Never Enjoy Anything Ever by Partners in FIRE
Have you read any personal finance articles lately that are geared towards debt repayment? Many personal finance articles focus on shaming those in debt for their spending choices. Melanie, from Partners in FIRE specifically speaks to this in her recent article, sarcastically entitled “Never Enjoy Anything Ever”. The article was her response to a recent Dave Ramsey tweet that stated that if you were in debt the only time you should be in a restaurant is if you were working there.
If you’re struggling financially, trying to pay off debt, or just trying to get your financial house in order, there’s one piece of advice that will pop up over and over again from the “financial gurus”. That advice boils down to never enjoy anything ever. ~Melanie, Partners in FIRE
Melanie does not suggest throwing your money away. Nor does she suggest that you treat yourself daily. However, she does suggest that treating yourself, in moderation, is a sustainable way to work your way out of debt. Not only will working hard lead to burnout, but if you’re unhappy today there’s no guarantee that you’ll be happy after debt repayment. The article does a great job of highlighting how serious debt can be. Furthermore the article also advocates a healthy and balanced path for debt repayment. Check it out!
7 signs you’re living above your means and 5 ways to fix it by Wealth in Any Economy
Money is often a taboo subject of conversation. Since we rarely talk about our actual financial situation with our friends (and sometimes even our partners), it can be difficult to figure out if our finances are just like anyone else’s or if we might be approaching dangerous money territory. In this article, Matt from Wealth in Any Economy, discusses 7 different warning signs that you are living above your means. While we are all able to live above our means for short periods of time by burning through savings or taking on more debt, this lifestyle is not sustainable and will eventually lead to problems later on. If you think that you may be living on the edge financially, this article does a great job of highlighting some warning signs to watch out for.
How do you know if you’re financially healthy? Without going into a deep budget dive, there are a few signs you should look out for that should warn you that you’re living above your means. ~Wealth in Any Economy
Many of the items on the list have to do with credit cards. For example, are you only paying the minimum balance each month? Or are you carrying a credit card balance that isn’t going down? Matt points out that living above your means doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re trapped in a cycle of debt. Nor does it mean that you’re headed towards financial ruin. However, if you’re living above your means, your spending habits may catch up with you eventually. If you are living above your means, what should you do? The article gives five tips. Tip number one is starting a budget. CountAbout is a great budgeting tool and can help you set and track a budget.
Media mentions of CountAbout
CountAbout was mentioned in two different media articles this week!
What Budgeting Tools Are Out There? by WeWantGuac.com
In this article, Darcy from WeWantGuac.com reviews five different budgeting tools, including CountAbout. Darcy highlights CountAbout’s unique invoicing features, lack of adds, and affordable pricing.
For perspective, you’re getting a years’ worth of software for less than a month of the other competitor’s.~WeWantGuac
17 Best Quicken Alternatives for 2020 by Club Thrifty
ClubThrifty reviewed 17 different alternatives to Quicken. They highlighted CountAbout’s ability to import data from both Quicken and Mint.
With CountAbout, you can also run financial reports at any time throughout the year. The program also offers invoicing capability for small business owners as well as the ability to attach receipts. So, it is a pretty powerful alternative to Quicken and can replace much of the old program’s functionality – even beyond budgeting. ~ClubThrifty