Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
In early 2012, my garbage company offered me a deal: commit to them for two years, and in return, they wouldn’t raise my rates.
Prices are always increasing, so I thought it would be smart to agree.
I found my latest garbage bill in the mailbox this week, and it was higher than I remembered. In fact, it seemed like my bill had been steadily increasing over the past two years. I decided it was time to take a closer look.
They send the bill every three months, and the current bill was for about $140. When I looked at the bill’s breakdown, one thing caught my eye: my refuse and recycling service only accounted for $76 of the total.
Between myself and my two kids, ages 4 and 5, I rarely spend more than $400 a month on groceries.
I don’t use coupons, I don’t search the sales fliers, and I’m not particularly fond of cooking everything from scratch. Ever since I decided to tackle my grocery budget — and quit eating out — I’ve developed a super simple system for keeping myself in check.
Below, I reveal how I keep my grocery bill low — so you can do the same:
Stock Up on Staples Once a Month
I love Sam’s Club; I always have. But now that I have a little one in school who packs her lunch every single day, I love it even more.
I make a trip to Sam’s Club about once a month to stock up on the things my family uses on a consistent basis: juice, Powerade, kids snacks, and generic household items. [ continue reading… ]
If you want to build wealth over the long haul, investing is a great way to go. It’s important, however, to not become overconfident — as it can quickly undo a lot of the progress you make.
Where Does Overconfidence Come From?
A few months ago, my portfolio was doing quite well, thanks in large part to the fact that the market itself was doing well. When that happens, many of us don’t think in those terms; instead, we’re inclined to attribute good performance to our own genius.
Studies indicate that most of us feel like we are “above average” when it comes to intelligence. This means we think we’re smart enough to pick the right investments.
But as Warren Buffett has pointed out: a rising tide lifts all boats. Too many of us don’t see it that way; we attribute our good performance to an innate ability to be “above average” when it comes to stock picking. A few successes, and all of a sudden we feel like experts. While it’s important to feel confident enough to keep investing (and to hang in there when the market drops), you need to find the balance between feeling comfortable with your investing plan and becoming overconfident in your abilities. [ continue reading… ]
When I landed the first gig of my accounting career, I was beyond excited. I would finally have a decent income; I could breathe again. But after crunching a few numbers, it was obvious that debt would quickly gobble up any of the extra funds I’d planned to use to live a little.
My only options were: 1) spend months complaining while searching for a higher-paying job or 2) take immediate action. I chose the latter because the job market was miserable at the time, and delaying the process would only give the interest more time to accrue.
Since debt management can be extremely difficult and mentally draining, I decided to execute a five-step plan.
As an avid reader, I’m always on the lookout for good deals on books and e-books, whether or not I really need any more. While there are thousands of free book titles on Amazon for Kindle (or on Google Play or Barnes & Noble), they’re not usually the ones you’d find on the bestseller list. A free book is a free book, but sometimes you want to read the same thing as everyone else.
That’s why a new site has me excited. BookBub is a Groupon-like site that offers exclusive week-long deals of either super cheap or free e-books, including best sellers and popular titles in numerous genres. [ continue reading… ]
We’ve known our daughter would need braces for several years. After consulting with an orthodontist, and with the recent loss of her last baby tooth, it’s now time to get serious about getting her teeth straightened out.
With the 2015 health insurance enrollment period coming up soon, we have some options that may be able to make her orthodontic treatment a little easier on the checkbook.
We researched the pros and cons of health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible savings accounts (FSAs), and here’s what we discovered: [ continue reading… ]
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