Tag Archives: Personal Peace

Budgeting Unexpected School Expenses

School expenses can add very quickly. It is important to budget carefully and decide at the beginning of the year just how much you are willing to spend on each of your children throughout the year. In addition to little items such as school lunch, school supplies and field trips. Here are four school-related expenses that you may not have considered. 1) School field trips and overnight trips are becoming more expensive every year. Your child does not necessarily need to attend all the overnight trips, especially if you cannot afford them. You may offer to pay fifty percent, and … Continue reading →

Money Week in Review: September 16-22

In Save Your Paperwork Debbie gives some great advice on what paperwork you should save. She offers some money saving and organizational tips as well. She points out that it is important to stay on top of your paperwork as well. Monthly Budget and Biweekly Paychecks addresses the confusion that might arise when it comes to budgeting. It gives suggestions on how to make your money and your budget work for you. Reward Points for Kids offers a new way to address the allowance–chores issue. Debbie’s unique solution is worth considering, since it simplifies matters. You can reward or take … Continue reading →

Monthly Budget and Biweekly Paychecks

It can be difficult to make a monthly budget when you are paid on a weekly or biweekly basis. You may find that you have difficulty paying all your bills that are due at the beginning of the month or that you do not have money for food the week that rent is due. Here are a few ways to deal with this dilemma. 1) First you should divide all your bills by four and then set aside that amount each week. The envelope system or envelope system software works really well for this. If you are on a cash … Continue reading →

Children, Finances and Your Choices

One of the most difficult aspects when it comes to being a parent and your finances are the trade-offs that you will have to make. It can be difficult because you want to provide the best opportunities for your children, and in some instances that can involve a lot of money. Additionally you may feel torn because you are not giving your children the quality of time that you feel they deserve. Your career choice may also be affected by your decision to have a family. You may choose to take a less competitive job so that you can spend … Continue reading →

Money Week in Review August 13 – August 19

Are you considering a large purchase that you hope will actually help you make or save money in the long run? This may be a hybrid car or an energy efficient appliance. Whatever you have in mind, Miriam provides some important considerations before you make this leap. Read Will that Big Ticket Item Really Save You Money? before you head out shopping. Having financial goals is the key to success in money. Let Miriam’s article on Financial Priorities walk you through some thoughtful steps to determine exactly what your individual goals actually are. Once you have determined these specific goals, … Continue reading →

Money Week in Review August 5th-August 12th

In Throw Your Checkbook Away Debbie gives some unorthodox advice when it comes to tracking your expenses. She points out that tracking in each category will help you better understand how you are spending and how much you have left. In Financial Crisis! Miriam addresses the basic steps you need to take if you lose your job or become ill. It is important to be proactive as you deal with these emotional and difficult situations. Forced Money Management talks about one of the major motivating factors when it comes to budgeting. Debbie points out that many people do not plan … Continue reading →

Making and Using Business Projections

If you don’t have a plan, how will you know where you’re going? Surely you’ve heard similar statements when it comes to running your life and running your business. And, while there are plenty of things that go down that our outside of our realm of control, having some business “projections” for our home-based business can not only guide us, but give us the tools to evaluate whether we are on target or not. I think of projects as being a bit different from goals. Projections are really more a measurable outcome–a way of setting tangible targets that we can … Continue reading →

Your Money Personality

Each of us is different. The jobs we have chosen, where we live, who we are friends with, all say something about our personality. These character traits also define how we approach money. Managing money is easier for some than others. As a necessity though, we all do need to learn to best manage our money to be financially successful and plan for a stable future. Luckily, there are many different approaches to money and hopefully you can find one that works best for you. The key component to a successful money management system is to find a process that … Continue reading →

Throw your Checkbook Away!

What did you say… throw your checkbook away? Now, that certainly sounds like a crazy idea coming from a money blogger. Shouldn’t you be on top of your bank accounts? How can you do that without a checkbook? The problem with a checkbook is that it is deceiving. If it is accurately kept, it only shows you the money you have at one point in time. It doesn’t explain that there are still 5 more bills to pay this month, or your paycheck next month will include your bonus. This snapshot can actually be misleading and provide you with an … Continue reading →

Helping Relatives with Their Finances

There are times when you may feel that you need to help out other family members financially. This can be a tricky area to go into. It is difficult to give money to someone, and then watch them use it unwisely. Loaning money to someone can also be very difficult, especially if you need the money. Also finances tend to be something that people keep to themselves, so it may be difficult to help them begin to budget or change their habits. Here are four tips when it comes to helping family members with money issues. 1) Never loan someone … Continue reading →