Sarah Winfrey's blog
Posted 3 days 10 hours ago by Sarah Winfrey
Shopping
Shopping for clothes doesn't have to be painful: not to your wallet, not to you schedule, and (most importantly) not to your poor, aching brain. Taking the simple step of deciding beforehand which sorts of items are worth the splurge and which ones you won't pay anything above rock-bottom for can take the aches and pains out of the most dreaded shopping trips. Click through for some basic guidelines and you'll be ready to attack that list.
full story
Posted 13 weeks 2 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Frugal Living
We've all heard that less is more. If you're like me, you've also heard at least a million ways to apply that. But is the opposite ever true? Do we ever save in the long run by spending more in the moment?
full story
Posted 17 weeks 3 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Food and Drink
Are you skipping dessert because it just costs too much, either in money, time, or calories? Skip no more! Read on for ideas to make dessert easy, affordable, and healthier than ever.
full story
Posted 21 weeks 3 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Investment
Poker's not just about gambling anymore! Interested in investing? Have a lot of poker know-how but not much in the world of finances? Need an excuse to play some more? Read on for some thoughts about how playing poker can enhance your investing.
full story
Posted 25 weeks 3 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
General Tips
Whatever holidays you celebrate in November, December, and January, they're over now. We spend November and December gearing up, getting ready, anticipating days off from work, travel, good food, and good times with people we love. Then January hits, and that's all over. Not only that, but the bills for all that hope and anticipation start arriving and we go back to our normal daily routine. It's no wonder if we sometimes look up and ask if the holidays really meant anything after all.
Seasons of letdown are difficult for the human spirit. They just are. There's not any way around that. But there are ways to lessen the impact of a letdown, any letdown, has on you.
full story
Posted 29 weeks 4 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Art and Leisure
When I was growing up, I looked forward to the mysterious day that would come anywhere from a month to a couple of weeks before Christmas, when my mom would call us and everyone in the family would drop everything and "make Christmas." That's what we called the putting up of decorations, the choosing of the Christmas tree, and its decorating. That day started a whole sub-season for us, where the house would be filled with the most amazing smells and there were always cookies and candy canes and enough hot apple cider for as many cold, snowy kids as walked through the front door.
Now that I'm the adult in my house, I'm finding that making Christmas is suddenly my job. And it's expensive. ARGH! Let me tell you, it's almost been enough to send me running down the street barefooted, calling for anyone available to please (PLEASE!) make Christmas for me.But I persevered (aren't you all relieved?) and here is some of what I learned.
full story
Posted 33 weeks 4 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Entrepreneurship, Small Business Resource Center
Thinking about starting your own business but concerned about the economy? Feeling the pull of being your own boss but wondering if that could possibly be a good decision under the current circumstances? Then you'll be relieved to find out that 92% of existing entrepreneurs say they'd have started their business regardless of the economic climate. But how do you do it? What do you need to consider when you start a business during an economic crunch? I talked to some people who've started businesses within the last year, and this is what they have to say.
full story
Posted 37 weeks 4 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
General Tips
It's your time and your money. But if you don't choose how you're going to think about them, you might end up frustrated and unsatisfied with the life you live. Here are some common theories of time and money, and some ideas about determining what's important to you.
full story
Posted 40 weeks 3 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Health and Beauty
Ladies, are any of you out there like me? I hate buying clothes for work, because I know that work is the only place I'll wear them. They aren't particularly comfortable, and they certainly aren't my style outside of the office. On top of that, work clothes tend to cost more than any other clothes I buy. In fact, sometimes I feel like I should get an extra stipend just because I have to buy an entirely separate wardrobe full of clothes I would never otherwise choose to wear so that I can be presentable at the office.
Over the years, I've learned how to stretch my money when it comes to buying work clothes, so I can spend more of it on something I really want. Here are some of my ideas...
full story
Posted 41 weeks 6 hours ago by Sarah Winfrey
Personal Finance
In case you hadn't noticed, stock markets around the world have done some crazy things this week. At this point, I think we're all a little lightheaded, wondering if we should be worried and, if so, how worried. It's scary when people compare our current situation to The Great Depression and issue dire warnings about not withdrawing all of our money from the bank. It's even scarier when some of those predictions seem to come true. Panic seems the natural response, and yet we know that won't help the situation. So what do we do? What can we tell ourselves when doubts and insecurity start to creep in?
full story
Posted 42 weeks 10 hours ago by Sarah Winfrey
Personal Finance
Do you feel lost at the very idea of having a budget, let alone a comprehensive financial plan? Does it make your head hurt to think about how much you make and how much you spend? Does keeping track of your finances make you tired?
