Budgeting

You CAN Cope With Rising Gasoline Prices! Here’s How.

It’s happening again!  Gasoline prices are on the rise and no one seems to know where they will stop.  I realize that watching those prices escalate can be depressing, but I urge you to take a deep breath, reassess your finances, and make the appropriate adjustments.  Prices may be skyrocketing, but the sky isn’t falling…you [...]

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5 Popular Christmas Gifts and Inexpensive Substitutes

It wasn’t easy, but I figured out a way to talk about Christmas and economics in the same article.  A fundamental part of economics is the fact that substitutes can alter our decision to buy something.  If the price of what we want is too high or if scarcity causes the item to leave empty [...]

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The 80/20 Principle and Money

You’ve probably heard of the phrase “the 80/20 rule.”  The technical term for this common phrase is called the Pareto principle, named after…you guessed it, a man named Pareto.  In the early 1900s, Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 80% of Italy was owned by 20% of the population.  On a much smaller note, he observed that [...]

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How Blacksmiths, Budgets, and Cartoons Can Reshape our Finances

Forging is the oldest known metalworking process.  It’s an ancient practice that involves heating metal in order to reshape it with a tool like a hammer and anvil.  For those gen-x and y readers, you might remember the anvil from Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner – aah, yes, the thing you drop from a [...]

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Indulging in Life’s Luxuries

What are your life’s little luxuries?  You know, those things that you could go without, but really enjoy when you indulge in.  For some, it might be eating out.  Others may consider going to the movies every month a luxury they really enjoy.  For me, the first thing I can think of is a small [...]

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Are You Acting Like A Millionaire?

Are You Acting Like A Millionaire? I hope you are. Wait a minute.  That doesn’t sound right, does it?  Why would I say you should act like a millionaire?  Well, think about it for a second.  Millionaires are millionaires because they did something right with their money (most of them at least).  Imitating the success [...]

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Stewardship Baseball Part 2

If you missed the first part of Stewardship Baseball, catch it here. We covered the first two bases of the stewardship diamond (Sharing Your Story and Affirming Others) in the first part of the series and we’ll finish the last two bases today.

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Joe Shows Off His Envelopes on TV

I was invited to be the $mart Money guest yesterday on our local Southern Illinois TV station, so I brought my envelopes along as props. Here is the link: $mart Money at WSIL-TV

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How Higher Oil Prices Are Costing You — And How to Cope

As you budget for the rising oil prices, you are likely considering only the extra money you will need for gasoline or heating your home. However, because the costs of other products and services are dictated by the price of oil, you will need to adjust accordingly.  Here are some examples:

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