updated when new videos and posts hit the site!

Like those videos? Let me know what other videos you would enjoy. If we get some good feedback, we will team up again for more videos related to money and families throughout the rest of the year.

Sun
27 ^th

5 Tips to Getting a Great Price When Car Shopping

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This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Cars.com.

Are you in the market for a new car? If so, then this post is right on time for you. I purchased my current car almost three years ago. At that time, that was the biggest purchase I had ever made in my life! Let me tell you, I was extremely nervous and anxious. However, I needed a reliable car so I didn’t have a choice. In fact, a few years prior I went to purchase a car and decided not to because I was so nervious. In retrospect, I am so glad I waited. Originally I was compromising on many things that I wanted in a car just to have something newer. In the end, I ended up following the 5 tips below to ensure I received a great price when car shopping.

5 Ways to Earn Money with your Car

Mon
21 ^st

The Ultimate List of 75+ Budget Categories

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A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. One of the biggest issues with most budgets is that they are not realistic because they are missing certain categories. When these budget categories are missing, it is easy to forget about those expenses. In order to make sure your budget doesn’t miss an important category, I created this ultimate list that includes over 75+ budget categories! Yes, you read that right, over 75 budget categories!

Use this as a guide while you create your own budget or update your budget. Of course, no two households are alike and, therefore, no two budgets are alike. In addition, every month is different. For example, during August you may have additional back to school expenses for yourself or someone else in your household. During October you may have additional expenses related to Halloween.

Overall some of the budget categories may not apply to you; however, I hope it jogs your memory to expenses that you have forgotten to include in your budget.

If you have never created a budget before, these posts will give you a jump start:

The Ultimate List of 75+ Budget Categories

Sun
13 ^th

Should You Invest While In Debt?

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I have another special treat for you all today! We have a guest post from Jen Smith answering the question: Should You Invest While in Debt?

The thought of investing while in debt often takes a backseat to all the other decisions we have to make.

It’s hard enough to figure out which debts to pay off, and in what order. Then you have to figure out where you’re going to get the money for them. At the end of the day, most of us want to buy a bottle of wine with our money, not think about retirement.

But time doesn’t stop while you’re in debt. There’s a lot of debate about what you should prioritize when you should do one if you should do the other. It’s easy to get confused, and confused people usually don’t act at all.

Don’t be confused! It’s really not that difficult. I promise. There’s a lot of information, and there are a lot of money management resources, but the bottom line is: You get to do what works for you. The only thing you can’t do is stand still because if time won’t, you can’t either.

Should You Invest While in Debt?

Sat
05 ^th

Budgeting Made Easy for Beginners with the 50/20/30 Rule

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There are so many different budgeting methods to try. There is the cash only method, zero-sum method, and even the 50/20/30 rule. If you are just starting to create a budget, then the 50/20/30 rule is a great place to start. Instead of thinking of all categories which your spending and savings go to, allocate your after-tax income three main categories. Those three main categories are:

essential expenses
financial priorities
lifestyle choices

The 50/20/30 budgeting rule is especially good for recent college grads or those that have never had a budget before for a few reasons. Many recent college grads are determining what they can afford in terms of housing and a vehicle (if necessary). When you aren’t sure of how much rent you can afford, the 50/20/30 budgeting rule will give you a rough estimate.

Now, let’s dive deeper into those three main categories that are used when setting the 50/20/30 rule.

Budgeting with the 50/20/30 Rule