Budgeting

How to Create a Minimalist Budget

One of my core goals is to lead a simpler, more focused life. This post explores some of my original ideas for simplifying money. Mention the word budget and you immediately lose half the audience. Some are “way too advanced” for it, some have tried and failed, and others are too scared to even look. [...]

Sorting Out Your Expenses

If you ever set out to clear your house of unwanted things, you probably used or at least heard of the “box” or “pile” method. In essence, you’re forced to review everything you touch in a particular area of the house and categorize it based on what should happen with the item. Typically, the piles [...]

8 Critical Mistakes in Envelope Budgeting

Envelope budgets are the best thing since sliced bread–if you’ve read this blog for any period of time, you know that I honestly believe that. An envelope budget can fix a big spender, heal money fights, and point you in the path of earlier and bigger financial success than you even dreamed. I knew that [...]

Mvelopes Review: 2011 Update

An updated review of Mvelopes, I take an in-depth look at some of the features the program offers and my overall take.

Trouble? Try Tracking Your Money Weekly

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A few weeks ago, Heath, a frequent comment and social media contributor to the site, mentioned that he was tracking his money week-to-week. I was curious so I decided to try it myself.

What Type of Budget Do You Use?

One area of personal finance that rightfully gets a lot of attention is budgeting, the art of directing how your money should be used. I used to think that there were only a few ways to budget, but I can now name at least seven! Here are the various types of budgets you might use: [...]

Taxes, PMI, Insurance, and More: Huge Wildcards When Buying a Home

It used to be that a mortgage accounted for 70, 80, maybe 90% of what you were paying out every month. No longer the case, it seems.

3 Ways to Tame a Yo-Yo Power Bill

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Some of us can experience crazy swings in our power bills from month to month due to weather or other factors. Here are three strategies that will help you cope with a power bill that looks more like the stock market chart.

That Thing You Love

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Everyone has something they love–and it’s rarely what someone else loves. Use this to your advantage when designing a business, and make sure you’re funding your own love!

YNAB 3.0: Second Look

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In January, I put up a long review of the newest version of YNAB, being fairly disappointed in how it stacked up to other alternatives I was using at the time, like Mvelopes. Knowing how to create a budget was a good start, but I needed the right tool to help me make my plan [...]

YNAB 3 Review: Give Me Back My Mvelopes

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My final review of the new You Need a Budget 3 software and how it compares to my previous envelope budgeting manager of choice: Mvelopes.

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