Budget Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

12 Warm & Cozy Fall Dinner Ideas That You Will Love

Last Updated: September 22, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you looking to try some delicious fall dinner ideas?

The air is getting cooler, and the leaves are starting to change colors, which means fall is here.

There are so many things I love about fall, like the way the air smells and back-to-school shopping as a kid. But I also love eating fall food.

I eat soups and stews more often and having hearty but healthy dinners. There are also so many delicious fall flavors that I love cooking with.

If you’re like me, you love fall food, but sometimes it’s hard to find new fall dinner ideas. It’s just so easy to keep making the same recipes over and over again.

I know I sometimes find myself in a cooking rut, but there’s nothing like a new season to inspire you to try new recipes.

To help you find some delicious dinners for this fall, I’ve put together a list of some of my new favorite recipes and ones I can’t wait to try. This list has recipes for all kinds of diets and cooking preferences, from vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and family-friendly options. [Read more…]

How To Go To College In Europe For $8,000 Or Less A Year

Last Updated: September 20, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Do you want to save money on college, such as by learning how to go to college in Europe?

Yes, you can actually save money by going to college in Europe, and today’s article will show you exactly how.

The average cost of programs for college abroad in Europe is around $8,000 per year, which is a huge savings over what you may pay in the U.S.

There are also hundreds of options under $4,000 per year, and there are even 50 programs that are tuition-free for international students.

Plus, bachelor’s degrees in Europe tend to only be 3 or 3.5 years long, which makes the cost per year even better.

And, you don’t even need to know a foreign language as there are over 3,000 bachelor degree programs taught completely in English in Europe. [Read more…]

Your Fall Financial Checklist: 17 Things To Do Now

Last Updated: September 13, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Looking for fall financial tips and money moves to complete before the year is over?

The hot summer months are over for many of us, and there are only a few months left in the year.

Today, I want to talk about fall money tips, smart money moves, and having a fall financial checklist to help you make fall a productive and good season.

This is a great time to start thinking about what you can do to save some money, prepare for the following months, and improve your life.

The tasks on this fall financial checklist will help you to remember to sign up for health insurance, prepare your home for winter, gather important documents, beef up your retirement savings, not miss out on employee benefits (hello, paid time off!), and more.

Of course, not everything on this list will apply to each of you, but this checklist can be a good place to start. [Read more…]

Why I Went With A Credit Union Over A Bank

Last Updated: September 12, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is a partnership with SELCO Community Credit Union on the benefits of credit unions, and why I went with a credit union over a bank. All opinions are 100% my own.

There are many benefits of credit unions such as lower fees, lower loan rates, and more. Today, you’ll learn about why you should join a credit union.

I’ve banked with a credit union my entire life. Starting at the age of around 14, I went to my local credit union with my parents and opened an account with them.

And, ever since then, I’ve used local credit unions for my day-to-day banking, as well as any loans that I’ve wanted.

Even as a full-time traveler, I still use credit unions, and have not had any issues with that. I am able to get my day-to-day banking, as well as non-routine transactions done all over the country with no issues.

Credit unions often provide the same or better products and services as the big banks, with the added benefit of being more flexible, more responsive, and more personal.

Credit unions are popular for many reasons, like having lower fees, lower rates, and more.

If you haven’t joined one yet, you will probably be quite interested in what you learn in today’s article. [Read more…]

What You Need To Know About Investing, Retirement Planning, and More

Last Updated: August 30, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you interested in learning how to invest, start retirement planning, and more? Today’s article will allow you to get started with retirement planning and help with each step along the way.

Planning for retirement and starting to invest can be a very intimidating topic for the average person, and I completely understand that.

However, once you start, everything becomes much easier. You just have to get over that hump, and you can do that by reading up on the different retirement planning topics.

Today, I am rounding up some of my most helpful articles in these areas, so that you can reach financial freedom and start retirement planning.

Some of the topics below include:

How to save for retirement
Answers to 13 of the most popular retirement planning questions
How to start investing
Why you should be careful with 401k loans
What is financial independence retire early?
Different ways to save and invest for retirement
Planning tips for the future and for your family, such as obtaining life insurance, estate planning, and more.

Plus, I’m sharing several early retirement stories from real people. [Read more…]

How We Saved Over $100,000 By Age 26

Last Updated: August 13, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 13 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hey everyone! Today, I have a great savings story to share from a reader named Nichole. She will be talking about how she went from -$20,000 to a six-figure savings by 26 years old.

The following will be outlining my experience getting scammed and how it catapulted me into learning about how money works. I will divulge all the things I’ve done to earn a six-figure savings, pay off over $20,000 in debt and stay consistent with saving for a home to pay cash. I will go over the importance of knowing your “why” and how it has a large part in saving money. I believe we all have the ability to be successful with our finances and sharing my story hopefully encourages you to stay motivated during your own journey.

Since I was a little girl I’ve always yearned for independence and responsibility. My mother tells the story like this:

“It was your first week of kindergarten and I walked you to the bus stop to drop you off. You didn’t even let me drive you that first day! When I met you at the bus stop after school at 2pm you look at me and say “mom, you don’t need to pick me up from the bus stop, I can walk home without you”. I had to explain to you that wasn’t allowed because you were only five years old and the school didn’t allow that.”

The moral of the story is, if I could do it on my own I did. This included making money so I could buy my own stuff.

Throughout elementary and middle school I sold things to make money: lanyards, bracelets, candy, even offered to do peoples homework for $5 in 6^th grade!

Earning money gave me more independence to pay for the things I wanted, so I always stayed motivated. [Read more…]

13 Best Early Retirement Books – You NEED To Read These Books

Last Updated: August 9, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 7 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Do you want to learn how to retire early? Today, I’m sharing the best early retirement books to motivate you and help you start planning for your future.

Early retirement is very popular right now, and you may be wondering if it’s possible for you and how to make it happen.

If early retirement is something you’re dreaming about, then I highly recommend reading the books I’m sharing with you today.

Many of the best early retirement books focus on FIRE, which stands for financial independence, retire early. FIRE can mean many different things, but books about FIRE are some of my favorites to read because they are very informative and give me lots of motivation.

The books below can help you learn more about FIRE, as well as dive deeper into the many different ways to become financially independent and retire early.

Reading books about early retirement can be a great way to learn specific actions steps that you need to take to reach early retirement. [Read more…]