Budgeting

Vacationing together can help you unwind, reset sometimes tense parent-child relationships, and strengthen family bonds. And more Americans seem to be remembering that. From the late 90s until 2014, the number of vacation days Americans took annually dropped precipitously. But it’s on its way up again, with the average for 2017 at about 17 days…

On its surface, envelope budgeting seems like a good idea. That is, until you try it. Believe me, I’ve tried it. And tried it. And tried it. And every time I’ve tried it, there’s some reason that envelope budgeting doesn’t work for me and my family. If you’re considering envelope budgeting because you think it’ll…

My husband and I have used many budgeting tools over the years, including Mint and YNAB. We still use (and love!) YNAB, but it left a hole for us: cash flow planning. Unfortunately, we’re still not accustomed to YNAB’s month-ahead spending goal. And that means that at some points in the month, our checking account…

Even if you’re a budgeting machine who has it all together, you may still get surprised once in a while. Usually, you’ll be caught off guard by one-off expenses. These are items that you should technically expect, but they tend to sneak up on many of us. After all, it can be hard to remember…

Do you live in fear of overdrawing your checking account when several bills come due? Do you carry a credit card balance because you’re living beyond your means? Do you have no idea where your money is going each month? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to learn to budget….

Have you ever been in a financial situation where you had just enough money to squeak by every month? I have! Maybe you’re on maternity leave and dealing with a significant pay cut for a few months. Or maybe you’re dealing with a spouse’s job loss, or have lost some of your own freelance or…