My Christmas Gift Guide for people on a budget was a hit, so I thought I would remake it for a new holiday! Introducing: a Valentine’s Day Gift Guide (for people on a budget). First up: the purpose of a valentine’s day gift is to show affection and love. You can do that without spending a single penny! The best valentine’s day gifts demonstrate a couple of things: That you know...
I am getting my booster shot today. In my previous city, I only had to walk 15 minutes or so down the road to reach the vaccination site. In my new city, I have to travel for around an hour. A lot of scratching my head over Google Maps eventually yielded a 20 minute walk, a train journey, and another 30 minute walk as being the most efficient route. I did briefly flirt with the idea of using an...
Head to any personal finance blog or forum, and you’re likely to discover that one of the first things you’ll be told to do is keep a budget. Now, if you’re up to your ears in debt and struggling to pay your bills on time, the benefits of creating a budget are obvious (though likely also depressing!) But what if you’re earning enough to coast by? Why should you keep a...
Making a budget is fundamental to almost any financial goals you might have. Want to get out of debt? Make a budget.Want to retire early? Make a budget.Want to reduce your work hours so you can spend more time with your family? Make a budget. What is a budget? A good budget is a plan for your money. If you feel like your spending is out of control, a budget is the best way to take back control...
I came up with the following five steps to financial freedom. This isn’t a new approach – most financial gurus will advise you follow the same steps, though the emphasis on each step might be different. Why would you want to aim for financial freedom? Well, even if you love your job and enjoy going to work, financial freedom will remove a lot of stress from your life. You won’t...
There are two great reasons to take a packed lunch to work. The first is that it will save you money. Whilst the actual amount it will save you depends on what you pack in your lunch box versus what you used to spend on eating out or buying prepackaged sandwiches and salads I can guarantee that it will pretty much always work out cheaper. (I mean, unless you regularly put caviar and truffles in...
I set myself a challenge at the start of October: to save or earn an additional £500 to throw back into my savings. I challenged myself to cut expenses, earn extra money on the side, and generally spend less than I earned. So, how did I do? Cutting back on fixed costs: I set myself the goal of slashing some of my subscriptions. I spoke to my mobile phone provider, my broadband provider and I...
This week we have something a bit different! As October comes to a close, so does my month of money. I’ll let you know how I did in a few days, once I total everything up. But, after that, I’ll be taking a break from writing about personal finance and writing about other things. However, some of you may want to know even more about budgeting, saving money and getting your personal...
Money is hard. There. I said it. In theory, it’s very easy. They key thing is to spend less than you earn. However. In reality, we don’t have total control over how much we earn. And we all need to spend money to survive. If we consistently spend more than we earn, we go into debt, and eventually end up bankrupt. If we consistently earn more than we spend, we eventually build up...
Confession: I am a foodie. And groceries? They are my nemesis. I can rack up a £100 shopping bill in the time it takes you to say “Do you really need the Cerignola olives?” Extra virgin olive oil drizzled over my tomato, basil, mozzarella and spinach salad. Potatoes roasted in rich, buttery ghee. The nutty deliciousness of hemp oil married with a treacle-thick balsamic vinegar. A...
Recent Comments