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Category Archives: Budgets & Spending Plans
The Wow Factor: Getting the most bang for your buck
When you think about making a purchase, have you ever thought about rating it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 barely moving the needle and 10 being a big, exciting WOW?
Back in the 1990’s I came across The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczn and the revolutionary idea-to me-of actually planning your spending, living a frugal life, and the proposal noted above of a Wow Factor scale. She recommended testing all spending with this simple rule. Basically, you just need to determine how much wow you are getting for the money you are spending. Continue reading
Posted in Budgets & Spending Plans, Frugal Tips
Tagged amy dacyczn, budget, opportunity cost, spending, wow factor
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Winning With Money Part 4: Needs vs. Wants
This is the area that brings out the worst in us: the little three-year-old throwing a fit in the store because we want something, and we want it now! Think about this for a second. We lived for centuries without cable tv or smart phones. That means you won’t die if you give them up for a few months while you get out of debt. Continue reading
Posted in Budgets & Spending Plans, Personal finance, Saving Money
Tagged being content with what you have, brew your own coffee, buying used to save money, cancel cable to save money, car payments, don't buy more than you need, happiest people want what they have, needs vs. wants, paying cash for purchases
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Winning With Money Part 2: Get Proactive with Your Money
Many of us handle our money by thinking in the present tense. We look at the bills we have today and the money we have in the bank today, then try to make decisions based on the current situation. The problem is, we make decisions in the now, but forget to think about the future: where the puck will be. Continue reading
Be Prepared When the Plan Goes Out the Window
No Financial Plan is Perfect It’s easy to make a plan. It’s easy to say, “this is how my life will happen.” It’s not so easy to stick to that plan, especially when life gets in the way. And let’s … Continue reading
Posted in Budgets & Spending Plans, Personal finance
Tagged emergencies, financial planning, goals, military
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Think Long-term During Short-term Planning
Using Long-term Goals for Short-term Budgeting Creates a Solid Plan Many of us struggle to see farther than two weeks or a month ahead with our finances. When money is tight and you live paycheck to paycheck, it’s hard to … Continue reading
Posted in Budgets & Spending Plans, Personal finance
Tagged budgeting, emergency, irregular expenses
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Plan Like a Pessimist to For Extra Money in Your Budget
How to squeeze the most money out of your budget One of the common things that causes people to mess up in their budgets is that they get overly optimistic in the planning stage. Entrepreneurs are really bad at this … Continue reading
Posted in Budgets & Spending Plans, Personal finance
Tagged budget, planning, Saving Money
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Taking Control of Your Money
How to stop your money from controlling you. Do you ever feel like your money controls you instead of the other way around? It’s a pretty frustrating experience when there’s too much month left at the end of the money. … Continue reading
Posted in Beating Debt, Budgets & Spending Plans, Personal finance
Tagged budget, planning, taking control
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It’s Called A Balanced Budget For A Reason
Why budgets fail (and what to do about it) Making a budget that works really isn’t that hard, once you get down to actually doing the budget. I could write tons of content on how important it is to get … Continue reading
Posted in Budgets & Spending Plans, Personal finance
Tagged balanced budget, budgeting, spending plan
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