A budget is a great tool. But like all great tools, it’s possible to do without it. To do that, you go beyond budgeting … A little over two years ago, we took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University at our church. In taking the course, our lack of budgeting convicted us. Since then, we’ve drafted … Read more
Gift cards work as gifts. But what if you receive gift cards that you know you won’t use, or stick one in a drawer and find it months or years later? I happen to think that gift cards are a decent choice for Christmastime giving. They’re convenient and flexible. A well-chosen gift card can show … Read more
Getting a side hustle doing what you love sometimes means persevering through people flat-out telling you that you can’t … Many people have something they’re passionate about that’s outside of their main job. A natural outflowing of that passion is a fire in the belly. With time, this translates to proficiency or even expertise because … Read more
You may be a treasure-hunter at heart, constantly on the lookout for the extraordinary amongst the ordinary. If you are, then you needn’t look any farther than your local bank or credit union. They are caretakers for various kinds of coin and currency goodness — all hidden in plain sight, ready to be found by … Read more
I haven’t gone full-bore into paying with my phone, but I did use Pay with Ibotta on a recent trip to Olive Garden. I’ll share what I did wrong so you’re not stressed out the same way I was … Apps that allow you to pay with your smartphone have matured. Think Venmo, Google Pay, … Read more
I missed the deadline to change my booking date by less than a day. Here’s what I did — mostly by accident! — to leave a day earlier without the extra hotel fee … Mistakes happen. If the only consequence of making a mistake is that things cost a bit more than they should have, … Read more
I use the cashback app Ibotta to save on groceries. Here are tricks to making sure that you maximize your savings … To date, I’ve earned over $160 cashback with Ibotta. Saving money with Ibotta goes like this: Install the app on your phone. Select the items with cashback deals you want. Go shopping and … Read more
Want to retire? Watch out for these retirement killers and avoid them by doing the right things … Each year, every year, I get a year older. Likely the same is happening to you. And although I’m incredibly thankful for my job, I envision a time when (a) I may choose not to do it … Read more