It happens to everyone. You're rocking along with your budget and paying off debt. You've got a comfortable amount in the savings account, and you've kept track of your spending. Then all of a sudden, something kicks you off track. You had an extra paycheck this month and your husband asked to spend it on kayaks. $500 later, your bank account is smaller, but you've got a fun new hobby for the upcoming summer months. Then you notice you've fallen off on meal planning. You grab takeout for dinner more often, and buy a few extra drinks when you're out with friends. Finally, you decide to let loose and buy that fancy blender you've been eyeing on Amazon, and since you're already buying that, you decide to pick up a few other things to come in your shipment. Soon you realize you've spent almost the entire month making bad spending choices, and it all started with that one big purchase at the beginning. Buying the kayaks (or whatever it may be in your case) set your mind on the idea ... View Post

I've been thinking about the term "saving" lately. When I hear the words saving, save, savings, etc. they're usually used in one of two ways: "I just saved $50 on my groceries this week!" or "John has already saved $15,000 for his retirement." One use of the term is more like an action, while the other is more like a place. What I want you to make sure, is that every time you are saving money (action) you are putting it into savings (place.) Save That Money (What Are You Doing With It?) It is definitely awesome to save some money on purchases. It's why I use coupons anytime I can, or get excited in the checkout line at the grocery store when I've stayed under budget. But I'd like to challenge you a bit: what are you doing with those savings? For example, we'll look at groceries again. Say you expected to spend $125 at the grocery store, but you only spent $75. That's awesome, congrats! Now what are you going to do with the money you ended up not spending? Is it just ... View Post

Please welcome Megan of TheMayfieldEstate.com! She has written this post to encourage us with her story and to give us a few tips to apply in our own lives. Be sure to check out her blog to learn more about Megan and her story. On the Hunt In May of 2010 my in-laws came to visit myself, my husband, and my daughter in our new apartment for the first time. I was in love with our space. However when my husband's parents found out our monthly rental payment, they explained to us we could pay for a home and actually save a few dollars instead. I was a stay at home (pregnant) mom with a young daughter, and soon to be son. Our family was going to be increasing from three members to four. My husband was finishing up his degree in Business and Communications while working part time. I thought to myself, there is NO WAY we could afford a home. Then my father in law explained to me that because of the low housing market (this was during the time when there were multiple foreclosures) we would ... View Post

It's taken you months, saving in ways you didn't even know possible, and lots of hard work to build your emergency fund. Now you need to use it, and taking that money out is making you nervous. So before you break open the piggy bank (or head to the bank to make a withdrawal) let me ask you--do you really need to touch that fund? Sometimes the answer is yes, there's no way around it. If you've got a major emergency, such as a trip to the ER, a huge hole in your roof, or something of the sort, then there's probably no way around using your emergency fund. If that's the case, congratulations on having that account built up for when you need it! I know it will be hard, but this is what you've been saving for all along. Just imagine if this disaster had struck and you hadn't saved this money up--what would happen? Would you dig yourself into even more debt? Put the house up for sale? There are other situations that may seem like emergencies, but once you step back and really ... View Post