sneakcheap

I met my best friend the other day for a cup of coffee.  During our conversation, she confided that she was having trouble saving and wanted to know if I had any recommendations for her.  Here are my top pieces of advice for my best friend. Create a Simple Budget It's really hard to try to save when you don't know what you spend. But I recognize that setting up a budget can be intimidating.  Start simple. I set up a spreadsheet listing out all of my major expenses: mortgage, car insurance, student loans, daycare, utilities, food, gas, etc.  In the next column, list the expected or budgeted amount. I like to round up to the nearest 10.  In the final column, I do some homework and list the actual amount spent.  This gives me a rough idea where my money is going every month  I understand that a lot of people break down their spending in more detail, but for me it was too overwhelming to scrutinize every detail. I totaled up the budgeted amount and th...

Everyone wants to enjoy a fun and plentiful Christmas, but you certainly do not want to have day after Christmas buyer's remorse.  Especially when there are little kids in the mix, there is a lot of pressure to "keep up with the Joneses" and have an over the top Christmas.  While Christmas is an important tradition and holiday in our family, it is also important to keep expectations in check.  It really is only a single day and is not worth going into debt over.  There are plenty of experiences and material possessions that can make the season and day special without sacrificing your personal financial goals for the year. Set a Budget This may seem obvious, but if you don't set a budget you will definitely spend more than you want to.  I like to set a budget for the total amount as well as a value for each person on my list.  More likely than not, you spend for the same people every year.  Therefore, make a list of the people you buy presents for...