Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
Not too long ago, CNN Money reported on an international assessment of teenagers and financial literacy. The test, which was administered to 15-year-old students in 18 countries, ranked the United States in the middle. The top results went to Chinese students, with students in Belgium, Estonia, New Zealand, and Australia also scoring quite well. In the United States, close to 20 percent of students didn’t even reach what is called “baseline efficiency.”
This brings up interesting questions surrounding financial literacy. Recent contentions that most adults fail basic financial literacy quizzes indicate that what students aren’t learning in school is catching up with them as adults.
Financially prepping for summer vacation includes budgeting for hotels, flights, gas, and activities. Of course, it also includes an allowance for fun spending on souvenirs and memorabilia.
What you might be forgetting is a vital, undetermined expense of your vacation: food.
Food expenses are one of the most over-looked and under-budgeted aspects of vacation planning. It’s easy to take meals for granted, because at home, you’ve already budgeted for groceries and the occasional take out.
But when you’re away from home, you’re dependent on prepared foods at grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and hotels. You might have already accounted for eating out at a few special places during your trip, but what about the rest of your meals? You’ll be spending more than you would at home, so it’s an important expense to prepare for — instead of just “winging it.” [ continue reading… ]
I love getting things for free, so I was excited when my wife said she’d won free movie tickets through a Facebook promotion by a local television station. The tickets were for a pre-release viewing of a comedy that wasn’t due to hit theaters for several weeks. Free tickets to an unreleased movie? Count me in!
During a recent money discussion, a couple of my online friends pointed out that their rent is half of my monthly income.
Since I live in rural Ohio (and wouldn’t have it any other way), I always get sticker shock when I hear how much money other people have to pay for housing.
In my hometown, rent averages $550 a month and mortgage payments aren’t much higher. One thousand dollars a month for rent would get you a mini mansion.
Sadly, having to pay a thousand dollars or more in rent puts many people in a real money crunch, which then prevents them from taking charge of their personal finances.
If you’re in a situation where your housing costs are more than you can handle, here are five ways to bring them back down: [ continue reading… ]
When my husband and I were looking for homes seven years ago, the real estate agent told us over and over again that we were making an “investment.” Even at the time, I was skeptical of these claims. I couldn’t see how, when we’d be paying $500 more per month (over rent), plus taxes, maintenance, and repairs, we would come out ahead — even with tax deductions. I didn’t think appreciation would help that much.
But you don’t buy a home just for the investment value. There are a lot of other non-financial factors that go into the decision, from security to the charm of having a place you can call your own.
Of course, now that I know I might have to pay as much as $10,000 to sell our house, I really don’t think of it as an investment. We bought near the peak of the market, which was probably sensible considering that it would’ve been practically impossible to get a bank to take my freelance income (our primary source of income) seriously in the two years following the financial crisis.
The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are officially here, making it the perfect time to lounge by the pool, take a little vacation… and do a little tax preparation.
While we think of tax season as being in the spring, planning for the big April 15th deadline is something you can (and should) be doing year round. Now is the perfect time to take care of some tax chores that will make filing so much simpler next year. (Your future self will thank you!) [ continue reading… ]
Free signup to get a free ebook on How to Save Money on Everything! Constantly expanding, it will be the biggest money saving ebook available, and it's FREE! →
(I hate spam and promise that your information will never be shared.)
