Budgeting

• Decrease your budget’s bite by saving money on meat (68 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Lisa Aberle. J.D. has already covered ways to save money on food. But this time, I wanted to focus on animal protein. According to a survey by the Bureau of Labo...Read more »

• Reader Stories: How 5 daily habits rocked my financial world (28 comments)

  This is a guest post from Jillian Beirne Davi. Jillian is a Transformational Money Coach and the founder of Abundant Finances, a service that helps you get yourself out of debt and start amassing abun...Read more »

• Your budget isn’t working. Here’s why. (73 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Holly Johnson. Before my husband and I got our financial act together, we didn't have a budget. Since we didn't have and sort of plan, we spent all of our discretion...Read more »

• Review: ‘All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan’ (44 comments)

  This post is by staff writer Honey Smith. There are many personal finance books out there, useful to people in all stages of personal finance. I have a lot to learn before reaching financial indepe...Read more »

• Are automatic payments all they’re cracked up to be? (85 comments)

  This post is by staff writer April Dykman. A few weeks ago, I paid a sky-high electric bill. After some investigation, I saw the problem: the electric company charged a $200 deposit fee for starting...Read more »

• Is it possible you don’t need an emergency fund? (83 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Lisa Aberle. Common personal finance advice recommends building an emergency fund. In fact, how and why to have an emergency fund has been covered here before. But l...Read more »

• Play hooky for money (31 comments)

  This is a post from staff writer Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool's Rule Your Retirement service. We at Fool HQ did it ...Read more »

• Reader Stories: The frugal Orioles fan (36 comments)

  This post was written by Kurt Smith, author of Ballpark E-Guides, PDF-format guides that help fans get the most bang for their buck at the ballgame. He’s been called “MLB’s Worst Enemy” by "Co...Read more »

• Spending in depth: The hair care budget (195 comments)

  When I started this journey on GRS, I included hair care in my category of irregular expenses. At that time, I estimated that I spent about $600 per year on service and $300 per year on product. How...Read more »

• Planning for a new financial paradigm (58 comments)

  I'd tried and occasionally gotten by on very much less, and I'd shuffled small freelance gigs and guiltily spent windfalls instead of saving. But I just couldn't figure out a long-term way to make my...Read more »

• Reader Story: Costs and savings of having a stay-at-home parent (77 comments)

  This post comes from Lynn Svenson, who blogs at The Photographer's Wife. Some reader stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or failure. T...Read more »

• Love, relationships and financial harmony (63 comments)

  You'll have to forgive the overt theme of today's post. I've been wanting to write about this topic for a while, but it's such personal issue that I've shied away from it. But when I realized tha...Read more »

• How to save money while seeing the world (40 comments)

  This is a guest post from Matt Kepnes, who writes about travel and more at Nomadic Matt. His advice has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian UK, Lifehacker, Budget Travel, BBC and Ya...Read more »

• The value of vacation (56 comments)

  As you read this, my husband and I are just days away from a romantic, kid-free vacation in the Caribbean. Since we weren't able to take a honeymoon, we spent the last few years saving like maniacs ...Read more »

• Finding money to invest (besides under the couch cushions) (70 comments)

  When we decided that we were going to start investing more in 2013, I didn't know where we would find the money in our budget. My personality embraces risk… as long as all our other savings goals ...Read more »

• Party philosophy: When to spend big on fiestas (57 comments)

  I grew up in a family not given to extravagance with regard to birthdays. Not that we could have been extravagant if we would have wanted to. With five children close together in age, a dad who'd pu...Read more »

• Reader Stories: Starting to see financial fitness muscle! (31 comments)

  This story comes to us from reader EmJay. EmJay's story is the epitome of getting rich slowly, and readers can learn from her effort. This post is part of the Reader Stories series. Some reader sto...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: How do you manage your clothing expenses? (132 comments)

  It seems like the fight against Stuff is ongoing, whether it’s toys, electronics, books, CDs, tools or anything we consume. Yesterday, Holly talked about fighting the battle of the toy bulge. Recent...Read more »

• Join the Debt Movement (40 comments)

  This is a guest post from Jeff Rose, a Certified Financial Planner who writes about financial planning topics at Good Financial Cents. His first book, Soldier of Finance, is slated to be released the ...Read more »

• Honey’s financial goals for 2013 (126 comments)

  This post is by staff writer Honey Smith. Now that I've taken stock of where I've been in 2012, I'm ready to set goals for 2013. I want my goals to be ambitious enough that meeting them is a true...Read more »

• Reader Story: Pursue a dream to move to a new location (60 comments)

  This is a guest post from Jason Price from One Money Design. This summer, my wife and I took our kids on a family vacation to Disneyland in California. The Southern California weather, beaches and...Read more »

• Driven crazy by car loans (92 comments)

  My long commute means my car has a lot of miles on it. Right now, it's cruising up to 180,000 miles and still going strong. While we're hoping to make it to 250,000, approximately 30,000 miles goes ...Read more »

• The power of proclaiming your frugality (92 comments)

  Last week, I was paying for purchases at a store I frequent in my neighborhood. Routinely, the sales clerk asked me if I'd like to sign up for a store credit card. It wasn't the first time she'd ask...Read more »

• Taking stock of 2012 (89 comments)

  This post is by staff writer Honey Smith. For me, the end of the year is a time to take stock of where I've been. This not only helps me identify (and celebrate!) my accomplishments throu...Read more »

