Life is so Beautiful, Why Waste it Shackled with Debt?

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Sweet Dreams

As I stared into the beautiful face of our newborn, Hannah Rose, at 7:29 a.m. on Tuesday morning, tears of joy streaked down my face. All I could think about — besides how lucky I am to be blessed with such a wonderful family — was just how beautiful life really is. Those who know me know my children are EVERYTHING to me, and I wouldn’t want to waste a single moment of it unable to take advantage of the complete happiness that being a dad brings. Just like with anything else that travels through the depths of my mind, [...] Read more »

Finding the Right Balance in Order to Succeed

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see saw

Earlier this week, I submitted my article to Perkstreet Financial titled 6 Ways to Change Your Financial Math, Without a Calculator. It really digs into the psychological side of money and asserts that if you're struggling to turn things around by using math and book knowledge, you may be missing the bigger picture. I've said it before; just because you know what to do doesn't mean you will necessarily do it. I mentioned 6 things in the article that I think are far more important than math. They were attitude, behavior, contentment, balance, intensity, and diligence. My point was that by working on these 6 characteristics you might be much more likely to succeed financially. Read more »

Understanding Need Versus Want

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Need Versus Want

Understanding Need Versus Want Understanding a need versus a want is the first step that we should all take when trying to get control of our spending habits and monthly budgets, but it’s often a step we skip. There’s a lot of rationalization in our reasons for spending the way we do and far too little self-introspection. It’s easy to differentiate between need versus want. The definitions are clear and if asked we could all, most likely, tell the difference. Where it gets difficult is in those moments where we’re not really thinking about how much we want something, or [...] Read more »

Reach Your Goals by Aligning Your Actions With Those Goals

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Last night I was taking a closer look at my goals and I realized something. My top two goals in 2011 are to lose weight and to save approximately $15,000 for our big emergency fund and a “newer” used car. As I was considering what I could do to make sure I do something every day that contributes to my success, I realized something. I have a blog, Enemy of Fat, just kind of hanging out in the enchanted land of blogger abandonment, all the while I’m writing for another blog I started called Inside C’ville. That blog does nothing [...] Read more »

Why the Frugal Get Fit: How Fitness Can Help You Save Big

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happiness

Photo Credit: thephotagraphymuse This is a guest post written by Pam Greene. Bob was overweight as a child. He continued to gain weight throughout his life until he weighed almost four hundred pounds. When he was in his early 60s, he caught a cold. The cold turned into pneumonia and from there his health took a deathly downward spiral. His kidneys started shutting down. He had congestive heart failure. For a week, he was on death’s door in the intensive care unit in the hospital. Doctors worked feverishly to save his life. Miraculously, they did. Bob never regained his full [...] Read more »

Refund Anticipation Loans Are For Dummies

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taxes

Have you ever paid the outrageous cost associated with getting a Refund Anticipation Loan? Guess what? I have been that dummy! (Get ready! I’m feeling…ummm…in-your-face today.) I’ve been a dummy more times than I’d like to admit, and while we’re all being honest — so have you. I guess the question is this. Are you going to do something dumb *this year* when filing your taxes? If you have done the refund anticipation loans before and do not see a problem with them, let me ask you this? Do you realize that you are giving money away for nothing? I [...] Read more »

Media Deliberately Tries to Affect Our Personal Finances, so Here’s My Set of Defensive Measures

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advertisement hypnotist

Photo Credit: beggs Today we’re getting deeper and deeper into a culture that is influenced by media, but thankfully it’s “selective media.” I don’t mean media that selectively reports things or gives you one side of the story. That’s nothing new at all. What I mean is viewers can be much more selective about what is watched, listened to, and read. With an ever-expanding selection of television programs, radio programs, print publications, and Internet websites, we have more to select from now than ever before. And, changes in the marketplace are reflected as more new choices. Large print media are [...] Read more »

How To Dress Nicely On A Budget

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Mens Fashion

This is a guest post by David Bakke Photo Credit: beckyjohns7 Up until recently, I always had the luxury of having the majority of my clothes purchased for me, either by my mom when I was younger, my wife when I was “grown up,” and by family and friends during the gift-giving holidays. I know, it sounds like I’m really spoiled or something, but in actuality, all of these close people in my life have always enjoyed shopping for clothes for me. Yup, I’m a pretty fortunate guy! However, my wife got a full-time job two years ago that made [...] Read more »