Cara Reynolds – SUM180 Community Manager

First, congratulations. A raise is always great news. I applaude your restraint. After a raise, we rush into spending a raise on a wish list item immediately then we wonder why we feel no impact from the raise. You, on the other hand, will really appreciate the raise later in the year when you do the fun stuff you have planned.

We learned a hard lesson recently. We bought a used car for under $4000 for our children. We thought we got a great deal. Instead, we bought a headache. We spent twice that in the first 18 months fixing major issues that were not uncovered in the inspection. My warning is it pays to spend a little more and absolutely check that warranty!

Boost your creativity! When I don’t run out and buy a new dress, shirt or necklace, I am forced to use my right brain and dig deeper in my closet. Inevitably, I find a long forgotten top that is back in style or a bracelet I have not put on in years but LOVE. Not only do I look as good as I would have with that new outfit, I am “richer” for it!

Do you use a web based stock investing company? If so, which one? I love this idea and want to give it a try?

I am in the middle of my one month “no spend month” and actually find it empowering and enlightening. As you point out, it forces you to be creative in so many ways. I put together new outfits from old favorites, reach for a book on the bookshelf that I never got around to reading, and use other “found objects” from around the house.

One month/year my Mom took a spending hiatus. During the month she would not buy ANY extras – only essentials. I have adopted the same yearly hiatus. While it seems easy, it actually is not. You find that you buy “little things” all the time on a whim: a beautiful candle or bouquet of flowers. The problem is that these purchases can add up. I find…[Read more]

I have found that meal delivery services like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh are an economical option for meals. We pay $60 for three nights of meals. We are a household of three and the meals can usually stretch to feed all of us. We figure we pay about $6-7/person for each meal. And for an added bonus, you can try most of the services for a deep discount.

I often wonder the same question. We have borrowed to pay for college tuition as the home equity APR is lower than any loan we could have secured toward tuition. I am not sure it is a great idea but we hope that the house continues to appreciate and we won’t regret the choice.