• Lowering expectations for Christmas (175 comments)

  This post is from new GRS staff writer Holly Johnson. Holly is a 32-year-old wife, mother of two, and frugal lifestyle enthusiast. She blogs about saving money, frugal habits, and whatever is on her...Read more »

• Adopting strategies to pay for big expenses (82 comments)

  I like the idea of financial independence, and if I'd had my way, we would have started our family once we had college fully funded for each child. Plus, a healthy emergency fund, a do-I-want-to-be-a-...Read more »

• Be thankful for the present amid planning the future (18 comments)

  In 2008, I decided to travel to Europe. I'd never been, and I was just about to make a big change in my career, so the opportunity might not present itself for a while. Thanksgiving fell near the...Read more »

• Setting my next financial goal (38 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Honey Smith. Ever since I paid off my consumer debt, I have been thinking about setting my next goal. Obviously paying off my student debt in its entirety is the lo...Read more »

• Reader Stories: When is a lifestyle upgrade OK? (37 comments)

  This post is from CYH, who is about to become a graduate student in another country so she's examining her lifestyle carefully. This story is one of our Reader Stories series. Some stories contain gen...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: How do you keep holiday tipping in check? (243 comments)

  This post comes from J. Whiton. I’m preparing a holiday gift budget for family and close friends and realize I should factor in year-end gifts and bonuses to myriad people who provide services t...Read more »

• Learning how to work a student discount (18 comments)

  This guest post from Steve Robinson is part of the “reader stories” feature at Get Rich Slowly. Steve writes for Homesales.com.au, an Australian real estate portal that caters to student shared ho...Read more »

• Foster kids “age out” without a financial education (33 comments)

  This post is by staff writer April Dykman. When Eddye was a senior in high school, her goal was to save money to buy a car. “I wanted to make sure I had reliable transportation for college,”...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: What is your hobby worth to you? (115 comments)

  This guest post was written by Jenny Saikwa. Our friends' weeks and weekends are crammed full of various pursuits - soccer, baseball, gardening, scrapbooking, calligraphy, swimming, dressage, saili...Read more »

• Spending in depth: the bagel budget (107 comments)

  This post is by new staff writer Honey Smith. One of my goals in taking a hard look at my budget is not to do too much at once. I want to make sure my changes stick and avoid making repaying debt a...Read more »

• Are you a compulsive spender? (15 comments)

  Following up on Kristin's post this morning, we thought we'd share this infographic about compulsive spending, which came from MoneyRates.com. Courtesy of: MoneyRates.com...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: Do Your Morals Cost You More? (163 comments)

  This is a guest post from personal finance writer Gwendolyn Pearce. I'm considering building a chicken coop. I'm thinking about this choice because paying over $5 for a dozen eggs seems ridicul...Read more »

• Redefining Frugality: Mistakes and Money Lessons Learned as a Freelancer (64 comments)

  Sitting on my desk as I write this is an application I should have filled out months ago. Twenty-two months ago, to be exact. It was then that I left my 40-hour-a-week office job, which included a ...Read more »

• Coping with Unplanned Medical Expenses (91 comments)

  This is a guest post from Jason Price from One Money Design. Dave Ramsey is right. He's always saying that you have to be prepared because of Murphy’s Law. Murphy eventually catches up to all of ...Read more »

• Earning More vs. Spending Less, Round 1: Housing (210 comments)

  Spending less than you earn can be accomplished by earning more, spending less, or both. Yet most people in the personal finance world tend to support one strategy over the other with greater fervor. ...Read more »

• When One Partner Won’t Budget (330 comments)

  This article is from new staff writer Honey Smith. In my last article at Get Rich Slowly, I gave the background on my income and expenses. My husband's income and expenses are a little more difficu...Read more »

• Saving for a Big Purchase (86 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Tim Sullivan. I love the jeans I’m wearing. I actually wear them almost four days a week. Chances are that if you see me, I’m wearing these jeans. They’re my on...Read more »

• Reader Story: When There Isn’t Enough (94 comments)

  This guest post from Daisy Bailey is part of the "reader stories" feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or...Read more »

• Where I’m Starting From: Honey’s Story (383 comments)

  This article is from new staff writer Honey Smith. Hello. I'm Honey Smith. I'm thrilled to be a part of the GRS community, though of course a little embarrassed that it's essentially as an object l...Read more »

• Frugal or Foolish? Our Cruise-Ship Wedding (200 comments)

  For the next week (or two), we'll be sharing "audition" pieces from folks interested in being new staff writers at Get Rich Slowly. Your job is to let us know what you think of each of these writers. ...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: How Much Do You Spend on Fun? (92 comments)

  Over the past year, I've occasionally used the "Ask the Readers" feature at Get Rich Slowly to poll people about their budgets and spending habits. So far, I've asked folks: How much do you spend...Read more »

• My Financial Evolution: Discovering What’s Right for Me (71 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Tim Sullivan. “I don’t know what they want from me. It’s like the more money we come across, the more problems we see.” — Notorious B.I.G. For a wh...Read more »

• Classifying Wants and Needs (80 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Tim Sullivan. We all have our ways of destressing after a long day. One of my weirdest and most beloved post-work, take-a-load-off strategies has always been cruis...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: One Expense Leads to Another? (111 comments)

  Have you ever bought something only to discover that this one purchase led to another? And another? And another? I have, and it's frustrating. Andrew thinks this sort of problem is frustrating, too...Read more »

