Budgeting – $aving Money Tip$

This year, I’m doing something a little unorthodox. I didn’t set any personal goals for the new year — and that includes financial goals. Instead of setting goals for this year, I’m calling this my “year of exploration.” You don’t have to spend a whole year trying to figure out who you are and what you want, but before you set another money goal, take the time to figure out what you hope to make of your life. Too often, we set financial goals because they are the “right” financial goals, not because they actually help us achieve anything meaningful in our lives. Do I really need to put more money toward retirement, just because that’s a common goal

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

Allison Martin May 24, 2016 Budgeting, Personal Loans

I Took Out a Higher Interest Rate Loan and I’m So Glad I did

About a few months ago, my condo building had a leak that damaged several units including mine. The total damage came out to be over $11,000. Although I had homeowners insurance, the process to file a claim would’ve taken over two months. If you’ve ever experienced anything like this, I’m sure you understand the dire need to get contractors out to fix the damage ASAP. This is when I looked into getting a personal loan to cover these expenses until the insurance company finalized the claim. I started my research on LendingTree and Credit Karma by looking at customer reviews, and started to apply for personal loans through their sites. The good thing about these two sites is that you can check your rates without impacting your

Credit Score & Credit Repair

admin May 26, 2015 Budgeting

Financial Stress: 5 Things You Can Do to Ease the Tension

When it comes to sources of stress, finances are constantly cited as one of the top contributors. There are tons of people out there who are faced with a daily sense of anxiety or fear about their financial wellness. Luckily, there are some things you can do to ease the burden of financial tension and get yourself back on the right track. To help you get started, here are five steps you can take to help ease your money stress. 1. Diagnose Your Money Troubles Are you afraid that you don’t have enough saved for retirement? Are you worried that you won’t be able to make the next payment on your credit card bill? Are you concerned that you aren’t making the right investments for your future? The

admin May 26, 2015 Budgeting

How We Turned Our Dream of Home Ownership into a Reality

<!– Capital One: Home Loans Blog Posts / Clever Girls Snippet –> <!– END Clever Girls Snippet –> Eric and I have known for a long time that our ultimate dream was to one day own a home. Living in an expensive housing market like Southern California where three-bedroom single family homes start at half a million dollars, we knew that it would take us a while to reach this goal. So we started our journey to getting our finances in order and working our way up in our careers. It took us five years, but we managed to pay off $45,000 of debt, and triple our annual take-home pay in that same time frame. A lot of sacrifices were made. We have lived well below

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

admin May 25, 2015 Budgeting, uncategorized

I Lost Control of Money During a Break Up, Don’t Make The Same Mistakes I did

After breaking up with a guy who I had dated for almost 10 years, I immediately went to the mall and spent over $1,000 on new clothing. The next day, I decided that I wanted to learn how to go camping and went to REI to buy over $500 in camping supplies. Retail confession: this was the start of a debt-filled journey to get over my ex. Spending a ton of money on new clothing, new hobbies (along with every accessory for that hobby), and all-girls trips to the spa, fancy restaurants, and the hottest new bars would make me feel better, right? My plan in retail therapy completely backfired months later when I came to the realization that I had racked up thousands of dollars

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

admin May 20, 2015 Budgeting

Too busy to cook? Check out these 4 meal planning services.

When it comes to meal planning, I’ve had a lot of starts and stops. I put a calendar on my fridge with the idea that I would fill it with dinner ideas every week. I stopped updating it in February. I also worked on compiling favorite recipes into a DIY cookbook only to have it sit on the shelf collecting dust. Nothing has managed to stick. Then, I recently stumbled across several websites that offer meal-planning services for rates I could actually work with. Problem solved. Here are a few I found particularly intriguing. Relish How it works: Every Thursday you are prompted through email to visit the site and peruse the newly posted recipes in order to build your menu plan for the week. Don’t

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

admin May 19, 2015 Budgeting, taxes

The tax mistake that could hurt you now or next year

This article is by staff writer Suba Iyer. Presumably, it has been a little more than a month since you submitted your tax return for 2014. Did you end up owing the IRS or did you get a refund? There are plenty of personal finance articles that discuss the pros and cons for each of these situations. So we will skip those discussions and go right to the point: Are you happy with your result? If not, you can easily fix it for next year by adjusting your withholding now. But it’s a simple step many people forget to take. Now or next year? For example, if you got a refund this year but would rather have more money each month to help your cash flow, adjusting

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

admin May 18, 2015 Budgeting

How to homeschool on one income

This article is by staff writer Lisa Aberle. When I wrote about the pros and cons of homeschooling recently, I left one major piece of the puzzle untouched: How does a family handle the loss of income if a stay-at-home parent is required? It’s not just the loss of monthly income. The parent who stays at home doing the bulk of the educating is also missing out on some other benefits of employment (employer contributions to a 401(k), social security benefits, avoiding a resume gap, etc.). These aren’t necessarily easy to quantify. So let’s take a look at the financial piece of the puzzle to the extent we can; but first, is it possible to homeschool without losing income? Homeschooling with

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

admin May 14, 2015 Budgeting, Savings

How much to save for maternity leave

This article is by staff writer Holly Johnson. The United States policy on maternity leave can be a touchy subject among families, and especially women. Unlike all other wealthy countries, many of which mandate weeks and months of paid leave for natural and adoptive mothers and fathers, the U.S. mandates no such thing. In fact, the last movement toward maternity fairness in the U.S., the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), included a provision mandating 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually for mothers of newborn or newly adopted children. Twelve weeks doesn’t sound so bad, but that unpaid part can sure sting. Bundle of bills? We all know that babies are expensive, but it isn’t just the cost of diapers that adds up.

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

admin May 13, 2015 Budgeting, Planning

How to budget for summer camp

This article is by staff writer Lisa Aberle. Summer break is quickly approaching. Last year, I was worried about how I would keep the kids entertained; this year, I vacillate between two ends of the emotional spectrum — being excited and feeling a little overwhelmed. Excited, because I say “adios” to the early morning bus routine and the backpack-and-lunchbox ritual for a few glorious weeks. And socks. They quit wearing socks in the summer. (Can I get a “hallelujah”?) But I am feeling a little overwhelmed too. The sock shenanigans at my house get replaced with drinking glasses and copious Go-Gurt wrappers all over the kitchen counters sticky with spilled lemonade. Yep, there’s nothing like a few weeks of summer

Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

admin May 8, 2015 Budgeting, relationships

Ask the Readers: What is your best budget-friendly tip for Mother’s Day gifts?

This article is by editor Linda Vergon. A mother’s love is more precious than gold, but you don’t need to spend a mint to make Mother’s Day special for her. In some ways, your lack of funds could actually help you make her day more meaningful. When it comes down to it, most moms prize the time they can spend with their children more than anything. So if you don’t have the funds to take mom out for Sunday brunch, a Broadway play, or a trip to Nordstrom’s, it may just be a good thing. Maybe you can’t escape the realities of your budget right now, but here are some ways to tell her you care even if your wallet is a little weak. If you live

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