Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
Conventional wisdom states that borrowing money for education or a home is “good” debt. Unlike using a credit card or borrowing to buy a car, schooling and your home are things that stand the test of time. No one can take your education away from you. It’s unlikely that a cargo truck will clip your home and “total” it. Theoretically, both education and a home will appreciate in value.
However, we know all too well that we can’t take that value appreciation for granted. Who would have predicted that borrowers on mass could become underwater in their homes during the Great Recession? The students who graduated just as the economy took a nosedive don’t necessarily feel like the money they borrowed for their education is going to see a return on the investment. So does that mean we need to rethink the idea of good debt? [ continue reading… ]
Both of my kids are at a full-day camp this week and the house is soooo empty and quiet! They went out since 8 in the morning and won’t be back until 5 pm today. Thinking back, the kids haven’t been away while we were home for that many hours since my oldest was a full-day preschool. After all, I work at home, and paying for after-school care seems wasteful.
And let me tell you. In at least six years, I haven’t had this much time in my life. I had time to enjoy my lunch without interruptions. I had time to work with full concentration. I even had time to play without guilt. And guess what? The kids still aren’t back yet!
Look. I love my kids, but I love this temporary sanctuary too. So let’s talk about childcare cost savings today. Maybe you are like me and found a love for sending your kids to a professional so you can have more time working professionally. Maybe you are part of a dual-income household and need to work at an office so childcare is mandatory. This article is for you. [ continue reading… ]
It’s a problem everyone would like to have: you inherit a nice chunk of change from your favorite great-aunt, you receive a signing bonus for joining a new company, or you do really well on your NCAA brackets one March, and you find yourself staring down a big decision. What do you do with this newfound wealth?
A windfall can mean different things to different people. For some, an unanticipated $500 can seem like manna from heaven, while to others it would take a check with five zeros on it to mean much of anything.
But the bottom line is that a windfall is money you hadn’t expected or counted on — and you now need to decide where it will best be used. [ continue reading… ]
Emergency funds are necessary. We all need to be prepared for those unplanned rainy days. Therefore, it’s not a question of whether or not we need an emergency fund, but how much of an emergency fund we really need.
When speaking with others about their emergency funds, I’ve encountered funds anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. There’s really no magical number. Everyone’s situation is different and hence, the optimal size of an emergency fund will vary from person to person. Here are some tips to help you decide how much to put into your emergency fund: [ continue reading… ]
It’s hard to believe when I actually think about how long the site’s been around but MoneyNing.com has been dishing out financial advice for almost 14 years now. In a few short weeks, that’s 168 months of savings for those who followed us from the beginning.
You know, try to live below your means, build an emergency fund to weather possible storms, and invest the rest. I know some of the advice seems pretty obvious sometimes. I mean, who doesn’t know that cutting out your cable and joining a service like Netflix is going to save you money by now? But then again, how many of you actually take the time to implement what we preach here on a weekly basis?
I was just talking to my friend about his Netflix account he signed up for about 10 years ago. He was thanking me because I was the one who got him to cut cable and switch to streaming instead back when doing so wasn’t as accepted as it is today. His cable bill was about $120 a month back then. By saving $110 a month and $1,320 a year, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that he’s saved $13,200 already.
I told him there’s no need to thank me because I had pretty much similar savings too. That’s over $25,000 between the pair of us. Wow. Did you follow our advice to cut out cable when we first told you about Netflix? If not, is the sports channel or whatever show you can’t give up worth $13,200 to you?
I thought it would be fun to see just how much the savings were if you followed us and made some other simple changes to your services. So let’s see… [ continue reading… ]
According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the average retirement age in the U.S. was 67.2 in 2020. That’s up from 65 for men and 63 for women in 2016.
What’s interesting is that a recent T. Rowe Price survey found that 43% of millennials expect to retire by 55. This is much higher than Gen Xers at 35% and 17% for baby boomers.
Is it because young Americans don’t fully understand the financial realities of retirement compared to their middle age counterparts? While this theory has some merit, I’d like to look at it from another perspective.
The thought of retiring at the age of 67 doesn’t really appeal to me. But up until not too long ago, I didn’t really think that I had any other option. My opinion changed as I got older though. [ 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.)
