Do Our Parents Money Decisions Define Us?

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From a young age I was given the ability to choose how I would spend my money. I was raised in a “typical” family unit with two hard working parents and a younger sibling. We weren’t rich, we weren’t poor we were considered middle class, I suppose. My dad worked long hours as a small business owner (he was a mechanic) and my mom worked part-time so she could take care of us. The family business was passed onto him by my grandfather who came to the states with nothing except the clothes on his back. Read more »

Top 10 Dumbest AND Smartest Things You Can Do With Your Tax Refund

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Photo Credit: JD Hancock Top 10 Dumbest Things You Can Do With Your Tax Refund Pay for a refund anticipation loan – Pay hundreds of dollars to get your refund faster? Hmmm. You may as well pay the Government to cash out your retirement fund while you’re at it? Buy lottery tickets – Instead just give it to me. I’ll give you 30% back, while making you believe there is a chance you could win big. Waste it on a new car – New cars lose value as soon as you drive them off the lot…duh! NOT use it to […] Read more »

No Restaurants in November Challenge

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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 »

O Emergency Fund, Emergency Fund! Where For Art Thou Emergency Fund?

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Have you ever had a true emergency fund before? They say, once you go emergency fund you never go back. Having my beloved emergency fund in my life has been amazing, and I became a better person for meeting her. Ever since the first day I laid eyes on my one true emergency fund, I new I was a changed man. The way she comforted me and made me feel all safe and fuzzy inside. I got butterflies whenever I would think of her. I just knew she was the one! Can you tell I’m struggling? My emergency fund was […] Read more »

Weekend Review: Save-A-Lot Edition

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Hey everyone! I hope you are having a great weekend so far. Below you will find out how Julie’s shopping experience at Save-A-Lot went. It sounds like she did save a lot! Also I have put together some links from other bloggers that I have enjoyed this past week. Please enjoy and have a great rest of the weekend! From Julie: (The winner of the $15 Save-A-Lot gift card and EOD T-Shirt) Just wanted to give you an update of my Save a Lot experience. Could not have come in at a better time. Out of the blue – last […] Read more »

HELP! I Had To Use My Emergency Fund!

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Even The Best Plan Has Snags Having a baby emergency fund is an essential part of starting a healthy financial plan.  It gives you some wiggle room in order to handle what life throws at you (mainly the little things), while paying off your debt with gazelle intensity.  If you have no debt, then you should have 3/6 months of savings in your fully funded emergency fund.  Life happens at the most inconvenient time, but if you have an emergency fund, it’s not so stressful.  Needless to say, when that time comes you will need to know what to do […] Read more »

The Benefits Of Saving

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I had to give this speech to my class tonight, and thought I would post it.  It’s the very first outline I have ever organized! Usually I just write it as I feel it, when I feel it, and then organize it later.  I did get an A+ for my presentation so I am excited. I read a little bit more than I wanted to but overall I did great! My next speech will be a ceremonial speech, and I think I am going to do that speech as if I have just become debt free.  That will certainly be […] Read more »

Aaaand…It’s GONE! (Video Post)

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I came across this video and thought you might like a good laugh! I know that for the people that actually were saving and investing their money, this must have been how they felt.  It made me start to wonder if their were some of you that stopped saving and investing when the market tanked…did you?  Why or why not? What’s the consensus? “Market timing is a not a good idea. Investing with a steady hand and for the long-term is a good idea.  However, standing out of the way of a train wreck is not market timing.” – The […] Read more »

12 Steps To Debt Freedom

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I am addicted to becoming and staying debt free! Are you addicted to becoming and staying debt free? If so, these are the principles and ideas that you would follow to achieve such a thing.   You have probably heard about the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and how they really help these folks cope from day to day.  I just created 12 principles very loosely based on those of AA, with a debt free spin. I really just got the idea of where and how to list them, and then I just started thinking of all the things one […] Read more »

Are You A Super Saver?

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Are You Looking For Ways To Save Some Money? We are!  Here recently we took a trip to a neighboring city just for that reason.  We jumped on the interstate, and headed about 30 miles west, to visit a store that has deeply discounted food.  My wife loves going here but I have been a little hesitant because of the fact that some of the food is past the expiration date.  I have always been a little finicky when it comes to this sort of thing, and that does include leftovers in the fridge past a few days old.  You […] Read more »

Got Credit Cards? Here’s Another Reason To Say Goodbye!

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  There are some that are so adamant about the fact that credit card companies are NOT bad, and do NOT take advantage of consumers.  I disagree, and I think that an article I came across from dailyfinance.com proves otherwise.  For the minority that have the discipline to not carry a balance, you will be okay, but for the rest of you who use credit cards to subsidize your income, you might want to consider cutting the cord! The article states that, “credit card companies are insisting upon exercising their right to abuse their customers in the name of higher […] Read more »

Motivation 101 – YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

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Are You Motivated? Chances are, you often feel overwhelmed with your financial situation, and like most, you want to do something about it.  There are many things that keep us from doing what we know we should do.  Time constraints, lack of energy, procrastination, depression, and even addictions to name a few.  One that people rarely consider is negativity from the people around them.  People will rain on your parade in a second once you start talking about quitting something they too are doing.  Whether it be shopping, smoking, going on a diet, exercising, or changing your financial habits, people […] Read more »

7 Tips To Make Your Budget Work

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1. Maintain An Emergency Fund Of $1,000 This is very important!  If you do not have an adequate emergency fund when life happens to you, you will feel defeated.  It has a very negative impact on your desire to budget when you have to reorganize EVERYTHING to pay for emergencies.  If you have an emergency fund all you have to do is cover the emergency without reorganizing the entire budget. 2. Remember That You & Your Spouse Are On The Same Team The friction caused by disagreement will often cause the budget to be a flop before it ever has […] Read more »

Monkey See, Monkey Don’t!

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MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DON’T   I have said before that Washington is in desperate need of a Total Money Makeover.  If you have been keeping up with current events in Washington then you probably are aware of the current spending proposal to “stimulate” the economy.  If not, then you should be, because your tax dollars are being wasted on a daily basis.  (Nothing new right?)  In fact, your grandchildren are going to be footing the bill.  It’s no wonder that most of America has a hard time managing their money, when they watch “supposedly” intelligent minds in Washington giving them […] Read more »