Are you ready to spend almost $1,000 on Christmas this year? According to some pollsters Americans will be spending (on average) $900 this holiday season. That’s just what they PLAN to spend- there’s no way to predict how much they might overspend. Although, Kate Ashford’s recent article for Forbes “8 Ways To Keep A Leash On Holiday Spending” references a TD Bank survey that suggests 78% of people will go over their budgets. Not only that but they estimate they will run over budget by $200 on average! I contributed some ideas to Kate’s article (see "Don't be afraid of the Returns Desk"). Which got me thinking about what actions…

That may seem like a bold statement, but I truly believe it. Everyone squirms when talking about budgeting. People tend to talk about budgets as if they were all about depriving yourself of fun. Really though, budgets are not the carb-free diet you are imagining. While budgeting does typically mean spending less money in a few areas, it also means using that money on things that really matter. That’s why I like to refer to budgets as spending plans. Find out how changing your spending plan to reflect your values can reduce conflict in your relationships over money, help you to ignore your lizard-brain telling you to spend now, and…

Image by FirmBee Did you know that money is a leading cause of stress in Americans 1? Even if you didn’t, I’ll bet you aren’t too surprised. One of the basic building blocks to success with money is knowing what we spend. The word budget tends to invoke some negative thoughts in people, such as, a fear of failure. As in, I don’t want to create a budget because I don’t want to “fail” by accidentally spending too much. That’s why I like the term “spending plan.” A plan is flexible. A plan can be customized and changed on the go if necessary. Having a plan is powerful. Want to create a…

photo by thatsphotography (pixabay)Budgeting is hard, because life is unpredictable. These tips won’t help you perfectly predict how much money you’ll spend each month, but they will give you easy, repeatable behaviors that will put you in control of your spending! The best part is, you can start using these ideas today to help you stay on budget.Use Cash- When you first start budgeting using cash is the easiest way to stay on track. No mental accounting. Use your budget as your guide and only carry the cash you plan on using that day. As you get better about budgeting, use one account for all of your expenses so you can…