• Finding Room for the Spontaneous (82 comments)

  This post is by staff writer Tim Sullivan. This past Friday, I got an e-mail from my uncle letting me know the Sox were here in Seattle. Since leaving Chicago, it’s rare that I get to see my hometo...Read more »

• The Costs and Benefits of the Family Dog (161 comments)

  This is a guest post by Justin Reames, who blogs at The Family Finances. Growing up, I remember watching shows like "Lassie" and movies like "Old Yeller" and "Where the Red Fern Grows". These wer...Read more »

• How I Stopped Excessive Gifting (117 comments)

  This post is by staff writer Tim Sullivan. Most of us struggle with some psychological aspect of money that can impede our savings. Whether it be the lure of clothing stores, nights out with friend...Read more »

• Reader Story: The Bonus of Bi-Weekly Pay (92 comments)

  This guest post from Corinne is part of the "reader stories" feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or fail...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: How to Save Money While Making Minimum Wage? (144 comments)

  It can be tough to get out of debt and build savings even if your income is above average. If it's average (or less), the challenge becomes even greater. And what if you're earning only minimum wage (...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: Income? Or Negative Savings? (92 comments)

  I've been fielding reader questions at Get Rich Slowly for almost six years now. In that time, we (you and I) have answered 202 questions, most of which have been about the Big Picture, about things t...Read more »

• Transportation: Friction Versus Finance (70 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sarah Gilbert. Though I've been car-free for years, I was recently left to ponder how we make transportation decisions when my local transit authority unveiled a new ...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: All I Ever Worry About is Money (183 comments)

  Though I try to keep the "Ask the Readers" column general so that the advice can apply to many people, sometimes I get specific questions that seem important enough to be addressed. That's the case th...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: How Much Do You Spend on Housing? (453 comments)

  Over the past few months, I've occasionally used the "Ask the Readers" feature at Get Rich Slowly to poll people about their budgets and spending habits. So far, I've asked folks to share their spendi...Read more »

• How to Spend a Tax Refund (126 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sarah Gilbert. For the past two years doing taxes has not been bearable: it's been terrific! I've used an online e-filing service for several years now after many ye...Read more »

• Detecting and Preventing Lifestyle Creep (82 comments)

  This is a guest post from freelance writer Jessica Ward. For three years, I’ve been patting myself on the back. The household expenses remain the same every month, and we’re getting out of de...Read more »

• How to Keep Your Thanksgiving Budget Thankfully Low (52 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sarah Gilbert. We're all skilled in the ways of the holiday budget; most of us start thinking about it in the fall, with most attention paid to Christmas gifts, feast...Read more »

• The Many Ways to Know and Control the Flow of Your Dough (57 comments)

  This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new articl...Read more »

• Reader Story: Adding to Our Family Without Subtracting from Our Budget (98 comments)

  This guest post from Mark is part of the "reader stories" feature at Get Rich Slowly. This seems like a natural follow-up to Friday's reader question about when to start a family. Some stories contain...Read more »

• Holiday Saving Tips: How to Grow Your Christmas Nest Egg (48 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and raising children at Childwild.com. Autumn is here and the leaves are just starting to turn. Belie...Read more »

• Budgeting Dilemma: How Do You Decide What You Can Afford? (101 comments)

  This is a guest post from No Debt MBA, who is trying to pay for an MBA from a top-five business school without student loans. This is a post that asks questions but offers no answers. My significa...Read more »

• Reader Story: Negative Budgeting and a Healthy Outlook on Life (52 comments)

  This guest post from Shara is part of the "reader stories" feature here at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general "how I did X" advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financia...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: But HOW Do You Track Every Penny You Spend? (186 comments)

  It's tough to dig out of debt (or make other changes to your spending habits) if you don't know where your money goes. I tried for years to turn things around, but was unsuccessful until I started tra...Read more »

• A Small Splurge: $8.25 Worth Of Fun (98 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and raising children at Childwild.com. The other day I went to a vintage clothing shop with a friend....Read more »

• How to Build a Better Budget (77 comments)

  This article on building a better budget is the written version of a workshop I gave last week at a local public library. It refines material from several past posts on the subject. If I'd planned ahe...Read more »

• Five Ways to Outwit the ATM (141 comments)

  This post is from GRS staff writer Donna Freedman. Donna writes a personal finance column for MSN Money. She also writes about frugality, intentional living, and life in general at her own blog, Survi...Read more »

• How I Spend My Money (117 comments)

  Earlier this month, I shared a new financial framework I've been developing, one that stresses earning, spending, and saving as the building blocks of personal finance. Last week, I elaborated by shar...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: I’ve Tracked My Expenses — Now What? (103 comments)

  At the end of August, a very patient Stephanie sent me an interesting question. When I didn't answer her e-mail, she sent it again in January. I replied, promising to post her question while I was in ...Read more »

• Back to the Stone Age: Low-Tech Expense Tracking (93 comments)

  This post is from staff writer April Dykman. As many of you know, before I was a GRS staff writer, I was a GRS reader and active commenter. I'd say the bulk of my early personal-finance education c...Read more »

• An 11-Year-Old’s First Budget (74 comments)

  This is a guest post from Andrea Deckard, who publishes Savings Lifestyle, a website that helps people save on what they need so they can spend on what they want. Growing up, my parents taught me v...Read more »

