Debt Archives - Page 3 of 46 - Making Sense Of Cents

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

Last Updated: January 4, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 12 Comments

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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…]

How Do Credit Cards Work? I Answer The Most Important Questions

Last Updated: November 8, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - Leave a 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.

How do credit cards work? Surprisingly, there are many people who don’t understand how credit cards work and how to use them responsibly.

I have heard so many false things and myths about credit cards even though they have been around for decades.

So today, I want to clear everything up for anyone who has ever asked the question, “how do credit cards work?”

When you know how they work and use them responsibly, there are some great benefits of having credit cards — a higher credit score, cash back, airline miles, rewards, etc.

Those benefits are why I love using credit cards, but I understand that they aren’t for everyone.

A family member of mine once struggled with credit cards, and they found that using a cash only budget was the best way to stay out of credit card debt. Fortunately for them, they were able to recognize their credit card mistakes and found a way to make sure they weren’t adding any debt. Part of that was being proactive and noticing that they had an issue early on.

However, others are not as lucky.

I’ve heard many stories about people who continue struggling with credit cards and keep adding to their debt. And I’m always shocked when I find out it’s simply because they don’t understand how credit cards work. [Read more…]

Everything You Need To Know About How To Build Credit

Last Updated: November 8, 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.

Do you want to learn how to build credit?

While you might be intimidated, it doesn’t have to be hard!

I learned how to build credit at 18 by opening a credit card offer that came in the mail. My first credit card had a small limit around $300.

I never maxed it out, and there were really no benefits. But, it didn’t have a monthly fee, and it helped me learn how to build credit fast.

My credit score is now over 800 and considered excellent.

I don’t rely on my credit score and credit history, but I know that it impacts my life in many different areas — from insurance, to loans, to my cell phone bill. [Read more…]

How To Be More Productive: 17 Tips To Help You Live A Better Life

Last Updated: January 2, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 19 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 wanting to learn how to be productive?

Are you feeling like you aren’t as productive as you usually are? Or, perhaps life is really busy right now and you want to be able to manage it all better.

Many people struggle with how to be productive. We all have lots of things to do and sometimes we can accomplish them all, and other times it is very difficult.

I go through productivity spurts.

At times, I feel like I can accomplish anything and everything, and other days I don’t even know what (if anything) I did all day.

This is an area that I am constantly working on, and perhaps you are too.

Sometimes I am distracted by so many different things that it has caused me to waste a huge amount of time. Therefore, I have not been able to live in the moment like I would really like to.

[Read more…]

How We Paid Off $100,000 of Debt on a Single Income

Last Updated: December 29, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 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! Today, I have a great debt payoff story from Sarah. Sarah is a Southern California mom of 3. She blogs over at Let’s Talk Mom Business about the budgeting and frugal living strategies she and her husband used to crush $100,000 in debt while living on one income.

Shortly after having our second child 6 years ago, my husband and I decided that we wanted to get serious about paying off our debt.

We had been making our monthly payments, but we weren’t really making any progress. Some months we were even adding to our total debt by paying for unanticipated expenses on our credit card.

I am a stay-at-home mom so we were living on one income, and we knew that carrying such a large amount of debt was dangerous, especially without much of a savings.

We outlined a strategy to budget by paycheck using a zero-based budget, and I created a budget binder to help us track our finances.

This strategy helped us pay off $100,000 in 4 years on a single income while growing our family (and we’re NOT rich!). [Read more…]

How To Get Rid Of A Timeshare – Stop Wasting Your Money!

Last Updated: November 8, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 60 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.

Every once in a while I get a question from a reader about how to get rid of a timeshare. Sometimes the person is asking for themselves, but other times, they are trying to help a friend or family member.

The problem is that timeshares aren’t as amazing as the salesperson claims they are. They are expensive, you probably won’t use them as much as you think, timeshare resale values are incredibly low making them hard to sell, and more.

So, if you have been thinking about purchasing a timeshare or if you are wondering how to get rid of a timeshare, today’s article is for you.

Many adults have attended a timeshare presentation, and even more have been asked to attend one. You are usually offered something if you stay the whole time, such as a free vacation, an iPad, a cruise, or something else that is quite enticing. And, that’s how they get you interested.

All you have to do is listen to the presentation and get your free gift. Sounds simple enough, right? [Read more…]

Do You Need To Have “The Talk?” – 4 Powerful Reasons To Talk About Money

Last Updated: October 21, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 16 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.

Every so often, I hear from someone who says that I shouldn’t talk about money so openly, as they believe it is rude, distasteful, vulgar… I could go on and on.

Sadly, many people think that talking about money is tacky and even more taboo than talking about politics or even sex.

For someone like me who is comfortable talking about how much I earn, the amount I save, and more, I make a lot of people uncomfortable, haha.

But, that’s not what I’m trying to do.

I’m not trying to show off, make people feel less than they are, be rude, or anything like that.

Instead, I believe that being more open about money is better for everyone!

However, I regularly see people being shamed for talking about money, and I see it more and more on social media. [Read more…]

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