I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions that one of our family’s budgeting basics is the funding of so-called sink funds. From home improvement projects to car maintenance to insurance premiums to birthday gifts, we set aside a bit of money every month so we can afford to pay cash for our annual or semi-annual [...]
Budgeting Basics | What’s a Sink Fund – And How Does It Help to Stretch Your Money
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by on December 18, 2011
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Budgeting Basics | When Cash Envelopes Don’t Work ~ Open a Checking Account (& Get $50 Bonus)
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by on December 14, 2011
When my husband and I got serious about saving money, one of the most important things we had to do was figure out how exactly much money we were spending in the first place. You can’t spend less, unless you know how much you’re spending. Sounds obvious, right? But, I think most of us aren’t [...]
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Time to Update Your Price Books!
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by on November 28, 2011
When I teach my Kosher on a Budget couponing class, I always stress the importance of keeping a price book. The more you know, the more you save. My favorite example is Newman’s Own pasta sauce. At Walmart – where I’d assume the price would be lowest – Newman’s Own Marinara costs $2.29. Not bad. [...]
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How to Get Organized and Meet Your Financial Goals (Mint.com)
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by on September 26, 2011
It’s (almost) a new year. Time to turn over a new leaf. For me, and I’d imagine many of us, that means time to get organized! Over the past several weeks, I’ve been focusing on financial organization. As we have moved more and more of our financial life online, I’ve found that our old-school spread [...]
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The Psychology of Budgeting, Part 3: The Importance of Having (Short Term) Goals
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by on July 17, 2011
One of the things I learned about myself during our get out of debt journey is that sticking to a budget just because is really, really difficult for me. I need something else. Eventually, I figured out that for me, that something else is having GOALS. But not just long-term lofty goals like “retiring with [...]
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The Psychology of Budgeting, Part 2: There are no sacred cows.
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by on June 20, 2011
When my husband and I decided to get out of debt in January of 2008 (yes, it’s an anniversary for me!), we knew we were going to need to make some drastic changes in our spending habits. While we hadn’t been doing anything “extravagant”, we had been living beyond our means. So not only did [...]
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On Passover Bondage & Credit Card Debt
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by on March 29, 2011
This is the bread of my affliction. As you guys probably know by now, I am a big proponent of budgeting. Not only do I think it’s critical that you have a budget – but also that you have a reliable method for tracking how much you’re spending each month. You know, so that your [...]
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How to Shop for Passover on a Budget, Part 3
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by on March 28, 2011
Cheapskate blogger, Susie Sharf is at it again – helping us all save money on our Pesach shopping. If you missed her first two posts, go read How to Shop for Passover on a Budget Part 1 and Part 2. Then check out part 3 of her great guest post over at the inimitable Orthonomics [...]
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