budget
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Monthly Account Reconciliation: A Simple Guide for Financial Control
When I talk to my younger siblings, and to my younger cousins, as well as to fellow personal finance bloggers in their 20s, I notice something interesting: Most of the people I know don’t reconc
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Selling Your Home During Financial Hardship: 5 Key Reasons
People often defend their homes with every fiber of their being. No matter what’s happening, or how bad it gets, the homestead must be protected at all costs. I kind of understand that conviction. But
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Cutting Cable TV: Does It Actually Save You Money?
Talk about the need to cut living expenses, and the conversation will inevitably go toward eliminating cable TV. It’s a solid suggestion, but the problem is that it doesn’t always save money. Sure, yo
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Financial Health & Physical Well-being: A Strong Connection
No matter the time of year, it’s never a bad time to set new goals and work toward a better you. Two of the areas that most of us like to improve are our finances and health. If you are consider
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Buying a Used Car from a Rental Company: A Smart Alternative
If you want to buy a used car, you generally have two choices: either buy from an individual, or subject yourself to the pressure tactics of a used car dealership. Either way, it can be tough to know
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Navigating Challenges: Understanding the Millennial Generation
The Millennial Generation – the roughly 80 million people born between 1980 and 2000 – is looking to be something of a lost generation. They came too late to benefit from the Post World Wa
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Tax Diversification for Retirement: Protect Your Savings
While people consider the task of preparing for retirement – mostly saving and properly investing for it – they may overlook an important consideration. Retirement planning needs to include tax divers
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Renting vs. Buying: 5 Situations Where Renting is Financially Smarter
I think we can generally agree that for most people, owning a home is better than renting, especially from a financial standpoint. But are there times when renting makes more sense than owning a home?
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Missing the Tax Deadline? Penalties, Extensions & What to Do
Tax Day is right around the corner, and if you have already filed your taxes, that means you can relax – tax season is over until next year! But if you didn’t file your taxes or didn’
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Second Car Strategies: Why a Reliable, Affordable Beater Makes Sense
Many families subscribe to the belief that there should be at least one car for each adult member of every household. Often, that arrangement includes late-model cars. And with late-model cars, that m
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Affordability Crisis: Stories of Homebuyers Priced Out of Coastal Markets
Recently, I saw an article on CNN Money that looks at the stories of six people priced out of their housing markets. Many of these folks are looking in urban areas on the coasts. As you might imagine,
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Should You Remodel Your Home? Weighing the Costs & Benefits
My parents just finished remodeling their kitchen. They changed the layout, and installed new cabinets, countertops, and flooring. The result is a much more open kitchen, and one that looks updated an
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Protect Your Investment: 10 Ways to Preserve Your Car's Value
A lot of car owners become concerned with the value of their cars only when it comes time to sell them. But cars don’t lose value overnight, unless of course they undergo an accident. The value of you
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How to Cancel Your Cell Phone Contract Without Fees: Expert Strategies
The early termination fees that cell phone companies charge are outrageous! Most companies charge anywhere from $150-200 to cancel your contract before you fulfill the terms. In the past I got out of
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Effective Savings Strategies: Prioritize & Track Your Financial Progress
There is a famous quote attributed to Peter Williams that states, “You can have anything you want. You just can’t have everything you want.” There is a lot of wisdom in that statement. It exemp
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Manual vs. Automated Spending Tracking: Which is Right for You?
For many consumers, the rise of financial apps like Mint are exciting. These types of apps make it easy to track spending, and look for patterns. However, these types of apps that automatically track
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File for a Tax Extension: A Quick Guide to Avoid Penalties
I still haven’t filed my taxes. I know, I’m running out of time. I don’t really have an excuse other than trying to do too many things at once. I should have time to finish my taxes
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Down Payment Savings: Strategies for Homeownership
Unlike most items we purchase these days, a house isn’t something that you can go out and buy today if you decided that you wanted to. It can take months or years of planning before you’re ready to pr
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The Benefits of Strategic Splurges: Can Indulgence Be Good for Your Finances?
We are used to thinking of splurges in negative terms. A splurge is often an unplanned purchase — especially if that unplanned purchase is of something you don’t need. With the prevailing
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Government Shutdown Explained: Causes, Consequences, and History
For the last two and a half years, the government has been playing a game of chicken with the budget. And a lot of people are left nervously watching on the sidelines. The problem boils down to passin
budget
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- Budgeting with Spreadsheets: A Simple Guide to Financial Control
- Affordable Fun Ideas: Budget-Friendly Activities & Socializing
- Free Meal Planning Templates: Simplify Your Meals & Save Money
- First Apartment Budget: A Complete Guide for Independent Living
- The True Cost of Instant Gratification: Are We Paying Too Much for Convenience?
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Personal Capital vs. Mint: A Comprehensive Comparison (2024)Which finance platform should you use — Personal Capital or Mint? This is a common question because both companies offer popular online finance tools. At a glance, they seem similar. Both Personal Cap...
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Budget Tracker: Monitor Your Financial Goals EasilyFinancial goals? Oh you’ve got ’em. You’re saving for your next laptop, a sweet summer vacation, and a bathroom remodel all at the same time. Wouldn’t it be just dandy to glance at ...
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Closing a Checking Account: A Step-by-Step GuideNot all banking relationships last forever. At some point, you may be ready to trade in an old bank account for a new one with better features, lower fees or a higher interest-earning...
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Airbnb Hosting for Retirees: A Guide to Profitable SharingAccording to Airbnb, the number of experiences hosted by people 60 years and older has grown by nearly 1,100 percent over the past year. In fact, the United States tops Airbnb’s list of countr...