Four reasons you can't stick to a budget

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Four reasons you can't stick to a budget

Each week I get countless Facebook or YouTube comments (and even emails) from people who say the same thing: "I try to budget but I just can't seem to stick to it."

I totally understand that. Like I said last week, no one is perfect at budgeting all the time. However, in my personal budget failure experiences, there seem to be a few things that pop up over and over again in failed budgets. 

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Tips for saving up for a house on one income

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Tips for saving up for a house on one income

It's been nine months since we closed on our house (woo!). It's been an incredible nine months living in a home that we own, that we wanted and that we worked hard for. 

Since today is Money Monday, the day where I answer real money questions from real people on my YouTube channel I thought i would share a question from a viewer. 

"Can you talk about saving up for a house on one income?" 

Sweet and to the point, right? Here are a few things that we did and that worked for us. Remember, I am not a financial expert, just a woman who likes to save money. 

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Are you really saving money?

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Are you really saving money?

I enjoy saving money. As a reformed (ahem... reforming??) spender I get a little thrill when I get a good deal, cut down on a bill or end up spending less than I budgeted. 

But I have had to caution myself and work to really save money. It's one thing to pay less than retail or cut back on your expenses. It's another thing entirely to ACTUALLY save that money. And by save, I mean move to your savings account for a rainy day or applying toward a goal or debt. 

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Five ways you can start saving money THIS WEEK

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Five ways you can start saving money THIS WEEK

While making more cost-effective choices will lead to BIG savings, there are also little things you can start doing today that will yield big savings results without big sacrifices. (Although I think we can argue that giving up a satellite dish probably isn't that big of a sacrifice, right?)

Today I wanted to share a few things you can to THIS WEEK to start saving money.

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Simplify your life with a budget: Four ways a simple budget worked for one family

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Simplify your life with a budget: Four ways a simple budget worked for one family

I’m passionate about budgets!  Yet, they seem to get such a bad rap.  I consistently talk with people with the mindset that budgeting is restrictive, a waste of time and a one way ticket to “no fun.”  (Like ever again…)  While that is one way to look at it, I feel like our budget has actually simplified our life! 

Thankfully, my husband and I jumped on the budget bandwagon from the beginning of our marriage.  We quickly found that budgeting provided us with financial freedom rather than restriction.  

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Communicating with your spouse about money even when he (or she) travels

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Communicating with your spouse about money even when he (or she) travels

My husband travels a lot for work. While it's not a convenient way to live, my husband's job has afforded me the opportunity to be at home with our small children. 

However, I'm not going to sugar coat; it having one spouse that travels can wreak havoc on your finances if there isn't clear communication about your budget and financial goals. 

Here are a few tips for making budgeting a little easier when one spouse is traveling. 

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What do you do when a financial crisis comes your way?

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What do you do when a financial crisis comes your way?

Don't you wish you could purchase insurance to cover every possible scenario of life? Why is there no devastating life change insurance? There is no policy to protect you in the case of a divorce that leaves your income stretched thin. There is no insurance policy for a job loss. 

And while there are insurance policies for devastating diseases and accidents, no plan is perfect. Far, far too often people are left paying hefty price tags for things that are far beyond their control. 

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