Do you really know where your money goes each month? If you’re tracking your spending, you do. If you can’t say for sure, don’t automatically assume that your money just goes to “bills”. Chances are a surprising amount of it doesn’t.

And that’s why you should care

When you don’t know where your money is going, chances are you’re missing out on some great opportunities to buy and do some interesting things — especially if you’re living paycheck to paycheck.

In other words, you may be trading the things you really want for the things you want right now. But once you know where your money is going, you can redirect it to where you actually want it to go. You can do fun things. You can save for your future. You can get ahead. » Read more

I’m all about being thrifty. But cheap? No thanks. I believe in getting what I really want, and sometimes that means shelling out a fairly large amount of money. And that isn’t at odds with being thrifty.

Thrifty vs. cheap

To me, thrift is about caring — about appreciating and maximizing the value of the resources available (both my own and the world’s.) Thrift is taking my foot off the gas and coasting when I see that the stop light up ahead is red. Thrift is hanging on to stuff for many, many years as long as it still works just fine for what I have in mind.

In other words, thrift is about reducing waste, and getting value.

Cheap, on the other hand, is about trying to spend as little as possible, even if the things you spend your money on or do without don’t meet your needs or desires. Cheap is just about the money. » Read more

Who do you tip, for which services? How much should you tip? Do you have to tip?

Questions like these are not uncommon.

After all, there are tip jars at coffee shops & fast food joints, and tipping guides galore — especially around the holidays, but at other times too. (Vacationing? Real Simple just came out with their hotel tipping guide.)

So is tipping gotten out of control? It depends on who you ask. » Read more

One of the arguments for hiring help around the house (usually house cleaners and folks to mow the lawn) is that your time is worth more than what it would cost to hire help. » Read more