Most of you know that I am a major fan of Dave Ramsey and just about everything he stands for. I spent many an afternoon working from home while his program played in the background. In fact, I would still be listening in the afternoons had my local radio station not shuffled their lineup. I do, however, still catch a little bit here and there. Sometimes I even catch a segment on YouTube. And, that’s exactly what happened the other day when one of the stories I came across made my jaw hit the floor. Now, I know you’re waiting with baited breath, but I must totally switch gears here and share another short story first. I got the same start in the workforce that about 20% of America did–McDonalds. It was 1984. I was 16. Minimum wage was $3.35 an hour (REALLY dating myself, here). And the only payment we accepted was CASH. I remember hearing that in the not-to-distant future we would carry around plastic cards (like a credit card) that would automatically deduct what we spent from our...

I really don’t consider myself an “expert” in any one field, but I do have a few decades of experience behind me regarding certain aspects of life. Much of my know-how has come from a combination of interest and trial and error. This also holds true for my financial blogging career. The only financial degree I have is from the school of hard knocks, so I can’t frame it. But I can still share my knowledge and understanding with the world. Speaking of… I will be a guest on Momivate’s Momversations on Saturday, May 28 at 4pm MST. (That link will look like a link and not a standard web page right before we go live.) We will be discussing my favorite topic–FINANCES–more specifically, teaching children money skills . “That’s cool, Meagan, but what are ‘Momivate’s Momversations’?" Glad you asked! Momivate is a nonprofit organization that helps empower moms to elevate their mothering experience . A ‘Momversation’ is a once-weekly, 60-minute conversation for moms about stuff moms ...

A few weeks ago, I complained, uh, TALKED about inflation. I also talked about assessing wants versus needs and ways to cut costs. One of the ways I mentioned was eliminating subscriptions that aren’t being used. I should take my own advice. I did a little recon work for my business and found out that I have a few subscriptions that I am not using like I should. I’m losing a handful of dollars a month and they are starting to add up! It’s time to take a little more control. I advise you to do the same; how many little monthly things are robotically being deducted from your checking account or charged to your debit card that you’ve probably forgotten about? It’s time to revisit some of the automatic payments that are depleting your financial security. This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about this subject. Oddly enough, exactly one year ago I addressed this same topic. And, quite frankly, I did a pretty darn good job. Check it out here . Sometimes things bear repeating even if...

While the Intermountain West has had slightly cooler climate than is typical for this time of year, I just know gorgeous weather is right around the corner. Today I wore flip flops in the rain just to make my point. And wearing open-toed shoes without socks is just one of the wonderful things you can do when it’s nice outside! I don’t know about you, but thinking about warm-weather activities makes me want to play hooky from work and play instead. But because I am an accountable adult (most days, anyway), I will NOT forsake my grown-up responsibilities (as bad as I might want to) in favor of longer days and spring and summer fun. I can work before I play. And so can you. Here is a short list of things you should check NOW before the weather gets too hot: THE CHIMNEY – climb on your roof (if it’s safe) or use binoculars to check the exterior, hire a professional for the interior cleaning GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS – make sure they’re clean and make repairs as needed THE ROOF – it’s mu...

I sold at the wrong time. TWICE. In the early days of 2020, I was joint owner on two properties. Well, my life experienced a couple of changes, and I sold both of those properties. The property sales took place about six months apart, and I put my equity (which was in the form of cash) into a low-risk mutual fund. And, while that fund has done pretty well over the last two years, it hasn’t kept up with the rate of inflation. Let me be dramatic. If I could buy one of said properties for what I paid for it ten years ago, I could buy two of them. Now I’d be lucky to buy two-thirds. Don’t worry, I do have a plan. Everybody mail just $10 to…just kidding. But I digress. Today, we are talking about inflation. Let Google define it for you:   in·fla·tion; /inˈflāSH(ə)n/; a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money. Mmaaaaann, have we seen a huge amount of inflation in the last year! And experts don’t anticipate it getting any better any time soon. Who’s at f...

In 1972, Stanford did a study about delayed gratification with children. It involved giant marshmallows and testing their patience.  You can see a short YouTube video about the study here . Basically, the kids who could sit alone with a giant marshmallow without eating it for a certain length of time were rewarded with a second giant marshmallow. Fun, huh? Some kids could be patient and reap the rewards; some could not. I was a small child when the study was conducted, and I wonder which side I might have been on. I HAVE learned to be pretty patient as an adult. One of the areas in which I’ve seen improvement is in finances. I have become a good money manager–I could be paid once annually and budget so that I won’t run out before year’s end, including having enough money to pay my own quarterly taxes–self-employed people do that. Speaking of taxes, I try not to overpay so that I qualify for a “refund,” because the government does not practice The Marshmallow Experiment. Huh? ...

  When you live in the Rocky Mountain West, there are lots of jokes about the weather. This explains it very well: Here’s another good one, and it’s so applicable this week: If you looked outside my front door right this minute you might think it was Christmastime. Speaking of Christmas…it’s coming. Yeah, I know it was just here (that was LAST year), but it has a way of showing up EVERY YEAR on December 25, and 2022 is no exception. I think the fact that it comes annually surprises some people because they are unprepared– they have no money set aside, they panic, and then they put Christmas on a credit card. We are NOT going to be those people this year! How much did you spend on Christmas last year? If you don’t know, figure it out. I’m going to bet you’ll spend AT LEAST that much this year (can anyone say 8.5% INFLATION?). I have a suggestion for you–start saving for Christmas 2022 NOW. How much? Take what you spent last year and divide it by the remaining months of ...