• How Budgeting Leads to Freedom (28 comments)

  This is a guest post from Gail Vaz-Oxlade, the host of the popular Til Debt Do U$ Part on CNBC (Saturday nights at 10 and 10:30). Gail is a columnist for MoneySense, Chatelaine, and Zoomer Magazine an...Read more »

• How to Cope with Budget Blow-Ups (41 comments)

  This is a guest post from Gail Vaz-Oxlade, the host of the popular Til Debt Do U$ Part on CNBC (Saturday nights at 10 and 10:30). Gail is a columnist for MoneySense, Chatelaine, and Zoomer Magazine an...Read more »

• Reader Story: How to Find Budgeting Nirvana with Mint.com (77 comments)

  This guest post from Geoff Lennon is part of the "reader stories" feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success &m...Read more »

• Reader Story: How Our Simple, No-Category, Mostly-Cash Budget Accidentally Paid Off the Car (42 comments)

  This guest post from Heather is part of the "reader stories" feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success —...Read more »

• My $132,683 Comcast Bill (100 comments)

  This is a guest post from Carl Hendley of The Motley Fool. He's substituting for Robert Brokamp, the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. Brokamp generally contributes one new...Read more »

• Finding My Spending Identity (31 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. Do you have a Spending Identity? You do, whether y...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: How Do You Build a Wardrobe on a Budget? (239 comments)

  If you were building your wardrobe from scratch, how would you do it? Would you prioritize quality? Would you emphasize cost? Or is there some happy balance between the two? That's what GRS reader aut...Read more »

• Budgeting For Mistakes (75 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. How carefully do you budget? Do you account for ev...Read more »

• The Quest for the Best Budget (38 comments)

  This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new articl...Read more »

• Where’s the Money, Honey? Why You MUST Track Your Spending (58 comments)

  This is a guest post from Gail Vaz-Oxlade, the host of the popular Til Debt Do U$ Part on CNBC (Saturday nights at 10 and 10:30). Gail is a columnist for Yahoo Canada, Chatelaine, and Zoomer Magazine ...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: Help! I’m Overwhelmed! How Do I Get Started? (153 comments)

  I'll admit it: I'm way behind on posting reader questions. I get tons of questions, and can never reply to all of them. I do ask a handful of folks if they'd like to put their problems to the general ...Read more »

• The Prioritized Spending Plan (65 comments)

  I don't often get to listen to Dave Ramsey's radio program. For one thing, I don't know when it's on. For another, the only radio stations I usually listen to are my satellite radio channels. (Those w...Read more »

• Reader Story: Patience and Persistence Pay Off (59 comments)

  This guest post from Alissa is part of the "reader stories" feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success — ...Read more »

• Investing in Your Life Pays Off in the Long Term (23 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. Simple living is great. Avoiding shopping malls in...Read more »

• The Legal Nomad on Saving for Travel (39 comments)

  As you've probably noticed, travel has become a priority in my life. There are number of reasons for this. For one, I love it. I love visiting other cities, other states, other countries. I love seein...Read more »

• Free Money-Management Spreadsheet (21 comments)

  Whenever I write about personal-finance programs, there's always a large contingent of GRS readers who chime in to say they prefer the do-it-yourself method. Rather than go with pre-packaged money-man...Read more »

• A Simple Question to Jump-Start Your Finances (57 comments)

  This video post by staff writer Adam Baker is the last of a four-part series. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled, Debt Tsunami: The Ultimate Method to Paying Off Debt. Court...Read more »

• Planning for Budget Busters: Home Ownership (41 comments)

  This video post is the third of a four-part series from staff writer Adam Baker. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled Cost of Living Abroad: Dozens of Bloggers Share Their Expense...Read more »

• Planning for Budget Busters: Transportation (42 comments)

  This video post is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled, 67 Ways NOT to Sell a Car. Courtney and I apply a fun name to any expense in our lives that...Read more »

• Attacking One Budget Category at a Time (32 comments)

  This video post is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled, 42 Ways to Radically Simplify your Financial Life. For many people, the process of personal...Read more »

• The Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of the Budget (93 comments)

  This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new articl...Read more »

• In Praise of Paying Yourself First (64 comments)

  Can you bear with me for one more labored metaphor? As I've mentioned a few times already, I'm in the midst of a successful fitness program. I've lost 20 pounds since the beginning of the year, and, m...Read more »

• Finding Your Financial Blind Spots (31 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. Every month, you spend money you don't need to. No...Read more »

• The 50-Percent Solution (50 comments)

  This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. When I started getting serious about frugal living...Read more »

• Fixed Expenses and Flexible Expenses: How to Budget for Both (55 comments)

  This post is from new staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. A few months ago, my local bank and I had a fa...Read more »

• How to Manage Your Financial Vices (96 comments)

  This article is by staff writer Adam Baker, whose own blog featured a real life negotiation example in the huge post Negotiation Tips for Beginners. Each of us have specific items or activities for...Read more »

• Plan Your Gift-Giving to Save Time and Money (32 comments)

  This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. Last Christmas, I had some great gift ideas: They were heartfelt, they were personalized — and they couldn’t just be bought at a store. We’re ...Read more »

• My 2009 Discretionary Spending: Bits and Pieces (160 comments)

  Every January since I started Get Rich Slowly, I've done an annual round-up of my discretionary spending. That's not going to happen this year. The numbers are hopelessly muddled by events that create...Read more »

