I am fairly certain that no big purchase ever costs just the sticker price. It is actually incredibly deceptive in a way, and very frustrating to your carefully budgeted plan. Somehow, spending a large chunk of money becomes some sort of sinkhole for your finances. You start out spending what you had planned and then end up spending way more because of all of the additional costs and the tendency to freefall afterwards. A very large example of this is the purchase of a new home. When Matt and I were buying our home, we had such a wonderful budgeting …

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my son Noah had started school. It has been such a good experience for Noah so far, but I have to admit, I have been a little in awe of the cost of sending your child to school. Between fundraisers, clothing, new shoes (since summer crocs and sandals aren’t an option), school supplies, backpack, a pillow for nap time (I did not know he needed one), lunch supplies for packing his lunches, it has just felt like the random surprise costs never end. In a practical way, I have felt it the most …

Is there a difference between a shopping addiction and a shopping passion? Shopping is a difficult issue because it is not as obviously damaging as drug or alcohol addiction. It fits into a much more stealthy category. By clinical definition there are actually two types of addiction: substance addictions (like alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking); and process addictions (gambling, spending, shopping, eating, and sexual activity). We all spend money, and most of us really like to spend money. So, at what point does spending become an addiction? I was watching an organizational show on TV the other day. The organizational …

Have you ever had to buy a birthday present for someone when you knew that there was no money in the bank or in the budget for it? For those of you who don’t have kids yet, let me tell you, other children’s birthday’s can wreak havoc on you budget! I try to keep track of them so that I can disperse my gift budget adequately for the month. However, no matter how I try to keep track, my kids just keep getting invited to new birthday parties. In August alone we have six significant birthdays that we have to …

I recently read something interesting on a blog that I follow entitled “Get Rich Slowly”. The author revealed that his mother has been having some severe health problems and lately he has found himself what he calls “stress spending.” I started thinking about that because all of us have something that we turn to when we are stressed. Many of us go automatically to food. You have a hard day and feel overwhelmed, and all of a sudden you don’t care about your diet, you are going to have chocolate! But alas, there is no chocolate in the house, so …

I recently received the following email and I wanted to share a part of it with you today because it has really stuck with me. He wrote: “For me the practical side of making a budget has been eye opening. It has freed me to the point that I am no longer scared to look at my bank account any more. But on a slightly more heavier note… the “habit” of spending/overspending/indulgence spending is not something that, I personally, have been able to just overcome instantaneously because I have a good budget down on paper. Years and years of living …