I know, I know, you usually see the phrase “snow in July” but this blog post is being written in June. However,  based on the scorching, record-breaking heat we’ve had so far this summer (make sure you’re wearing sunscreen and drinking lots and lots of water!)  it might as well be July even though  today is the last Thursday of June. Now, I understood the phrase “snow in July” (this case, June, since, like I said, I’m writing this and it’s still June) means something is happening way off its normal  schedule. I did a little fact checking, and apparently it means something else, but I like my definition better. Okay, I’m getting off topic. Back on track… The snow (in June) that I am referring to is not really snow at all. I am actually talking about a term called “snowballing” which, by Google’s second definition, means to “increase rapidly in size, intensity, or importance.” Q: what do we want to snowball in June this year? A: we want to snowball your debt reduct...

Most of you know that I have four adult daughters (and thus four sons-in-law) and five adorable grandchildren because I have shared it (probably multiple times) before.   What you might not know is that about HALF of those important people in my life have birthdays that fall in about a three-month span with Christmas right in the center. If I was normal and not a planner, I might panic. Each of us may have a number of expenses that might not come due every month. Some of these can include but are not limited to Christmas and birthdays, which I already mentioned, insurances, and property taxes. If we aren’t prepared for them, they just might throw us a little bit. How can we be better prepared for that kind of thing? I am SO glad you asked! I would advise you to set up a sinking fund. A what? A sinking fund. It is basically an account or other place to put money that is set aside for something special.   In this case, it is saved for payments that will come due in the f...

Disclaimer; I’m going to address a financial subject that I find to be controversial. Here is it–the FICO score. Huh? It’s also referred to as a credit score. Now you get it. The fact that anyone needs to rely on one at all is up for debate, in my humble opinion, but that is not the subject of this post today. We are going to pretend for a minute that I really care about credit scores (which I don’t, and I’ll explain why) and all learn something together. “A FICO score is a  credit score  created by the Fair Isaac Corporation” (thus FICO, their symbol on the New York Stock Exchange). “Lenders use borrowers’ FICO scores along with other details on borrowers’  credit reports  to assess  credit risk  and determine whether to extend credit. FICO scores take into account data in five areas to determine creditworthiness: payment history, current level of indebtedness, types of credit used, length of credit history, and new credit accounts” ( https://bit.ly...

And, in what seems like the blink of an eye, Memorial Day is over, school is out (or almost out), and my favorite time of the year is here! I love summer. I love it when the sun comes up early and wakes me. I love flip flops and shorts. I like to be warm (ok, not HOT, but warm). This is when I thrive. And I think it’s an excellent time to take a vacation or road trip. That being said, I plan a long time in advance for a vacation because I won’t finance one–and I’ve taken some pretty amazing vacations! I don’t usually just take off on last-minute road trips, either, but I’m learning to be more flexible in my old age. So I have done that on occasion, too.  Now, this blog post isn’t about the last-minute drives I’ve engaged, cruises I’ve embarked, or the countries I’ve explored (being a debt-free, self-employed, budget-loving, young, empty-nester has its perks!). This post is about getting you to a point where you, too, can take vacations without stressing about paying for it late...