Great tips! I don't budget myself, but the way I go about spending my money is I put half of my paycheck in my savings, use the other half to pay my expenses for that month, and then play with the leftovers!
I have read personal finance books in the past, and they've helped me a lot. Now I generally read personal finance blogs; they give me ideas for tweaking and improving on what I already practice financially.
I like the simplicity of this strategy: Pay yourself first, pay your bills, live on the rest and save any left over. I actually think this is 101 because it's not intimidating to those who are just beginning to realize they need to manage their money better.
You still have to have a solid understanding of what your "bills" include, which means more than just the ones that come up every month (such as insurance premiums, car repair, etc.).
Overall, this was a great post!
Ree ~ I blog at EscapingDodge.com
This is exactly how I run my money. When you only make available to yourself an amount of money you can 'afford' to blow, it becomes less important to nickel and dime your daily life into oblivion because all the important stuff is already taken care of.
Your RETURN is the collected forms you file, either via mail or electronically. I'm sure the article refers to ideas for your REFUND. Sorry to be a vocabulary Nazi. This one is one of my pet peeves.
I used to read more personal finance books than I do now. I've read the Millionaire Mind, Millionaire Next Door and multiple Suze Orman Books. I've also read multiple investing books. Now, I read more personal finance magazines and blogs and regularly watch the Suze Orman Show.
Interesting list. I would have guessed items that are in season like Spring Clothing would be most expensive in the spring and they can be had for less at the end of the summer.
It seems to me that, as the interview wasn't conditional on you signing the waiver, you could ask the interviewer something along the lines of "would you mind if I checked this document over with my lawyer and got back to you?".
If the waiver is technically illegal (and if the interviewer knows this) they may backpedal or withdraw the waiver. If you are prepared to seek a lawyer's help you may be able to return it back to the interviewer with conditions of your own, or at least advice on the legality of certain questions or whether your privacy is being compromised.
I'm not based in the US, but with job offers here I have always been advised to seek legal advice on whether to take a role or not. For me this could (should?) extend to include all documentation, not just a formal offer of employment. That said, I have also been asked by employers to sign permission for them to check criminal clearance checks, credit checks (looking for potential dishonest employees?) etc, and I have taken these as standard whether they are or not as they seem reasonable to me.
The waiver to excuse your employer from "any wrongful or illegal actions that might be generated" sounds pretty suspect, though!
I'm not saying any of this from a position of authority, of course, and I'm not sure the above may help you get the job at any rate!
I don't read finance books much anymore but the wealthy barber was the one that had me interested in saving and being frugal. Since then I mostly read blogs because I am too lazy to get to the library!
Yes, but it's been a while. I know I read "Debt-Free on Any Income," by Lyle and Tracy Shamo. I also have Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover," but haven't read it, yet. My sister suggested it to me, and I know it has worked for a lot of people. :)
Your points on "Give All Pertinent Information" and "Be Clear About What You Want" are so true!
It is really frustrating when people treat emails as another form of text messaging. They waste everyone's time by "chatting" back and forth as opposed to composing a clear message that gets the appropriate action in the first place.
It's also worth repeating that an extra dose of "thank you" and "please" never hurts! Since it's so easy to misinterpret someone via email, it's best to proactively counter any negative thoughts by being extra polite.
Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin is classic. Their advice about Treasury Bonds isn't as helpful as is the invitation to NOT follow someone else's plan, but instead learn how to get your spending to match your values.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko was also an eye-opener.
I read them all the time. Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin is great and I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi are both great.
The most recent one I've read is Ramit Sethi's "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" (I can see that a few others have mentioned this one too). The next one on my list is going to be "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko.
I have used the procedure once now but was wondering if it should be done once a week until the weather gets hot and is it best to do first thing in the morning or in the evening?
Great tips! I don't budget myself, but the way I go about spending my money is I put half of my paycheck in my savings, use the other half to pay my expenses for that month, and then play with the leftovers!
Saving and financing for a new home sounds scary! I'm a long ways away from this stage in my life, but now I know how I need to prepare early!
I have read personal finance books in the past, and they've helped me a lot. Now I generally read personal finance blogs; they give me ideas for tweaking and improving on what I already practice financially.
