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You know what? My first budget was a total and unmitigated disaster. It was badly constructed and poorly executed, and it never did what a budget is supposed to do, helping me manage our money better. Yep, don’t be surprised. Many will have you believe that budgets are for…
Are you fed up with being broke? You ness to cut your waste as a first step to money redemption. Have you read a book called ‘Wolf Brother’ by Michelle Paver? Ok, I know that it passes as a book for pre-teens but it was the one I couldn’t…
Now more than perhaps ever before, household budgets are under extreme pressure. Buying and running a car is one area where hard decisions are being made. For some people, the question is whether they really need a car at all or whether they can afford one. The costs can soon…
Editor’s note: This post was written in collaboration with EMCAS: they kindly provided the data but the analysis and sentiments are mine. For more information about how EMCAS can help you to make a claim for financial mis-selling please visit: www.missing-millions.co.uk I still remember the day I got my first…
One Saturday a few months ago we were out shopping in the village and bumped into a good friend of ours who has four children – we know quite a few such families. The brief conversation got round to the (then) imminent withdrawl of Child Benefit from the ‘better off’…
…and the curious case of cashback crack! I don’t know about you but I’m glad January is out of the way. It always feels like such a long month and a time when I have absolutely no money. And 2013 was no different as I was about to move into…
Call me a snowflake. Call me an emotional woman. Tell me I don’t understand money because I would rather talk about money mentality (or these pesky feelings, beliefs and values) than primary school maths. Personal finance gurus tell us that our money destiny hangs in the balance between how…
As budget airlines go, I have a lot of time for easyJet. The company is profitable yet competitive, runs a very efficient operation, fast turn-round, full flights and is changing to booked seats, getting rid of the dreaded seat scramble. Our direct 18.25 Manchester to Geneva flight last Friday should…
Recently I came across a post on a public forum that provided a Statement of Affairs (for my readers in the US this is a tool that sets out income, expenditure, assets and liabilities) and asked how does this compare with the budgets of other people. Of course, people jumped…
Have you noticed that more and more people have more and more debt? This is a fact hard to miss even if you are not one of them. Here are some numbers: Between 1990 and 2000 the number of Americans seeking the help of a credit councillor doubled; The average…
Yesterday I was chatting to a friend of mine on the phone; many friends gossip or make trivial arrangements. But I am a personal finance blogger and had just looked at out budgeting spreadsheet…so I mentioned how proud I am that couple of years ago managed to get higher insurance…
Renting, on both sides of the property divide, has been a lot on my mind lately. Why you may ask? Well, after five years of boomeranging sons (I am not even sure that this is a proper verb but I mean that they moved in back with us multiple times)…