Budget Snob

Happiness and Money

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I’ve long known that our attitude towards money reveals a lot about who we really are. I coined a motto a few years ago about money and people. It goes something sort of like, “otherwise normal people do very “un”normal things when money is involved.”

I had just been through a bad business partnership in which both parties (yes, me too) made some very unwise decisions. Decisions which not only cost me dollar-wise but emotionally as well.

I’m not surprised, then, when I ran across this article from Drewberry Mortgage Insurance about the latest research which indicates, all things equal, better financial control equals greater happiness.… Read the rest

Not Enough Income? Or Just Bad Financial Habits?

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I’ve been more mindful of my spending lately because my wife and I are attempting to speed up our debt reduction (debt that was 99% my fault). We aren’t big spenders by any account. My car is 13 years old. My wife’s van is 6 years old—and both paid off. We don’t have cable or satellite TV. We don’t overspend from month to month. We don’t drink or go out to fancy restaurants. But something isn’t quite right.

While we both have an above average combined income, we can’t quite get ahead on the debt. As I’ve started going through our spending, I’m seeing a trend.… Read the rest