**If you missed the first posts in the How to Budget to Live within your Means Series – you can catch up here: Part I -Reasons for Accruing Debt  Part II - Income & Calculating a Safety Factor Part III – Basic Needs No, a car is not in most lists about basic human needs.   However,…

Living within your means is a cornerstone concept of financial security.  Everyone knows this.  It’s basic.  So why isn’t everyone debt free and doing well? If you have debt, don’t be too hard on yourself.  Living beyond your means is an easy trap to fall into.  There are a ton of reasons why you may…

If you’re like most people, you may have a fuzzy idea of what affects your credit score – obviously making late payments negatively impacts your score.   But what about the less clear stuff? Do you know whether you should have more credit cards or just one? Should you pay the minimum to keep a balance…

I was compelled to follow two garage sale signs on my way home from dropping the kids off at art camp this morning.  I’m so glad I did because I was reminded what a great resource local garage sales can be!  Here’s my list of finds – most expense first: Treadmill (w/ built in CD…