Comments on: Not my forte…

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:00:12 +0000

Can I be a total mooch and have you forward me the spreadsheets that everyone above sent???

By: J P

J P — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:26:08 +0000

I’m the last one to offer financial advice, but I read today at the salon about Mint.com, which a couple other freaders have already recommended. Let us know what works!

By: Laurel

Laurel — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:15:50 +0000

I use mint.com, too as well as an awesome, low-tech Excel spreadsheet that my dad made me. (Happy to send you a blank version if you haven’t found something else that works!)

By: Melanie

Melanie — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:17:37 +0000

Hey.. shoot me an email from an account with a decent inbox and I’ll email you an Excel spreadsheet that’s already created that you can look at. And if the file is too big for your email, I can mail you a cd with it if you’d like.

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:52:14 +0000

Fabulously Broke has two different budget spreadsheets. One she gives away for free, and the other she sells for $10. (Check the right sidebar for the $10 one... I don't remember where the free one is, but you can search).

By: Playful Professional

Playful Professional — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:46:54 +0000

One tip I got was to track your expenses for a month without a budget to see where you’re spending things and how much you really need to spend. Track every single penny you spend. Once you’ve done that, you can create a budget for every little category (entertainment, food, miscellaneous stuff, etc.) based on how much you spent the month before. I’ve also heard that one of the best ways to stick to a budget is to pay with CASH only. You take out the cash for each category (i.e. $200 for food, $200 for entertainment) at the beginning of the month and put it in an envelope. You only have that money to spend for that month; you can’t take anymore out. When you’re using cash, you’re much more aware of what you’re spending than when you just swipe that little piece of plastic. Good luck. I’ve started saving at least a couple of hundred bucks every paycheck, and it adds up quickly. Transfer some money into savings (make that a category in your budget) at the beginning of the month and don’t touch it. It really makes a big difference. Good luck. Money can be a pain.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:01:23 +0000

by the way, you are featured on wordpress’ main page under business!! Just saw you

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:57:18 +0000

I have no advice on a spreadsheet or anything, but I’m definitely trying to do the same thing. Pay down my credit cards and reduce my debt. It’s tough but worth it. Anyways, I prefer Real Simple also.

By: ddouthitt

ddouthitt — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:44:24 +0000

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the classic envelope budget. Make up your budget for various items, then put cash into the envelopes that match.

When the cash is gone its gone.

Also, an alternative credit-card by credit-card reduction that I’ve heard is to take the lowest amount and erase that debt. Cut up that card and move to the next largest.

It’s not the most cost-effective way to do it – but it is perhaps the most psychologically advantageous. The enthusiasm generated by cutting up at least one card can carry to the next… and so on.

By: Clueless Cat

Clueless Cat — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:29:06 +0000

Funny, I was just thinking and reading a lot about personal finance lately! I picked up a book called Smart Women Finish Rich (wrote a bit about it on my blog yesterday), which is very helpful. You should also check out some personal finance blogs, I love Fabulously Broke in the City (fabulouslybrokeinthecity.blogspot.com) and she posts very regularly and also has a sample spreadsheet you can download. Plus, there are tons of links to other finance sites from her blog.

Good luck!! I’m all about conquering the money…;)