The end of the year is approaching, which always causes me to reflect on my finances. Lately I’ve been thinking about mistakes I’ve made with my money in 2023 and things I want to do differently going forward. Even as a personal finance writer, I still make financial blunders sometimes and waste my money. Here are four spending habits I regret that I plan to
Living with a chronic illness can be expensive! On average, people with chronic diseases spend around $6,000 on healthcare annually. I’m no stranger to these costs—I’ve been dealing with a chronic illness called dysautonomia since I was a teenager. I was also recently diagnosed with ADHD. Over the years, I’ve learned several ways to save money on essential medications and supplements. I’ve also saved money
Recently I’ve been delving into Ramit Sethi’s content because it’s been recommended to me so many times, and for good reason. One of the things I’ve learned from him is the concept of designing your rich life. Instead of approaching your personal finances from a place of stress or fear, he encourages people to envision the life they want. Then they can make a financial
Credit cards are a hotly debated topic in the personal finance world. Some money gurus like Dave Ramsey don’t really recommend credit cards because they can encourage overspending, especially if you have a high credit limit. However, using credit cards responsibly can help you earn rewards and build good credit, which makes it easier to take out loans for major purchases like buying a home
Many people think budget-friendly cooking is boring, but it doesn’t have to be. Spending a bit of extra money on a lemon or a bunch of parsley can help take your home cooking to the next level and stave off your desire to order takeout. Here are six affordable ingredients I use to spice up my meals so I don’t get frugal food fatigue. 7
There’s a popular personal finance philosophy called ‘buy it for life’ that involves buying high-end products in hopes that you’ll never have to replace them. Many people believe that this practice will save them money in the long run since they won’t have to repurchase things as often. I used to subscribe to this school of thought and buy the nicest products I could afford.
Around the holidays, there’s lots of pressure to give great gifts and create memories for your family. Last year, a study by LendingTree showed that 56% of holiday gift-givers were feeling stressed out about presents. Respondents said that they felt pressure to find the perfect gifts and were anxious about not being able to afford presents. Gift-giving anxiety is not only bad for your mental
In some areas of life, having high standards will propel you forward and help you achieve your goals. For example, holding yourself to a high standard at work usually leads to career advancement and raises. But sometimes perfectionistic tendencies can hold you back and cost you money and time. Here are 3 instances in which lowering my standards improved my finances. Letting Go of an
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how my partner and I will adjust to living on a single income. We’re still undecided about having kids, but if we do start a family, I will probably become a stay-at-home mom. My mother was a homemaker and was able to create such a cozy home environment and give my sister and me lots of individualized attention. Naturally, I
The stock market has attracted everyone towards itself with its success stories. Moreover, people of today are more engaged in investing than ever before. With all these circumstances, the stock market keeps on growing. So, you may be wondering: how to avoid stock trading mistakes. Many people only see stock markets and investing as profit creators; however, they forget there is a certain degree of
