Master your money. Get organized. Take back your time.
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Ohhh, yeah. Summertime is here!
As you’re wrapping up your springtime family fun, it’s time to start looking ahead to what amazing summer activities await your family. Indoors or out, you’ll be ready to savor summertime with these awesome ideas: [Read more…]
One thing that’s certain in life is its innate uncertainty. Everyday living can surprise you unpleasantly with burst pipes, health problems, financial upset, tax audits, and more.
But there are things you can do now that will protect your family and your financial interests against future unknowns. In particular, you can take steps to ensure that your most important records and documents are simultaneously preserved and accessible — to you and to anyone to whom you want to grant permission.
So we’re looking today at ways you can keep your precious papers safe and your digital documents secure. [Read more…]
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Hellooo, summer!
The school year is coming to an end. The temperature outside is climbing. And the heat inside? Well, that’s heading up to uncomfortable levels too.
Staying cool in your home this summer can, unfortunately, cost you dearly.
If you want your home to be pleasantly livable when the outdoors feels like an oven, you may think that you need to pay for the privilege. But keeping cool doesn’t have to drain your wallet. In fact, here are some easy ways to stay comfy and money smart.
[Read more…]
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All right, so I’m totally guilty of this one.
Years ago, I read a great crime novel. Suspense, drama, intrigue — you name it. So I figured that the author’s other books must be pretty awesome too.
As a result, over the years, I’ve visited my local library and borrowed one after another of her books. And some of them weren’t bad. The rest? Awful.
I was happy enough reading the good ones. But guess what I did with the snooze-worthy ones?
Yeah, I read those too. Cover to cover.
Those novels weren’t the least bit compelling in the first few chapters. They weren’t remotely thrilling at the halfway point. They were — at best — meh all the way through.
But I finished those suckers anyway.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Total waste of time. To make matters worse, I wasted more time in complaining to my poor husband about how crummy my latest read was.
Of course, you can clearly see how utterly silly it was to keep throwing away precious hours like this!
But think for a second. I bet that you’ve got at least one time-wasting story just like mine.
And that’s where “the art of non-finishing” comes in . . . [Read more…]
You know a strong credit score is invaluable to your financial life. Want to secure the best mortgage rate? Nab that charming apartment? Pay less for your insurance premiums? Your FICO score, the most popular score used by lenders, makes it happen.
Ranging from 300 to a perfect 850, your FICO score determines what credit is available to you and at what rate. According to NerdWallet, once you hit 760, you’ll usually be offered the very best rates.
But some people can’t resist the challenge of achieving a FICO score in the 800s. If you want to know how to gain -– and maintain –- a top-notch score, you can learn from these five habits of card-carrying members of the 800 club. [Read more…]
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Ahh, the fridge. That chilly black hole where perfectly good food vanishes until the stink leads you to it. Or where you mutter curses under your breath as you pull everything out in order to find that one thing you need.
As little more than a giant box with lots of oddly shaped foods, the refrigerator can be an organizing nightmare. Too often, you wind up with wasted food and even double purchases after you lose an item in the recesses of the fridge.
But getting your fridge organized — and keeping it organized — is surprisingly simple. With a few fundamental principles and the right tools, you can take your refrigerator from maddening to organized in a snap. [Read more…]
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It’s that time of year again. Wedding season is in full swing!
And, if you’re committed to living on a budget, your worry may be that you have to choose between overly expensive and awful gifts for the happy couples.
But you can be generous, thoughtful, and money-savvy all at once.
In fact, here are 11 perfect wedding gifts that are sure to delight newlyweds without breaking the bank! [Read more…]
The holidays are long gone, but it feels like Christmas morning when your tax refund lands in your bank account!
Before you burn through that cash, though, take a beat. With the right strategy, you can use your refund to make some powerful financial moves in your life.
Here are the steps you should take — in order — to maximize the benefit of that windfall . . .
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If you haven’t read one of David Allen’s books, it’s time to hit up your local library.
For decades, he’s been one of the foremost experts on business and personal productivity. And his GTD system — short for “Getting Things Done” — has a near-cult-like following of productivity lovers. And the book that started it all, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, has one of the best tips for tricking yourself into being productive.
Here it is . . . [Read more…]
Being an all-cash person isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it probably means you’ve got little or no credit history to speak of — which can come back to bite you when you finally do need to apply for a loan or line of credit.
But starting on the right foot when it comes to building credit isn’t as hard as you might think. In fact, you can by tackling a few basic steps. [Read more…]