As Christmas rapidly nears, I hear people continuing to talk about last minute shopping. Maybe they just hate shopping, maybe they’re terrible at coming up with gift ideas, or maybe they’re worried about how much it’s going to cost. I wonder how many people actually sat down and thought about how much they would (or could afford to) spend before the holiday season was upon us. It’s probably a little too late to setup a budget for 2018 holiday gifts, but it’s definitely not too late to make sure that you’ll be in a position to give all of the gifts that you’d like to in 2019.
Save
Is Saving Boring? Can It Be Exciting?
4 minute read
It’s that time of year where we’re thinking more about spending than we’re thinking about saving. Black Friday has come and gone, but retailers are still going to provide plenty of “deals” and advertisements to entice you to spend money during the holiday season. People are obsessed with getting a deal, even if it’s not really a deal but we think it is anyways. But, what if we were just as obsessed with saving our money?
4 Ways to Save for Your Child’s College Education
4 minute read
College is expensive, and the costs of attendance generally continue to rise at a significant rate. Many people want to at least help their children through college financially, if not pay for it for them completely. But should you?
Three Ways to Travel Cheaply
4 minute read
My favorite stories that people tell me are about the strategies that they use to travel cheaply and the experiences that they’re able to enjoy by doing so. I love traveling but, as we all know, I don’t love spending money. However, I’m more apt to spend money on a trip than on most material things. Even so, I still don’t want to pay more than I have to. I’ve recently been able to speak with four people who frequently travel cheaply and I wanted to share a little bit about how they do so and what I’ve learned from them.
You Can’t Take It With You
4 minute read
“You can’t take it with you.” It’s a phrase that I’ve heard plenty of times throughout my life, usually when someone spends their money on something stupid. “You can’t take it with you” is sometimes used as a means of justification to spend recklessly. Alternatively, it’s sometimes used as a means to justify giving to others, which could ironically be dangerous to your own financial situation. Some people are so reckless with their spending that they can let this mindset ruin their financial lives. On the other hand, some people are so altruistic that they forget to think about their own future and how giving away large portions of their wealth or income can affect it.
We’re Engaged!
6 minute read
I asked my best friend to marry me and she said yes! I think, at least. It’s still up in the air as to what she said while sobbing.
Binge Spending
3 minute read
A quick Google search tells me that I either may have just made that term up, or I have no idea what I’m talking about. Either way, I’m sticking with it. I’m not talking about Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD), which is a mental health issue that can wreak havoc on your financial situation and that I’m not qualified to discuss. I’m talking about something that I’ve witnessed which is (hopefully) less impactful on your financial situation than CBD but could still have a negative effect.
Increase Your Net Worth By 7,307% In One Year? It Can Happen.
< 1 minute read
Today, I’m going to take the opportunity to brag on Amanda’s financial progress. From July 31, 2017 to July 31, 2018, she was able to increase her net worth by 7,307%. I think that’s pretty incredible.
Playing the Lottery to Get Rich
3 minute read
Last week, someone told me that they saw one of those billboards which shows how much the Powerball is worth and said that they had to stop and buy a ticket after seeing the amount they could win. Sadly, many believe that their only path to financial freedom is through winning the lottery (although the person who said this to me was not one of these people). However, they never stop to think what else they could do, that’s realistic, to set themselves up for a better future. Surely, they know the odds of the lottery are stacked against them (1 in 200-something million means you’re probably not going to win). After all, there wouldn’t be a lottery if there weren’t more losers than winners.
