Living for today - Planning for Tomorrow
Thanksgiving and Black Friday mark the beginning of the holiday season, which is an expensive time of year for many Americans. In 2021, 36% of consumers went into debt for Christmas and racked up an average balance of $1,249. However, you can buck this trend and enjoy a more frugal festive season this year by following the tips below. Here are four of the strategies
Recently I’ve been thinking about making an appointment with a fee-only financial advisor. Although I know how to manage my money after years of writing about personal finance, it’s always nice to get an outside perspective. Having a CFP (like those available at https://www.thekelleyfinancialgroup.com/) tell me I’m on the right track would give me peace of mind. I’d also like to know what’s possible with my current
Figuring out your love language can help improve your relationships by making you feel more connected to your loved ones. But have you ever considered how your love language may be affecting your finances? According to author and counselor Gary Chapman, there are five different types of love languages that dictate how we prefer to give and receive love: Words of affirmation Physical touch Acts
Before I joined Reddit personal finance communities, I was pretty clueless about money. My parents didn’t teach me much about finances, so I didn’t understand the importance of building credit or saving for the future. And sadly, that’s all too common—only 4 in 7 Americans are financially literate, and about 75% of millennials don’t understand basic financial concepts. Luckily I came across financial forums like
The holidays are already one of the most expensive times of the year without factoring in inflation. Once you consider the impact of rising costs on your holiday budget, you may feel like emulating Scrooge and canceling the holidays altogether! But fear not—there are still ways to enjoy the holiday season without draining your savings, especially since you’re starting to think about Christmas early. Here
Recently I read an article about recession fatigue. It’s a feeling of financial exhaustion that many Americans are dealing with right now. For over two years, we’ve been faced with a lot of economic uncertainty. The pandemic caused many workers to get laid off and record levels of inflation have strained our budgets. Now we may be heading toward another recession in 2023. It’s been
Believe it or not, my favorite personal finance book isn’t loaded with money-saving tips. It isn’t even a personal finance book at all. It’s called Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke, and it’s about neuroscience (dopamine specifically) and how to find balance in our age of instant gratification. Reading it fundamentally changed my relationship with money and helped me stop overspending, so I wanted to
After a long day of work, most of us just want to melt into the couch and binge our favorite shows on Netflix. Enjoying a lazy day every now and then can be restorative and make you more productive when you get back to work. But if laziness turns into a habit, it could cost you a lot of money. If you frequently take shortcuts
Shopping secondhand is a great way to save money and benefit the planet by giving discarded items a second life. However, there are some items that simply aren’t safe to buy used, such as bike helmets. And depending on the item, it may be better to spring for a new version from the store that will last longer and give you more years of use
Previously, I’ve written about the ways that being a minimalist can save you money. Practicing minimalism can help you buy less, stay organized, and give you the mental clarity you need to focus on your financial goals. Decluttering may also make it possible to downsize to a smaller home or apartment to save money. But there are also some downsides to minimalism that are worth
