Discover the undeniable reasons why having a budget is essential for managing your personal finances. A budget provides a clear overview of your income, expenses, and remaining funds, empowering you to make informed decisions. It ensures financial freedom by allocating funds to different categories, preventing overspending in one area and leaving nothing for others. Additionally, a budget helps eliminate debt, reduces stress, and enables you to assess and improve your financial situation.
As current or former students, we all know what a fortune it costs to buy textbooks. Sometimes in the thousands of dollars per semester. Given students’ limited income, this can be quiet tough for most students to afford, and can shred your budget to pieces! Having said that, there is something you could do with your…
Before, it was about common sense and conventional wisdom. Now, it is has been proven through real research. According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, shoppers are less likely to spend their money if they are carrying cash in large denominations. There is even a name for this social phenomenon: ‘denomination…
When it comes to eliminating your credit card debt, paying the minimum payments will only mean that you are covering what is necessary to ensure a good standing order with your card issuer. But that is about it. You are not getting ahead in terms of paying off the remaining balance on your credit card….
Like everyone else, I occasionally see something I really like and want to get it that moment. Problem is, it may not be anything I can easily afford. It could be something big, say a nice car, a new electronic gadget, computer etc. Call it ‘instant gratification on steroids!’ Unless I have a lot of…
A recent CGA-Canada survey revealed that more than half of the respondents had no idea how much interest they were paying on their credit card balances, with many mistakenly believing it to be around 3-4%, similar to the prime rate. This is a startling revelation. While not everyone may know the exact percentage, it’s concerning…
As gas prices continue to rise, the more we find ourselves searching for ways to save money at the pump. Unless you have an endless supply of cash or a car that runs on futuristic solar energy, saving on gas is a necessity. There are countless websites offering tips on how to save gas and…
Oil is in an ever-declining supply, and as a result, gas prices will only go up. So why do we wait for hurricanes, Middle East unrest, or other unforeseen events to realize that gas is too expensive and we just can’t afford it anymore? It’s time to face the reality: the general future trend for…
It seemed like every utility bill I received lately—whether for electricity, water, gas, etc.—was higher than the last. My utility bills were absolutely killing my budget, eating into the allocations I had set for other expenses. I realized this couldn’t continue. Something had to change. I started by gathering my last six bills from each…
This is arguably the quickest and easiest money-saving activity you can do. It literally takes just one second to check the ‘FGPNow!’ app on my iPhone to see where gas prices are heading for the next day. If you often find yourself asking, “Where are gas prices heading tomorrow?” or “Should I fill up today…