by Elizabeth Djinis Quick Navigation2021 was year two of the pandemic, and chances are most of us spent a lot of time at home realizing just how much stuff we have on our hands.When you find yourself faced with clutter, there’s one good solution: try to sell it! What looks old, used or out of style to you may be a prized possession to someone else.But entering the world of
Creating a budget doesn’t have to mean setting yourself up for a life of restriction. By improving your money management, you can focus on making your money work for you. That means spending more on the things you want while still staying in control so you can achieve your long-term financial goals.The right spreadsheet and budgeting technology can help you create and track your financial budget. There’s no need to
Most people get into debt at some point in their lives — whether through student loans, credit cards, or car loans. Of course, the goal should be to pay off this debt so you can focus on improving your financial stability through successful investing and eliminating some of the fears surrounding money you might be harboring.However, if you have multiple debts — and don’t have the liquidity to pay them
Net worth provides a quick snapshot of your overall financial health. This simple figure is calculated by subtracting the dollar-value equivalent of all of your debts from all of your assets. Knowing your net worth can help you determine where you are in your financial journey — and, just as importantly, where you want to go. Read on for a quick guide to calculating your net worth.Net worth is calculated
by Tiffany ConnorsStaff WriterMaybe you have too much downtime. Maybe you don’t have nearly enough.Maybe working from home makes it a little too easy to open emails about sales at your favorite stores and spend a few minutes browsing — and buying.Whatever your particular trigger, it’s easy to indulge in retail therapy. That’s when you use shopping to cheer yourself up or stave off boredom. The euphoria of scoring a
The Envelope System is a great method for saving money.It works by allocating money for certain categories like eating out, shopping, movies, and so on in envelopes. Once you spend the money in the envelope, that’s it for the month. You can’t spend more.It’s a great system to use if you’re in debt, because it forces you to be actively aware of your spending — but is it all it’s cracked up
by Tiffani ShermanContributorQuick NavigationFor many people, having to spend lots of time at home can highlight the flaws in their living situations. Either we need to do a bit of remodeling to bring things up to date or we need some maintenance to keep things running smoothly.Judging by the amount we’re spending on home maintenance and remodeling, we must be noticing a lot of flaws.Through the third quarter of 2021,
The debt snowball method is a system that concentrates on paying off debts with the lowest balance first. The idea is that you’ll be able to clear your smallest debt the quickest. This allows for a quick win, which can keep you motivated to continue paying off your debts. Once you pay off the smallest debt, you then move on to focus on the next smallest debt.This is a popular
by Tiffany ConnorsStaff WriterIf you have federally held student loans, you’re getting a break on making payments — again.The freeze on interest rates and payments for federally held student loans — aka administrative forbearance — has been extended by the Department of Education through April 30, 2022. Millions of Americans were staring at the resumption of payments on Feb. 1, until the latest extension was announced by President Joe Biden
by Nicole DowSenior WriterThe less you spend, the more you save.It sounds simple in theory, but in practice, it’s much more complicated.Spending is built into our daily habits, from our morning trip to the coffee shop to unwinding at happy hour after work. We treat spending as a pastime when we’re bored, dropping hundreds with a few taps on our phone.Even when we try our best to stick to a
