There’s been a real buzz around the office recently fueled by the caffeine high as co-workers everywhere lead themselves towards 40 years of work in order to fund inflated lifestyles… and I think I may have found the culprit. A couple of weeks ago, I walked into the downstairs reception and was greeted by the horror that was this early retirement killer: That’s right; no longer will we be forced to endure sunlight and the general public in order to…
Inspired by my new friend TheFireStarter, I’ve decided to take a crack at setting some monthly challenges which will all help towards achieving greater goals. There was a great TED Talk on the psychology of habits and how if you do someone for 30 days, it can easily become a habit which you continue forever. I’m normally pretty good with these as every year I complete the Dryathlon for Cancer Research UK as well as setting other challenges like running…
Last week was gearing up towards an expensive weekend. I’d been invited out for drinks on Friday, had 2 seperate birthday parties to attend and the motorbike exhausts badly needed repairing. Inspired by the What small things did you do TODAY to save money thread over at MMM forums. I decided to look at each part individually and calculate where small savings could be made to add up to a large overall saving. Friday Several friends were heading out to…
House prices have gone up in this country, there’s no denying that.. however the hysteria that has accompanied the raise seems to have grown exponentially in comparison. On a forum I visit aimed towards students and young adults, A thread was created asking the question: How many of you realistically think that you will become a homeowner before 30? What followed was the inevitable stream of despair and complaints ranging from lack of parental support to the state of the…
I have a secret, a confession, an opinion so unconventional that it would rock the pillars of normal financial advice and seek to go against the grain of many main stream websites; I hate budgets. It’s not that I’m bad at creating budgets, or that I struggle to stick to and maintain one since implementing. More that I dislike the concept of them and question the real value they can add to someone’s personal finances. The problem with budgets…
# This post was inspired by the Fun With Numbers post over at BigGuyMoney.com There’s a big problem in the UK, the US and most other developed countries around the world; People are not saving enough for their retirements. Speaking to friends and colleagues on the subject, it’s clear most of them can be split into two different camps: Vastly underestimating their required savings These are the people who believe that putting in their minimum workplace scheme contributions for 40…
How I saved £50000 ($85000) in 3.5 years Back in 2009 I was broke… really broke. I’d just finished traveling for 15 months and returned back to my hometown almost penniless and soon to be homeless. My parents had retired early to the south of France while I was away and they gave me a month of free accommodation before the house was sold. I had to act, fast. 1. I got a job After uploading my CV to every…