Money Tips Network

I like camping with my kids, but I don't like working hard at it. I try to keep the whole trip easy, from the planning, to the packing, to the sitting around the campfire.

“This is going to sound so naive, but I was skeptical about the benefits of tracking my spending.

I had a general idea of where my money was going, so wasn’t that good enough?

No, it wasn’t. After a month of meticulously tracking every dollar I spent, I realized that my grocery spending was double what I thought it was. I couldn’t believe it. I guess all those pints of ice cream and fancy cheeses I was sneaking into my cart really added up.

Before I started tracking my spending, I only made half-hearted efforts at cutting costs. I think a part of me felt like if I didn’t look hard at the details, I wouldn’t have to face the reality that I wasn’t as frugal as I thought I was.

After tracking my spending, I got serious about budgeting. The numbers didn’t lie. I knew I had to make a change.

One wonderful advantage of financial independence (or at least a strong financial foundation) is that you don’t have to deal with stressful or toxic work environments. You can simply start searching for a different job as soon as the environment turns negative and handle any financial bumps in the road that such a search may cause.

However, many Americans aren’t in that situation. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford financial bumps, and other Americans might be in a job that pays very well compared to alternatives or offers some other particular benefit. In both of those cases, sticking with a high stress or toxic work environment might be the only option for them.

If we stick with the assumption that your job is toxic/high stress but a job change is exceedingly difficult right now, how do you handle that challenge?

Receiving your credit card statement each month may be the opposite of fun, but credit cards themselves are actually a pretty fascinating subject.

A relaxing getaway to a tropical island in the Caribbean is many people's idea of heaven. White sands and turquoise waters, palm trees and blue skies, all topped off with sunshine for days on end.

I remember watching my mom sit at the kitchen table at the end of each month, examining a checkbook ledger and paper statement from the bank.

Link for teaser title: 

http://www.wisebread.com/50-hobbies-you-can-start-for-0

Getting involved in a hobby is a fulfilling and fun way to spend your free time.

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This week's topic: How America Saves for College!

One of my main motivations in my own financial turnaround was to escape the paycheck to paycheck life that we were living. I had begun to realize that people were really depending on me – not just my wife and my infant son, but my “future self” as well – and by living a lifestyle that could be so easily disrupted by unfortunate events, I was doing all of them a disservice.

What would happen to all of them if I suddenly lost my job? It wouldn’t be a good picture. We weren’t all that far from being homeless or having to move back in with my parents or Sarah’s parents if that happened. What kind of future trajectory does that give my life? It’s not one I really wanted.

What would happen to everyone if I got sick? What would happen to everyone if my car broke down? What would happen to everyone if we were suddenly robbed? What would happen to everyone if we were evicted from our apartment?