Get out of debt

HELOC Debt Consolidation Tips and Tricks

This post was sponsored by Figure but all opinions are my own. As a busy woman, you’re always looking for ways to simplify your life and save money. One way you can do both is by consolidating your debt with a home equity line of credit (HELOC), in this article I am going to break down the best HELOC debt

7 signs money stress is affecting your life and what to do about it

If you’ve found yourself constantly stressing about money, you are definitely not alone. Today I am going to talk about 7 signs money stress is affecting your life, then what to do about it! A study by the American Psychology Association has revealed that nearly 72% of Americans experience financial stress at least some time in their lives. Unfortunately, when

How do moms pay off student loans?

Are you a mom that wants to owe less on her student loans? How do moms pay off student loans with all of their other financial obligations? Did you know that women hold an average of $31,276 in student debt? This leaves them with a monthly loan payment of $307 the year after graduation. Women (moms in particular) are disproportionately

Is it Better to Pay Off Debt or Build an Emergency Fund?

This seems to be one of the age-old questions, doesn’t it? Especially when it comes to tax-return season, this one floods my inbox! “Lauren, is it better to pay off debt or build an emergency fund?” The easy answer: it depends. As with most things, everyone’s situation is different. You’ll want to assess your financial health and forecast and make

How Do You Save Money with the Envelope System?

You’ve probably heard about the Cash Envelope System. It is a tried-and-true method to help you get practical and sticking to your budget. But how do you save money using the envelope system? Read on to learn about this pragmatic and straightforward system for staying on budget.     How Do You Save Money with the Envelope System?   How

How to Save $1,000 Fast

The first step to getting out of debt is building your emergency fund. There’s a reason why this is common wisdom in the world of personal finance. Learning how to save $1,000 fast can help to lower your financial anxiety and build your confidence. It’s so critical because an emergency fund will take the hit when you get a flat

How to Improve your Credit Score

A credit score is the new “in” thing. Everywhere you look, companies are giving away free credit scores. If you have good credit, you probably don’t think about it too much. But more than a third of Americans have a “fair” or “very poor” credit rating. If you are included in the third of Americans, you probably want to know

How Do You Fix a Marriage With Financial Problems?

It may feel like the same argument on repeat. Every night, somewhere between walking through the door and turning in, you find that you and your spouse are having the same exact fight. Maybe it’s about how to prioritize and pay down debt. Perhaps you can’t agree on how much to keep in an emergency fund. Maybe you want to

How Budgeting Can Keep You From Debt

I don’t remember learning much about budgets in school. So it wasn’t until my mid-20’s that I started to try and make sense of it on my own. By that time I was already in lots of debt. Lots of the financial advice I was reading talked about how I needed to budget my money. It didn’t make a lot

How To Get Your Budget Back On Track in 7 Easy Steps

We all know how easy it is to be thrown off from even the most carefully planned budget. You start the month, you’re logging expenses, all is well, and then something throws you off. This can be discouraging and disorienting, but I promise you: no matter how far off course you are, you can get back on course. In this

How Can I Get Out of Debt Fast With No Money?

When you realize you are in debt over your head, you may be asking yourself, “how can I get out of debt fast with no money?” It may feel overwhelming to wonder how you can pay off your debt and manage your daily expenses AND still find a way to build an emergency fund, but it is possible. And I

How to Create a Debt Payoff Plan

When it comes to how to create a debt payoff plan, there are competing theories as to which is the best way to do it. Many subscribe to the “debt snowball method” where you start by paying off your smallest balance first. The other popular method is to pay off the balances with your largest interest rate first. Which one

How to Focus on Your Finances in a Pandemic-Changed World

Think back to January 2020: a time when sweatpants were reserved for couch time, when couch time was reserved for evening hours, and when toilet paper abounded in your go-to grocery store. Joking aside, COVID-19 has likely changed everything from your daily routine to your shopping habits. These shifts may have thrown your budget– and your finances– into a bit

