Lifestyle blogger – cruises, organizing, managing money, and parenting.
Residual income can be many things – it can be interest income from a savings account, small royalties or dividend payments from creative work or investments, or even rental fees from income property. In my case, my residual income takes the form of small payments from some minor oil leases that have been passed down […] Read more…
Credit card debt can be a significant drain on your budget. Even if you’ve gotten smart and put the cards away (or cut them up!), you still need to find a way to rid yourselves of those pesky balances. One trap that many debt-ridden consumers get into is just paying the minimum payments. Here’s why […] Read more…
There! I said it – I think college is a huge rip-off. I know it’s supposed to be the American Dream, but I was skeptical of it when I was a kid. If anything, I’ve gotten more skeptical as I’ve gotten older. College tuition has skyrocketed FAR more than it should have. The latest stat […] Read more…
If you want to spend dramatically LESS, try switching from plastic to all cash. It will make you so much more aware of what you are spending and you’ll think about your purchases more carefully since cash is a limited commodity while plastic seems to be unlimited (although it really isn’t when that credit card […] Read more…
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that most people do not know how to make an effective complaint. I’m actually really good at doing that. I actually used to write formal complaint letters for people on Fiverr. So, here’s a situation I experienced recently that ended in a refund of several hundred dollars. As […] Read more…
So, my middle son Matt got married about a month ago. I haven’t posted the pictures from it because it’s taken a while to get the pictures back from the photographer. But it was a lovely day and we were all excited to see them married. Great weather – perfect since it was a rooftop […] Read more…
I am always surprised when I find that most people have not heard about a water alarm. These things are BRILLIANT and have saved our bacon more times than I can count. Water damage can be very expensive. We’ve had water in our basement at least 10 times now from either our washer, our water […] Read more…
These 90 days* same as cash deals can be really good or really bad. Here are some tricks to keep them on the good side of things and save you money. They can be very effective when used correctly. (*I say 90 days, but many of them are like 6 months or a year) This […] Read more…
Sometimes I think the saving habit is one of the hardest habits to develop. But that savings account has saved my butt so many times, I just don’t understand how people function without one. That’s one of the reasons I came up with this stealth savings strategy. I think the trap people fall into is […] Read more…
Next to buying a house, buying a car is one of the most expensive purchases we make. It’s one time in your life when you will be pitted against professionals who are focused on separating you from as much of your money as they possibly can. If you want to learn about saving money on […] Read more…
Most financial experts agree that the best way to teach kids to be a smart shopper is to actually let them TRY it. They need to learn from their own successes and failures. Since one of your biggest recurring expenses is your grocery budget, this is a great place to start. Do you realize our teen is […] Read more…
Fast food seems like such an easy and harmless thing – a burger here, a pizza there, maybe a latte in the morning, but before you know it, it can really sabotage your budget. Take a look at some of the statistics below: Quick Fast Food Statistics Most Americans eat fast food 1-3 times a […] Read more…
I’m a big fan of Dave Ramsey. I bought one of his books on his debt management strategies and it really impressed me. I’ve read lots of similar plans, but this one really got my attention and it seemed like something I could really do, especially the debt snowball plan because at that point, I […] Read more…
Next to your house, probably the biggest expense you will have in your life is paying for a college education for your kids. Therefore, it would only make sense to give it a LOT of thought. However, for most people, the only thought they give to college is HOW they are going to pay for […] Read more…
One technique I like to use for getting my spending under control is to put my credit cards into a “time out”. It’s really helpful because sometimes I get into sort of a “binge spending” mode, and getting the credit cards out of my hands really helps to get me back on track. I’m betting […] Read more…