Budget Archives - Page 2 of 101 - Making Sense Of Cents

How We Paid Off Our $223,000 House By The Time We Were 30 (Yes, We Have Kids!)

May 10, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 14 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 guest post on an amazing debt payoff story. If you are interested in learning how to pay off your mortgage early, this is something you should definitely read! Enjoy.

I get asked all the time, “how in the world did you pay off your house at your age?” Normally I give some wise anchor answer like I won the lottery, or my rich uncle died but those just aren’t true. The truth is, I’m a pretty normal guy but I had a big, not so normal goal.

Hi, I’m Tyler, my wife Ashlee and I paid off our $223,000 mortgage off by the time we were 30. Now, we live a life full of freedom, adventure, and 4 kids. To find out more, check us out at Paid Off House.

So here is how we did it. I know some of these things are pretty common-sense things, but I happen to know for a fact that they work. (Because we did it!) [Read more…]

This Easy Product Gives You a Customized Plan to Help Achieve Your Credit Score Goals

May 10, 2019 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.

Image Source: Ivory Mix

Disclaimer: This article was sponsored by TransUnion and contains affiliate links to their products. I received a [free demo and free trial] of the product to use and am being provided compensation for my review of the product. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My experience is my own, and your experience may differ.

Are you trying to improve your financial situation, and reach your credit score goals, but don't know how to begin? Do you want personalized recommendations on how to reach your credit goals so that you know exactly what steps to take next? [Read more…]

Money And Relationships: Are You On The Verge Of Calling It Quits?

May 8, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 14 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.

What To Do When Your Partner Is A Financial Disaster #moneymanagement #manageyourmoney

Is love enough for a healthy and happy relationship, especially when it comes to financial troubles? What if your partner was hiding a secret account or was lying about their spending? Are those issues you could work past?

Unfortunately, negative issues with money and relationships are incredibly common. I actually receive lots and lots of emails from readers who are struggling with some of these exact issues. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t get a question or comment from a reader who has concerns about the bad spending or savings habits of their partner.

Here are a few of the situations I’ve been asked about:

My partner earns $50,000 a year and wants to buy a $900,000 house, and we have NO savings. How do I explain why this won’t work?
My partner has the mistaken idea that if he has a coupon for Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc. that he must absolutely buy something because he’s “losing money if I don’t use the coupon.” He is a hoarder and spends all of his money on stuff that he will never use. How do I help him work past his issues before it’s too late for us?
My partner spends over $1,000 a month on entertainment but we have a lot of debt. How should I approach them about it?
My partner is hiding her spending from me and I know it’s happening. How do we work through this?
My partner isn't trying to find a job but we desperately need the money. What should we do?

[Read more…]

Is Paying Off Your Debt Worth It?

April 15, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 18 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.

Is Paying Off Your Debt Worth It? #payoffyourdebt #debt Paying off debt is hard work. If it weren’t so hard, then it would be no problem for people to do. But, that isn’t the case at all.

Once you decide to pay off your debt, there will challenges along the way. There will be times that you feel tired and even defeated. Paying off debt takes making sacrifices, it takes time, and you may feeling like you are the only one working towards being debt free.

There are many things that may weigh you down as you pay off your debt, and the ones I bring up are all going to feel very negative. But, I want to talk about them because they are all things that I have felt while paying off my nearly $40,000 of student loan debt. By knowing that these feelings are common, my hope is that today’s post can help you overcome difficulties that you may experience along the way.

Instead of letting these feelings or challenges completely stop you from moving forward as you pay off your debt, you should know that many of the obstacles you come across are things that you can push past and move on from. [Read more…]

10 Easy Road Trip Snack Recipes

April 8, 2019 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.

Road trips are one of the best ways to travel affordably, and they can be a lot of fun for families, couples, or a way to travel on your own. Even though we no longer have a car, we did RV for several years, so we are road trip pros, haha.

Now, while road trips can be an affordable way to travel, it is also very easy to buy snacks every time you need to get gas or use the restroom. Even though they are usually somewhat cheap, the cost can really add up. That means you will probably be spending much more money than if you made your own road trip snacks in advance.

The other bad thing about the kind of road trip snacks you find in gas stations is that they are usually full or sugar, sodium, and just aren’t very healthy for you.

I have gotten much better at not grabbing candy or chips when on a road trip because I hate how it makes me feel afterwards. But, I also hate how quickly the cost of those snacks adds up.

So, if you’re wanting some ideas for healthy, make at home road trip snacks for your next adventure, then I have a great list of delicious recipes for you to try.

They are delicious snacks for anyone who might be joining you on the road, and they hardly take any time to make. [Read more…]

Save Your Money And Avoid A Storage Unit

April 3, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 9 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.

When we downsized our house and belongings to move into our RV, we rented a storage unit for a few months to help us deal with some things we still had left but couldn’t fit into the RV. While it was helpful at the time, we are now really happy that we got rid of our storage unit.

It’s been a few years since we got rid of it, but we're still very happy with our decision!

I won't lie, though, just a few months ago, we were talking about whether or not we should get a small storage unit again for some of the gear we have (bikes, bikes, and more bikes, and other outdoors gear that we have) and things that we have collected over the past few years while traveling.

But, we've decided not to. [Read more…]

How to use your tax refund to repair your credit

March 31, 2019 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.

The following is a sponsored post with Creditrepair.com.

Are you looking to improve your credit score and your credit history? As you recently learned in What makes you a good candidate for credit repair?, your credit score is so important!

As a refresher, your credit score can influence the interest rate you receive on a loan, buying a home, finding a rental home, attaining certain jobs, your insurance rates, and more.

If you're receiving a tax refund this year, I recommend using it to your advantage and improve your life first. Yes, splurges are great, but if you have a low or not-excellent credit score and credit history, I recommend using your tax refund towards this instead.

Here are some ways you can use your tax refund to repair your credit. [Read more…]

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