What we're currently working on in our family is living off of one income. Yes, there's only two of us, so it's not as hard as if we had a family with children, but it is still not the easiest. We're working on paying off student loans and then our mortgage, and would like them all gone within the next couple of years. And this is why we are working on living off of less than 50% of our incomes (this includes our expenses and our minimum monthly mortgage payment of $970 and minimum student loans of around $300 per month). The rest of our monthly income is getting thrown like crazy towards our debt as extra debt payments. Yes, we could continue living the way that we used to and pay off our debt slowly, but we hardly notice a difference … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2012
5 Tips on How to be a Better Negotiator
I don't know if you're like me, but the thought of negotiating makes me nervous. I don't want to offend the person who I am dealing with, but then I also do not want to get a bad deal at the same time. I hate to mention it, but I also don't want to look cheap. I'm guessing other people are like this also, or there would be more negotiating in the world! But in reality, you don't always look cheap. If you truly think the item is worth less, or that you can get a better price, then haggle! In today's economy, there is room for haggling at many stores. Not every store and place allows haggling and negotiating on their prices, but trying to negotiate won't hurt either. Trying because there might be something wrong with the items, when there … [Read more...]
5 Tips For Your First Job
Finding your first job after school, whether it be high school, undergraduate or graduate school, can definitely be a daunting task. Maybe it's your first "real" job. You don't want to mess it up either way, right? Of course you don't want to mess it up! You might've spent weeks or months looking for this job, and possibly years preparing for it. There are obvious tips for newly hired workers such as not arriving late, showering regularly, not eating 10 pounds of heated tuna in your cubical etc., but what about tips that will help you succeed at your workplace? Yes those, you want to know those tips! 1. Say Yes! If there are tasks to be completed and you honestly think you can take them on and be successful with them, then take … [Read more...]
