If you’ve already got a house and you’re not planning on getting another mortgage ever again, skip this week. Otherwise, onward! While this is geared more towards young couples who are renting, there are some valuable things in here for people who may be moving up–or down–in house. Once you’ve paid off all your debts… Read More »
Note before we begin: By the time you get here, you’ve probably got a pretty good idea for what works and what doesn’t in your household. This post is to provide guidance, not gospel. “When you are prepared for the zombie apocalypse, a hurricane is just a storm.” We’ve all heard that one, and it’s… Read More »
One common excuse reason people give for keeping a credit card is that they pay it off every month, so it’s okay for them to keep it. I have never understood this logic. If you have the money to make all the purchases, why not just use the money instead of the credit? I covered… Read More »
One common point of resistance to getting rid of credit cards is the old “I need one to travel for my job.” Well, that’s a load of crap. It can be done, and I have been doing it for years. The best way to go about this is to have a company card that you… Read More »
As a huge proponent of driving sub-$5000 cars, I often get asked to help people pick inexpensive cars. I have been involved in probably 30 car purchases in the last 8 years, so I have a lot of experience. This reminds me of a quote: Good judgement comes from experience. Experience? Well, that comes from… Read More »
Last week I covered the Debt Snowball and mentioned that you needed to have a budget, so this week I’ll cover how to do that. Bah! Why are you covering this? I know how to do a budget! Really? Off the top of your head, what’s your monthly budget for clothing? Groceries? What’s your budget… Read More »
Last week I covered Baby Step 1: The $1000 Emergency Fund. That step can usually be completed in a month or so, depending on your situation. From there, you move on to what really is the core of “the plan”–The Debt Snowball. In the debt snowball, you take all of your debts and list them… Read More »
When interest rates for my money market account (AKA The Emergency Fund) were north of 6%. The bank just notified me that rates are down to 0.87% now, which is still better than the rate for regular savings accounts (0.25%)
Last week I gave a quick overview of the Baby Steps. Before you start, you have to be current with everyone. Since I didn’t have that particular problem (I got really, really close, though) I can’t give you any advice there. I can talk about the subsequent steps. Baby Step 1 is your starter emergency… Read More »
So, you want to be completely debt free? The steps are simple. The execution is difficult because it involves telling yourself “no” a whole lot. You can do it, I promise. I am a huge Dave Ramsey guy. I followed his program and it’s done wonders for me and my family. Here’s something a lot… Read More »