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How our Debt Freedom Plan Prepared Us for the Pandemic

Family Balance Sheet

Our emergency fund. I am totally paraphrasing the year, but had it not been for the money in our emergency savings, we would most likely have used credit cards to survive. We reduced our spending where we could, but the money to pay any shortfall each month came from our emergency fund. It kept me up at night.

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Is Now The Time to Buy a Home?

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

There are numerous factors to consider when deciding whether to buy your first home or to continue renting – especially when you’re out of college. Generally speaking a credit score below a 620 will not be enough to qualify you in buying your first home. Maintenance fund. Low Credit Score. Money Tips'

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10 Must-Know Personal Finance Tips for Moms’ Financial Success

Penny Pinchin' Mom

Create a Spending Mantra There’s no escaping expenses; we need to buy things and spend money to live. Every time I want to buy something, I simply ask myself, is this (whatever it is I want to buy) better than going to Thailand next year?” One way to limit how much we spend is to create a spending mantra.

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Financial Success: It’s Not Always About Your Income

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

My husband and I were graduate students with loans and credit card debt, and we were certain that a higher income would solve all of our problems. This means that after we take care of retirement and emergency fund contributions, and after everything else is taken care of, we have enough to do what we like. Money Tips'

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Carnival of Personal Finance #316- Family Edition

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

Ryan from The Financial Student talks about Getting Rid of Student Loans. Some people find themselves buried under student loan debt with little chance of ever paying it off. Squirrelers from Squirrelers presents The Case for a Bigger Emergency Fund. Music to my ears!! Don’t worry, there are options.

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Meet Jackie. She and Her Husband Paid off $147,000 in Debt | Debt Free Stories

Family Balance Sheet

About $52,000 of that $147K was consumer debt (credit cards, a student loan, a car loan, a home improvement loan, etc.) After we got a taste of life without credit card debt, I wanted to pay off my student loan. Travel, buy fun stuff, give gifts, help others, work if I feel like it and not if I don’t, etc. Get creative.

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2012 Financial Goals

Family Balance Sheet

This includes our mortgage and my husband's student loan. Increase Family Emergency Fund to Six Months Salary.