Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
How would you like to spend whatever amount of money you desire?
Therein lies the beauty of the percentage based budget. With this type of budget, no amount of spending is too much. No longer do you have to restrict yourself to a certain neighborhood because it’s cheap. No longer do you have to deal with a junk car. Everything you want – you can have.
I’m not blowing smoke.
Most budgets have limitations. For instance, let’s say you have $400 in a monthly clothing allowance. It’s $400 each month no matter what. Regardless of what you earn.
The percentage based budget functions much differently. Instead of limiting yourself to hard numbers, you simply spend a percentage of your income.
Let’s say after researching, you find out it’s wise to spend 5% of your monthly budget on entertainment. If you earn $5,000 per month, that’s $250 per month spent on entertainment. Do you think that’s not enough? Here is your solution… finds ways to earn more money. This way, your entertainment expenses don’t get out of hand but you still have the ability to spend a lot. For instance, you know that your number is 5% so you need to earn however many more dollars each month in order to meet your goal. [ continue reading… ]
During my senior year in college I learned to dread the common question “So, what’s next?” Even though I graduated at a more robust economic time (2001), I still found it fairly difficult to land an entry-level position that would make the most of my degree. This year’s graduating seniors may have wondered if there was any way they could avoid unemployment after graduation, adding stress to an already difficult transition. Here is what the graduating class can expect after they hang up their cap and gown: [ continue reading… ]
My husband and I have lived in Seattle for over a year, but still haven’t seen many of the popular tourist destinations, like the Space Needle, the EMP Museum and the Pacific Science Center. This weekend, we’re finally taking the time to take in five major venues, all while saving more than $60 per person on tickets. How are we doing it? CityPASS.
Major cities are popular vacation destinations with many families, since there is always so much to see and do – museums, zoos, aquariums, unique architecture, historical monuments, and, of course: nearby amusement parks. In the effort to take it all in, you’re likely to spend well over $100 just in tickets, maybe even per person. This is where CityPASS — a service that “packages” 5 to 6 of the most popular venues in 12 major cities – can save your family a ton of money on vacation. Here are the current destinations: [ continue reading… ]
Disney is known as “The Happiest Place on Earth”, but for some, it’s also known as the priciest place on the planet. And the prices seem to go up each year either. I wouldn’t be surprised to see $20 burgers one of these days.
There are obviously plenty of ways to lighten the load though. Families have enjoyed Mickey’s home for 60 years now, and many have developed ways to enjoy their time while holding on to their cash. Here’s a few ideas to consider when heading to Disneyland and California Adventure. (Here are a few more ideas for amusement parks in general.) [ continue reading… ]
Getting control of your budget can be a difficult task. When you review your budget, looking for ways to cut spending and improve your finances, one of the items that often gets overlooked is the fees you pay.
Some of the biggest culprits are bank fees and interest charges. Banks make billions of dollars every year on overdraft fees and other fees. When you overdraw your account, you might be charged anywhere between $25 and $45, depending on your bank’s policy. That starts to add up over time. Not only that but if you end up paying other bank fees, like maintenance fees for your account, the costs continue to rise. A $5 fee here and there doesn’t seem like much, whether you are paying a fee for your checking account maintenance, or whether you are getting money from the ATM, but everything adds up over time. [ continue reading… ]
We hear a lot about location independence today. We like the idea of being able to live where we want — or to be a digital nomad, going where the mood takes us.
But what does location independence really mean? And can you simply pack up and leave because you feel like it?
Location Independence
Much of the time, we think about location independence as being able to work from anywhere. You have a job that doesn’t require you to stay in one place. I have a location independent job by those standards. I’m a writer; I can live anywhere and still make a living. [ continue reading… ]
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