Budget Archives - Page 3 of 135 - Making Sense Of Cents

Are Wedding Loans A Crazy Idea? 10 Things To Think About For Your Big Day

March 2, 2020 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.

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about wedding loans. And as a personal finance blogger, this worries me a bit.

Getting married is very exciting, and in the beginning, you’re probably thinking about what your wedding will be like. All of your favorite family and friends, good food, dancing, and whatever else your heart desires.

But then, reality hits – how will you pay for it all?

Shockingly, many couples take out wedding loans to finance their big day.

It seems like more and more people around me are getting wedding loans in order to afford their wedding, and there’s a big industry growing that is trying to normalize marriage loans as well. I’ve even seen advertisements for wedding loans for bad credit!

I’ve also noticed more people putting their weddings on credit cards, which is very dangerous when you consider that the average credit card interest rate is now over 21%. [Read more…]

I taught English in China to pay off my student loans

February 28, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 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.

Hello! Here’s a guest post from a reader, Nick. Nick was feeling stuck a few years ago and wasn’t making progress on his student loans. He ended up researching a lot about salaries and the cost of living for English teachers in China and realized that he would be able to save far more money in China than back home. Even without teaching experience, and still living very comfortably, including taking vacations, it has been easy for him to save $20,000 in a year. For him, it had a huge impact on his life and financial freedom. Enjoy his story on how to teach English in China below!

It must have been about 4.5 years ago. I remember walking out of an interview in Chicago feeling completely dejected.

The interviewer mentioned the salary, and along with it, how most new hires take on a second job during the weekend.

I wasn’t expecting to find an amazing job, but this was just too much. None of my past decisions looked particularly good on a resume. I had just returned from a 3.5-year stint traveling around Latin America while earning a very modest living playing online poker.

But, I was burnt out, making no progress on my student loans, and realizing it was time to get a normal job. I was actually really excited to do so but job hunting was incredibly frustrating and when I realized how little money I’d be earning, I began looking for alternative options. [Read more…]

16 Ideas That Will Teach You How To Find Time To Make Extra Money

February 24, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 12 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.

Would you like to learn how to find time to make extra money? Do you work a full-time job and feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to make more money?

For several years, I worked full-time and found different ways to make extra money, such as starting and building my blog Making Sense of Cents. Before that, I was working full-time while also attending college full-time.

Working 100 hour weeks was a regular thing for me for many, many years.

I won’t lie – working that many hours a week at both my regular job and school or side hustles was exhausting at times. I found every extra bit of time I could during the day and used it to make extra money. I took online surveys, did mystery shops, and more.

The reason I was working so much was because I was focused on paying off my student loan debt. I knew that I didn’t want that debt hanging over me, especially if I was able to make extra money to pay it off sooner.

Fortunately, learning how to find time to make extra money paid off, literally – it allowed me to pay off my $40,000 student loan debt in just 7 months. [Read more…]

Make Extra Cash By Learning How To Sell Your Stuff!

February 19, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 12 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.

Are you wondering how to sell your stuff?

Learning how to sell your stuff online or in person is a great way to declutter, make some extra money, and reduce your stress.

I’m sure everyone has extra things laying around their home that they don’t need. If you are trying to pay off debt or reach some sort of financial goal, I highly recommend you read today’s post so that you can learn how to sell your stuff to make money.

I have a lot of experience when it comes to learning how to sell your stuff.

I had to get rid of almost all of my belongings before we started traveling full-time, and I also used to work at a used clothing store for several years when I was younger. So, I have experience on both sides – both selling my old items as well as buying items from customers who were cleaning out their closets.

I was always shocked by the number of things people brought into my store. People brought in bags and bags of stuff, and it was a great way for them to make some extra money. [Read more…]

10 Quick Lunch Recipes That Will Make Your Day Easier

February 17, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 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.

Are you looking for some quick lunch recipes that are healthy, easy, and delicious?

If you’re like me, you probably forget about lunch most days. You might wind up eating leftovers, a simple sandwich, snacking, or not eating anything for lunch at all.

Living on a boat sometimes makes it hard to cook food like we normally would. These days, we’re so busy with things on the boat and more active than ever. But, it’s even more important than ever for us to eat healthy, filling meals.

That’s why I’m so excited about these quick lunch recipes! These are meals that are easy to cook in our tiny kitchen – they don’t take a lot of prep time or space. We can cook them quickly before heading out for a day sail or while exploring a new island.

Best of all, these recipes taste great! [Read more…]

The Ups and Downs of Reinventing Your Life At 43 With Kids

January 31, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 15 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! Please enjoy this great guest post from Joe and Kristin DiSanto. This is all about how they made the drastic decision to change their life and try something new – they went from chasing success to seeking fulfillment. I know that many people have felt “stuck” at times, and this can be a great read to help push you out of your box.

So…Hello!

We are Joe and Kristin DiSanto, a former executive producer/business owner and a former film/commercial editor from Los Angeles. Since meeting and marrying in Los Angeles, we spent many years and grueling hours climbing to success in the advertising, film and television industries.

We went from often working for free, to building a post production company with our best friends that brought in millions of dollars, won Emmys, and fulfilled our lofty career goals.

AND THEN WE KISSED IT ALL GOODBYE to start a new life.

At the ages of 38 (Kristin) and 43 (Joe), we left our stressful big city careers and relocated to a charming Florida beach town where we knew no one, but had the freedom to raise our 3-year-old son full-time—and redefine our “dream life.”

We traded in time spent on work, for time spent together as a family.

Kristin is now able to be a full-time mom and part-time blogger. Joe is a part-time bookkeeper and small business consultant and part-time blogger. [Read more…]

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