budget

Do you have to track your spending forever?

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Some people resist the idea that they should track their spending forever. But what else gives so much benefit for a small amount of work? … Read More

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You need a budget, but do you need You Need A Budget?

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I review You Need a Budget (YNAB) after having tried it for the very first time, and offer my thoughts on the service. “What money apps do you recommend I use?” is a question I get a fair amount. It’s … Read More … Read More

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You can’t pay off your debt until you do this first

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If you’re trying to pay off debt without making sure that you’ve done all the necessary work first, you’ll never make any progress. Debt looms large in our financial thoughts. For example, in a list of 50 hashtags in the … Read More … Read More

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The ritual of the end-of-the-month budget freeze

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When your budget has you run low on money at the end of the month, the upside is that it feels all the better when the new month begins. Wow, this last month was tight. I pretty much spent all … Read More … Read More

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Why I want you to live paycheck to paycheck

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“I couldn’t make ends meet. I was living paycheck to paycheck.” “78 percent of U.S. workers live paycheck to paycheck.” “Stop living paycheck to paycheck and sign up for our credit counseling service.” The phrase “paycheck to paycheck” is a … Read More … Read More

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The surprise I got from spending only cash for a month

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  For the past month, I have spent nothing but cash for all my expenses. (Bills were paid automatically.) You can read about why I did this in greater detail, but more than anything, I basically just wanted to see … Read More … Read More

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How to succeed at your first month of budgeting

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  Let’s say you finally decided to make a change and create a budget for your finances. Perhaps you’ve become suitably inspired, or, like the parable of the burning building, the alternative had become that much worse. So what do … Read More … Read More

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How to combine finances when you’re non-monogamous

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  So, if you’ve been following along, I talked about commingling finances for couples, and the importance of talking about dreams to get on board together. Then I hedged a bit and talked about how speaking solely of couples is inadequate, … Read More … Read More

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The importance of a shared financial strategy for couples

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  In my post about how couples can combine their finances, I ended by stating that if there was any wrong answer on the many ways that such commingling was possible, it was to not talk about your strategy. If … Read More … Read More

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How couples can combine their finances

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  So, you found that special someone, and decided to take the leap, either toward cohabitation, or civil union, or marriage, or anything that merits the phrase “take the leap“. Congrats! I bet one thing you’re not thinking about in all … Read More … Read More

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