You Don’t Make Enough Money To Manage It? I hear this excuse all the time. Yes, I said excuse, or you could call it a justification for not wanting to face managing your money. Either way you look at it, it is still a myth. Yes, it is true that you could do more faster if you made more money, but to say you can’t, simply because you think it is impossible to do so much with so little, is selling yourself short. I would argue that it is even MORE important for you to be on a Total Money […] Read more »
A Sacrifice Is Not A Loss But A Gain
Returning Thoughts I am in my car a significant amount of time. I have tons of time to think about so many things. One of the questions I find myself asking is “What in the world do people say when they see my car?”. My first response is usually laughter because I imagine what people might say who would never be caught dead in such a car. To make it even more amusing I have a sticker on my bumper that says, “Act Your Wage”, beside another “Anti-Debt” sticker. To me this makes TOTAL sense, but the average person might […] Read more »
Dave Ramsey for President 2008
President Ramsey? No, Dave Ramsey isn’t running for President, but if he was, I would probably vote for him. He has expressed his opinion and has made it clear he does not want the job. Personally, I do not blame him, but boy would it be nice to have a Government with a ZERO-BASED BUDGET? It would be nice to have someone who knows how to cut expenses and knows the difference between a want and a need. Someone who knows all to well how it feels to hit rock bottom, and someone who knows how to bounce back by […] Read more »
Are You Waiting For Washington To Save The Day?
As it stands now this is not a political blog, and I want to keep it that way. However, with the upcoming election, coupled with recent events (bailout, mortgage crisis) and the state of our economy, I feel it is important to address this issue. It seems that so many people are putting all of their faith into electing a President that they feel will fly down from the sky with his Presidential cape and leotards to save the day. Why is that? Do people really believe that Washington is going to come to the rescue? Do you really […] Read more »
Murphy’s Fall
Murphy’s Fall? I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to something that you have or will possibly go through. I have coined the term “Murphy’s Fall”. Murphy’s Fall isn’t the fall of Murphy. Instead it is something you yourself go through because of Murphy. That’s right. It’s what can happen when Murphy has moved in and just doesn’t want to leave. It could be equivalent to what marathoners call “The Wall”, which is when a marathoner reaches the 20 mile mark and starts to rationalize giving up. It’s when you start to tell yourself that you have […] Read more »
How Can We Love Our Children More?
That’s How! Our Children Really Are The Future If you have children I can not think of anything as important as teaching them how to manage money at a very early age. Think about it for a second. If you would have learned about money at a young age you could have avoided so many of the financial pitfalls that most of us deal with. I know I would have loved to learn this stuff early on. It would have kept me from paying extensive amounts of “Stupid Tax”, as Dave Ramsey calls it. Stupid Tax is money that we […] Read more »
If My Words Were A Hand, They’d Be Slapping Some Sense Into You!
STOP BORROWING MONEY!!! Just to clear things up, the title isn’t to be taken literally. It’s just my way of grabbing your attention and telling you that if you are in debt, you need to hear this!! So LISTEN UP! This is perhaps the most important thing to learn after getting yourself on a budget. Dumping your debt will help you gain traction and in return offer you a hope you have never imagined. The reason is because all of the things most people have their money spent on before they ever get paid, steals their hope. When you accept […] Read more »
Buying vs. Renting – What Should You Do?
I think a majority of people would say it is better to buy simply because of the “I own it”, way of thinking. I used to believe the same thing. I think people do not take into consideration all of the things that should change that “normal” way of thinking. Dave Ramsey believes that if you are in debt, have no savings and no plan you SHOULD NOT buy, and I am right there beside him in agreement. You need to consider insurance costs, property taxes, as well as being responsible for ALL repairs. All of which does not enter […] Read more »
My Payments Ate My Savings!
America has no use for Piggy Banks anymore! America is in the RED! With a negative savings rate, America is in DESPERATE need of a Total Money Makeover. What will it take? When will people finally understand why saving money is too important to ignore? America needs new priorities, like yesterday! As one of the very many bloggers who blog about money and personal finance, it is my duty to help spread the word. How much do YOU have saved up? What in the world is keeping us from doing what we know we should? Is your savings account overflowing […] Read more »
A Gentle Scream!
How can a scream be gentle? Debt CONsolidation is a CON. It’s what normal people do and normal people are broke. normal people do it because they are conned into believing that it will solve all their problems. If saving interest on a few STUPID debts and giving it to the broke guy conning you, is your idea of fixing your problems, then consider being weird for a moment. Why pay someone to cut you? Paying someone to “work out your life” is not what you need. All you are doing is moving your debt, that’s it. There’s not […] Read more »
That’s Right Diane Sawyer, You Should Pay Your Credit Cards LAST!
I watched a video where Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard were being interviewed by Diane Sawyer. In the interview, Diane Sawyer looked bewildered that they would suggest to pay the credit cards last. Then I saw another video that pretty much illustrated why Americans are on the wrong track financially. In this interview, Mellody Hobson is telling us how to survive an economic crisis. Some of her advice may be OK, but her answer on how to prioritize your bills lead me to believe that she is a lunatic!! She says you should pay your credit cards first so you […] Read more »
What If You Were Recession Proof?
Are we experiencing a recession? That seems to be the question of the year. If you watch the news, you are probably convinced that you should just give up. Don’t start digging that bunker just yet. The truth is that the U.S. is merely growing at a slower rate. From January to March the economy grew at the same rate of 0.6 percent, as the last quarter of 2007. Slow, but still growing. A recession is defined as a period of economic decline; specifically, a decline in GDP, for two or more consecutive quarters. Maybe we should wait until we […] Read more »
Ideas On How To Give Yourself A Raise
Have you done a budget only to find out there isn’t much disposable income left? Even worse, are you in the negative? Here are some ideas that we have tried, have heard others recommend, or that we intend on trying in the future. If you are willing to try some new ways to trim the budget, and earn extra money, you have come to the right place. I hope you can try one, some, or even all of these ideas to help GIVE YOURSELF A RAISE! Good Luck! Read, read, read! The more you read the more you know. The […] Read more »
Are Your Priorities Backwards?
I keep seeing this commercial on T.V. and everytime it drives me just as crazy as the time before! The line that drives me absolutely mad is this one: “Far too many Americans health care and financial security are at risk.” It goes on to say that, “Health Care costs are driving American families into bankruptcy.” AHHHHHHH! That is exactly what is wrong with this country today!! What is driving American families into bankruptcy is American families! It is US that is responsible for these stupid decisions that we make, not health care costs! Sure health care costs may […] Read more »