RobinJerauld.com
Budgeting & Saving
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The Basics of Financial Goal Setting
Before implementing effective investment and retirement strategies, it helps to know specifically what you want to achieve and by when you want to achieve it.
The flashy millionaires glamorized by the media represent a tiny fraction of America's millionaires. The overwhelming majority of millionaires got that way by living simply, working smart, and saving their money.
10 Resolutions To Improve Your Financial Life
Includes some excellent tips on organizing your records so that you don't miss any major tax deductions.
How to Save Money on Practically Everything
Great article index explaining how to reduce costs on everything from automobiles to weddings.
The Stupidity of Buying New Cars
Would you invest money in an asset that was guaranteed to lose at least 20% the first year? That's what you get when you buy a brand-new car. Consider buying used instead. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart and the richest man in the world until his death, drove an old pickup truck until the day he died. Sergey Brin, the billionaire co-founder of Google, still drives a Toyota Prius. There's a lesson here.
Think a second income will make a significant difference in your lifestyle? Run the numbers first. You may be surprised.
A slew of practical tips on how to do it.
What Your Favorite TV Characters Really Make
We try to imitate the lifestyles we see on television, but our favorite characters would be bankrupt in the real world.
Having Fun Without Breaking the Bank
Great tips on travel, vacations, recreation, holidays, etc.
Usually, but not for the reasons most people assume. College is an employment-screening device, not a training device. Get your degree fast, cheap and on the job. An expensive school is not likely to help you earn more than a regular school.
A penny saved is two pennies earned (after taxes). If you make the commitment to simplify your life, you can spend far more of your life living instead of working to pay for junk you don't really need. There are also nice overviews of this subject here and here if you're interested in learning more about how to make the simple life work.
Easier said than done, but chances are you'll spend less money, free up your time, become more productive, and live a fuller life from improved relationships with your spouse, children, extended family and friends. Here is one man's account of how his family made the conscious choice not to live out their lives watching other people live.
Important questions to ask yourself every once in a while to make sure you are on track to meeting your goals.
Savings and Retirement Calculators
See the savings and retirement calculator section of this site to figure out how much you need to save monthly to meet a certain goal, how long your savings will last in retirement, etc.
Quarter-Million Dollar Babies: The Cost of Raising Children
For 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that families making $70,200 or more per year will spend over $250,000 to raise a child through age 17.
20 Ways to Waste Money on Your Car
The truth about high octane gasoline, 3000 mile oil changes and other gimmicks.
If you see something you want to buy, wait a week before ordering to see if you really want it, use the public library to check out movies or books for free, drop your land line and just use your cell phone, pay with cash instead of credit since psychologically it's harder to spend cash than credit, etc. Here are 50 more ways to trim your budget.
Is Bargain Hunting Worth the Effort?
After factoring in lost time, wasted energy and increased gasoline costs, the answer is often "no".