The holidays are hectic—with everyone rushing to stores and advertisements being shoved in our faces, it can be difficult to maintain a minimalist approach to shopping. Everything is made to seem like the best deal or the next must-have gift. But the holidays are supposed to be about giving and togetherness. We should focus less … Continue reading How to Take a Minimalist Approach to Holiday Shopping
Tag: budget
3 Ways meal planning improves your life
Scenario 1: You get home from work and look around in the pantry and fridge to decide on dinner. You find a box of pasta and a jar of sauce. There's even some spinach in the fridge you decide to add to your sauce. And you know you have italian sausages in the fridge from … Continue reading 3 Ways meal planning improves your life
Total Money Makeover, Week 8
Week 5 in Financial Peace University was called "Buyer Beware" and discussed the power of marketing and advertising, which are common saboteurs of a healthy budget! Companies want you to buy their product - and they go to great lengths to get your business! Companies market via... Personal selling Financing and convenient payment methods (store … Continue reading Total Money Makeover, Week 8
Total Money Makeover, Week 4
It's week four of my Total Money Makeover, and I had my first Financial Peace University class this week. The class only has three people attending, myself and a newly engaged couple. The instructors seem very nice! The FPU class consists of watching a DVD of Dave Ramsey doing the lesson each week, followed by … Continue reading Total Money Makeover, Week 4
Minimize your budget with Gillian
Today's post is a guest blog by Gillian at Drop that Debt! I also wrote a post for her blog today, which you can read here. Hey all! I'm Gillian and I blog about personal finance over at Drop that Debt. It seems that Caitlin and I both started blogging and reading each others blogs … Continue reading Minimize your budget with Gillian
October spending: Week three
For the week of October 15-21, I spent as follows (remembering cash purchases to the best of my ability, since I don't keep good track of anything that doesn't just show up in my debit history when I check my bank account!) Bills: Car insurance (41.35) Essentials: Gas (32.71) Non-essentials: Salon (84), Dollar General (cards … Continue reading October spending: Week three
October spending: Week two
I think I did a little better this week. Remember, I'm using October as my "control group" month so I can see how much I typically spend. Then I'll do some cut-backs. I have found myself avoiding purchases because I didn't want to have to confess them at the end of the week... but as … Continue reading October spending: Week two
October spending: Week one
I have a confession to make. I don't really stick to a budget. I pay all my bills and still have money leftover for nonessentials like going out, and I save over 10% of my income each week, so I usually assume I'm doing okay. I have tracked my expenses for one week. I am … Continue reading October spending: Week one