Let me start by prefacing this article by saying that I do not advocate cheating on your spouse or significant other. I believe wholeheartedly in a monogomous relationship, however, unfortunately there are women (and men) that find themselves on the other side shocked that this happened to them. Here are a few signs that may send up a red flag. Each of these by themselves may not mean anything, but it’s good to be aware of the financial warning signs of cheating.

An unusual increase of ATM withdrawals and/or credit card cash advances.
Failure to mention overtime, bonuses, or an increase in …read more

With all of my close friends, I have noticed a similarity.  My personal finances and financial decisions affect them. 
They say opposites attract and I guess that can be true of friendships as well.  I have had three close friendships.  I’m talking tight, share all secrets with girlfriends.  All three of these ladies had issues with spending.  After being friends with them for a while, I noticed that all of them began to tone down their spending, their impulsive shopping, their wild credit card spending, and they began to look for bargains on the things they purchased. 

Of course when you are …read more

As Thanksgiving is coming near, stores are looking to lure you in.  One way that they do that is through rebates.  Promises of good savings from rebates is enough to get us in the stores.  The problem is that many times we forget to send in the rebates or the rebate has too many hoops to jump through.
There are some ways to make sure you get your rebate money.

1)  Make copies of everything before you send it in. My husband and I always make a copy of all of the paperwork.  This includes the papers we filled out, the receipt, …read more

Sometimes more than we’d care to, we have to tell our kids “no”.  They want a new dress, a new toy, to go out to eat, and to buy whatever they decide that can’t live without.  Raising kids can be very expensive and it’s important to realize that you can’t give in to their every request.  Not only will you put yourself into a financial mess, but you’ll also be depriving your child of important life lessons.
Telling our kids “no” is inevitable.  Here are some tips to make it a little easier.

1)  Use emphathetic and understanding statements. “I understand that …read more

My husband is a spender and I am a saver.  I think I’ve worn off on him a bit over the years.  He looks for bargains,  searches for product reviews,  and shops online and in the stores for the best deal he can find before laying out the hard earned dough.  He’s even known to haggle in the stores.  Still, he is a spender and I try to clinch hang on to our money so that we can be financially secure for our future and emergencies.

According to a new study, savers are attracted to spenders.  How can this be?  With …read more

With all of the layoffs, home foreclosures, and economy issues it may be hard to have anything good to say about the recession.  Believe it or not, the recession is helping to change some of our habits, for the good.

A few years ago, I send out an email ranting to my friends about Americans being frivilous and spending more money than they made.  If I remember correctly, at that time, Americans were spending $1.50 for each dollar they made.  That meant that we were in debt; in big time debt.  Being in debt like that really bothered me.  We are so …read more

In case you missed Dave Ramsey’s Town Hall for Hope broadcast (or if you’d like to see it again), you can watch it for free on Hulu. 

Here’s a few things I tweeted or heard Dave say during the event:

When things are going well, we get a little sloppy.  We’ve become a bit sloppy. 
When things are going good any idiot could make it.  Even a turkey can fly in a tornado.  Stupidity has been officially stress tested.
When the tide goes out you can tell who was skinny dipping.
Fear is not a Fruit of the Spirit.
Bush decided to bailout stupidity and then the …read more

Yesterday I told you about Dave Ramsey’s envelope system which helps budget your money so that you don’t overspend.  I’ve been thinking more about budgets and realize this is a subject that needs to be addressed and it’s also an area in which I need improvement.
A study of Harvard graduates showed that those with with written goals achieve more than others.  Some words from Dave Ramsey:
Your budget is a written goal for your money.  People who win at anything have written goals.  Goals are what you are aiming at.  Your money won’t behave unless you tame it.  You need to have a …read more

As I’ve mentioned before, my husband and I have attended Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University classes at our church.  These classes were very beneficial to our finances, as well as our marriage.  Finally, we were on the same page financially and were both working toward paying off debt and saving.
One of Dave Ramsey’s tips for budgeting is to use an envelope system.  You simply make an envelope for every area spending which can include: groceries, gas, childcare, entertainment/eating out, clothing, and more.  The envelope system is a great way to keep you from spending more than you had allotted.  It …read more

Money is only a tool.  It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.
Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged