Taking Inventory of Your Personal Finances: How Do I Start a Household Budget?

However hard it may be to believe, “budget” is not a dirty word. A budget isn’t supposed to be a set of handcuffs to keep you from enjoying life. A properly designed budget actually helps you get more out of life by allowing you to control your money, rather than letting your money control you. Setting up a household budget isn’t complicated, but it will take some time and attention to detail.

Saving Secrets: How to Save at Least $50 a Week

While $50 might seem like a lot of money, making a few small changes can leave you with that much, or more, at the end of every week. “When you really think about it, saving $50 a week isn’t that much money,” points out Brandon Small, a Minneapolis-based Charted Financial Analyst and Certified Public Accountant. “If you do four cash transactions a day, you probably get a good chunk of that back in coins every week.”