• Where’s Your Financial Comfort Level? (138 comments)

  This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the advisor for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new articl...Read more »

• Start Saving For Next Year’s Christmas Today (40 comments)

  This article is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker recently listed the Top 10 Money Movies of the Decade. Baker and his family are spending their holiday season hiking around the south island of New Ze...Read more »

• Don’t Let Irregular Expenses Wreck Your Budget (or Drain Your Emergency Fund) (111 comments)

  This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. Right before our Thanksgiving trip, the AC went out on our vehicle. $600 later, we had a functioning AC. What a way to start a camping trip.  Th...Read more »

• Why I Broke Down and Joined Mint (111 comments)

  This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. I haven't tracked our expenses since June. Not to appear completely incompetent, I do check our accounts on a regular basis to verify the charges...Read more »

• Household Budgeting Made Easy (29 comments)

  This is a guest post by Austin Frakt, a health economist and university professor. You can find more by Austin at The Incidental Economist, a blog about personal finance, economics, and health care, a...Read more »

• The Personal Finance Hour, Episode 25: Why Does Everyone Hate Budgeting? (18 comments)

  On today's episode of The Personal Finance Hour, I'll join Jim from Bargaineering to discuss personal budgets. What works and what doesn't? And why are so many people scared of them? (Personal fin...Read more »

• Green Sherpa: An Online Cash-Flow Management Tool (21 comments)

  A couple of months ago, I posted a list of 16 alternatives to Microsoft Money. GRS readers left nearly 200 responses evaluating the various personal finance programs available on the web and for the d...Read more »

• Making the Most of Small Windfalls (74 comments)

  It's a big day at Get Rich Slowly HQ. Later this morning, I'll speak with my book editor for the first time. This project is about to devour large chunks of my life. Fortunately, the new Staff Writers...Read more »

• The “Do-I-Have-Enough-For-This?” Effect (53 comments)

  This is a guest post from Baker, who writes about personal finance at Man vs. Debt. Baker is a potential Staff Writer for Get Rich Slowly. His first post described the many advantages of couchsurfing....Read more »

• How to Budget for an Irregular Income (70 comments)

  I've been a full-time professional blogger for more than a year now. It's been a fantastic experience, a sort of dream come true. But blogging for dollars is not without its drawbacks. As I've shared ...Read more »

• More Month Than Money: Tightening Your Food Budget While Feeding Your Family Well (42 comments)

  The July/August issue of Countryside (one of my favorite magazines) contains an article from Tracy Rimmer about how she saves money on food. In the article, Rimmer mentions her website, New Century Ho...Read more »

• Learning to Budget with the JARS System (72 comments)

  This is a guest post from Steve Martile, a life coach and the author of the personal-growth blog Freedom Education. Here he describes a budgeting system that actually reminds me of Elizabeth Warren's ...Read more »

• Eating Organic on a Frugal Budget (46 comments)

  Is it possible to eat local organic food on a food-stamp budget? That's the question Salon's Siobhan Phillips set out to answer recently. For one month, Phillips and her husband gave themselves a budg...Read more »

• My First Budget: Drafting a Plan for Discretionary Spending (98 comments)

  I've decided to develop a budget. This probably sounds strange coming from a guy who has been anti-budget all his life. Besides, haven't I paid off all my debt? Don't I have a positive cash-flow of...Read more »

• How to Live Well on Less in Retirement (65 comments)

  Though I'm not close to retirement myself, one GRS reader recently sent me a link to an article from the monthly newsletter from AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons). In the April 2009 i...Read more »

• The Per-Diem System: An Easy Way to Budget Your Spending Money (52 comments)

  This is a guest post from Spencer, a GRS reader in New York. As a guy who just finished paying off $14,000 in credit card debt, I wanted to share one tip that helped me get over the bad debt hump. ...Read more »

• My Mini and the Power of Saving (225 comments)

  For the past two years, one of my top financial goals has been to save for a Mini Cooper. Just like a child with a toy catalog, I've spent hours on the Mini website playing with colors and options pac...Read more »

• Why We Chose a 30-Year Mortgage (125 comments)

  Last week, I announced that Kris and I have refinanced our mortgage at 4.96% for 30 years. In the comments, Ian expressed disappointment that we'd opted for the longer term when we could have afforded...Read more »

• Save Money with Regular Home Maintenance (49 comments)

  In 2004, Kris and I bought a hundred-year-old farmhouse. We'd been living in a 1976 ranch-style home that was virtually maintenance-free. We knew that our new house was quirky, and that it needed some...Read more »

• Money Hack: The Monthly Checkbook Sweep (70 comments)

  At dinner the other night, T.S. told me about a new trick she's developed to force herself to save money. It used to be that she'd just spend whatever she had in her checkbook. She didn't spend more t...Read more »

• The Ten-Minute Budget (33 comments)

  This is a guest post from Erica Douglass. Erica sold her successful business and "temporarily retired" at age 26. Having made over $1 million online, she is now sharing her business knowledge with ove...Read more »

• Your Thrift Habits: Money Tips from 1948 (21 comments)

  For this final day of Thrift Week 2009, Get Rich Slowly revisits a short thrift film that I first featured in May 2007. Over the past few years, I've shared a number of old cartoons and educational...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: When Is It Okay to Spend Your Savings? (84 comments)

