I’m in the first year of several, being age 49. Yep, I’m going to delay that 50 as long as possible. I thought this might not be the audience for this type of article, but I got a recent comment that convinced me otherwise: Also, why not write about skin cream? Last July, I wrote about trying to grow hair. I gave the option I went with and included a budget option for those who […]
Do you like living by a budget? Some people associate budgeting with being poor or feeling restricted, but that’s far from the way I see it. Living by a budget is for everyone, no matter your means. Budgeting allows you to be in control of your money (whatever amount that is) instead of having your money control you. A budget gives you the freedom to spend how you want because you are the one who […]
Budgeting isn’t always easy, especially when you’re just starting out. It can feel frustrating or even overwhelming at first. But budgeting is for you. It just takes a little time to get the hang of it. Whether you’re new to budgeting or ready to level up, I’ve got 16 budget tips to help make it easier—so you can feel more confident, more in control, and start making progress with your money. 1. Create a zero-based budget before […]
When most people think about financial planning, they think about implementation tactics. Should I be in a Roth or a traditional IRA? Should I use a bond ladder or stick with a total return portfolio? How should I time Social Security? These are good questions, but they’re not the first questions you should be asking. You can’t determine which strategy or tool might be appropriate based on a list of your assets without additional context. […]
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see my full disclosure policy for details. Planning a Walt Disney World vacation can feel like a lot, especially if it’s your first time. Between choosing resorts, buying tickets, making dining reservations, and figuring out which rides to prioritize, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. To help families […]
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see my full disclosure policy for details. Planning a Disney trip is exciting, but it also comes with a thousand tiny decisions. Where should you stay? What should you book ahead of time? Which restaurants are actually worth it with kids in tow? I recently visited Walt […]
Investment process Surviving contact with the enemy There are two points to make here. The first is the importance of thinking strategically. The second is the difficulty of sticking to the plan. Helmuth von Moltke, the 19th century Chief of the Prussian General Staff, is often paraphrased as saying: ‘no plan survives contact with the enemy’. Or as boxer Mike Tyson is supposed to have said: “Everybody has a plan ’til they get punched in […]
When every dollar counts, budgeting can feel overwhelming—or even impossible. But that’s exactly when a clear plan becomes most powerful. Budgeting isn’t for “when you have money” – it’s simply a plan for your money. And the more you plan, the more you get to be in the driver’s seat of your financial life. If you’re navigating a tight financial season, here are practical steps you can take to stretch your income, protect your essentials, […]
Image Source: Pexels Think you have a black thumb? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many people struggle to keep plants alive, but growing your own vegetables doesn’t have to be complicated. Some veggies are incredibly forgiving, even for total beginners. Most of them grow like weeds! Whether you’re planting in a backyard garden, on a balcony, or in containers, these eight vegetables practically grow themselves. 1. Carrots Carrots are low-effort as long as you have […]
At one point, being frugal was a dis on you, and your family too. A harsh word lumped together with being cheap. Then the stock market took a swan dive, inflation reared up like an angry pimple, and uncertainty multiplied like gremlins fed after midnight. Suddenly, frugal is fresh. A frugal fanatic takes thriftiness beyond the socially accepted habits like coupon clipping, conserving water while brushing teeth, or opting for generic brands. Instead, they take frugality, give it sugar and a carnival ride, and see what excess explodes forth. The post Signs You Might Be a Frugal Fanatic appeared first on Budget Life List.
Sammie Ellard-King I’m Sammie, a money expert and business owner passionate about helping you take control of your wallet. My mission with Up the Gains is to create a safe space to help improve your finances, cut your costs and make you feel good while doing it. Facebook The UK property market just hit an unusual bump. Average asking prices dropped by 0.3% in June to £378,240. That’s a £1,277 decrease from last month. What’s […]
Back in the Before Times, we published an article titled Ethical Consumption: How to Pollute the Planet and Exploit Labor Slightly Less. Since then, times have, uh… changed! Because tariffs! And while much of our advice on ethical consumption still holds true, today I’m going to be revisiting that advice. My goal is to shine a light on how we should all approach shopping during The Stupidest Trade War while still maintaining our morals and savings rates. We really know how to have fun here, don’t we? Let’s kick things off with a question from a follower called Blossom: Hi Auntie Bitches! I have a question regarding an impasse of ethics and finances, so of course I figured you’d be the experts! I live in the USA, and absolutely hate the direction things are headed in. I’m inspired by hearing that Canada and a ton of countries in Europe are boycotting absolutely everything American made. This is genius because the only way to hurt the greedy pricks at the top is to hurt their bottom lines. I really want to join in and buy as few goods that are made in the states as possible. However, I also live here and my household budget is already pretty tight. With this ridiculous trade war going on, imported goods will become even more costly. I’m stuck between a possibly unlivable budget if fully switching to goods that aren’t made here; or being a tad more financially sound but forced to feed the fascism machine by using American goods. Please, I’d love some advice on how to navigate this? – Blossom, alert citizen of Bitch Nation Blossom is clearly paying attention. We couldn’t be more proud of them for considering activism in the face of personal hardship. We should all be more like Blossom. But I think there’s a fundamental flaw in how they’re approaching the problem. Nevertheless, I think we can come to a solution that does the least amount of harm to Blossom’s bottom line… while still supporting the changes they want to see. Let’s unpack that! [embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=-IWYzncCepc&feature=oembed[/embed] What are tariffs and why do they matter? A tariff is an import tax. It’s paid by the importing country, to the importing country. The importing country can only impose tariffs on good coming across its own borders. It cannot force another country to pay tariffs. Blossom’s whole question is based on the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs on goods from nearly every country and penguin-inhabited island on earth. So it’s worth going over what tariffs are, how they work, and how this self-imposed economic hardship is affecting us. I will now explain this in a very serious fashion using very real and important economic policies. A case study in self-defeating tariffs Narnia regularly imports vibranium from Wakanda. It’s a crucial ingredient in the manufacture of magical wardrobes. But Narnia, a notably lion-worshipping society, gets offended at Wakanda’s panther-centric culture. So Narnia decides to encourage
Bora Bora is known to be one of the most expensive destinations in the world. The Maldives and Bora Bora are the overwater bungalow capitals of the world. Here’s how we saved $38,000 on our trip to Bora Bora and paid around $2200 CAD for … Read moreBora Bora On a Budget The post Bora Bora On a Budget appeared first on Genymoney.ca.