On the debt free journey, it’s recommended that you abstain from purchasing unnecessary items so that you can put all of your financial power behind paying off debt. Alternatively, if you are going to buy something new, make sure that you have a budget category for it - whether that’s personal money, spending money, shopping money, or a household goods line item. If it’s a pricey product, set up a sinking fund for it. As long as it is accounted for in your budget, you can go to Target and scan ‘til your heart's content. Here are 5 items that I swear by. Their prices range from $20 to $799 and they have helped me live a better life throughout my debt free journey.
The two most important parts of being pregnant is finding out what your insurance covers and what your maternity/paternity leave looks like. My experience with HR and my insurance company was exceptional. All of my questions were answered and I was even directed to tools that will help me in the future. I urge all new parents to take a day and thoroughly go through your options. Don’t be afraid to spend time getting all of your questions answered. Your budget and your baby will thank you.
There is a growing online community of people who are - or have been - exactly where you are now. And they aren’t afraid to show you how they are climbing out of the same hole you may be finding yourself in now.
We call ourselves and the Debt Free Community, and I am here to share 3 reasons why joining this group of weirdos may be the very best thing for your progress while you embark on this journey.
Having a baby changes everything, especially your finances. If you start planning and thinking about these things before you plan to conceive or as soon as your surprise is discovered, you will put yourself in a much better position before your little miracle arrives. Learn how to prep for your incoming babe in this blog post!
Those of us on a debt free journey have gone through the same moment. It’s the day that you put your foot down and decide that you’ve had enough of your own crap. This is a story of one of those ‘sick and tired’ moments. The day that most of us never forget, and the day that changes our financial path for the rest of our lives.
It’s that time of year again - kids are heading back to school. According to the National Retail Federation, families will spend around $696.70 on back to school items K-12, and $976.78 on back to college expenses. As a parent of two, I can relate to how hard-hitting this time of year is to the wallet.
So how can you cut some of these costs? I have a few, easy-to-follow tips for you!
Paying off debt can be a grueling process. It's often the same thing, different day. You are waiting around for payday, crunching numbers so that you can pay off the most debt, being über careful with how you spend your money and working more than you're used to working. Sometimes this can wear down a person, and it certainly affects a couples' spark.
Paying off debt is NOT an excuse to let your relationship dull. It's this time in your life where a significant others support can make or break your journey. Building a better life for both of you is an essential part of this process, but it doesn't work if you're both miserable.
The advice I took to help me achieve my health and fitness goals was eerily familiar. I realized that the tips that I give for financial goals were very similar to the information provided for successful weight loss. Setting a calorie intake goal was like setting a budget! And tracking every single thing I ate was like tracking every single expense. Just exercising and not changing any other behavior was the equivalent to thinking that making more money would solve all financial problems.
Making more money will never solve anything for you if you continue to overspend and live above your means. Just like exercising more didn't do anything for me. If you want to take control of your finances and make serious progress towards your goals, you can't just do one thing. You need to implement all the behaviors that will drive that success.
Cash envelopes are a tool to help curb your spending. Instead of using your debit/credit card for all purchases, use cash for the areas you tend to overspend in. With cash, you feel your purchases more. It hurts to hand over the money. With cards, you blindly spend and fail to pay attention to how much you’re spending.
It’s not a secret. I love dogs. Actually - I am obsessed with them. And I’m (obviously) not the only one around who feels this way. Millennials are taking pet ownership to a new level. With the rising cost of living, the student debt crisis, and the cost it takes to raise a child both economically and environmentally… people in their 20’s to mid 30’s are opting out of having children and opting in to raising their furry friends as family. This increase of pet-centric homes has created a booming market for pet services such as Rover.com.
The baby step method of paying off debt was made famous by finance guru, Dave Ramsey. In the debt free community, the baby steps are the preferred and most common method of paying off debt. It’s also how Josh and I paid off $133,000 in less than four years. In this blog post, we define what baby steps are, how to start putting the baby steps into action, and give tips and tricks to the baby steps plan.
The two most important parts of being pregnant is finding out what your insurance covers and what your maternity/paternity leave looks like. My experience with HR and my insurance company was exceptional. All of my questions were answered and I was even directed to tools that will help me in the future. I urge all new parents to take a day and thoroughly go through your options. Don’t be afraid to spend time getting all of your questions answered. Your budget and your baby will thank you.
There is a growing online community of people who are - or have been - exactly where you are now. And they aren’t afraid to show you how they are climbing out of the same hole you may be finding yourself in now.We call ourselves and the Debt Free Community, and I am here to share 3 reasons why joining this group of weirdos may be the very best thing for your progress while you embark on this journey.
Having a baby changes everything, especially your finances. If you start planning and thinking about these things before you plan to conceive or as soon as your surprise is discovered, you will put yourself in a much better position before your little miracle arrives. Learn how to prep for your incoming babe in this blog post!
Those of us on a debt free journey have gone through the same moment. It’s the day that you put your foot down and decide that you’ve had enough of your own crap. This is a story of one of those ‘sick and tired’ moments. The day that most of us never forget, and the day that changes our financial path for the rest of our lives.
The advice I took to help me achieve my health and fitness goals was eerily familiar. I realized that the tips that I give for financial goals were very similar to the information provided for successful weight loss. Setting a calorie intake goal was like setting a budget! And tracking every single thing I ate was like tracking every single expense. Just exercising and not changing any other behavior was the equivalent to thinking that making more money would solve all financial problems.
The baby step method of paying off debt was made famous by finance guru, Dave Ramsey. In the debt free community, the baby steps are the preferred and most common method of paying off debt. It’s also how Josh and I paid off $133,000 in less than four years. In this blog post, we define what baby steps are, how to start putting the baby steps into action, and give tips and tricks to the baby steps plan.
