It may indeed be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holidays can quickly devolve into the most expensive time of the year as well when it's time to start shopping for Christmas. Don’t let a tight budget at Christmastime squelch your generosity or turn you into a Scrooge. Consider these … [Read more...] about Four Ideas To Come Up With Some Extra Cash for the Holidays
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The 8 Best Apps for Budgeting
Staying on budget is an incredibly vital part of your financial future. If you want to start saving for that dream vacation, or even further down the road in terms of retirement, you need to start making some financial sacrifices sooner rather than later. In order to help you do that, there are a … [Read more...] about The 8 Best Apps for Budgeting
How I Come Up With Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids
I wish I could say that the holidays are all joy and cheer for me. The truth is that I, and a number of other parents I've spoken with, feel immense pressure this time of year to come up with great Christmas gift ideas for kids. If I'm not careful, I can let that pressure suck the spirit out of the … [Read more...] about How I Come Up With Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids
Secrets to Helping You to Get out of Debt Quicker
Those of you on a journey out of debt, or contemplating a journey to debt freedom, most likely know what you need to do. Every person who’s made it successfully out of their debt bondage does one or more of the following things: Budget Spend Tracking Goal Listing Snowball or … [Read more...] about Secrets to Helping You to Get out of Debt Quicker
Things I Would Never Do: The 97 Month Car Loan
Welcome to a new feature I plan on running from time to time here on Frugal Rules – Things I Would Never do. It’s meant to be part rant, part shedding light on unwise practices and part ways to avoid unnecessary debt. It’s not intended to be judgmental, but largely to help those that may be facing … [Read more...] about Things I Would Never Do: The 97 Month Car Loan
Losing Isaac – Finding Life in the Death of a Child
Some of you will remember me sharing about the loss of our dear son Isaac four years ago in 4 Minutes That Changed My Life Forever.That post was from my perspective and have been asked over the last few months, by numerous readers, to have my wife share her side of the story. Make sure you have a … [Read more...] about Losing Isaac – Finding Life in the Death of a Child
10 Ways to Stretch Your Grocery Budget
The following is a contribution from the illustrious Mr. CBB from Canadian Budget Binder. Stretching a grocery budget is very common in many households in today’s economy. As we continue to see people out of work or struggling to make ends meet we have to find ways to make the money go … [Read more...] about 10 Ways to Stretch Your Grocery Budget
4 Minutes That Changed My Life Forever II, a Thoughtful Thanksgiving
For those of you that have not read about the loss of our dear son Isaac, I encourage you to read it as this post is based largely off of that one. We lost Isaac on November 10th and wondered how life would go on. My wife’s birthday was just four days later and as hard as it was we had to celebrate … [Read more...] about 4 Minutes That Changed My Life Forever II, a Thoughtful Thanksgiving
4 Minutes That Changed My Life Forever
Money is a precious commodity; a commodity that I like, use, and know a lot about. As valuable as money is, it’s not the most precious commodity available to us. Many of us, myself included, spend countless hours writing and discussing money. Money has its place, but far more important, in my … [Read more...] about 4 Minutes That Changed My Life Forever
You Left Your Job, Now Take Your 401k With You
I recently left my former employer (more on that later) and one of the first calls I made after making the decision was finding out what I needed to do in order to rollover my old 401(k). I wanted to make sure that I had control over my retirement money and my 401(k) makes up a substantial portion … [Read more...] about You Left Your Job, Now Take Your 401k With You
7 Frugal Ways To Save Money While Eating Out
Who doesn’t like the fun of going out for dinner instead of making it at home? Even in this economy, Americans average $2,500 per person annually on eating out. Eating out can be done frugally; follow these simple steps to eat out and save money while you’re at it. 1. Skip The Drinks Eating … [Read more...] about 7 Frugal Ways To Save Money While Eating Out
My Dance With Credit Card Debt (And How I Got Out of it)
What comes to mind when you think of your college years? Many might say going to football games, making lifelong friends, or being away from home for the first time. I got to experience most if not all of that in my college years, but one of the most memorable was graduating with $25,000 in credit … [Read more...] about My Dance With Credit Card Debt (And How I Got Out of it)