Blog - Page 4 of 224 - Making Sense Of Cents

Finding Freedom And Happiness In A Materialistic World

October 29, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 28 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Finding Freedom And Happiness In A Materialistic World The idea for this post came after watching an episode of Rich Kids of Instagram. I honestly don’t watch a lot of TV (just a few hours a month, at the most, is the norm for me because we don't have Netflix, cable, or local channels), but somehow I found this show and got sucked in.

These people are wealthy, like super wealthy, but the show was basically about spending money to impress other people.

And, my main thought the whole time was why do people care so much about STUFF?

As I was watching what was happening in the show, my jaw hit the floor a few times. It's just crazy what people spend their money on, the things people will do to flaunt their wealth, and the lengths people will go to in order to chase material items.

I'm sure some of these people were actually happy, but I don't think that's the norm for the average wealthy person. More importantly, it shouldn’t be the norm for the average American. [Read more…]

5 Tips For A Better Budget

October 28, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is sponsored by Empower.

Having a budget can help you to manage your money better, including saving for retirement, going on a vacation, and saving for your next big purchase.

Budgets are great because they keep you mindful of your income and expenses. With a monthly budget, you will know how much you can spend in a specific category each month, what saving and spending areas need to be worked on, and so on.

But, what if you don't have a budget, or your budget just doesn't seem to be working for you?

The average family carries a lot of financial stress. Many households carry student loans, credit card debt, a mortgage, car loans, and many times, other forms of debt such as medical, furniture, and more.

Here are my five tips for a better budget. [Read more…]

Your Top 14 Tax Questions For Bloggers and Digital Nomads Answered

October 24, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 27 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Your Top 14 Tax Questions For Bloggers and Digital Nomads Answered Bloggers are often sending me questions about taxes, and it is a very important topic to discuss as online business owners. However, I am not a tax expert, so I found one to help! I decided to ask my readers for their top questions about blogging and taxes, and then I handed those questions over to Josh from CPA On Fire (who graciously said yes to answering all of your common questions!).

Josh is the founder of CPA On Fire, a tax and accounting business that caters to online based businesses. CPA On Fire provides tax and accounting services for some of the biggest names in the online business space, including John Lee Dumas, Entrepreneur On Fire, and myself! Josh has appeared on several top business podcasts and national TV segments to offer tax advice to entrepreneurs.

When you're self-employed, taxes do get a little more difficult, but it's not impossible. I know people who are afraid to earn more at their day job, who are afraid to start their own business, and more, all because they are afraid of taxes. [Read more…]

Parents Paying For College – Is This A Good Idea?

October 22, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 36 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Parents Paying For College - Is This A Good Idea? #shouldparentspayforcollege #parentspayforcollege #collegedebt Do you think parents should help pay for their children’s college education? Do you think parents should be required to pay for their children’s college education?

These are tough questions to ask and to answer, but they are very important when thinking about the ever increasing cost of higher education.

These kinds of questions are quite personal to me and relevant to my blog. A major motivation for starting Making Sense of Cents was my $40,000 student loan debt (you can read about how I paid off my student loans in just 7 months).

My student loan debt was higher than the average $30,000 per student, and surprisingly, it is often parents paying for college by taking out loans to cover kid’s education.

I've read countless stories of parents who have $200,000 in student loan debt for their children, and it’s these parents paying for college who have found that these debts are causing them to struggle financially, unable to reach their retirement goals, etc. These parents end up drowning in debt because they just honestly want to help their children get through college. What they don’t realize, though, is that there are other ways to help your kids graduate from college. [Read more…]

How We Visited 8 New Countries in 2 Years – While Also Paying Off 58k in Student Debt

October 19, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Recently, a reader contacted me and told me about how her and her husband paid off around $58,000 of student loan debt in 2 years, all while traveling. Below is their story. Enjoy!

I always knew I wanted to travel. Ever since I was a little girl watching enviously as my older sister went abroad for the first time, I knew traveling was going to be in my future.

However, I was still unsure how I was actually going to make it happen. As I inched closer to my graduation date from Boston College in 2014, I became increasingly concerned because I had no real career path in mind (or even a trail or a gap in the woods to be honest). My husband (though we were only dating at the time) and I had 58k of student loans between us but all we wanted to do was travel.

So, how did we combine our dream of international adventures with the reality of crushing student loan debt? These are the exact steps we used to make it happen, along with some advice for anyone who is interested in following in our footsteps! [Read more…]

13 Instantpot Thanksgiving Side Dishes

October 17, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

My 10 Budget Recipes roundup proved to be popular, so I'm back at it again with 13 Instantpot Thanksgiving Side Dishes.

Thanksgiving isn't too far away, which means that you may be looking for some Instapot Thanksgiving side dishes.

I recently purchased my first Instapot, and will definitely be using it for Thanksgiving.

We've always had a slow cooker. I bought one about ten years ago for a whopping $14, and I've used it multiple times a week ever since.

I've definitely gotten a ton of value from that small purchase and decided to upgrade to an Instapot since my crockpot was falling apart.

If you're looking to get your own Instant Pot, I recommend checking out the one I purchased – Instant Pot 3 Qt 6-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Sauté, Steamer, and Warmer.

If you want easy Instant Pot recipes that are budget friendly and delicious, don't worry, it is possible! The Instantpot Thanksgiving side dishes included in this roundup are affordable, easy, and you may already have many of the ingredients in your home! [Read more…]

Pay Off Debt And Break Free Of The Debt Cycle – You Can Do It!

October 15, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 15 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Pay Off Debt And Break Free Of The Debt Cycle – You Can Do It! #payoffdebt #debtfreecommunity #howtolivedebtfree Do you want to pay off debt and learn how to live debt free?

Do you feel like you are stuck in a cycle of debt? Are you able to pay off your debt, only to fall back into it shortly after? That is what a debt cycle is, and many people fall into this cycle and can't seem to get out.

Falling into debt over and over again can lead to insane amounts of stress, unhappiness, sadness, and feelings of hopelessness. No one wants to experience these feelings.

The thing is that there are lots of reasons for why you may have debt, like student loans, a mortgage, etc. In some ways, that kind of debt can be good, as it can be an investment in your future. Going to college can lead to a higher earning potential, and a home can add to your net worth. [Read more…]

Subscribe Via Email