Freeing Yourself From Debt Is Personal Empowerment 101
I’ve Paid for this Twice Already is a blog about one family’s journey toward financial freedom. I like the spirit the writer—a 30-something married mom of two with a PhD in Genetics and a 3rd degree blackbelt in taekwondo—brings to the project. For instance: Debt used to be a very basic part of my life. [...]
Get An Education In “This We Can Afford”
There’s no doubt that millions of families who have been saving diligently for their kids’ college tuition are finding their accounts woefully short of the insanely high costs colleges are charging for a B.A. these days. A fact which has sent applications (and thus competition for a spot) at state schools sky high. Thankfully, there [...]
Like Quicken But With Community
Kathryn at Million Dollar Journey suggests that we write it all down—what we eat and what we buy. When you write down what you spend and what you eat, it’s easier to see when and where over-spending and over-eating occur. It also provides accountability when you know later that you’re going to have to write [...]
Live Small To Live Large
There’s a live simple movement underway in America and there are as many expressions of this ideal as their are individuals living the dream. Peter King in Vermont, for instance. He doesn’t pay rent and he doesn’t pay a mortgage. I like this man’s spirit and his way of thinking. The country needs more citizens [...]
Make Saving Money Part of Your Travel Adventure
According to Matt Gross, the Frugal Traveler: Three hundred years ago, wealthy young Englishmen began taking a post-Oxbridge trek through France and Italy in search of art, culture and the roots of Western civilization. With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months (or years) to roam, they commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills and mingled [...]
Spend Your Inheritance Wisely
The largest transfer of wealth in history is beginning to unfold. Even with the market collapse, $10 to $136 trillion in wealth will move from one generation to the next. Perhaps you have been or will be one in four Americans who are lucky enough to receive one of these bequests. If so, here are [...]
Seven Options for Your Tax Refund
Smart Money outlines six ways to spend your tax refund. All are good options indeed. 1. Create a Cash Cushion. With unemployment at a 25-year high you need at least a six to nine month emergency fund to cover living expenses until landing a new job. 2. Pay Off Debt. With credit cards charging 18-30% [...]
Finding Ways To Keep Money In Your Pocket
According to The New York Times, a subset of Americans—the seriously frugal—are enjoying the current recession because it validates their beliefs and lifestyle choices. The paper profiles a real estate investor in Cincinnati who borrows movies from the library instead of renting them, and grows her own fruits and vegetables. Another person profiled by the [...]
Do More To Make More
Boosting revenue is one of the key ways to conquer your debt. This is true for individuals and also for businesses, small and large. Today I attended a cooking class at one of my favorite restaurants. The experience was productive on several levels. The chef taught us to make four great dishes and served them [...]
I.O.U. in the U.S.A.
I.O.U.S.A. is a documentary film about our national debt. The film’s web site is kindly offering up a condensed 30-minute version of the film for free (see below). I.O.U.S.A. uses candid interviews, archival footage, and economic data to tell the story of America’s mounting debts. Interview subjects include noted investor Warren Buffett, former Federal Reserve [...]
