4 Simple Steps to Thrive on Fluctuating Income
One of the most difficult challenges for families with fluctuating incomes is how to pay all their bills during the lean months. Income may fluctuate due to self-employment, earning commissions or...
View Article5 Ways to Beautify Your Outdoor Space for Less
Longer days and warmer weather have us thinking spring. However, when all this snow melts it may take some work bring your landscaping back to life. Spring might still be a ways off, but now is the...
View Article5 Expenses That Are Worth The Money
Trying to cover all your living costs, plus save for emergencies and retirement can be a daunting task. Sometimes, the challenge is downright overwhelming. Being frugal can help, but don’t confuse...
View ArticleAre You Due For a Financial Spring Cleaning? Five Tips for a Fresh Perspective
Most of us tend to get at least a small dose of the blues over the long winter months, and sometimes, your finances can suffer neglect as a result. Symptoms of financial neglect might include: •...
View ArticleBudget Help Tip of the Week: Saving at the Grocery Store
Before our last grocery excursion, my wife and I were discussing at which market we would spend our hard earned dollars. After much debating we decided there had to be a better (and cheaper) way to...
View Article4 Tips for a Successful ‘Staycation’
Summer is upon us and although we would all like to jet off to sandy beaches, waterparks or Disney World it’s not always in the schedule or in the budget…but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a...
View ArticleThe 1-Year No Spending Challenge: Halftime Update
As you may already know, I took on a self-imposed ban on purchasing new items. Even though you only read about it for the first time in July, this endeavor began on February 1 of this year. Since then,...
View ArticleHow to Maximize your Grocery Savings
America is the land of plenty. We have our entire economy based on consumption of goods. These goods, obviously, include groceries. We consume, but we also waste. We waste food like nobody else on the...
View ArticleWhen to Say No: A parent’s guide to giving adult children money
When I work with clients who give money to their adult children, I am always curious why. Since preparing a comprehensive budget is part of the counseling process, the topic often comes up. The adult...
View Article10 Tips To Avoid Financial Chaos This Holiday Season
For many families, the holidays and overspending go hand in hand. If the holidays have created financial chaos in the past for your household, you may be wondering how to survive the holidays this...
View Article6 Myths About Credit Counseling
In the same way I try to avoid using clichés, many people avoid credit counseling like it’s the plague. They’ve heard from their friend whose sister’s uncle’s cousin got counseling and it trashed that...
View Article6 Steps to a Money Smart Start for 2014
The holidays are over now and for many people it’s time to face the reality that is credit card debt. The hard fact is that unless you have a 0% annual percentage rate (APR) or are paying your cards...
View ArticleWhy Am I Not Getting Anywhere Paying Off Debt?
The cold, hard truths about paying off debt In most cases, people need credit cards to improve/build credit. We use them to get a good deal – 0% interest for 12 months to get that new couch. Why not?...
View ArticleHow to plan a summer vacation on a budget
If you’re anything like me, you’re ready for this winter to be over…NOW! We have a couple months to go, but that’s actually a good thing. It will give you time to put away some funds for a summer...
View ArticleWhat Zombies Can Teach You About Debt
I watch The Walking Dead. I’m not a huge TV watcher, generally, but there are a few shows I always stay caught up on and The Walking Dead (TWD) is one of them. When I was watching this past episode, I...
View ArticleManaging your Budget with the Envelope Budget System
Having trouble keeping your budget on track? Using the Envelope Budget System is the perfect solution! The beauty of an Envelope budget system is it only allows you to spend the amount of money you...
View ArticleThe holidays are coming…are you ready?
If you celebrate Christmas, this is your public service announcement that it’s less than 100 days away…93 to be exact. Many of us always swear that we’re “going to start shopping early this year”, but...
View Article5 reasons you might be broke all the time
You have credit card debt. That means you have an extra monthly payment. And if that monthly payment was not in your budget before, it can turn into even more charges, higher monthly payments, and...
View ArticleBudgeting: Let’s get real with percentages
Below is a breakdown of the “average” budget percentages and approximately how much we should allocate income toward each category: Housing 25-35% Utilities 5-10% Transportation 10-15% Healthcare 5-10%...
View ArticleMoney and Emotions: I’m getting verklempt
As a financial counselor people ask me all the time how much they should spend on different expenses. And while there are “averages” and IRS standards, the fact of the matter is there is no right...
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