Moving out on your own can be one of the biggest and most exciting times of your life! If it’s your first apartment, you get the thrill of finally being on your own and becoming an adult. But like most adult things, you’ll quickly realize that there are costs involved – big costs! Rent, food, utilities, parking, etc. And because your income is probably limited and held to a strict budget, the last thing on your mind is probably how you’ll furnish it. However, there is no need to worry. Plenty of college kids and young adults have long figured out how to do apartment decorating on a budget and they’ve been able to pull it off with some great success. So here are a few ways that you can do the same without having to put yourself … [Read more...] about How to Do Apartment Decorating on a Budget
Savings & Budgeting
It’s Time to Get Real About Our Household Expenses
Stop lying to yourself. … About your expenses that is. If you are constantly finding yourself short on funds every other month, or if you have to keep dipping into your life savings just to keep the checkbook healthy, then something is wrong. That was a harsh realization I had recently. Even after all the budgets and spreadsheets I’ve made, we were forecasting a huge deficit for the year. The only solution? It was time to get real about our household expenses. … [Read more...] about It’s Time to Get Real About Our Household Expenses
8 Quick Money Making Ideas For An Extra $100 to Invest
The following contribution is by Pauline Paquin from the blog Reach Financial Independence. Pauline has just launched a new site called Make Money Your Way to help readers diversify their sources of income with real estate, investing, entrepreneurship and online endeavors. Born and raised in Paris, Pauline writes about how she has been traveling the world for the past 10 years, while trying to build wealth and achieve financial independence, and how you can follow your dreams and reach your goals too. You can follow Pauline on Twitter @MoneyYourWay. If you are a regular reader of My Money Design, you know by now that the best way to build wealth is to make your money work for you, and not the other way around. How does one do that? By … [Read more...] about 8 Quick Money Making Ideas For An Extra $100 to Invest
Another Reason Why You Need Emergency Money – For Stupid Car Repairs
If you think that having $1,000 or so in your emergency fund is going to cut it, think again! I’m normally not a huge promoter of this topic, but over the last 2 weeks, I’ve had to dip into my stash more than I’d like. And if I didn’t have access to emergency money, I’d be up a creek either paralyzing one of my investments or taking on unnecessary debt. Here's my story of what happened: … [Read more...] about Another Reason Why You Need Emergency Money – For Stupid Car Repairs
Learn How to Manage Money Better – Like a Large Company CFO
Why do we struggle when it comes to handling our money? Some of us live check to check and barely save nothing. Others of us do okay. But then we never take full advantage of what’s out there to make the best financial choices. What is it about our methods that make us so deficient at knowing how to manage money better? Ironically, the answer you’re looking for might just be behind those large retail giants where we spend the most amount of money each month. While some people may scuff at the likes of Walmart or Apple with their anti-consumerism attitudes, I ask you to take a second look. Beyond the products they sell to us, what is about them that would cause us to stop and focus on them? The answer: They know something … [Read more...] about Learn How to Manage Money Better – Like a Large Company CFO
Wealth Creation Strategies That Are Within Your Reach
Do you believe that getting rich is something exclusive? That only certain people are entitled to it, but for some reason you’re not? If you do think this way, you’re doing yourself a great disservice. With the information age and all the resources that come with it, there are more wealth creation strategies and opportunities available to us than ever. A financial adviser can help you manage your finances correctly to increase your chances of gaining wealth. Common people like us can take advantage of these tools and build a fortune that will last a lifetime. But the trick is first being able recognize what’s in your face, and then jumping all over them without hesitation. Your Job is Not (and Should Not Be) the Only Way to Create … [Read more...] about Wealth Creation Strategies That Are Within Your Reach
My Best Online Discount Experience and a $500 Giveaway!
The Internet has undeniable changed many things about our lives. We can find people we havn’t seen in years. Information is available right at our fingertips. Even the post office is going to eliminate one day of delivery because so many people just use email or automatic bill pay. But arguably one of the coolest things about the Internet that has changed my life and yours is the way we shop. Not only are the things I’m looking to buy generally cheaper, you can also find all kinds of online discount promotional codes and deals that help sweeten the deal. … [Read more...] about My Best Online Discount Experience and a $500 Giveaway!
How to Stop Spending Money – 5 “Psych Outs” that Trick You to Spend
The following post was provided by fellow blogger Jennifer Willard. If you are interested in being a guest contributor for My Money Design, please feel free to contact me. Saving money for retirement, or even a rainy day, has become much harder over the last couple of years. Prices for necessities have risen, while income levels have grown stagnant. However, this doesn’t mean that it is impossible to save for the future and learn how to stop spending money. You just have to be a savvier shopper. Of course, there are always ways to save money when shopping. Using coupons, taking advantage of sales, and even buying in bulk is great ways to save money. But the real trick to savvy shopping and saving money is to understand how retailers … [Read more...] about How to Stop Spending Money – 5 “Psych Outs” that Trick You to Spend
