Ask Chuck: Alternatives to Payday Loans
Dear Chuck, I drive past those Cash Advance and Payday Loan places just about every day but had never paid much attention until one of my friends got in financial trouble. She had just lost her job and was behind on rent so she went to get an advance and it ended up being a […]
Ask Chuck: How to Recover from Financial Infidelity
Dear Chuck, Some of my closest friends are going through a nasty divorce right now. Apparently, they had both been hiding financial information, credit cards, debt, etc. from each other for a number of years, and the fallout has been detrimental. I’ve heard of more couples experiencing “financial infidelity” lately and it makes me so […]
How To Move On From Failure
Have you ever felt like a failure? Most of us have experienced that sickening feeling when you realize you’ve missed the mark, made a huge mistake, or gone just a little too far. No wonder fearing failure affects so many of us. Failure can be an extremely difficult pill to swallow. While it can be […]
Ask Chuck: Should I Give or Get Out of Debt?
Dear Chuck, When should we begin tithing? We are currently in ‘the red’ each month, relying on credit cards to fill in small gaps. It will take us a couple of months to adjust and stop living paycheck to paycheck. Currently there is no extra, no savings, etc. If we tithe now, we will have […]
Are These Guilty Spending Pleasures Wrecking Your Budget?
What’s the most difficult category to stick to in your budget? Food? Entertainment? Miscellaneous items? We all struggle with different kinds of budget busters. Kind of like budgetary “kryptonite”, they’re things that we just push the limit on month to month. In a recent study from Varo Money, they defined these expenses as “guilty pleasures” […]
The Antidote to the Comparison Trap
We’ve probably all been there. Scrolling through Pinterest, inspired by all the “simple” home renovation projects, colorful meal prep plans, and impressive kid birthday party themes. Then you set out to recreate the masterpiece, with a step-by-step video tutorial or complicated recipe full of ingredients you can’t pronounce. You’re so excited to finally join the […]
What Your Debt is Really Costing You (And How to Get Out)
It’s been said that paying off debt is like eating an elephant – it can only be done one bite at a time. Starting the process of becoming debt-free can be overwhelming, and not knowing how or where to start can prevent many people from starting altogether. But paying off debt, and doing so […]
How to Solve Your Marital Money Problems
Money is often cited as the greatest area of frustration, fighting, stress, and unhappiness in marriage. One spouse wants to budget, the other doesn’t. Neither spouse can agree on exactly how to spend their money or what to prioritize, so budgeting just leads to more arguments. Maybe just the word “budgeting” spawns fights between the […]
How to Keep Your Money, Time, and Heart Peaceful During the Holidays
My pastor, Ronnie Batchelor, describes this as the time of year when “…we all experience the familiar unnerving sense that we’re approaching the brink – something akin to the clack-clack-clack-clack ascent of the rollercoaster when couples instinctively grasp each other’s hands and exchange nervous looks that communicate, ‘Here we go!’ We just hang on and […]
3 Steps When You and Your Spouse Don’t Agree on Christmas Spending
Around this time last year, I remember receiving several questions from spouses about their “holiday budgets”. One woman in particular explained that her husband was more of an “Ebenezer Scrooge” when it came to Christmas spending, while she loved the experience of shopping for others and giving big gifts. I would have to imagine that […]