It’s Sunday and I’m counting down the hours until I can pick up my check tomorrow and have money again. I planned poorly for paying my dental bill upfront and so this week has been much harder then it needed to be. I knew better too. Do you also sometimes have trouble covering bill, scrambling at the last minute to come up with the money? Living on oatmeal and Ramen Noodles for a week isn’t much fun. And yet we do this to ourselves over and over.

At least we aren’t alone. It is estimated that 40% of the population lives paycheck to paycheckwith very little, if anything at all, leftover after covering basic expenses. With little in savings and credit cards an all too convenient temptation to cover the basics, getting ourselves in deeper debt it may be time to try and change our ways a little bit. There is hope. It’s something called ‘the envelope method’ and I have personal experience that it does work. When I use it that is. I don’t know where it originated, or who used it first, but it sure can make life easier to manage for those us who aren’t in the Forbes Four Hundred. Although this method may not work for some, it does seem to work for most people that stick to it.

Its basically a cash payment system an envelope is used as the payee. Several envelopes. One for …
Continue Reading... Budgeting 101: The secret of the Envelopes

  When you think of summer what comes to mind? Lemonade? Watermelon? Picnics? Swimming pools? Icy frozen treats straight out of the freezer? Maybe running through a sprinkler in the wet grass? All things that will help cool you down. Face it. Summer is hot! Its part of what we love about summer and most of what we hate.

  While I don’t know of any specific scientific data, it seems to me that being cool becomes more and more important as we get older. Do we just feel the heat more? Perhaps it is the lack of a three month summer vacation that makes us more aware of just how hot it is. Or the fact that most adult small talk centers on the weather. One of an increasing shrinking number of ‘safe’ topics to discuss with strangers at the bus stop, it is nonetheless a constant reminder of just how hot (or cold, rainy, windy or snowy) it is. I don’t believe I ever once went up to a fellow third grader on the playground and inquired “So Stan. Is it hot enough for ya?” And I’m equally sure I never heard anyone else on the playground ask that question.

As staying cool becomes more and more of a priority, no matter what the reason, we are now faced with a new delima. Keeping cool on the cheap. While most of us just use some form of electric air conditioning, there are many more things we …
Continue Reading... The Wetness of Toes

If you are going to take control of your financial situation, the most basic thing you will need to master is the idea of a budget. Generally speaking, a budget refers to a list of all income you receive and all planned expenses for a specific period of time, usually a month, or even a year. Knowing where and how much you are spending is the first step in taking control of your money, knowing where you can cut back and planning for financial goals.

  So, how do you get started?

  Well, first you will need to know how much actual income, from all sources you receive in a given month. Incoming income should not include one-time gifts of money or payments, as they are not a regular part of your income.  If you are self-employed or have an otherwise variable income, you may want to look at old tax returns and check out your total income for a whole year. Divide that income by 12 and you should have an idea of your monthly income. If you can do this for the last few years, you’ll have a fairly reliable figure of income to work with.

  Next you need to know exactly how much you are spending and where you are spending it. It may be helpful to you write down every single purchase for a few weeks. Even a $.50 pack of gum would go on your list. Those little purchases can …
Continue Reading... Budgeting 101 : Knowing your flow

We’re welcoming a new contributor, Sasha of www.hypnobird.com, to the site!  Check here in the future for tips / hints / advice on living life on a budget!  I’m looking forward to it and hope you’ll enjoy it as well!

Yay and Welcome, Sasha!