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The absolute hardest part of my budget to control is grocery spending. There, I said it. And what I've found from talking to others is that I'm not alone. So how much should I spend on groceries? It's easy for me to track how much I'm spending every month on food, but somehow it always feels like it's too much. Trying to figure out what is a realistic, achievable grocery … [Read more...] about How Much Should I Spend on Groceries? (The Definitive Guide for 2019)

There are all kinds of personal finance statistics floating around on the internet. It's easy to quote a financial statistic to support almost anything you have to say. In the past few years of researching personal finance, I've read A LOT of statistics. Some come from reliable sources, and some not so much. And many times, the source isn't even quoted - it's just assumed … [Read more...] about Personal Finance Statistics 2019: Shocking Facts on Money, Debt & More

Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you've heard the conventional wisdom that you need an emergency fund. And of course it makes sense to save for a rainy day. Yet life gets in the way, the normal bills continue to pile up, and emergency savings gets pushed to the back burner. In fact, according to a recent survey, only 39% of Americans could cover a $1,000 … [Read more...] about Emergency Fund Examples – Be Prepared for These 7 Financial Disasters

Can you really pay off debt on a teacher's salary? You’ve heard those success stories of people who pay off a big chunk of debt while earning $30-some thousand per year. You wonder if they can do it, why can’t I? What’s the secret? As a school counselor who borrowed over $42,000 in student loans and paid it off in 34 months while earning less than that per year, I’ll … [Read more...] about 8 Simple Steps To Pay Off Debt on a Teacher’s Salary

Are you ready to get your personal budget under control, but are overwhelmed when you think of where to start? When I first started budgeting, one of the hardest things for me to do was come up with personal budget categories that all of my spending fit into. Sure I thought of the main categories of rent, utilities, food, etc. But when it came to all of the small expenses, … [Read more...] about 80+ Personal Budget Categories – Get Your Finances Under Control!