401K / Flickr
This post is brought to you by Bankers Life and Casualty Company.
Creating a financial budget that puts you first is essential for women who faced with the decision to help themselves or others would opt for the latter. Guilty.
Most of my life I’ve been told that a person’s budget is a reflection of their beliefs and morals and because of that I’ve struggled to put myself first. I’d be lying if I said I’ve figured out the perfect budget because there isn’t a one size fits all. What I’ve come up with is a budget that takes care of me first and also supports my beliefs. Here’s how I’ve allocated my money.
Alan Cleaver / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
What is the best program or website to organize and track personal finances? And are they safe?
Below I compare three big names in financial organization: MyJibe, Mint, and Quicken. The following programs meet or surpass the encryption levels that banks are required to use, which are considered sufficient to protect your personal financial data. Perhaps one of these options works for you. Disclosure: I am a Mint user.
MyJibe
MyJibe.com is a web-based budgeting system that uses virtual envelopes to separate money for $8/month (try it first with a 10-day free trial). After you deposit your income, fixed expenses like rent and utilities are separated to keep you from spending that money and to allow you to see how much you have for other things. You can add other accounts and import info from your bank, Quicken, and Microsoft Money (which has been discontinued). MyJibe tracks your income, fixed, and flexible expenses, and savings goals.
What is different about MyJibe is that you can (more…)
Clemson/Flickr
I was tempted to use my credit card four times this month, despite my pledge to spend only cash. None of the purchases were hard to push off or say no to. (I also put off purchasing airfare and making a hotel reservation for a blogging conference in July.)
1. A letter from my Alma Mater asking for money prompted me to pull out my credit card. Then I remembered my self-imposed ban. The letter is in my queue for May.
2. A coupon to renew my BargainBabe.com domain made me seriously consider breaking my credit card ban to get the discount. But the URL does not expire until June, so I can re-up in May.
3. A deal for a haircut (which I’m in need of) and hair coloring (which I’ve been contemplating) for $95 (orig. $225) landed in my inbox via SocialBuy, a new Groupon-type site for Los Angeles deals. I’m glad I passed, however, because a few days later I got a recommendation for a woman in Glendale who gives cuts for $20. My appointment is next week. (Full disclosure: SocialBuy’s founder is a friend of mine and is helping me improve my site).
4. Last year I forked over a whopping $400 over carelessly losing my iPhone. Ouch. A friend told me insuring an iPhone is super cheap, and indeed AppleCare costs $69 for hardware and software support, battery fixes, and phone support. The policy lasts for two years from the purchase date, so if I buy it in May I’ll get 19 months of coverage, which is less than $4 a month. The policy does not include damage from negligence, loss, or theft, however, so I may pursue other policies.
Frankly, I’m surprised that not a single purchase that required a credit card came up in April. I fully expected to confront 2-3 transactions that required credit. Is credit necessary after all?