How To Get a Clear Vision of Your Finances

Have you ever wondered how to get a clear vision of your finances so you could actually out of debt and realistically set a budget? If you want to get out of debt and learn how to budget, it is important to have a clear vision of where you are financially before you get started. You need to ask yourself

5 Expenses that are Stealing $1 Million of your Retirement

Most Americans are not ready for retirement.  I learned not too long ago nearly half of families have no retirement account savings at all. And the average American between the ages of 50 to 55 has retirement savings of only about $124,000. This shouldn’t be happening. Yes, life is hard. And expensive. We live during one of the most prosperous

The Truth About Your Credit Score

Have you ever made a decision (or not made a decision) based on how it would impact your credit score? Whether it be applying for a credit card, canceling a credit card, paying off debt early – we are concerned about how it will impact our credit score. And for good reason too; your credit score could potentially impact your

How to Use a Financial Bucket List to Help You Get Out of Debt

When you think of items on your life’s bucket list, homeownership might be one of them.  I know it was for me.  Fifteen years ago, when I signed on the dotted line to purchase a brand new house, I didn’t know it at the time, but that signature would seal in years of unimaginable financial hardship. I found myself having

How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Fast

Society and the banks teach out about mortgages at a young age. We hear the terms refinance and 2nd mortgages, but fail to learn some of the hidden ways to pay off that loan earlier. Today I am talking about how to pay off your mortgage fast! These ways are opposite to what you may have been taught – why? Who

6 Easy Ways to Invest Your Money

Everyone can invest, and there are so many Easy Ways to Invest Your Money. You don’t have to read the Wall Street Journal every day or watch the stock ticker to be an investor. Whether you have millions to invest or can only contribute a few bucks a month, there are easy ways to invest your money. When you think

How to Budget and Save Money – 7 Savings Goals you should have!

Budgeting and getting out of debt can be tough work, but once you’re on your way it feels good to make progress. You may be pondering how to budget and save money at the same time. One of the smartest ways to stay out of debt and stick to your budget, is to develop sinking funds accounts. You may be wondering

How to Stay Debt Free and Stop the Cycle of getting in and out of debt!

Years ago, I had an enormous amount of credit card debt. For the longest time, I ignored it. But one day I got smart and faced my fears. I wanted to learn how to stay debt free. Debt is truly a financial drain. I blasted through my credit card and student loan debt, and learned how to budget. I started using

The Ultimate Guide to Consolidate Student Loans

Should you consolidate student loans or not? This is a question we have an entire generation asking. Is it worth it? What are the advantages and disadvantages? If I have some federal and some private student loans, can I refinance them together? There is a lot to consider, and there’s a lot at stake. The total US student loan debt amount

Pay off Debt or Invest? The Best Guaranteed Return on your Money!

Let’s face it, being in debt is not fun. And unfortunately, most Americans have this in common. Did you know that the average American household credit card debt is over $16,000? And that doesn’t even take into account auto loans, college loans, or mortgages. If you’ve been wondering if you should pay off debt or invest in retirement, I’d like to propose

Retirement Investing – 7 Reasons why you should be a Lazy Investor

When you think of the word “investing”, do you get intimidated? Well, if you have shied from Retirement Investing for one reason or another, let me break it down a little for you. It doesn’t have to be as intense and intimidating as it may have been. There are two main stereotypes we imagine when thinking about a person that is

5 Methods to Consolidate Credit card debt

Are you looking to consolidate credit card debt? I can certainly say from experience that I understand the discouragement you feel when you don’t think you’ll ever see the end of your debt. I think most people dealing with credit card debt have trouble knowing where to start. But, you can do something about it. Debt consolidation isn’t for everyone, but it

6 Steps to Getting Out of Debt with One Income Quickly

If you are living on one income, paying off debt may seem impossible. But, don’t lose hope! If you’ve been wondering how to get out of debt on one income, here’s some great steps to get you going! 6 Steps to show you How to get out of debt on one income 1. Evaluate your Unconscious Spending Habits  The first place to

