Are You Making Excuses for the Money You Spend?

Written by on November 26, 2011 · 11 Comments
spending too much money on shopping

Yesterday was Black Friday. Did you hit the stores at 4am? Were you one of the million of folks out on Thanksgiving to shop the stores that opened in the evening? Or maybe you are like me, you avoid stores on Black Friday (and the days surrounding it) like the plague! I wasn’t always this way, there was a time when I hit the mall bright and early on Black Friday. I was armed with nothing more than my credit cards and a large cup of coffee. The problem with my “plan” was that I didn’t have a list (and [...] Read more »

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Understanding Need Versus Want

Written by on July 11, 2011 · 12 Comments
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 »

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Race to Freedom Challenge #3 – Maximize Savings

Written by on May 2, 2011 · 15 Comments
saving pennies

Photo Credit: totalAldo Last month you were challenged to stop eating out for the entire month, OR severely cut back to a reasonable level. To recap, my family tried to cut our eating out visits to 4 times with a cap of $120 being the most we could spend for the month. As I reported in the update post a few weeks ago, we went out to eat six times, but since then did add one more time to that for a grand total of $200. To be honest IU’m not regretting that one either because it was right before [...] Read more »

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No Restaurants in November Challenge

Written by on November 1, 2010 · 56 Comments
NoRestaurantsNovember

Is your budget brutally pounded by your inability to stay away from the restaurants? Of all the things my wife and I have changed about our financial habits, dining out seems to be our current addiction of addictions. We did fine while we were jazzed and intense about getting out of debt, but ever since, we have been haunted by this ghost of convenience. Read more »

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The Scariest Halloween Costume EVER!

Written by on October 18, 2010 · 15 Comments
Costly Halloween

Photo Credit: Memory_Freak An Enslaved Debtor complete with bondage. (A person in a suit or dress, with mini cars, school books, shopping bags, bank statements and Starbucks coffee cups glued to it, while sporting the provocative shackle and handcuff accessories.) Seriously though… How special is your Halloween celebration? Do you go ALL OUT, or do you save your greenbacks for some Christmas shopping? According to a survey by National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans are expected to spend 5.8 BILLION dollars this Halloween. That’s not even close to what will be spent on Christmas, but this number surprises me because of [...] Read more »

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Are You Being Frugal Or Just Cheap?

Written by on April 19, 2010 · 13 Comments
tallgrass

Are you SUPER FRUGAL when it comes to everything? Maybe I shouldn’t dirty the word frugal by using it so poorly. Are you SUPER CHEAP when it comes to how you spend every single dime? If so, this post may help you reconsider your cheaper than thou ways. My example may not work for every situation, but it works if you want your nice lawn mower and weed eater to stay in good condition. Just to clarify, frugal to me, means making the best financial decision I can with my money. To get the best bang for my buck. But [...] Read more »

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Children And Money: Are You Helping Your Children Learn The Basics?

Written by on October 14, 2009 · 23 Comments

Teaching Your Kids Early On Is The Best Way To Ensure Financial Responsibility Since approximately February of 2009 we have been adding small amounts of change to Isaac’s piggy bank periodically.  He gets money for doing certain things like cleaning up after himself, helping around the house, etc.  He loves to help and we want him to learn the value of hard work.  If he works he does get paid, and if he doesn’t work then he doesn’t get paid—just like the real world. We have a pretty loose system as Isaac is only 3, but as he gets older [...] Read more »

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