Most people are looking for ways to save money this year to make forward progress on important financial goals such a s paying off debt or saving for emergencies . If you’re like a lot of people, you’ve already cut back in spending areas, such as entertainment, that tend to push you over your monthly spending goals.
As a spending oriented society we’ve grown quite used to having things done for us (myself included). There are many things your mom, dad, grandma or grandpa used to do... Read Full Story
The following is a guest post from L.J. Priest, who blogs at TheBlackBearDiaries.blogspot.com .
My grandfather used to say to me “ If you take care of your pennies, your dollars will take care of themselves. ” And “ it’s not what you make, it’s what you save. ”
He and my grandmother were frugal, I mean frugal. I can remember when I was younger being appalled at their simplicity. My grandparents lived as though they had nothing, absolutely nothing. But here is the catch – they had more... Read Full Story
This review was written by CPF reader Christine Veloria.
I read What Everyone Should Know About Money Before They Enter THE REAL WORLD by Joseph Sangl. I wanted to read this book to see what types of information would be shared with someone that is not familiar with money before becoming independent. In my life I know some of the mistakes I have made regarding money and I realize if I had been taught about money and debt early on then maybe I would not have made some of the choices I have... Read Full Story
Sorry, there really is no secret to staying out of debt. What I’m about to tell you is, in fact, neither fancy nor glamorous. The secret to staying out of debt is discipline. You must control your spending .
How Do You Stay Out Of Debt?
Step #1: Identify Why You Went Into Debt
If you are in debt or have been in debt, your first task is to identify the reasons why you went into debt . You cannot ever fight against an enemy that is unknown. The reason is you are always spending too... Read Full Story
You’ve probably heard at one point or another how important it is to have confidence in yourself, or in your abilities. Yet we are all faced with times in our life when we are less than confident. In fact, we can sometimes be quite critical of ourselves (at least I can) which increases the pressure of the situation, can make us more nervous and potentially sets us up to fail.
I’m reading a book right now called Performance Intelligence at Work: The 5 Essentials to Achieving The Mind of a... Read Full Story
It’s getting to that point in the winter where I am starting to get excited about Spring. I love the winter, actually I love all the seasons, but I am ready to be able to play outside a bit more. Normally I don’t get to this point until mid-February, so it is hitting me a bit early this year.
I’ve been trying to get outside by doing a little work in the garage, going on walks, etc… But it just isn’t the same when its 35 degrees!
For all the warm-weather lovers out there, enjoy this... Read Full Story
A few years back, I used to work in a small bank and I remember a customer who owned a lawn-care company who seemed to be in there everyday. He was bad with a checkbook at best. He bounced checks left and right and I still remember my boss bragging about how much money he had made off that guy. Over a thousand dollars in a year – all in overdraft fees. Something just didn’t seem right. Clearly the customer needed to get a little bit more organized with his finances, but it seemed like the... Read Full Story
Yearly Monthly Budgeting Excel Template
Yearly Monthly Budgeting Excel Template lets you manage your income and expenses by month and year.
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I’ve had readers ask me about some of my favorite financial planning software options, so I decided to write a little bit about a few of them out there. I have used some of this software much more than others, and I am glad to share my thoughts about them, but since there are so many aspects to consider I suggest digging deeper into them before making a purchase.
There is a unique challenge that all these personal finance software companies face: satisfying the diverse needs of such a wide... Read Full Story
Budgeting Tips for the Commission Only or Self-Employed
Working for yourself can be one of the most rewarding things you could ever do, but it can also be the scariest. It is exciting to wake up and know that you are writing your own W-2 for the year. No boss to answer to (unless you are married). Life is great. If things go as planned, you start to see money coming in the door. Then you quickly discover something very important: Managing your money is even more critical.
In the good... Read Full Story
