LivingAlmostLarge

Not, me I’m a terrible shopper of food. I am probably better than average but not a superior couponer or even serious saver.  But this article in the New York times was interesting.  It seemed to target people like me. 
So the store manager interviewed runs a high end store much like Whole Foods, except it’s [...]

[Read more →]

The age old question of whether you should buffer you checking account is one many people ask?  Honestly, I think you should have a buffer in a checking account.  But how much?
A lot of people say they take their checking down to $0 or $5.  Most people who do this, will pay their bills and [...]

[Read more →]

Ugh, I gotta admit something.  That my DH is not perfect and neither am I.  I get a lot of “I work hard and I want this now,” “I deserve it for working hard,” and “why are we broke when we earn good money?”. 
Here’s the deal, we’re not perfect and wanting something more is natural.  [...]

[Read more →]

            Are luxury items worth it?  I say yes.  For example, traveling is a luxury item, granted one many people enjoy, but not necessary for living.  Or a new car purchase versus a used car purchase.  Do we really need these items to live?  No.  But they are enjoyable and bring pleasure to our lives.  [...]

[Read more →]

As I drew up a complete budget, I’ve tracked my spending for 2007, detailed all money spent on a CC or cash, and finally I understood what my percentages are. I realized why I always say people can use a credit card but not overspend if you are controlled. Because we have a built in [...]

[Read more →]

I was asked to Beta Test a New Envelope Budgeting System. It’s called IntelliPenny. It should be an interesting trial. I’ll post a review when I use it for a bit, starting this weekend. But for now please read about it in a post from the creator!
IntelliPenny
Introducing a new software program [...]

[Read more →]

My budget looks neat and tidy right? It’s pretty easy to see very definite percentages for our living expenses. It appears that we feel right into line for most categories.
But how’d we do it? Truth is we backwards budgeted. We prioritized everything backwards. We took our gross salary and said [...]

[Read more →]

I finally drew up a complete budget with percentages. This is a budget solely without bonuses but base salary. To see how we spend our money. We bring home about 55% of our income. Of that we spend 45% of our income with 10% going straight to tuition.
We should pay [...]

[Read more →]

Do I have any goals for 2008? I am sitting here mulling what might be a good financial goal.
1. Max out 401k2. Max out Roth IRAs3. Max out ESPP4. Cash flow $20k/year tuition
These goals have been done every year since DH got a job. And our income gone up so just more to savings. I’m [...]

[Read more →]

Most people don’t budget from gross and many more find it difficult to create an annual budget. I always budget from gross and try to do a annual budget. Why? Because it gives you a firmer grasp on all areas of your budget including your taxes, savings, and spending.
How does it all work? Well let’s [...]

[Read more →]