Get Out of Debt - Tips on Budgeting

More often than not it is the little changes over time that make the biggest difference. Think about it. If you wanted to loose weight I doesn’t just happen over night. You need to make small changes in your daily lifestyle, and then over time those changes will result in overall weight loss. How to manage money is the same. It is the small changes in money habits compounded over time that will make the biggest difference. If I said one change a month for a year could get you out of debt, would you believe me? Lets look at it closer:

Ask yourself, could you save $10 a month each month for a year? It wouldn’t be that hard. All you would need to do is take one expense each month and focus on how you could reduce it by $10. For example: if you gave your cable company a call and removed some of the channels you never use. If you are able to do this for 12 straight months here’s what the reward would be:

Lets say someone has $5, 000 in credit card debt at 18%. Here’s the breakdown: Read the rest of this entry

It’s no secret that having children can be one of the most exciting, daring, enjoyable and frustrating things any adult will ever do. It’s also a pretty well known fact that kids are very, very expensive. With the cost of diapers summer camp, football, dance class, clothes food and college (just to name a few), your standard of living will change. Below are a few tips to help you learn about your kids and how to manage money.

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Have you ever spent way more money than anticipated on a date trying to make a positive first impression or re-kindle an old flame? Here’s three ideas I use when I try to be responsible and manage my money while planning romantic outings without appearing cheap.

Hiking and a Picnic – When we were dating, I thought my wife would be impressed with an expensive meal and a show. Then, along the way I learned to manage my money and tried a cheap dating idea. I Read the rest of this entry

In the previous post, I wrote about the importance of having an emergency fund. Today, we’ll go over a few of the quick tips I give my consulting clients when I teach them personal finance basics regarding starting their emergency fund.

I’ll discuss budgeting, goal setting, and automating your emergency fund.

Budgeting – The first step in starting your emergency fund is to have a well planned out budget that not only gives you an idea of where you are financially, but lets you know how much money you’ll be allocating towards your budget. Budgeting is one of the first lessons in personal finance basics, and when you do a good one, you’ll find areas you can cut back so that you can put it towards your emergency fund or other financial goals. You can search google for budget tools, or look at the resource link to our budget spreadsheet.

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The single greatest way to reduce transportation costs.

We all need to drive. Well, most of us do. I know that in order to get to work I need a vehicle. This does not mean I need a luxury sports car or a big SUV. My ego doesn’t need to be enlarged nor does my bank account need to be reduced. There is a difference between buying a car for travel and buying a car for status. Your finances can be impacted a great deal depending on why you bought your vehicle.

I will save you the time of reading the entire article to find out the single greatest way to reduce your transportation costs, so here it is: Downsize. I know you may be a little disappointed to hear that this is the big tip but I like simple, and simple usually saves you money. Consider the following example:

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Quick Phone / Internet / Cable Saving Tips

Are You Sure This Is The Best Deal? – In general, when I’m spending some time to work through my budget and making sure I’m doing my best to manage my money, I make a little time to go over my phone bill. It includes Internet and cell phones (I’ve completely cut out cable). Do not be afraid to get on the phone with your phone company. Check with your provider for promotions. Ask your provider if they have any new plans that could save you money on long distance, or basic service packages. Don’t be afraid to shop around and let your provider know about any deals their competitor is offering you. Because we made this call, we saved 10% a month just by bundling our three services. That’s $20 a month. Here are three quick tips.

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Don’t Let Your Electric Bill Zap Your Budget

In the previous post on household saving tips I wrote about conserving water. This post will focus on your electric bill. We’ll go over some personal finance basics regarding on of your larger utility bills. Hydro bills are especially high in the summer, with air conditioners raging. If you’re in the north and have baseboard heaters, you’ll find that hydro bills skyrocket in the winter as well. Here’s three tips to help reduce your hydro bill.

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Think of all the elements in your home that us Natural Gas to run. My parents have a gas stove, fireplace, furnace, hot water heater and a clothes dryer. Now they are in need of personal finance help if they want to reduce these costs. When they figure out their budget, they’ll know if they gas bill is in line with what it should be based on their income. I’ve sent them to our resource link to get a comprehensive budget spreadsheet and other financial calculators, but they could also search google. Here are three quick gas saving tips you can implement in your home.

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