savings

Bucket being filled

How to pay for non-emergencies

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We know what an emergency is. It’s an incident that is both unexpected, urgent, and unavoidable (and unfortunate). When you have an emergency, you use money from your emergency fund. (And if you have debt, here’s how you can still … Read More … Read More

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Falling sand grains

Does savings count as a bill or an expense?

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I talk a lot about making plans for spending money, because you want to spend your money intentionally and not just let it happen. Moreover, the objective is not to spend as little as possible, but just the right amount … Read More … Read More

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When your life changes, change your emergency fund

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  An emergency fund is a vital tool, not just in your financial situation, but also for your sense of emotional grounding. But no kidding. I like to joke that a fully-funded emergency fund is like anti-anxiety medication, but without … Read More … Read More

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Can everything you need to know about personal finance fit on an index card?

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  Two years ago, there was an article about someone who wrote down all of the important personal financial advice onto an index card. The theory being that everything important that you needed to know was simple, and that all the … Read More … Read More

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How to plan for yearly bills

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  Recently, I had a number of large bills come due at the same time. My web hosting service (that contains this site) came due, and I always renew for as long a time as possible (to get the best … Read More … Read More

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Separate your savings

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  I once went to an ATM in a tourist area (Pearl Harbor to be specific). Finding an old receipt in the receipt slot, I removed it, buy being the nosy person that I am, I looked at it before … Read More … Read More

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Why using sinking funds is a revolutionary act

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  A sinking fund, as I talked about before, is a way of saving up for large expenses in advance. It’s a kind of a quaint, old-timey way of doing things, which might be why it appeals to me. A … Read More … Read More

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Rise up with a sinking fund

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  I found out that my car needed some work recently. My mechanic quoted me a figure that initially made me stagger a bit. I don’t know why I was surprised, as anything having to do with a car that’s … Read More … Read More

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Fool yourself into savings

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  I’ve been preparing for my latest adventure recently. And while this involves things like digging out my passport, buying travel guides, and maybe booking some lodging (I always wait until the last minute on this), one of the more … Read More … Read More

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