Should I Save and Invest or Pay Off Debt?

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Ever since the recession a few years ago, many Americans have become adept savers. Like the Depression of the 1920s, the feeling of financial insecurity left consumers with an almost irreversible fear of experiencing that kind of stress and instability again. However, along with the need to save and invest came the need to pay down debt, as Americans had a record amount of personal debt. These opposing forces led to a dilemma – should you save or pay off debt? Or for some who didn’t want to earn a meager 0.05% from their savings account, should I invest or […] Read more »

Debt and Cleaning

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 Today’s post is from my friend Prudence, who hails from Prudence Debt Free.  I had the honor of having her guest post once before, and I’m very excited to have her back.  So please, give her a warm EOD Nation welcome! Should we hire house-cleaners again? A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with two colleagues about how we used to hire house-cleaners. “Do you hire cleaners?” I asked Cam. “Of course we do!” he answered. As a working couple with two small children, he and his wife found it made life manageable to have the services of a […] Read more »

Why You Should Walk Away From Free Offers

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Today’s post is from Douglas Goldstein, the host of the Goldstein on Gelt Show, as well as the author of  Rich as a King.  Please give a warm EOD nation welcome to Douglas! When you go shopping and you see a sign saying, “1+1 Buy one and get one free!” what do you do? Many consumers don’t stop to ask themselves if they need or want this product. The satisfaction that they gain from getting “the other one free” compels them to take up this seemingly generous offer even if they don’t need both of the items in question. But […] Read more »

The Big Wins You Should Go After

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The following is a guest post from Martin of Studenomics, where he’s totally focused on creating financial freedom by 30! I’ve been writing about personal finance for five years now. I’ve explored every topic from big wins to frugality to real estate. There are times where I discuss more advanced topics. Then sometimes I run into a friend and they want to hear about getting started. I know that most of you are past the stage of getting started so we won’t discuss the basics. Instead we will refresh on the big wins. The one thing that we’re all delusional […] Read more »

What Options Do You Have When You’re Buried In Debt?

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Editors Note:  Today’s post is a guest post from Bob Miller, one of my friends over at CareOne Services, Inc.  Hope you enjoy his expert advice and perspective on debt! Do you find yourself buried in debt? Does it feel like all of your income is going toward paying off credit cards? Does it seem like there’s no way you can dig yourself out of this financial pit of despair? Are you tired of the constant collection calls? Do you just want it all to STOP? You’re not alone. Millions of people struggle to manage their debt. In fact, a […] Read more »

When Frugal Travel Hacks backfire

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Today’s post is a guest post by NZ Muse, a writer from Auckland who’s just completed a six-month trip around the world. She blogs about money, travel, food, and generally bumbling through Gen Y adulthood. Think you can’t afford to travel? Saving dosh while traveling isn’t much different than saving dosh in your day-to-day life. It’s all about weighing your priorities and cutting back in some areas so you can spend more freely on what matters to you. You can fly from point A to B – or you could catch a bus, or even hitchhike. You can eat in […] Read more »

I Don’t Want To Pay Off My Debt Anymore!

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Today’s post is courtesy of John Schmoll, who is the founder of Frugal Rules, a blog created to help people experience financial freedom through frugality. John is passionate about budgeting, saving and investing and enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with others so they can avoid making some of the mistakes that he made. A veteran of the financial services industry, John has an MBA in Finance and experience as a licensed stockbroker. Now that I’ve got your attention, let me tell you that I’m not thinking of giving up on paying off my debt. 🙂 Instead, I’m expressing the […] Read more »

Debt Free For the Holidays

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Today’s post is a guest post from Jefferson, who writes for the family finance site, See Debt Run. The site began as a place to chronicle a family’s journey out of debt, but has evolved into a place to discuss a whole spectrum of topics around family finance. They discuss everything from saving money on groceries, to how to teach your kids about money, to even how to find out if your co-workers are making more money than you. Last year at this time, my wife and I didn’t get each other anything for Christmas. We didn’t have to. We were […] Read more »

Reining In The Baby Expenses

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[Guest author today, Jason Steele] Having a baby creates the ultimate budget paradox. On one hand, it’s every good parent’s instinct to spare no expense when it comes to their children’s health and safety. At the same time, “sparing no expense” can be a non-stop ticket to unlimited debt. So how can parents resolve this paradox? It starts with a conversation about how to express our love and caring in ways other than spending. The wealthiest, most free spending parents do not love their children any more than their more frugal neighbors. And once a child’s need are met, additional […] Read more »

Using Ebay to Kill Debt

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magic cards

[The following is a guest post from Crystal at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, where she covers spending, saving, and working in the fun stuff along the way.] My husband and I didn’t have much debt during or right after college, but we didn’t have much money either.  That meant that the one car payment we did have was extra annoying.  We had day jobs but we wanted to earn a little more to help pay down the car loan even faster.  That’s when we looked around and my husband realized that he had about 10,000 Magic: The Gathering cards […] Read more »

Why You Should Get into the Savings Habit from a Young Age

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piggy bank

(Guest Post by Julian) When you’re a young person (and let’s define that as roughly between the ages of 16-24 for the purpose of this post) it’s common to have the idea of saving and, even more so, the intention of saving, firmly lodged at the back of your mind. It might be that you’re at an age where no one even talks about personal finance so you haven’t even considered saving any money, or, more likely, it might be that you think saving just isn’t necessary, nor sensible, as a 16, 21, or 24 year old. After all, you […] Read more »

The Power of One Small Step

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A wise man once made me a shirt that says, “Debt Sucks!” And you know what, it sure does. It sucks the energy out of your body. It sucks the fun out of your life. And it sucks the money right out of your budget. Finding the courage and will power to make a change with your finances usually comes at a moment of frustration and depression. My own moment came when I was at, what felt like, the lowest point in my life. I was unemployed, living with my mother, 2 years post divorce, broke, in debt and without […] Read more »

Credit Card Emergency Funds – An Alarming Trend in Society

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The following is a guest post by Jacob from My Personal Finance Journey, a personal finance blog offering actionable personal finance advice with the goal of achieving long-term success. In particular, Jacob focuses on long term investing and asset allocation strategy analysis, deciding how to prioritize new funds as they come in to various spending requirement areas, and how to develop a lifestyle of frugality. Several months ago through the magic of LinkedIn, Brad and I were able to find out that we actually lived in the same city in Virginia. This was quite an awesome find, being as that the personal […] Read more »

5 Steps to Recover from Christmas Debt

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Guest post by The Happy Rock.  The Happy Rock writes about personal finance at TheHappyRock.com and dug himself out of over $70,000 a few years back.  The Happy Rock also created a debt snowball calculator to aid people in getting out of debt faster. As the hustle and joy of the holidays are fading and the realities of a New Year are setting in, leftover holiday debt can ruin the excitement of the New Year.   If you find yourself stuck in this situation, here are five tips that will help you dig out and loosen debt’s shackles. Come to Terms […] Read more »