6 Steps to Healthy Spending. And Forget About a Budget

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This post was originally published on Behavioral Cents.This is THE YEAR you want to get on top of your cash. GREAT! The worst thing you can do is start with a budget. What? Really? Why? (and secretly, you’re probably thinking Yay!!). Money is not logical. Money is fraught with emotion.  And if you force yourself to do something you “should” be doing, you will find some zillion reasons not to do it. Then you’ll feel bad because you “should” be doing it but aren’t, and you’ll start judging yourself, and then feel like a failure.  You’ll quit.To successfully change your money behaviors, you want them to stick. And that means managing your money emotion as well as your money flows. A budget typically defines a forced march, allowing you to spend…
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Acorns to Assets: Preparing Financially for 2017

Acorns to Assets: Preparing Financially for 2017

#WMWeek17, Budgeting, Debt, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Goals / Taking Action, Take Action, Women's Money Week
So 2017 is approaching and your financial situation is less than ideal. Believe me, a broke college graduate, when I say I understand. But it’s time to take that mess and sort it out. A scary prospect? Absolutely. But one of the most important things to remember is that building a stable financial life is a process. It’s not going to happen overnight, and that’s okay. I have a few tips and tricks to help begin the process of turning your financial acorns into 2017’s assets.1. BUILD THAT BUDGET!The key word here is “build”. Your budget is your plan for how you will spend your income, and as you change your spending habits and lifestyle your budget should reflect those changes.The first step in building a budget is tracking your spending.…
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Savings: There’s an App for that

Budgeting, Goals / Taking Action, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Saving & Investing
If you’re like me, you probably have a savings account but not a plan for putting money in it. These apps are specifically designed to help with your savings plan.I should let you know that this is NOT a sponsored review. This is a REAL review. No company asked us to do this, I just did this out of my own curiosity and desire to pass along some good tips.Money Box This was by far the most user friendly app I reviewed.  It had a simple tutorial displayed the moment I opened the app or used a feature for the first time. The app is designed to help you save money for specific goals, like school, a car, or a vacation, and helps make that goal solid in your mind. You…
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It’s time to give your finances a spring cleaning. Start with a #FinancialSelfie #WomensMoney

It’s time to give your finances a spring cleaning. Start with a #FinancialSelfie #WomensMoney

Budgeting, Credit, Debt, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Goals / Taking Action, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Popular, Relationships & Money, Saving & Investing, Take Action
It's been almost three months since New Year's Eve. The first day of spring has passed, and holidays celebrating reflection and renewal are coming up.  It's the time of "spring cleaning". It's also time to get an honest picture of your personal financial condition. Here are some quick, cool, and fairly painless ways to get your financial status reviewed:The Quickie Selfie - Takes like two minutes tops, and you instantly get a general pulse of your financial health.The Full Financial Selfie - Takes maybe five minutes, and again gives you a general (more in-depth than the quickie) pulse of where you're at financially.Financial Freedom Evaluators - If you want the real deal, in-depth experience then you want to try out the Women's Money Financial Freedom Evaluators.  This gives you a more in-depth…
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How To Build an Emergency Fund ->> FAST!!  #WMW16 @WomensMoney

How To Build an Emergency Fund ->> FAST!! #WMW16 @WomensMoney

#WMW16, Budgeting, Goals / Taking Action, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Saving & Investing, Women's Money Week
If you don't have much or any emergency savings, take heart.  You're not alone.  According to Credit.com, many people aren't adequately prepared to manage paying for an unexpected expense or emergency. According to the Federal Reserve's 2014 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, 47% of Americans say that they wouldn't be able to cover a $400 emergency expense. That often leads to maxing out credit cards, taking out expensive short-term loans, or worse.Here's a few tips to help you start and build an emergency fund in the fastest way possible (other than scoring a major windfall).Start Focusing on the "Inconvenience Fund"As the study mentioned, most Americans can't afford an unexpected $400 expense.  This often times isn't even considered a true emergency...it's mostly an "inconvenience" like car tires, parking ticket, unexpected…
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