Bought that coffee after promising yourself you wouldn’t? Grabbed one too many meals out this month? Got a surprise bill in the mail? It happens to all of us. A budget is easy to make, but it’s a lot harder to stick to. A blown budget can be a painful lesson in personal finance. But don’t give up. Whether you’ve made a big mistake or you’ve just had a bit
Running your own business takes careful planning and management to be successful. But even the most well planned operations can take their toll and result in unwanted financial stress. Develop Good Accounting Habits Much of that financial stress to running a business can be avoided, and with strong habits such as knowing the exact financial condition every day allows you to effectively manage things, and avoid surprises. Staying aware of
Babies are expensive. The hospital bills. The diapers. The childcare. It all adds up to a lot of money, and for many families, the cost is preventative. They choose not to have a baby until they feel they can afford to do so. The trick is, while your finances might improve with age, your ability to actually have a baby decreases. So you have to find the sweet spot between
So you’ve finally gotten that big raise you’ve been hoping for. Congratulations! But don’t start spending to make your champagne wishes and caviar dreams come true just yet, at least not without reading this first! Here are five things you can do with all that new money you have now that you’ve gotten a raise. 1. Don’t Go Crazy — But Don’t Deny Yourself Either Everyone’s first inclination upon getting
If you want to improve the state of your personal finance, you will need to make deliberate budgeting moves. Paying for things and hoping for the best is not the way to get out of debt, improve your bad credit, or save money for future financial goals. Instead of just winging it, you need a real plan. A budgeting plan that takes into account all of the details of your
Everyone struggles at times with personal finance. It’s inevitable that, despite your best intentions, something goes wrong with your personal finances. The hope is that when you make a money mistake, it is something that is easily correctable. Sometimes a mistake is just that – a mistake. You missed a payment deadline. You forgot to sign a check before mailing it. But other times money management mistakes can set you
Nobody likes to feel limited. That’s why it is so hard for us to follow rules we set for ourselves. After all, if it is your rule, it can’t really hurt to break it, right? Wrong. If you think of a budget as a set of rules, it’s likely you’ll resent the limits you’ve set. But you made that budget for a reason, and breaking your budget can definitely harm
If you’re trying to save money with frugal living, you already know that the grocery story is both a blessing and a curse. You can save a lot of money by preparing your own meals, but only if you avoid the expensive items and plan wisely. It’s easy to save money in the grocery story, but it’s also easy to blow your budget buying groceries. Even though the price of
Maybe you’re thinking of selling your home. Or maybe you just want to spruce things up so that you can continue enjoying it for years to come. It’s time to renovate, and you have the itch to make your home more beautiful and comfortable for you and your family. If you’re thinking about making significant home improvements, why not get the most bang for your buck? It is also recommended
If saving money was easy, we would all have money in the bank, flush retirement accounts and no financial worries. But managing your finances in the real world can be a challenge – especially when you feel like you’re starting the process with a mountain of debt and set monthly payments. But that’s no reason to give up hope. You have flexibility with how you approach budgeting and saving. Some
