Keeping a successful budget is difficult, probably why two-thirds of American’s fail at it.  In order to have an efficient budget, you will need to budget for monthly expenses, including utilities, mortgage, car payments, and food and gas, but beware of a few items that can ruin a budget quickly if you are not careful. Auto Upkeep & Repair If you have a new lease, you probably not need to worry as oil changes are now only needed once a year and everything is covered under warranty, but … [Read more...]

I can remember looking at my wallet and realizing that the money I thought was there was gone.  Not stolen, or lost.  It was just spent.  And I couldn't remember where I had spent it. It was a good lesson for me.  You have to learn how to effectively track your finances before you can make positive changes to your financial situation. When you learn to keep this part of your life well-managed, you alleviate a lot of unnecessary stress and worry. … [Read more...]

Creating a budget is one of the best things you can do in regards to your finances. By creating and sticking with a budget, you will know how much money you have to work with, and where it's all going. But here's the secret to making a budget work.  You've got to create a budget that you can live with. It has to be realistic. … [Read more...]

My friends and family think that because I run a blog called Northern Cheapskate, it somehow means I'm a money hoarder with a big stack of cash hidden away. The truth is that I struggle with finding ways to save money just like most folks do.  There are times when it seems like just when we're making progress on a savings goal, something comes up and puts us right back at square one.  There are times when I look at my budget and discover that there's more month than money. What I have come … [Read more...]

One of the best pieces of financial advice I ever received was to pay yourself first.  Before you pay a single bill, before you have any fun with your hard-earned cash, tuck away a little bit of it for a rainy day. When you are able to make saving money automatic, you create great financial freedom for yourself.  When those bills you forgot to budget for crop up, you'll have savings to draw on.  When times are tough, your emergency fund will be there.  When you find a great sale on something … [Read more...]