Evolving Personal Finance » found money
Pulling Back the Veil on Our Daily Money Management
I thought it would be helpful for some to get really into the nitty-gritty of how we manage our money on a daily (or at least monthly) basis. It’s simple to say “we have joint accounts” or “we use Mint” but what does that really mean? (You can reference a copy of our current budget if you like.) Start with a Clean Slate On the first of the month the only money in our checking accounts is … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, credit cards, found money, side income, spending, targeted savings
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
Frugal Practices I’ve Grown to Love
It’s wonderful when a positive, self-beneficial act becomes automatic and even better when you enjoy or look forward to doing it! Being frugal doesn’t come naturally to me; I had to learn many of my current practices over time and fight against my upbringing. My husband will attest that I’m certainly not frugal in all aspects of my spending! But I’m so glad I started doing the activities that I list below because they have … Read entire article »
Filed under: cars, checking, found money, frugality, insurance
Found Money Creates Wants
Today’s post is not going in the direction of showing you strategies for battling the “wants” that spring up after finding money. Rather, I am just going to share the experiences and struggles that have emerged for us in the wake of receiving some monetary gifts this summer, particularly in terms of our joint money mindset. Kyle and I received a large gift for our second wedding anniversary in May, and this month we received/are expecting … Read entire article »
Filed under: found money, marriage
Strategies for Paying for Vacations
Kyle and I committed to attend the black tie wedding in Chicago that I’ve mentioned a few times. In addition to attending the wedding itself, we are going to make it a long weekend to see some of our good friends who live there as well as sight-see as we have never been to Chicago before. We are excited to make some amazing memories! Financially, though, the trip is going to be a stretch. We haven’t … Read entire article »
Filed under: found money, luxuries, travel
We Have Too Many Gift Cards!
Kyle and I have recently been reminded of a pretty good problem to have: We have a ton of gift cards and we have no plan for spending them! Why We Have So Many Cards 1) I think we might receive more than the average people because I, particularly, am very difficult to buy for. People know that I like to read so they tend to give me gift cards to booksellers (we have a lot to … Read entire article »
Filed under: found money, frugality
(Workouts + Vegetables) * Insurance = $$
In November I realized I was being rather irresponsible with our family finances because I didn’t know what the deductible and maximum out-of-pocket amounts were for our employer-sponsored health insurance. We don’t get a choice of plan and seem to change insurance companies yearly so I hadn’t checked our coverage for our current plan (Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina). I downloaded the 86-page pdf booklet for our plan and found what I was … Read entire article »
Filed under: food, found money
Small Steps to Speed Financial Accomplishment
Earlier this week I shared with you some of the ways my financial situation falls short of my ideals. I know what I should be doing but it seems difficult to actually get it done. I brainstormed a few steps I have taken in the past and should re-apply now. These tweaks are probably most useful for people who keep budgets and are auto-saving but want to find ways to be a bit more … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, found money, goals, savings
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