  Amanda wrote with a question this week that I think many GRS readers can relate to: When is it okay to spend your savings? My husband is currently unemployed so we're just living on my salary, b...Read more »

• My 2008 Discretionary Spending: Progress and Challenges (75 comments)

  For nearly three years, I've chronicled my adventures as I learn about money management. I've dug myself out of debt, quit my job to write full time, and begun to build wealth. But how well do I pract...Read more »

• Coldplay and the Cost of Fun (71 comments)

  J.D. is on vacation. This is a guest post from Mandy Hering. How can people afford fun these days? I ask this question because my husband and I recently attended a Coldplay concert. We bought ...Read more »

• In Praise of the Adult Allowance (193 comments)

  In the past, many Get Rich Slowly readers have sung the praises of the "adult allowance". Though I've read enthusiastic comments supporting this idea, I've never paid it much heed. To be honest, it's ...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: How Do Children Affect Financial Priorities? (90 comments)

  When you're on your own (or even with a partner), money decisions are generally straight-forward. You set personal goals and you work toward them. But what happens when you add children to the mix? Ho...Read more »

• The Debt-to-Income Ratio: How Much House Can You Afford? (139 comments)

  Housing is the largest expense in the budget of most families. But how much is too much to spend on shelter? An article in Saturday's New York Times contains a shocking example of one woman who crosse...Read more »

• Could You Eat Healthfully on One Dollar a Day? (93 comments)

  "How much does it really cost to eat a healthy diet?" asks Tara Parker-Pope in a recent New York Times article. Among other findings, she notes: Nearly a billion people, or about 15% of the world...Read more »

• Kids Who Are Smart With Money (38 comments)

  I sometimes like to highlight my favorite reader comments. That's difficult because there are so many great ones to choose from. But in a recent discussion about kids and cash, Mick left this absolute...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: Twenty-Something Needs Help! (191 comments)

  In general, when I share reader questions, I try to keep them as broad as possible. I get a lot of requests for advice about specific situations, but I try to steer those to the Get Rich Slowly discus...Read more »

• The Balanced Money Formula (83 comments)

  Building a budget is one of the basic tasks of personal finance. But not everyone can keep a budget. As much as I'd like to, I don't feel comfortable with detailed planning. I continue to use a spendi...Read more »

• A Practical Wedding (39 comments)

  Speaking of weddings, Kate F. wrote the other day to share a tip: I am just starting the wedding planning process and have been really disheartened by the wedding industry and the realization that ...Read more »

• Funding the Future with a Financial Savings Plan (21 comments)

  When do I want to retire? How much do I want to have saved? What sorts of things do I want to accomplish before then? I've begun to think seriously about these questions lately. Jim at Blueprint fo...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: Smart Shopping for Big-Ticket Items? (56 comments)

  Shopping for expensive items can be a tense, frustrating experience. You're never sure you're choosing the best product or getting the best deal. Jason recently wrote looking for help: After read...Read more »

• The Power of Attentive Spending (26 comments)

  This is a guest post from Kevin, who writes about getting and staying out of debt with a plan at No-Debt Plan. Saving money and the frugal mentality are all about awareness. If you're in the dark a...Read more »

• The Budget Toolbox: 13 Tools for Building a Better Budget (55 comments)

  Sara's been reading personal finance blogs for a while now, and she's ready to set up a budget. She's come to us for help. She writes: I would like to start listing my spending totals into a spread...Read more »

• Saving for Baby: Making the Move from Two Salaries to One (41 comments)

  This is a guest post from Corrinne Fisher, who is transitioning from career woman to stay-at-home mom. I stared down at the two pink stripes on the pregnancy test with the same feeling one has when...Read more »

• Building a Better Budget: Think Yearly, Not Monthly (26 comments)

  If you struggle with keeping a budget, it may be because you're trying to predict your spending in time chunks that are just too small. A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found ...Read more »

• SmartyPig: A Goal-Oriented Savings Account (50 comments)

  Have you ever wanted to pool your money with friends or family to save toward a common goal? While it's possible to do this with paper and pencil, it'd be easier if there were an online service to aut...Read more »

• A Quick and Dirty Budget (21 comments)

  I'm not a budgeter. I'm not able to sit down and draft a detailed budget. I use a spending plan instead, which is a sort of road map to the where I want to go, but which does not contained detailed di...Read more »

• Do-It-Yourself Landscaping Can Save Thousands (28 comments)

  This is the first post from Winston, the new GRS editorial assistant. My wife and I have saved thousands of dollars by landscaping our own yard. Four years ago, we were feeling overwhelmed by ou...Read more »

• Use a No-Spend Month to Become Mindful of Money (45 comments)

  Yesterday, Amy Jo pointed me to a site called SmallNotebook.org where Rachel is nearing the end of a self-imposed No-Spend Month. Though the name is something of a misnomer — this exercise is mo...Read more »

• Funding the Future: The Benefits of Being Flexible (4 comments)

  This is a guest post by Christopher L. Jones, author of The Intelligent Portfolio. The following is an excerpt from his book. During the meandering path of our lifetimes, there are many types of fi...Read more »

• Use a Personal Escrow Account to Budget for Non-Monthly Expenses (50 comments)

  Charlotte wrote recently to share a new system she's developed for handling her non-monthly expenses. She calls it "personal escrow". Most homeowners are familiar with the notion of escrow. Each mo...Read more »

• How to Open Multiple Accounts at ING (now Capital One 360) (100 comments)