Relax.
It's not as scary as it sounds. it's not as scary as it looks. In fact, planning where your money goes doesn't have to be scary at all.
full story
Posted 43 weeks 3 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Personal Finance
You know how it goes. One minute, you have extra money sitting in the bank just waiting for you to play with it. The next, your car needs repaired, or the cat gets sick, or the roof falls in and there's no way you can afford the bills without dipping into savings. Not only has your "fun money" disappeared, but so has some of your emergency fund, general savings fund, or goal-oriented savings fund. And we all know what happens next: more catastrophe, more bills, more dipping in when you meant with all your will to save this month. What we do when the savings numbers are slipping backwards like this can determine how much we actually lose during the drought and how quickly we bounce back.
full story
Posted 46 weeks 2 days ago by Sarah Winfrey
Investment
"Pa-doink" is the sound you hear when something small and heavy hits water. Think about a child throwing a coin into the fountain at a shopping mall: a toss and a pa-doink later, there's one more wish waiting to be granted and one more coin collecting at the bottom of the pool. I heard a story once about a man whose job it was to clean those coins out of the fountain. Twelve years later, the change from the bottom of the mall's fountain put his daughter through college.
full story
Posted 1 year 2 weeks ago by Sarah Winfrey
Lifestyle
Do your normal financial routines feel blah? Does saving not give you the same rush that it used to? Does investing feel overwhelming, dull, or uninteresting? Then maybe you're managing your money with your head and not with your heart. While the idea is counterintuitive to most frugal people, listening to your heart when it comes to your money can help you create financial routines that stick with you, even through the most drastic of life's changes.
full story
Posted 1 year 9 weeks ago by Sarah Winfrey
Shopping
I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I'll just say it like it is. All the hype around Mother's Day is ricidulous. For a holiday that's supposed to celebrate the precious relationship between a mother and her child, there sure is a lot to distract me from that relationship. Over the years, I've come up with some ways to give to my mom that avoid all the hype and the sappy generic-ness of the holiday as its often celebrated.
full story
Posted 1 year 17 weeks ago by Sarah Winfrey
Art and Leisure
So you've decided to take the plung and make this summer the one where you take your dream trip to Europe. Or Thailand. Or Australia. Or all of the above. But you survey your luggage situation and find, much to your chagrin, that you are in dire straights indeed. Do you need a bag that's extremely portable, because you don't know what sort of situation you'll find yourself in? Do you need one that can handle a sizable load but still remain manageable? Do you need something you won't be ashamed of in your posh hotel? Whatever shall you do?
full story
Posted 1 year 19 weeks ago by Sarah Winfrey
Art and Leisure
You live in it. It's your work space, your meal space, your resting space, your relaxing space. It's where you drop your things when you come home and where you search for them before you leave again. It's your living room, the place where much of your life unfolds. It's easy to let this room be the "whatever" room, the room where all the old or natty furniture goes because you don't have another place for it or money to buy more. This room, however, sets the tone for your day. So make your living room a place where you can live, and live well.
full story
Posted 1 year 20 weeks ago by Sarah Winfrey
General Tips
As your friendly neighborhood Wisebread writer, I took it upon myself to find some of the most interesting articles on love and money that I could, and I did it all so you don't have to (this is the part where you thank me profusely in the comments).
full story
Posted 1 year 21 weeks ago by Sarah Winfrey
General Tips
In an unofficial survey, 99% of my friends said they need more rest. By "rest," I don't mean sleep, but time that is refreshing and rejuvenating, time that gives and does not take away. When I asked these friends this question, they readily admitted needing more rest and knew what it would change for them. Whatever your reason for needing more rest (and my survey says you probably do!), here are 88 creative ways to get it.
full story
Posted 1 year 22 weeks ago by Sarah Winfrey
General Tips
I'm going to be honest with you--the last three weeks have been the most stressful I've ever experienced at work. Between moving into a new position and finding out that things are not as hunky-dory as they looked to being manipulated by an office control-freak, it's been quite the month. My head has been spinning, my sleep disrupted, and my emotions on edge. But, as I finally find the time and space to take a breather, I find that my head is still on my shoulders (what a relief!) and I've learned some things along the way.
full story
Subscribe to all Wise Bread articles
Subscribe
All comments