Budgeting

If you struggle with overspending or simply want to be more mindful with your monthly expenses, the envelope method can help. The envelope method is a cash-based budgeting system that prevents overspending by dividing money into envelopes for certain spending categories.

There are many advantages to buying a home: the rewarding sense of ownership, not answering to a landlord, and having more control over what you want to do with your living space. However, one drawback to becoming a homeowner is the home repair and maintenance you must take on. 

Have you tried one or more of these four common budget types? Learn more about zero-balance, 50/30/20, envelope and anti-budgets.

The 50/30/20 budgeting rule, made popular in the U.S. by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi, has gained mainstream attention since its debut in 2005. However, it’s not the only percentage method for spending your earnings. On the other side of the globe, a similar formula has become incredibly popular: 60/20/20.

Living with roommates is a great way to save money on housing. When you share a house or apartment with others you can split rent, utilities and other shared house related costs. Learn how to split costs with roommates and use our downloadable roommate budget spreadsheet to track monthly expenses. 

When budgeting, people often ask “what should my food budget be?” Unfortunately, food budgets are not one size fits all. We all have different needs so the answer is dependent on variables like the number of people in your household as well as their age, location, income, eating habits and meal schedule. So we set […]

Driver’s licenses, first jobs, school dances and college searches: your teen years are full of important milestones. They also tend to be more financially focused, with your first big purchases and glimpses of adulthood on the horizon. 

Cooking is one of life’s simple pleasures. Deciding what to eat, hauling groceries from the store, and figuring out how to smush them together into something edible (let alone delicious)? Those aspects are not such a pleasure. Not after a hard day’s work, anyway… Luckily, we live in the future now. A meal subscription box […]

Holiday spending is expected to increase this year, as more and more families return to in-person celebrations. According to a forecast by Deloitte, U.S. consumers are expected to spend up to 9% more this holiday season than they did in 2020. Increases in spending, especially around the holidays can derail your budget. Keep holiday spending […]

Most people agree that keeping a budget is a good idea but how many faithfully do it? Like me, you’ve probably made a budget spreadsheet only to forget about it a few days later. I’m not proud to admit I’ve done this more than once, but why? Despite working in personal finance, I was influenced […]