You're very right, Mike! We DO mean tax refund, and we've corrected the article accordingly. Thanks for pointing it out!
Thanks for pointing that out, suzemagoo! The mistakes have been corrected accordingly. =)
I like the simplicity of this strategy: Pay yourself first, pay your bills, live on the rest and save any left over. I actually think this is 101 because it's not intimidating to those who are just beginning to realize they need to manage their money better.
You still have to have a solid understanding of what your "bills" include, which means more than just the ones that come up every month (such as insurance premiums, car repair, etc.).
Overall, this was a great post!
Ree ~ I blog at EscapingDodge.com
This is exactly how I run my money. When you only make available to yourself an amount of money you can 'afford' to blow, it becomes less important to nickel and dime your daily life into oblivion because all the important stuff is already taken care of.
Your RETURN is the collected forms you file, either via mail or electronically. I'm sure the article refers to ideas for your REFUND. Sorry to be a vocabulary Nazi. This one is one of my pet peeves.
I used to read more personal finance books than I do now. I've read the Millionaire Mind, Millionaire Next Door and multiple Suze Orman Books. I've also read multiple investing books. Now, I read more personal finance magazines and blogs and regularly watch the Suze Orman Show.
A tax return is the form one sends in.
Two headlines here read factually incorrect and should respectively be:
"Ideas For Your Income Tax Refund" (not Return)
and
"25 Ideas For Your Income Tax Refund" (not Return)
Interesting list. I would have guessed items that are in season like Spring Clothing would be most expensive in the spring and they can be had for less at the end of the summer.
It seems to me that, as the interview wasn't conditional on you signing the waiver, you could ask the interviewer something along the lines of "would you mind if I checked this document over with my lawyer and got back to you?".
If the waiver is technically illegal (and if the interviewer knows this) they may backpedal or withdraw the waiver. If you are prepared to seek a lawyer's help you may be able to return it back to the interviewer with conditions of your own, or at least advice on the legality of certain questions or whether your privacy is being compromised.
I'm not based in the US, but with job offers here I have always been advised to seek legal advice on whether to take a role or not. For me this could (should?) extend to include all documentation, not just a formal offer of employment. That said, I have also been asked by employers to sign permission for them to check criminal clearance checks, credit checks (looking for potential dishonest employees?) etc, and I have taken these as standard whether they are or not as they seem reasonable to me.
The waiver to excuse your employer from "any wrongful or illegal actions that might be generated" sounds pretty suspect, though!
I'm not saying any of this from a position of authority, of course, and I'm not sure the above may help you get the job at any rate!
I use the internet way more than books. I like to get the latest info as quickly as possible.
I don't read finance books much anymore but the wealthy barber was the one that had me interested in saving and being frugal. Since then I mostly read blogs because I am too lazy to get to the library!
I have but I've never read one that's totally my thinking. I do secretly love Suze Orman (and Kristen Wiig's impersonation of her).
I don't.
Yes, but it's been a while. I know I read "Debt-Free on Any Income," by Lyle and Tracy Shamo. I also have Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover," but haven't read it, yet. My sister suggested it to me, and I know it has worked for a lot of people. :)
Most of my nice shirts/t-shirts are from JCPenney's.
Julie,
Your points on "Give All Pertinent Information" and "Be Clear About What You Want" are so true!
It is really frustrating when people treat emails as another form of text messaging. They waste everyone's time by "chatting" back and forth as opposed to composing a clear message that gets the appropriate action in the first place.
It's also worth repeating that an extra dose of "thank you" and "please" never hurts! Since it's so easy to misinterpret someone via email, it's best to proactively counter any negative thoughts by being extra polite.
Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin is classic. Their advice about Treasury Bonds isn't as helpful as is the invitation to NOT follow someone else's plan, but instead learn how to get your spending to match your values.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko was also an eye-opener.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!
I love Suze's books!
I read them all the time. Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin is great and I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi are both great.
I love reading personal finance books!
The most recent one I've read is Ramit Sethi's "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" (I can see that a few others have mentioned this one too). The next one on my list is going to be "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko.
No, I prefer to get my finance information online as books become too quickly dated.
I have used the procedure once now but was wondering if it should be done once a week until the weather gets hot and is it best to do first thing in the morning or in the evening?