Budgeting


If you’re new here, you may want to learn what this site is about. I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!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 [...]

[read all of Setting and Achieving Financial Goals]

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.
Mint is a new website that claims it will help you organize your finances, automate your financial life, and [...]

[read all of Mint: A Fresh New On-Line Personal Finance Tool]

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 budget is a recipe for failure. It’s too fussy. I can’t stick to it. When I don’t stick to [...]

[read all of The Spending Plan: Budgeting for Non-Budgeters]

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 hack I use because my income is so irregular. It would work as a budgeting tool for regular folks too:
I get my commission [...]

[read all of Budgeting with an Irregular Income]

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. In our case, it’s things like: canned chicken broth, canned tomatoes, frozen ground turkey, and Diet Pepsi. These are things that I [...]

[read all of Save on Groceries with ‘Strike-Point Shopping’]

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 matter?” Kris asked.
“Hold onto your seats,” her mother said. “Your dad and I have a surprise for you. We’re [...]

[read all of Budgeting for Vacation, and While I’m Away]

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. He writes:

I want to get rich so I can buy a backhoe. A real one, because that’s the job I want to do. [...]

[read all of Personal Finance for Nine-Year-Olds: How to Save for a Backhoe]

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 does, and if I can turn it around, anyone can.
For a decade I was [...]

[read all of How I Escaped from Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck]

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 people at my web site, but I’m not qualified to coach you one-on-one.” Still, she’s a friend, so I [...]

[read all of You Are Your Own Worst Enemy]

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:

What’s the best vehicle to save money for a house? I’m probably more than a year from purchasing my first real estate. [...]

[read all of Ask the Readers: What’s the Best Way to Save for a Down Payment?]

« Previous PageNext Page »