These days, when the cost of higher education is just as much as buying a house or a few brand new cars, it really makes one wonder if it’s possible to earn a degree without getting into an enormous amount of debt that would take a lifetime to finish paying.

You work to earn your money. My philosophy is your money should work for you. I don’t know about you but I am not able or willing to work 24/7….but your money can. Basically you want every penny you have to be earning interest for you. How can it do that?

“Without frugality none can be rich, and with it very few would be poor.” – Samuel Johnson

You probably already know you need to save for a rainy day. Problem is, there doesn’t seem to be enough money to put aside for that rainy day. All of your money seems to be going for today’s needs – and you’ll just have to worry about the future when you get there.

I am not impressed by financial writers who advise readers to “stop going to Starbucks” or “pack your lunch every day” as a way to save money. For the beginning budgeter, those tips can be useful, but what about the rest of us? I’ve already cut my cable, stopped eating out, and I purchase my clothes secondhand. What am I missing?

I really don’t like to wear the same thing every week. I love to change things up a bit not only with different tops and bottoms but also different accessories. But I am on a strict budget. I very rarely can afford to buy something from the mall. Recently I stopped into my local Goodwill store and boy was I surprised!

In my early 20’s, I made a bucket list, and one of my goals was to own a home by my 25th birthday. Never mind that I had no savings, earned a meager salary after college, and no one else was going to help me accumulate that money (i.e. no husband on the horizon)!

The simple answer is “NO!” My very first job was working at McDonald’s as a cashier in high school. I’d make about $100/week and spend it on food or clothes since I didn’t have a lot of other expenses at the time. Now that I’m in my 20s, I look back and wonder why I didn’t save at least $25 of each paycheck. Well, I know why. I wasn’t thinking about saving for a house, paying off student loans, buying a car, or retirement! I didn’t know anyone who was thinking about these things as teenagers.