  One of my favorite saving techniques is the use of targeted accounts. If I want to save for something big — like a Mini Cooper, for example — I'll open a new savings account specifically f...Read more »

• Money Tips from Consumer Reports (19 comments)

  The August 2008 issue of Consumer Reports — one of my favorite personal finance magazines — features two articles that may be of interest to readers of Get Rich Slowly. The first offers ti...Read more »

• My Mid-Year Financial Checkup: I Am Spending Too Much on Food (126 comments)

  "Want to go out to dinner?" I asked Kris last Monday night. "No," she said. "Want to go out to dinner?" I asked Kris last Tuesday night. "No," she said. I asked her again on Wednesday and...Read more »

• How to Track Travel Expenses and Stick to a Vacation Budget (37 comments)

  This is a guest post from Debbie Dubrow, who writes about traveling with babies, toddlers, and kids at Delicious Baby. Her site contains personal travel stories, family-friendly city guides, and lots ...Read more »

• Use a Freedom Account to Prepare for the Unexpected (54 comments)

  My wife has always maintained a sizable savings account, but having extra cash is new to me. Until recently, I had always lived paycheck-to-paycheck, often treading close to a zero dollar balance in m...Read more »

• A Glimpse at the Spending of the Average American (41 comments)

  On Saturday, The New York Times published a brilliant chart illustrating the spending of the average American: "Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics gathers 84,000 prices in about 200 cat...Read more »

• Building Your First Budget (52 comments)

  This article is part of Financial Literacy Month. I've never been a budgeter. Budgets seem too prescriptive to me — I prefer to use a "spending plan" instead. But after a month as a full-time...Read more »

• Use “Reverse Credit” to Stick to Your Budget (75 comments)

  Ralph sent me e-mail last week describing a clever budget trick he picked up from a friend: My wife and I had dinner last night with a couple of of young women we know. We talked a little about p...Read more »

• Budgeting: The Most Important Thing You Can Do With Your Money (35 comments)

  This is a guest post from Joshua Timberman, whose passion for personal finance started after reading Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover. He became debt-free in November. He is the Financial Peace ...Read more »

• A Free and Simple Budget Planner (45 comments)

  During past discussions of on-line money-tracking tools and desktop software, many Get Rich Slowly readers have sung the praises of home-brew budget planners built using Microsoft Excel. In this guest...Read more »

• 2007 Discretionary Spending: The Highs and Lows (76 comments)

  I write a lot about personal finance, but how well do I practice what I preach? For the most part, I follow my own advice. Much of what I write here is based on personal experience. But my financial l...Read more »

• How to Automate Your Personal Finances (52 comments)

  For the past few months, I've been moving toward a system of paperless personal finance. In this guest post from Paul Lussier, he explains his own automated system. Lately J.D. has been talking a l...Read more »

• An Introduction to Quicken Online (71 comments)

  Intuit releases a new product today: Quicken Online, a web-based version of its popular personal finance software. I'm a long-time Quicken user, so when Jodi and Jim from Intuit offered to give me a p...Read more »

• Book Review: All Your Worth (39 comments)

  Three years ago, I decided to get out of debt. I hit the books, reading one personal finance title after another, searching for answers. Two books — Your Money or Your Life and The Total Money M...Read more »

• Setting and Achieving Financial Goals (37 comments)

  For three years I've had a single goal directing my actions: I wanted to get out of debt. Now that my consumer debt is nearly gone, I've spent a lot of time wondering what to do next. I was worried th...Read more »

• Mint: A Fresh New On-Line Personal Finance Tool (115 comments)

  In this guest post, SC takes a look at Mint, one of the recent batch of on-line financial management tools. I haven't had a chance to use the site, so SC volunteered to write about his experiences. ...Read more »

• The Spending Plan: Budgeting for Non-Budgeters (187 comments)

  Three commenters on this post will win free copies Quicken Deluxe 2008 for Windows. Read on for details! I've never been able to keep a budget. They're a great tool for many people, but for me a bu...Read more »

• Budgeting with an Irregular Income (21 comments)

  Does your income vary from paycheck-to-paycheck? This can make it difficult to plan your spending, but Aaron dropped a line with a trick he's developed to adhere to a budget: Here's a financial h...Read more »

• Save on Groceries with ‘Strike-Point Shopping’ (30 comments)

  DM wrote to share his favorite grocery tip. As the primary cook and grocery-getter in our household, I've discovered that there are certain pantry and household items that we use more than others...Read more »

• Budgeting for Vacation, and While I’m Away (17 comments)

  When my mother-in-law called last Christmas Eve, she asked me to put Kris on the other line. "I have something I want to tell both of you," she said. I was worried. Was something wrong? "What's the...Read more »

• Personal Finance for Nine-Year-Olds: How to Save for a Backhoe (18 comments)

  The youngest reader of Get Rich Slowly might just be C.J., who is nine-and-a-half ("almost a teenager"). C.J. recently started his own fiscal fitness journal in the Get Rich Slowly discussion forums. ...Read more »

• How I Escaped from Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck (45 comments)

  Many of you wrote last week to say that I was too harsh on my friend Gillian, the woman with the "I can't" attitude. Perhaps you're right — I may have given up too early. I used to live like she...Read more »

• You Are Your Own Worst Enemy (108 comments)

