Evolving Personal Finance » debt
Using Upromise to Pay Down Student Loans
Like zillions of other college graduates, I have student loans – and, like a good chunk of those debtors, my loans are through Sallie Mae. When I graduated from college I was automatically enrolled in Upromise, which is a rewards program that is affiliated with Sallie Mae. I accumulated rewards in Upromise through various means and transfered those rewards to Sallie Mae to directly reduce my student loan balance. Apparently the program can also be … Read entire article »
Filed under: college, debt, found money
Our Experiences with Paying Off Debt
This post is a personal story about how debt has intersected our lives and not intended to be any big lessons. You’ll see that how we paid off our debt doesn’t necessarily apply to others as I’ve been rescued a couple times! We also still go back and forth over whether or not we are officially debt-free. Between me and Kyle, I have more experience with debt so I’ll start with mine. Student Loans I took out some … Read entire article »
Filed under: cars, credit cards, debt
Top Causes of Bad Debt
Today is the day of my preliminary exam – please send your prayers and good wishes my way! So that I can focus on my presentation, Jon from MoneySmartGuides is providing our guest post for today. Money Smart Guides is a personal finance blog that aims to teach the basics of personal finance with a focus on investing and paying off debt. After graduating college and getting into credit card debt, Jon paid the debt off … Read entire article »
Filed under: debt
Reader Request: Credit Scores and Credit Reports
My friend ED recently submitted a personal finance-related question to us and we’re happy to address it today! If you have a question you’d like to ask, either about something objective like ED’s question or just what our personal opinion is on something, please email us at evolvingPF at gmail dot com or surf over to the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page to use the anonymous submission form. Our reader question this … Read entire article »
Filed under: debt
I Wish We Could Buy a House
Not a day goes by that I fail to read a blog post or hear a story that references the incredibly low mortgage interest rates available for people with good credit. I am super jealous of people able to borrow at those rates for a reasonable long-term investment! I admit I’ve even been making occasional visits to zillow.com and trulia.com to check out home prices in San Diego. Why I Want a House (and Mortgage) Incredibly Low … Read entire article »
How to Tell If Your Means Are Just Not Enough
I write quite often on this blog about the virtue – nay, requirement – of living within your means. Even though I am earning a salary that many would consider laughable for my education and experience, I am determined not only to live within my means but give and save as well. I think everyone else should strive for this too – whatever your income, you shouldn’t be running up debt for your living expenses. However, … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, choices, debt, frugality, grad school
The Great Debate: 15-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgages
Another way to put the question is what is the better priority – paying off debt or building wealth? Do you pay attention to interest paid or cash flow? This debate can be perfectly summarized by two radio personalities/podcasters I listen to: Dave Ramsey vs. Ric Edelman. I like both of them in different ways but on the question of what kind of mortgage to get they are polar opposites. Ramsey permits the idea of a … Read entire article »
Are You Sure You Want to Spend $27000 on Your Wedding?
Today we are featuring a guest post from Edward Antrobus as part of this month’s Yakezie Blog Swap – click over to his blog to check out my participating post. Edward is a blogger, home cook, and construction worker. Enjoy! The cost of the average wedding is over $25,000. That number doesn’t even include the cost of the dress! (I’ve never understood that. Isn’t the wedding dress a wedding-related cost? Why wouldn’t you include it in the … Read entire article »
Why I Took Out a Car Loan for More Than the Purchase Price of the Car
When I bought my car (the one that is currently not being driven) in 2008, I needed to borrow $3,500 on top of the $1,000 I had saved to pay the private seller. However, I ended up taking out a loan for $5,000. Why in the world would I take on more debt than was necessary? First, I need to explain that I was in a little different mindset in 2008 than I am now. I … Read entire article »
Why Do We Make Rules If We’re Just Going to Break Them?
Kyle and I have a rule: We don’t watch important basketball games (i.e. any game involving our team, or the final rounds of the NCAA tournament) with people who don’t care about basketball (apathy is bad enough – rival fans would be inconceivable!). You can imagine the situation that inspired this rule! So I was surprised when Kyle told me yesterday that he is planning to watch our team’s big rivalry game this weekend with people … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, choices, credit cards, debt, giving, retirement, values
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