TAKE THE STRESS AWAY FROM ONE-TIME EXPENSES THE EASY WAY Over the years I’ve had many fans email asking me how to budget for one-time expenses when using a budget. This is no surprise as we’ve made our fair share of mistakes during our newbie years of budgeting. Let me explain. If you’ve never used a financial budget before for your expenses and are contemplating ringing in the new year with a fresh look on money, you’ve come to the right place. You won’t find any hard-to-understand information here as I tend to keep it simple. The key to budgeting is to start slow and to remember that your first go at budgeting might need tweaking. You may find that using budget jars works for you or stashing money in envelopes for the month. Some readers would not dare keep cash at home for fear of dipping into the jar here and there. Everyone IS different the way they handle their money. What’s important to remember here is that it really doesn’t matter what budgeting platform you choose as long as it’s working for you and not against you. How do you know if you’ve found the right or […]
3 Foolproof Savings Tips For One-time Expenses : November 2017 Budget Update
One Simple Habit You Need To Help Beat Budget Anxiety : October 2017 Budget Update
YOU HAVE THREE SCOOPS OF ICE-CREAM-WHICH FLAVOUR IS ON THE BOTTOM AND WHICH IS ON THE TOP? Simply believing that everything will work out for the best financially is comparable to telling a child money grows on trees. Near the end of each year I receive emails from fans who complain of budget anxiety for a variety of reasons. I often reply back with making one simple habit change to ease the pain a bit to help them move forward. No, I’m not Doctor Budget but close. Financial burden placed upon anyone is a weight that you either work hard to build the strength to lift it or will cripple you. Those of you who have been to financial hell and back know exactly what I’m talking about. The journey is never pleasant and comes with a myriad of emotions that can sometimes take over your world. Controlling anxiety no matter what the cause is and it can be multiple things is not easy to do especially when you don’t know where to begin. One of the best resources for your anxiety is yourself and others who are going through what you are experiencing or have surpassed this with […]
What’s Your Sign? Mine Is Debt Free Forever Through Financial Discipline : September 2017 Budget Update
YOU CAN EITHER BE A DREAMER OR A DOER BUT ONLY ONE OF THEM WILL GIVE YOU THE FINANCIAL SUCCESS YOU CRAVE How do you teach yourself financial discipline? Easy but let me tell you one thing, don’t waste your time if you aren’t ready to make this a life-long change. Have a look at the photo above. If you’re the person who always dreams from the background and wishes that could be you in the canoe then you need to ask yourself why you’re not and what you need to do so you can change that. You can’t just turn on your money-saving mode one month and turn it off the next. It doesn’t work that way. What happens is you’re not being consistent and you may just find your financial hole a bit deeper. Today’s post is to remind you about the importance of a clear-mind and solid plan when beginning your money journey whether it be to pay off debt, earn more money or invest. None of this can be possible until your mindset is in drive. Imagine for a minute that you went on a diet and you did well for the first two months […]
Should You Have More Than One Income Source? : Our August 2017 Budget Update
MORE THAN ONE INCOME SOURCE DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO TRADE HOURS FOR MONEY PROVIDED YOU KNOW YOUR OPTIONS. Someone asked me the other week how I was going to adjust to having only one income source now that I’ve resigned from one of my full-time jobs. I responded by saying that it won’t bother me one bit, at least not right away. Why? I can finally breathe and try to get my life back on track because I felt like I was on autopilot for all those years even though I enjoy what I do. Thankfully we have income sources that earn us some extra income such as this blog and our retirement investments, but are they enough? That depends on how much money we’d like to make and without much effort. Unfortunately the blog does take lots of effort so we do have plenty of room for improving our income source options. Having more than one income source sounds draining especially when you’re already working full-time and any available overtime. Some couples only have one income source because either/or become a stay-at-home parent until their children are in school full-time. My mum did this while my father worked in […]
Mortgage Freedom Means You Still Need To Run : Our May 2017 Budget Update
EVERY DAY IS LIKE A FINANCIAL ROAD TRIP WITH BUMPS, DETOURS, GREEN LIGHTS AND FLAT TIRES. Teach me how to get rich my sister-in-law asks me surprisingly a few weeks back since finding out we’ve been mortgage free 4 years as of May 2017. I don’t know about the “Rich” part but I can certainly talk for hours about budgets, frugal living and the importance of it all. Mortgage Freedom is just the beginning Since burning our mortgage papers Mrs. CBB and I have done one thing that some people might stop doing. Do you want to know what it is? Of course you do. Related: How we became mortgage free in 5 years We never stopped with the financial discipline we’ve ingrained into our routine over the past 10 years. Sometimes it’s hard to look back and think it has been that long but not really when you consider the life of a typical mortgage is 20-25 years. I don’t have all the answers but I do know that if you aren’t prepared to invest in your finances then you must deal with what you have. I don’t care if you’re already rich, collecting welfare, earn […]
