Navigate your life to Financial Freedom

Have you heard the debate that getting Starbucks everyday is killing your finances? I once worked in an office where Starbucks was in the lobby, it was no big deal... until the fall came and so did the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I had received a gift card to Starbucks and treated myself to a few until my card ran out. But then I kept getting them. Not only did I spend way too much on Starbucks in October that year but I also gained 5lbs from all the sugar. This year I told myself I would not get Starbucks, and the only time I have is when we were on a road trip to/from Florida and I needed coffee on the drive.  I often debate with my peers about getting coffee everyday or even grabbing lunch out. My stance is it is a waste of money and your money can be working harder someplace else. In the last 3 years, I have paid to eat out lunch less than 10 times. My brain also works differently than most because when I eat out, I think about how much that meal would have cost me to make at home ...

You know how people always say that getting life insurance or a will is on their list of things to do but for some reason, they never actually get to it? That is how I am with online banking, but this past weekend I finally got to it! I don't know about my readers, but with coronavirus, you should really be stacking up that cash even more than usual because we really do not know what is going to happen in the winter from this. If you stick all of that money in your regular bank, say J.P. Morgan, then you are earning nothing on your hard earned money. With Chase , I am earning 0.01% on my savings which is pennies but you can find online banking right now with 1.25% savings rates. That can amount to a few hundred dollars for us. Of course, it all depends on how much money you are going to put in your account. But if you are stacking cash, like us, then this is the place you want to be.  How do you know what online bank is right for you? First, how much money are you going to b...

I know, I know, another post about reviewing your spending. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT! If you do not consistently check your spending habits and how you are doing compared to your budget, then you will never know when to pull back or indulge. Would you even be shocked if I told you that I look at our finances for at least 30 minutes a day? It's true. I also do not use Mint or any other platform that links to your banking because it does not break everything out enough. Plus, I am a huge nerd and just love spreadsheets and analyzing different scenarios. I really do find this to be fun. When it comes to finances, June was a great month. It was our highest income month this year, highest savings month, we went on a vacation under budget , increased our emergency fund and spending was down. I believe that when you become intentional with your money, you find money that you didn't think was there.  Below is our June budget for food, alcohol, cats, etc. In my May review , I sai...