Budgeting

A One Touch Approach To Managing Household Finances

Posted May 18, 2008 - 05:37 by Jason White

Life Hacks, Budgeting, Productivity

Over the years I've implemented elaborate tickler systems, email reminders and various other ways to remind myself not to forget to pay a few paper bills. At some point they all fail, usually due to my own procrastination or some technical or procedural glitch. That was, until I implemented a fool-proof plan I call the "One Touch System" for household productivity. Read on to learn how to implement this perfectly simple system to improve the management of your own household finances.

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Refactor your budget categories

Posted May 17, 2008 - 08:02 by Philip Brewer

Budgeting

Budget pie chart

There are a lot of budget templates out there. Any will serve the purpose, and if you've got one that's working for you, that's a good enough reason to stick with it. If you don't have a budget, though, or if you're going to be changing your budget categories around for some other reason, I've got some thoughts on what makes a good category.

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The Art of the Trade

Posted May 16, 2008 - 20:28 by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Frugal Living, DIY, Art and Leisure, Budgeting

Money or not, things around the house need fixing, painting and up keep that goes beyond DIY. It might be a good time to look around your neighborhood for someone who'll trade his or her valuable skill for yours. And a good time to assess just exactly what skills you have to contribute.

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Make Grocery Budgeting A Game, The Price Is Right Style

Posted May 15, 2008 - 14:40 by Jason White

Personal Finance, Shopping, Budgeting

Growing up, I stayed with my grandparents during the day on summer breaks from school. Our mid-mornings were usually spent casually watching The Price is Right. Maybe those Showcase Showdowns ingrained something in my frugal memory bank, because my family now enjoys a grocery budgeting game with similar rules.

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What if energy costs keep rising?

Posted May 9, 2008 - 05:15 by Philip Brewer

Budgeting, Cars and Transportation

Last year's gas prices

I don't know if energy costs will keep rising.  Nobody does.  Even with recent growth in China, India, and elsewhere, the US still consumes 25% of the oil produced world-wide, so a severe recession in the US could easily cut total demand enough to bring the price down.  Recession or not, I think the medium-term trend in energy costs is up.  Just in case I'm right, you ought to have plan for that.

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The ethics of hoarding

Posted May 4, 2008 - 12:40 by Philip Brewer

Shopping, Food and Drink, Budgeting, Investment, Consumer Affairs

Bags of rice

In the Philippines, they're threatening life sentences for people hoarding rice.   In the United States, grocers need to put limits on rice purchases just to keep their shelves stocked.  Philippine traders are now afraid to fill their warehouses, for fear of being called a hoarder.  Even ordinary US shoppers are worrying that buying a big bag of rice might make them a hoarder.  In this climate, it's worth thinking about what hoarding actually is.

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Budgeting in a time of inflation

Posted April 23, 2008 - 04:30 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance, General Tips, Budgeting

Draft budget

My very first experience running a household was in 1980, just as the last big inflation was spiking up over 10%.  My carefully constructed budget was completely destroyed by prices that were rising by 1% every month.  Since then, I've given considerable thought to how to deal with just that situation.  Since history seems dangerously close to repeating itself, it's a timely topic.

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The Same Actions Will Produce The Same Results (Ten Tenets for Arranging Your Rich: Part 2)

Posted April 16, 2008 - 18:00 by Kate Luther

Personal Finance, Career and Income, Life Hacks, Budgeting, Lifestyle, General Tips

Predictability - Image Courtesy of Stock Xchng

A while back I posted the first of what I promised would be "Ten Tenets to Arranging Your Rich". And wouldn't you know it, right after posting Tenet #1, things got a little crazy and life interfered with my blogging plans. Go figure :)In any event, I think we're back on track now and as promised, we've got nine more tenets to go. So, without further adieu, here's tenet #2: The same actions will produce the same results.

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Classy Weddings on the Cheap

Posted April 11, 2008 - 06:36 by Myscha Theriault

Budgeting

Closing in on the big day and concerned the budget is spiraling out of control? Believe it or not, you can have a classy event without going permanently in debt. Here’s a peek at various categories to consider, and suggestions for each.

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Dealing with Nasty Debt Collectors

Posted March 30, 2008 - 22:49 by Nora Dunn

Budgeting, Credit Cards, Consumer Affairs

debt

You may (or may not) be delinquent with a debt payment, but debt collectors don’t have carte blanche with regards to how they can hustle the money from you. Some can be rude, make idle (and illegal) threats, and just plain be a pain. But they can only go so far, and it pays to know your rights.

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