I've talked before about how I am a fan of having a budget category for "fun money." We all have our own little vices that cost money, be it lunches out or a love of small collectibles or fancy liquors. And generally speaking, I think that having room for these vices in your budget is important. But you need to be careful about vices that drain savings. What is a Vice? Merriam-Webster defines vice as 1a: moral depravity or … [Read more...]
Taxes When You and Your Spouse Lived in Different States
I've been working on our household tax returns, and now that I'm married, I took on the task of filing for the two of us, figuring that we would file as married filing jointly. My taxes have always been more complicated than my husband's, so I was happy to take on the task. And then I ran into trouble. He and I lived in separate states for the first three months of the year. And you know what gets complicated? Filing taxes when you and your … [Read more...]
Game Apps that Pay Cash
I hate to admit it, but I find myself playing mindless games on my phone all too often. There are a lot of games out there that cost money, but I tend to play free games unless something comes very highly recommended. But what if you could actually get paid for playing games? Are there game apps that pay cash? How do game apps that pay cash make money? It seems counterproductive, right? A game app that pays you money to play? How does that … [Read more...]
What Financial Records Should I Keep?
One of my projects this month has been to clean out my filing cabinet. I was so proud of myself for getting my files into some semblance of an order, but now I realize that I've kept way too many things and I need to sort through and shred. But what financial records to keep? Financial Records to Keep Forever Not surprisingly, there are some records you shouldn't get rid of, but this list is pretty short. You want to keep records of any paid … [Read more...]
ROI of Investing in Your Mental Health
We talk a lot about investment and return on investment (ROI) in finances. We also talk about investing in yourself, such as spending money on your education. But what about mental health? Is there an ROI of mental health investment? What is Mental Health Investment? Mental health investment can come in many forms. When we think of investing, we often think of money, and investing in your mental health may have a financial … [Read more...]