Today’s guest post comes from one of KOAB’s Israeli readers, Rifka Lebowitz. Whether you live in Israel or North America, I think Rifka’s post gives all us food for thought. It’s no secret that reckless attitudes can have tragic consequences. Saying “yihiyeh b’seder” while acting irresponsibly is an easy way to side step thinking critically [...]
Budgeting Basics | Kulam b’Minus – But Is it Really Beseder? {Guest Post}
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by on January 25, 2012
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Open a Checking Account – Get $50 Bonus
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by on January 24, 2012
Last month, I mentioned my love for Capital One 360. We keep all our sink funds in Capital One savings, and our virtual grocery cash envelope is in a Capital One 360 checking account. If you have been thinking about opening an account at Capital One 360, I wanted to let you know that they [...]
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Budgeting Basics | Our Budget Categories
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by on January 18, 2012
You asked. I’m answering. In the interest of maintaining a modicum of privacy, I am not disclosing the actual dollar amount we spend, rather the percentage that each category represents of our overall spending. Please do not deem this post as proscriptive. People often ask me what they “should” be spending on groceries. They are [...]
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Budgeting Basics | Our 2012 Budget – What Changes We’re Making & Why
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by on January 1, 2012
This morning, I sat down to fine tune our January budget in Excel. (Even though I love Mint, I plan out our budgets in Excel every month, and then transfer those totals over to Mint as necessary. I use Mint primarily for tracking, and Excel for budgeting.) I’ve tweaked a few things, including increasing our [...]
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Budgeting Basics | Face Your Debt Demons
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by on December 30, 2011
Earlier this week, I talked about the “budget leaks” we have been experiencing in our budget this year. And I encouraged you to take a look at your budgets and find your own leaks. “That’s all well and good,” a reader named Rachel (not her real name) said in an email to me later that [...]
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Budgeting Basics | Confession Time: I’ve got leaks in my budget.
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by on December 28, 2011
If you’re anything like me, the end of the year means a rather frantic rush to get organized. I’m decluttering, selling stuff like a madwoman on Craigslist, giving mountains of stuff away (tax deduction!), clearing off my desk, and making lists. I am also getting ready for my End of the Year Financial Meeting with [...]
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Budgeting Basics | How & Where We Save Our Sink Funds
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by on December 20, 2011
On Sunday, I explained what a sink fund is – and how it helps to stretch our budget. Today I want to explain how – and where – we save our sink funds. When I started to investigate where to “keep” our sink funds (assuming that under the mattress wasn’t a great idea), I knew [...]
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Budgeting Basics | PerkStreet Cash-Back Debit Card {Virtual Cash Envelopes + $25 Bonus}
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by on December 19, 2011
Last week I told you how we use our Capital One 360 Checking Account for a virtual grocery budget cash envelope. Well, here’s one more option I came across: PerkStreet Financial. I actually learned about PerkStreet from Dave Ramsey, who is a big proponent of this cash-back debit card. Yes, it’s a debit card, that [...]
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