Search results for budgeting
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Posted
Feb 03 2009, 10:09 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
There's no question the economic downturn has affected money habits. "The economic collapse has reduced a lavish ‘charge it and live beyond our means' lifestyle to hot dogs and beans," Lisa Spinelli of Greener Pastures writes.
In an enlightening post called "Economic Collapse-R-Us: 22 lifestyle changes of middle-class America," she details how people have altered their behavior. Which changes have you made?
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Posted
Feb 03 2009, 07:11 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim at partner blog Bargaineering (formerly Blueprint for Financial Prosperity).
Mrs. Micah recently tackled the topic of whether it's a good idea to take a low-paying job (she phrased it differently -- whether certain kinds of work are beneath you).
She gave three arguments for why it's a bad idea: It takes up valuable time while draining the energy you should be using to apply for jobs, it isn't a true solution and could cause complacency, and a less-skilled job doesn't look good on a resume.
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Posted
Jan 30 2009, 11:25 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
When is it OK to tap your emergency fund (assuming you have one)? Kristy at Master Your Card posed that question to readers after two people she knows of faced the issue.
Scenario One: A co-worker purchased a new car after careful shopping and has monthly payments she can easily afford. Her boyfriend has suggested that she use her emergency fund to pay it off.
Scenario Two: Another personal-finance blogger used his emergency fund to invest in a joint business venture.
Is either a good use of an emergency fund?
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Posted
Jan 30 2009, 09:57 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Take one teen who's still too young to work. Add a serious case of the adolescent "wants." Stir furiously until you're at your wits' end.
Or until you come up with a savvy solution, like a Smart Spending message board reader did.
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Posted
Jan 30 2009, 06:18 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.
On our first wedding anniversary, I didn't get my wife a gift. I considered the idea, but shelved it because it didn't seem like a major situation. I believed that sometimes it's nice to get a gift for a major anniversary (one ending in a 5 or a 0), but for other anniversaries, I thought just spending some time together would be an appropriate way to celebrate.
I was wrong.
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Posted
Jan 29 2009, 02:41 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"NCN" at No Credit Needed is a huge fan of Dave Ramsey. So no disrespect was intended when he came up with an alternative to Dave's popular debt snowball method to pay off debt.
He calls it the debt deluge. It's a combination of Dave's snowball and Flexo's approach -- the debt avalanche. The deluge makes tremendous sense, both from a mathematical and psychological point of view.
If you're not familiar with these debt-reduction methods, let us explain.
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Posted
Jan 28 2009, 11:22 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It's no secret that we're a huge fan of Funny about Money. It's an entertaining and often compelling read, and blogger "vh," like us, is a single woman of a certain age. (Truth be told, she's walked the Earth even longer than we have.)
Her blog is a synthesis of her thoughts about her personal financial challenges and her life experiences -- the landscaping goofs, the neighborhood foreclosures, the encounter with the urban coyote. It's all good stuff and well worth reading. The best part is her evolving plan to survive financially in an unpredictable world.
So we were very interested to read about how she saved $6,800 in just a few months.
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Posted
Jan 26 2009, 05:39 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.
Our friends have a profound effect on our personal-finance habits. Some friends can lead us to spending and to debt. Others offer insight into the virtues of thrift. For me, my friend Sparky has been the latter. Through his example, I learned that frugality can help me achieve my goals.
"Develop a plan that is so amazing, so glowing, that you are willing to walk blurry-eyed to work every day to make the money necessary to reach the light." -- Sparky's advice to GRS readers in 2006
After my friend Sparky graduated from college, he drifted. He couldn't hold a steady job, and he didn't stay in one place for long. He traveled to Mexico. He moved to New England. He lived in various cities in Oregon and Washington.
"I don't know how you can do it," he told me once when he saw our new house. "You have a home and a wife and the same job you had five years ago. I'd hate that." He lived as a First World nomad.
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Posted
Jan 21 2009, 03:19 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Maybe it's time to restock the bar now that the inauguration party is over. Or perhaps supplies have been low since New Year's Eve.
"Lazy Man" at Lazy Man and Money has some frugal bar-stocking tips, preceded by this tongue-in-cheek bit of advice: Know when to serve the good booze. If the boss or some other VIP is coming to visit, "stick to bottles that are made of glass, not plastic. Save the cheap stuff for you and your buddies," he writes.
He also offers his opinions about the best value for your money, whether you're buying cheap or premium hard liquor.
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Posted
Jan 21 2009, 01:49 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Stephanie at Stop the Ride threw readers for a loop recently. She and her husband, Tim, have cut almost to the bone, and their debt isn't shrinking. In fact, the reverse is true. Now she is facing a huge decision: Is bankruptcy the best choice for her family right now?
She calls it "an option I never thought I'd consider, let alone mention publicly. ... My emotions have ranged from anger to depression while trying to think through this situation. But hard times do force change."
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