Budget, Emergency Fund

Get Out Of Debt – A Better Budget

I recently wrote about our debt reduction process – a simple one-page guide to getting out of debt. Step 2 of our process was: We created (and followed) a zero-based budget. We “spent” our paychecks, on paper, at the beginning of each month, so that we would know where our money was going to go. I thought I would elaborate…

Continue Reading

Budget

Avoid These Budgeting Mistakes

My family and I have been living on a budget for nearly 10 years.  Over that time, we’ve made our share of mistakes – and we’ve adopted some valuable habits.  When making your budget, consider the following – Do not wait until the last minute to make your budget.  Our budget begins on the first of each month, so we…

Continue Reading

Budget

Forgotten Budget Categories – Home Maintenance

When making a monthly budget, it is easy to forget certain budget categories. One of the most often overlooked and underfunded categories is Home Maintenance. It’s easy to understand.  None of us want to think about stuff breaking – especially in our home – so we tend to ignore this vital category. Over the years, we have employed two different…

Continue Reading