Top 5 Easy Steps for Recovering from Impulse Spending

make a personal budget

What do you do when you blow your budget? If you’re like many of us, feelings of dread give way to anxiety or even panic as you wonder how you’ll cover your credit card payments next statement period or mentally kick yourself for impulse spending that money on a comparatively frivolous shopping spree when you could have saved that money and/or invested it instead. How to Recover from Impulse Spending It’s okay to feel this way at first, but the best way to recover from an impulse spending hangover is to be proactive and immediately look for ways to tighten your budget and be smarter about your spending habits, rather than dwelling on mistakes. To avoid continuously spending money on … Read more

4 Simple Ways to Enjoy Retirement Like You Always Dreamed You Would

Whether you’re planning to retire in your late 60s or you’re aspiring to retire early, it’s important to remember that retirement is more than just financial planning and preparing to quit your job. You need to enjoy retirement. Far too many people actually hate it in the end because they weren’t prepared for the reality of retirement. It’s interesting how we all dream of quitting our jobs and living in luxury some day, but when retirement finally becomes a reality, a lot of people experience bouts of boredom. Don’t let your golden years go to waste. Now is the best time to start planning what you’ll do during retirement, instead of focusing 100% on saving money. That’s not to suggest … Read more

The Trials, Tribulations, and Struggles of a First-Time Landlord

How To Evaluate The Rate Of Return On Rental Property

Last year, my wife and I joined the league of accidental landlords. We were upside down in our home and couldn’t sell it without taking a big loss. So after relocating for work, we decided to rent our house out. I thought it would be a simple endeavor to charge enough rent in order to cover our mortgage payment each month. But that was hardly the case when the rubber met the road. There were several important factors I neglected to take into consideration that hampered my return. I was struggling just to break even. With a mortgage payment of $1,400 a month, there are many things that took a bite out of my renter’s payment. Forget making a profit; I … Read more

Public vs. Private College: Which One Is a Better Investment?

Which is better a public or private college?

The following is a guest post by Irina Vasilescu from the blog, Don’t Pay Full, about which is better a public or private college. If you’d like to guest post on Money Q&A, check out our guest posting guidelines. On the surface, it seems like a simple question to answer. Which is better a public or private college? Which is a better investment? Surely, private colleges are cheaper, get you into less student debt, and you still get to graduate and earn the money back. But the real answer to this question is a whole lot more complex than that. Believe it or not, a private college can even work out cheaper than a public one. It all depends on … Read more

How Long to Keep Financial Records and Documents

How Long To Keep Financial Records

If you are like me, you have a mountain of paperwork from your stock transactions, mutual fund statements, credit card bills, and a host of other financial records and financial documents. But, now that you have collected so much, the real question is how long to keep financial records and documents? There are several lengths of time and factors that you should consider how long to keep financial records. How Long To Keep Financial Records Financial Records To Keep Forever… There are several very important financial documents and records that you should keep forever. I personally keep these types of documents at home in a fireproof safe, but other people often choose to keep theirs in a safe deposit box … Read more

Useless Everyday Products to Stop Wasting Money On

Useless Everyday Products to Stop Wasting Money On

Note – This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Radius Bank. All opinions are 100% my own. Even when you think you have no room left in your budget to cut expenses, you might be surprised by how many things you’re still needlessly spending money on when there are cheaper or even free alternatives available. Spending money on needs and wants is a psychologically rewarding activity, which is why it’s so easy for us to overlook areas where we could/should rein in our spending, but if you want to accomplish your financial goals then wasteful spending areas are the best places to make some progress and stop wasting money. Things You Are Needlessly Wasting Money On To overcome … Read more