goals

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Welcome to 2018 – the year everyone’s hoping won’t be so much of a dumpster fire like last year. Politics aside, now that I’ve paid off the big credit card, I get to have a little more fun with my goals this year. To recap, my 2017 financial goals were: Pay off the credit card! DONE DONE DONE Build an emergency fund again NOT EVEN KIND OF Go 12-for-12 on sticking to my budget I GOT 50% ON THIS ONE So funny story, it’s hard to rebuild an emergency fund when you keep having emergencies. Losing my job. rather unexpectedly, moving, and my driver’s side window suddenly notRead More →

live together

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In: Personal Finance 101

Continuing on with my theme of dramatic, life-changing events happening to me in 2017 (see here): I also moved in with my boyfriend. We moved back in March, so we’ve been living together for ~3 months or so. It wasn’t exactly a tough choice. We’ve been together since August of 2013, and we’ve been doing pseudo-long-distance (an hour apart) for the past two years, which basically means we’ve been living together every weekend for two years. In March, my boyfriend was moving back to my city, and with both of our leases ending at around the same time, we decided it only made sense toRead More →

financial emergency

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In: Personal Finance 101

***This is a Guest Post written by Rebecca Williams. <3 from the Dames*** We’ve written about financial emergencies before (you know, in the lose-your-job way), so it’s always good to get a refresher on how to prepare so you aren’t stuck using your credit card (guilty) or having to borrow from friends. Everyday transactions require careful financial planning. Nowadays, people generally have prepared budgets for everyday expenses, credit payments, insurances and even personal investments. In a world where money and cash equivalents move society, budgeting has become a standard. For the general public, financial stability means securing one’s retirement, owning a house, and being able toRead More →

#finlit

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In: Personal Finance 101

***This post contains affiliate links. <3 from the Dames*** As you guys know, I’ve been reading money books (#finlit) throughout my personal finance journey. I’ve found that reading personal finance books keeps my motivation up, plus there’s always more to learn. Recently, I finished Suze Orman’s The Money Book for the Young Fabulous and Broke – her book devoted to helping millenials/me. I haven’t read any of Ms. Orman’s other books, but this was definitely a good personal finance primer. It covers everything from how to get a job that will pay your bills to buying your first house. It also has whole sections devotedRead More →

2017 goals

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So it’s 2017, and I’ve got resolutions just like everyone else. Except I’ve got a plan in place to actually turn my resolutions into reality by year’s end. But let’s start with a recap from last year. My 2016 financial goals were the following: Pay down my credit card (goal is to have it paid off by July 2017) Build an emergency fund (goal is to have $2500 saved up by the end of the year) Save for retirement (no real goal here for the moment…just contribute something each month to my Roth IRA) I did pretty well on them. I saved for retirement each monthRead More →

100 days challenge

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In: Money Challenges

Remember those resolutions you formed around January 1st? How’re you doing on them? I, for one, have failed hard at multiple of mine, and that’s what today’s post is all about. Today (September 22nd) marks 100 days until 2017! Crazy, right? This means you’ve still got 100 days to get yourself back on track with saving money, not spending money, eating better, and working out…or for me, all of the above. Here’s how it works: Consistency transforms behaviors into habits. Adopting good daily habits can only happen if you consistently engage in those habits every day. For the next 100 days, focus on engaging in oneRead More →

payoff series

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In: Debt Repayment

Welcome to Part Three of a 6-part series I’m doing on personal loans, credit card debt, and refinancing – the Payoff Series. If you’re new here, go back and check out Part One and Part Two!   Debt consolidation allows borrowers to roll multiple old debts into a single new one. Ideally, that new debt has a lower interest rate that makes payments more manageable or lets borrowers pay off the total more quickly. Many people try debt consolidation, but not all emerge better off. Some borrowers wind up in worse shape, either because they run up their credit cards again or because their debt remainsRead More →

payoff series

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In: Debt Repayment

Welcome to Part Two of a 6-part series I’m doing on personal loans, credit card debt, and refinancing – the Payoff Series. If you’re new here, go back and check out Part One! Refinancing credit card debt means paying off your current debt-load with another loan. Refinancing is different than debt negotiation. In debt negotiation or debt settlement, you work with your lenders to reduce the total principal you owe by offering a fast, lump-sum payment. Refinancing means you will still have monthly payments, but they will be to a different lender. The ultimate goal in refinancing is to secure a better debt situation thanRead More →

Canadian Budget Binder

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Hi friends, Just wanted to let y’all know that Dames in Debt was recently featured on Canadian Budget Binder! We were part of the 2016 Making A Difference series! You can read our post here, just look for the Making a Difference headline. Thanks so much for helping us take our personal finance journey way further than we ever thought possible! And check out Canadian Budget Binder while you’re at it! <3 from the DamesRead More →