Tag Archives: Expenses

How Small Temptations Can Ruin Your Budget

Sometimes it’s not the big expenses that shatter your resolve to save money, it is the small temptations that will get you. It is those small temptations that I, personally, most have to guard against. For example, although my husband and I often like to stop at the Apple store and look at the iPads whenever a new one is released, we aren’t in danger of purchasing one any time soon. It just doesn’t make that much sense to spend that much money when our emergency fund isn’t, well, as fully funded as we would like and we still owe … Continue reading →

Taking Debt Too Lightly

Why is it so easy to go into debt and so hard to get out of it? I think for modern generations, there has been a culture of taking debt too lightly. Fortunately, for some of us, that culture is changing toward one of getting rid of debt or not getting into it in the first place. Meanwhile, there is still a more corporate culture that encourages debt, and it is one, as individuals, that we have to fight against in order to be solvent and live a good life. Being offered a loan, whether it is a home mortgage, … Continue reading →

Trade a Car Payment for the Cost of Gas?

Now that the cost of gas has reached over $4 a gallon, it puts this expense into a completely new category. The rising cost of driving has reached the cost of many other large items, including the purchase of a new car. With gas prices so high, it is time to look at your whole budget. A good friend of mine told me an interesting budget story last week. Both her and her husband live in a rural area and have to commute to work in town each day. They have different schedules, so they can’t carpool. In addition, since … Continue reading →

Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

Dealing with unexpected expenses isn’t often an easy thing to do, but with rising prices on everything these day, unexpected expenses can really put you in a crisis mode. How can you come up with more money when you are already stretched tightly? Here are some ideas. When an unexpected cost comes up, see if it is possible to delay the expense of it until you can save for it or be caught up. Sometimes certain expenses aren’t the crisis that we think they are, only very inconvenient. Let’s say that garage door opener dies. A new one might cost … Continue reading →

Free Credit Counseling and Credit Unions

Obtaining credit counseling is a good idea if you happen to be in a situation that makes it difficult to pay your bills. Whether it is an inflated mortgage or thousands of dollars in credit card debt, there are people who can help you get your debt under control and set up a payment plan. Credit counseling, while a good investment, can be expensive. Isn’t this ironic, since you have to spend more money to help you get out of debt? One thing that you might not know, though, is that many credit unions offer free credit counseling to their … Continue reading →

Make it Last…Or Buy New

I used to work with a client who was very thrifty—they were constantly making do with second-hand equipment and counting every piece of paper and paperclip. It was a great lesson for me in learning when it is good and beneficial for the business to be careful and thrifty, and when it costs more to keep using outdated equipment and supplies than to just purchase new ones. None of us is particularly fond of expenses in our home businesses. We know full well that expenses eat into our profit and affect our bottom line. But, the thing is, we are … Continue reading →

Is There Really Such a Thing as a Free Education?

My children have always gone to public school—except during times when we have done home schooling for one or more. We’ve tried mainstream public schools and public charter schools, but never private schools—it just isn’t in this single mom’s budget. Sometimes I am not entirely convinced that public school is in my budget either! Of course I pay my taxes—but there is more, there are the fundraisers and the direct mail appeals that come in my mailbox from each school. There are also all the incidental fees and books and supplies and field trips. I just found out that I … Continue reading →

Should You Charge More for Last Minute or Past a Deadline?

Increasingly it seems, everything is done last minute. People tend to treat deadlines as though they were a “suggestion” and not the last date for making a payment, a purchase, or filling out an application. Some businesses choose to just let all this last minute business slide and make accommodations, while others are finding that it is necessary and reasonable to charge fee for things that come in late. You may notice that if you attend a conference or purchase tickets to something, there is often a “price break” if you order or apply early. Of course, this is to … Continue reading →

Are You Sinking Your Ship?

Are you two bucketfuls away from disaster? You may be unintentionally sabotaging your savings and sinking your household ship. One of my favorite dead people is Benjamin Franklin. Now maybe this is because I live in Pennsylvania, and I am not too far from Philadelphia and Franklin is a big part of local history as well as the history of our country. But I think it goes a little deeper than that. Franklin was a true innovator, creative and true. I see those same qualities in many of the frugal people that I meet. One quote of Franklin’s goes like … Continue reading →

Don’t Be So Cheap You Choke Your Business

Pinching pennies can be a very good thing–with a business budget to contend with, it is important that you keep a close eye on expenses and make sure that you are not just throwing money out the window. But, like all things, too much of budgeting and penny pinching can actually stifle and choke your business. There is some truth to that old adage that you have to spend money to make money… A good, working business budget should include an accurate projection of expenses and revenue. But, if you underestimate your expenses, and do not allow for spending when … Continue reading →