Researching your budgeting software options can be overwhelming if you’re just getting started. I believe that whatever is the most easily executable option—meaning that you can get set up and manage it consistently—wins out over anything else. The point is to get started, because that is the hardest part (or should be). When it comes…
I’ve been talking to a lot of people lately who are concerned about missing out on something. And more than any other mistake I see, this is how to make money disappear from your life. Multiple people have expressed concern about missing out on: Buying a home while real estate prices are still low Buying a…
I admit it: I think writing about how to budget is one of the most boring things ever. There are plenty of frugalistas and budgeting mavens out there without me piling on. But when thinking about what to write about this week, I realized that if I look back at the last 20 people I…
If you’re looking to cut back on your spending, you are probably wondering how you can save money on food as a budget item; which makes sense, because it’s much easier to cut back on a variable expense like food, versus a fixed expense like rent or mortgage. There are a lot of good…
Question: What do you want your money to amplify?
When I was growing up, I remember my mother was an account reconciling ninja. She would sit at her old-fashioned, humongous roll-top desk with a pile of cancelled checks, her check register and her most recent checking account statement. She would methodically go through the register, crossing off the checks that had cleared, and then…
As I help people become more conscious and more effective with their spending, I find that a lot of key expenses get pushed by the wayside in order for clients to feel like they aren’t “wasting” money. But here’s the thing: caring for yourself, your home or your loved ones needs to happen regardless of…
Budgeting is a lot like dieting—it might yield some immediate support, but actually prevent us from succeeding in the long-term. Why? Because budgeting prevents us from reaching the ultimate goal of spending consciously. The Problem With Budgeting Budgets can be very motivating when you think you’re makingchanges that will increase cash flow immediately. The problem,…
When starting the budgeting process, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the little decisions that come up before you’ve even started to track one cent. To streamline the “getting started” phase, I recommend taking eight specific steps: Go high tech. Managing the budgeting process in a low tech way simply means keeping a…
No one can ever be perfect with their personal budget; there will always be moments when you choose to overspend in a certain area, because something holds a higher priority for you than sticking to your budget. This can be either a conscious or unconscious decision. But getting back on track doesn’t have to be…
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