Hi Reader I'm not anti-credit card. I am very much pro-paying-attention! Credit cards can be useful tools when you know exactly what you're charging and how you're going to pay it back. The problem starts when the balance becomes part of your monthly lifestyle. If you're paying for groceries, dinners, shopping and everyday expenses with a card and then figuring out how to pay the bill later, that's worth taking a closer look at. Try this: For the next month, track every credit card purchase...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader I hear people say they need an emergency fund, then immediately decide they can't afford one. Let's make this easier. Start with $500. Then $1,000. Then work toward one month of essential expenses. Eventually, three to six months may make sense depending on your situation, but you don't have to get there overnight. The important part is building the habit of keeping money available for the things you didn't plan for. Because life will absolutely send you an invoice you weren't...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader You know that $12.99 charge you've been meaning to cancel? Go cancel it! 😂 Seriously. Small recurring expenses are easy to ignore because each one feels insignificant. Then you have five of them. Streaming. Apps. Memberships. Storage. Subscriptions you forgot existed. Take a look through your bank and credit card statements and search for anything recurring that you're no longer using. You might find $30. You might find $100. Either way, that's money you already earned. Keep it!...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Here's something I wish more people talked about: Your paycheck tells you how much came in. It doesn't tell you how much you can actually spend. If you bring home $4,000 a month but $2,800 is already committed to housing, transportation, debt, insurance, groceries and other necessities, that $4,000 isn't really $4,000 of spending money. This is where budgeting gets real. Happy Sasheer Zamata GIF by ABC Network Start with the money that's already spoken for. Then look at what's left....
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Quick money check-in. When was the last time you actually looked at everything coming in and going out? Not your bank balance. Not whether the bills are paid. I mean really looked. Subscriptions you forgot about. Insurance that went up. Credit cards you’re still carrying. Savings that haven't moved in months. Life gets busy, and money has a funny way of getting pushed to the bottom of the list. This week, take 20 minutes and look at your last 30 days of spending. You don't have to...
12 days ago • 1 min read
over 5 years ago • 1 min read