How to save thousands on your student loans

If you have a lot of student debt, then I’m sure you’ve considered consolidation. Whether it’s the right move for you or not depends on your situation. I’m here to provide info as to why it might be a great idea, and also provide the best consolidation of student loan information that I’ve found. Long story short, it might be wise

5 Ways to Get your Emergency Fund FAST… without getting a second job

With an alarming percentage of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck, it is no surprise that the average American home has over $90,000 in consumer debt, totaling to over $3 trillion nationwide (source). Wow. This debt includes credit cards, car loans, and student loans. so it doesn’t even count mortgages. Crazy. Here’s the correlation between these reports: Since most Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, they

Why Transparency about Money is the Ultimate Sign of Courage

Nine years ago, I laid out my debt on my be – in the huge master bedroom suite in the house that I have just had custom built for me. On the outside, I was the epitome of having it all together. I had a Cadillac and an Audi in the driveway of my new luxury home. But no one

7 Bankruptcy Facts You Need to Know

Are you buried in debt? As the bills pile up, thoughts of filing for bankruptcy might be on your mind. It’s a scary and sometimes hopeless feeling (trust me, I’ve been there myself), but you have options but you need to know the bankruptcy facts first. Eight years ago, when our home was hopelessly underwater and we were in tons

7 Steps to Negotiating your Delinquent Debt

One of the worst feelings in the world is the dread felt when the phone rings and on the other end is a person demanding money that you don’t have. It’s money that you should pay; you borrowed it, but there’s no money in your account to cover it. Learning how to negotiate your delinquent debt is essential to moving

Why you should and shouldn’t care about your Credit Score

Do you make decisions based on how it will impact your credit score? STOP! Read this and start living your life for YOU!

How to get started with a 529 Plan + a College Savings Calculator

We all want the best for our kids, right? And we want them to not only have the opportunities that we’ve been given, we want them to have EVEN MORE. Could there be a better example of this than setting up a fund to help pay for their college? Maybe you just had your first child, maybe you hardly feel like an

5 Ways to Train your Children to Save Money – starting with their first savings account.

My son Andrew has been great at chores. I remember this one weekend he cleaned out and vacuumed the car, cleaned the kitchen on Saturday night and kept his room neat and organized. He definitely earned his $5 allowance that weekend (more on paying your kids for chores later) – which put him up to $20. No small amount of

7 Things you’ve GOT to know about paying off your Student Loans

In this day and age, one of the largest items in everyone’s budget is student loans. Obviously, if you can do anything to end up with no loans or less loans, you should, but how do you battle those loans down once you have them? One of the most important things you can do it truly understand your loan, the

The 8 BEST Ways to pay down your Mortgage

When we consider all of the line items in our budget, chances are that your mortgage is one of the biggest expenses.  This isn’t bad, it’s just usually the way it is. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could find a way to chip away at that a little extra?   Obviously, if you chose to buy a house, the

The Best Ways to Save for Retirement

Retirement is something we should all be thinking about. Time is ticking away. While saving for retirement isn’t necessarily top priority if you’re paying off debt or building your emergency fund, it’s still worth thinking about so you can make the most money possible when that time comes. And trust me, there’s a lot to think about. We asked the Financial Blogger’s

What is Stopping You from Retiring Early?

Can you actually Retire Early? I bet that no matter what your financial situation – you CAN retire earlier than you think. But there’s a critical component that you have overlooked!

Retirement – Past, Future and YOU

You’ve seen the commercials… a green arrow pointing ‘the way’, a smiling, way-too-happy semi-elderly couple sipping iced tea on a patio, maybe a celebrity like Tommy Lee Jones or Joe Namath asking you retirement questions – all of these images are designed to make you feel secure about the idea of retirement, as something to look forward to. Ideally, it