“Build your emergency fund.” “Invest in retirement.” “Pay off your debt.” The more I write about personal finance, the greater the complexities I discover when it comes to prioritization. For those just starting on the path to a healthier financial future, Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps might just be the ticket. But over the course […]
How To Get A Spouse To Start Budgeting
Married couples don’t always see eye to eye. If you’re married, you didn’t need me to tell you that :). When I started writing about making a budget and answering budgeting related questions, I found that people often struggle with a spouse who won’t get on board with the finances. The usual response is a […]
Family Finance: Top Mistakes Young Families Make
Singles finance and family finance differ quite a bit. I’ve learned that well over the past 5 1/2 years (our oldest child is now 5 1/2). My personal experience has shown there are more spending pressures and overall expenses when you have a young family. Examples include birthday parties, swim lessons, dance lessons, clothes, toys, […]
There Are Times When Your Finances Take A Back Seat. Be Prepared With A Contingency Plan
Just over one week ago we had our first child, little Carter John. Ever since the day he was born, we have been focusing only on the baby – feeding him, changing his diapers, getting used to his schedule – and trying to stay sane. One thing we’ve learned in the past week is just […]
3 Ways To Trick Yourself Into Saving Money
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have a difficult time saving money. If the cash is there, it ends up getting spent! For those of us who need new ways of saving money, here are some great tips on saving more money than we thought possible. It’s All About Habits Before we get […]
What Is The Best Way To Save For A New Child?
Well congratulations if you’ve recently found out you’re expecting to have a child! Assuming you’re having a child for the first time you may not know what expenses to expect or how to save for your child. That’s okay. Having children does impact your wallet, but it’s well worth it. Children are a blessing and […]
3 Steps To Easily Pay Your Bills On Time
Upon contemplating how to implement our first budget, I ran into an inevitable problem: how to cash flow monthly expenditures. Having worked in retail for large corporations, I understood that other people had a similar problem. When it came time to pay their bill, some would say, “Well, I don’t get paid until Friday. Can […]
Doing A Zero Based Budget Will Lead To Found Money
Over the past couple of years the economy has been in a tailspin. With double digit unemployment, people are having a hard time finding jobs, and not many people (beyond government workers) have been seeing their incomes increase. Because times are tough most people are having to be more creative in looking for places to trim […]
How To Analyze Your Budget And Spending Decisions
I love helping people with their finances, it’s a passion of mine. You can see it in the One Money Design tagline – helping people achieve true financial freedom. Money Map coaching involves walking with people through a Biblical financial study and helping them use practical financial tools for their finances (such as setting up […]
Should Your Finances Be In Order Before Having Children?
You might be surprised by my response to this question. But in general, I don’t think you should plan having children around your finances or financial situation. In other words, I do not think finances have to be in order to have children. Now I know there are some exceptions in which a child couldn’t […]
Where Is All My Money Going?!?!
At some point in our lives I think we ask this question. Where did all of our money go? What in the world could we have spent it on? We should have plenty left over at the end of the month! Discovering the root of overspending can be a difficult endeavor. After all, we’re busy […]
Improve Marriage And Money Problems By Setting Spending Limits
It’s quite customary for consumers who are making big purchases to set spending limits. As an example, a couple might say, “I think it is time to buy a new car.” Once they have decided to purchase another car, they will then ask, “How much should we spend?” A great question. They’ll either talk about […]
How to Go On A Financial Diet
This article was written by Go Banking Rates, bringing you the best interest rates on financial services nationwide, as well as informative content and helpful tools. Spending has a lot in common with eating: both are about consumption, both require money, and too much of either can lead to serious problems. While the problems manifest […]
Deciding How Much to Allocate In Your Budget
Bryce Bartruff, senior director and COO of American Missionary Fellowship, leads a personal finance workshop called “Fiscal Fitness.” For more information about attending or hosting a workshop in your area, give him a call at 610-527-4439, ext. 104 or email him through the contact form. “Do you know how to make God laugh?” my nephew, […]