  My friend Gillian called the other day — she's been having money trouble and was looking for help. "I'm not really a financial advisor," I told her. "I write about money, and I try to help peopl...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: What’s the Best Way to Save for a Down Payment? (50 comments)

  When I asked recently for topics you'd like to see covered at Get Rich Slowly, many of you expressed interest in learning more about how to purchase a home. Jason sent the following question: ...Read more »

• Commandment #4: Be Frugal (20 comments)

  Last night while cleaning the house, I found some old papers. Among the many memories, I found a document entitled "J.D.'s Ten Commandments". I can't tell exactly when I wrote this, but I'd guess it w...Read more »

• Your Thrift Habits: Budgeting Lessons from 1948 (13 comments)

  Recently I stumbled on some old instructional films at A/V Geeks, including this little honey: "Your Thrift Habits". Produced in 1948 by Coronet Instructional Films, it's filled with great advice, and...Read more »

• The Get Rich Slowly Budget Workbook (Version 2.0) (36 comments)

  Last month Stephen Popick shared his home-grown budget spreadsheet with GRS readers. He listened to your suggestions and went back to the drawing board. Here is with an updated version.   Growing u...Read more »

• Budget Spreadsheet Corrections (14 comments)

  Astute readers have spotted a couple of errors in the simple budget spreadsheet I shared yesterday. I've made corrections and re-posted the file: Stephen's simple budget spreadsheet Please l...Read more »

• A Simple Budget Spreadsheet (15 comments)

  Wanting to start a budget? Intimidated by all the choices? Just want something simple to get you going? Stephen P. created his own budget spreadsheet, and he's offered to share it with Get Rich Slowly...Read more »

• Why a Budget Should Be Based on Real-Life (7 comments)

  Martin warns that sometimes unexpected expenses can blow a budget. This is my first year out of college. This is my first year with a job. This is my first year handling my finances for real in the...Read more »

• How To Protect Yourself From Lifestyle Inflation (37 comments)

  Jonathan at My Money Blog has been writing about personal finance for two years now. Here's some excellent advice on the standard-of-living trap. One thing I worry about is lifestyle inflation. N...Read more »

• Ask the Readers: Help for a Broke New Yorker? (37 comments)

  Amanda is in a bind. She's making all the right financial moves, but they've left her feeling broke. She's come to the Get Rich Slowly readers for help. I'm 23. I've been out of college and working...Read more »

• Reader Question: Methods for Tracking Expenses? (19 comments)

  One excellent way to spend less than you earn is to track every penny you spend. But how detailed should you be? Jamie's been struggling with this question. He writes: I have begun to track all m...Read more »

• You, Inc.: How to Be the CFO of Your Own Life (19 comments)

  Many people could improve their personal finances if they simply viewed themselves as a business. In this guest entry, Flexo from Consumerism Commentary explains how he's become the Chief Financial Of...Read more »

• Survey: Money and Marriage (22 comments)

  Here's an excellent question from a Get Rich Slowly reader. While I try my best to "get rich slowly" I have one huge issue: a husband. My husband likes to spend money. I'm referred to as the "Thr...Read more »

• How to Escape from Debt Hell (6 comments)

  Reader Russell Heimlich forwarded an excellent MSN Money piece on Escaping from Debt Hell. It's hard to escape the news that Americans are drowning in personal debt, but you hear less about the man...Read more »

• Three Reasons Most Budgets Don’t Work (and How To Fix Them) (2 comments)

  Samuel Peery believes there are three reasons most budgets don't work. Most people get too discouraged trying to get a budget to work. They spend hours trying to figure out how much to budget in ea...Read more »

• Want to Save? Give up the Big Things! (9 comments)

  My wife — the NPR addict — pointed me to a Marketplace commentary by Amelia Tyagi. Tyagi says not to focus on small expenses, but to focus on big expenses. You can listen to the piece in...Read more »

• An Effective Three-Step Budget (12 comments)

  Budgets can be intimidating, especially to somebody just beginning to gain control of her personal finances. So many things to track, so many concepts to learn. And it's all so tedious. In The Only In...Read more »

• Cool Tool: The AIM BudgetBot (4 comments)

  Get Rich Slowly-reader David points to the AIM BudgetBot, posted yesterday at Lifehacker. Adam Pash writes: I used to save all of my receipts with a half-assed intention to reconcile them when I go...Read more »

• How Budgeting Can Improve Your Life (6 comments)

  This about.com Twelve reasons budgeting can improve your life article is hot on the internet right now, and for good reason: it offers good motivation to establish a budget. I've collected a pile of o...Read more »

• Budgeting for Non-Budgeters: The 60% Solution (15 comments)

  Richard Jenkins at MSN Money has developed what he believes is a simpler way to save. Fed up with budgets that were a burden to implement, Jenkins came up with his own easy method to determine how muc...Read more »

• YMOYL 2006 Review (4 comments)

  This is a guest post by Cat Connor. Every year I try to review the steps in Your Money or Your Life to see how we're doing.  It's been about two years since my last review, but much to my delight,...Read more »

• PearBudget (6 comments)

  "Track everything you spend" is one of the key steps to getting rich slowly. It's easy to do this after the fact using a personal ledger or software such as Quicken. But how do you plan for expenses? ...Read more »

• How to Budget Effectively (0 comment)

  Sally's Kitchen has tips on How to Budget Effectively, including an Excel spreadsheet template for download. There are some great ideas and suggestions here, simple things like: print out a small copy...Read more »