Prioritized Living

How Much Money Should You Have in an Emergency Fund?

Here’s a personal question: How healthy is your savings account looking these days?

Not so good? You’re not alone: A recent survey from GOBankingRates found that 58% of American adults have less than $1000 in savings. And more than half of that groups has zero dollars saved.

Zero!!!

It’s time to change that statistic and get serious about building an emergency fund.

But just how big should your emergency fund be? How do you know what number you should target in that all-important savings account?

Here’s how you can answer that big question with confidence.

[Read more…]

Why Your Credit Score Is Dropping: Should You Be Worried?

Tracking your credit score is easier than ever. An increasing number of lenders provide their clients with unlimited, free access to credit scores.

But being able to watch your score so closely over time means that you may notice something unsettling — bumps and dips in that all-important number. So what’s going on from month to month? Why has your credit score dropped?

And, more importantly, should you be worried? [Read more…]

7 Laundry Hacks to Save You Time & Money

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

I’ve heard that there are people who enjoy doing the laundry . . . but I’ve never met a single one.

Odds are, you wish that you had a magical helper — a laundry fairy who would pick up, sort, wash, dry, iron, fold, and stow your family’s clothing without your needing to lift a finger.

But, failing that, it’s up to you to face the never-ending chore of doing the laundry.

But what if you could make doing the laundry faster and easier? [Read more…]

How to Get Your Kids to Do Chores: Secrets of Organizing Pros & Rockstar Parents

Raise your hand if you’ve ever wanted to move to a new home just to get away from the mess at the one you’ve got!

It’s hard enough when you’re single to keep your home organized and tidy. But when you mix in a spouse, kids, and maybe some pets, it can feel as though you’re fighting a losing battle.

So how do you do it??? How do you get your busy family unified and working together? How can you get everyone to conquer that never-ending chore list so that it’s actually done — without tears or screaming? And how can you get organized quickly and easily?

To find the answer, I collaborated with Citi to find the real experts — organization gurus and parents who have successfully rallied their families to maintain ship-shape homes!

I rounded up their secret strategies and recommended tools. And I’m sharing those with you today.

There’s no better time than now to get your family organized. So get ready to conquer your crew’s collective goals and manage your household responsibilities with this easy action plan.

[Read more…]

The Beginner’s Guide to Playing the Drugstore Game

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

The Drugstore Game is addictive.

Every time you hit your local drugstore, you challenge yourself to buy the items you need for as little as possible – or even without paying a dime!

I got started several years back after reading an outstanding and inspirational guide, How to Shop for Free: Shopping Secrets for Smart Women Who Love to Get Something for Nothing. (The book not only makes the drugstore game easy and effective but offers savings tips on clothing, electronics, groceries, and more!)

If you’re brand new to the drugstore game but want to learn and start playing quickly, here’s your essential guide to getting started and saving big at the drugstore. [Read more…]

Should You Cosign a Loan? What You Need to Know

Co-signing a loan can saddle you with some surprising — and unpleasant — consequences.

When a friend or family member asks you to co-sign a loan, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. You’re just helping out a loved one, right?

But co-signing a loan comes with serious, often hidden risks to your finances and your relationships. Here are some things to consider before you agree to lend a hand. [Read more…]

How to Practice Self-Care (and Why It Matters)

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

Self-care sounds like a glorious luxury.

Focusing your attention on your own well-being instead of your kids’ extra-curriculars, your never-ending to-do list, your job, your obligations, and so on? What on earth would that be like?

But practicing self-care matters. It’s the difference between really living and simply surviving from one moment to the next.

In fact, this year, my husband and I — weary from a period of too many projects, too much stress, too many obligations, and a vibrant preschooler (whose energy I’d like to borrow!) — decided to make self-care a requirement for ourselves.

Around that same time, I coincidentally read an incredible new book by one of my favorite authors, time management guru Julie Morgenstern. My goal in reading the book was to make sure I was using my time as best as possible to be a great parent.

But Morgenstern’s book, Time to Parent, actually challenges readers to make time not only for raising a human but for being a human as well. (I highly recommend picking up a copy!)

So today I’m talking about what self-care is, why you (desperately!) need it, and how you can incorporate it easily into your life with astounding returns on your time investment! [Read more…]

How to Plan & Create Your Unique Retirement Adventure

Your grandparents’ retirement is a thing of the past.

The Employment Benefit Research Institute 2017 Retirement Confidence Study shows that Americans preparing for retirement are planning to do things differently — retire later, keep active, and even continue working to some extent.

A new type of retirement is on the horizon. And, if you’re planning to exit the workforce in 20 to 40 years, your golden years might be the adventure of a lifetime! Here’s a look at how life after retirement is changing and how you can start planning your own unique future . . . [Read more…]

How to Jump-Start Your Retirement Savings

If you’ve got three or even four decades to go until retirement, saving for that time of your life may be the last thing on your mind. But you’ve actually got the most incredible element on your side — time.

In fact, with the power of compound interest, you’ll be able to get more bang for your contributions than your peers who wait until they’re closing in on retirement age to start really planning and saving.

Of course, wanting to save for retirement and actually doing it are two very different things. When you’re just getting started, it’s easy to feel intimidated by the confusing alphabet soup of terminology — 401(k), 403(b), IRA, Roth SEP, SIMPLE, HSA, and so on.

So I’m demystifying the options for retirement savings. And I’m walking you through the process of kickstarting your journey to a successful future. [Read more…]

Should You Really Eat That Frog?

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

Mark Twain once famously remarked the following:

If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

From this pithy comment was born a productivity mantra — “Eat that frog!” — popularized by Brian Tracy. Tracy penned a short but powerful and widely read book, Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.

The idea is this: A frog is a completely unappealing item on your to-do list — that project you can’t bring yourself to start, that chore you hate, that phone call you don’t want to make, etc. And Tracy’s advise is to grit your teeth and just do that action item as the very first task you handle that day. Then, the rest of your day can only be better.

What if you’ve got two frogs? Tackle the biggest, ugliest one first. Then turn your attention to the second one.

But should you really eat that frog? Is Tracy’s advise honestly the best way to get things done and maximize your productivity? [Read more…]

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