2011 Spending in Review

Happy New Year everyone.  I thought I'd take a post to look at my expenses for this previous year and use it to help give me a good idea of how much I should be spending in the future.  Also, for those of you still looking to get your first credit card, it may help to see which credit cards I use most often and what returns I get through their cash back programs.

End of the Year Losses

Merry Christmas everyone and thank you for supporting me in reading my blog.  While you open those expensive family presents you bought each other (which hopefully you have budgeted), I thought I'd end this year with an educational post about what almost everyone does near December 31st: take capital losses to offset any capital gains or some income.  The reason why you would want to offset capital gains or income is to save on taxes.

Why You Should Manage Your Personal Finances

I've been regularly posting on my blog for more than half a year already, yet I think I have neglected one of the most important topics that need to be addressed: why should you even bother learning about personal finance?  Of course, some of us may automatically say "obviously, it's to have more money."  But that isn't the real reason. There is a reason why we even want money in the first place—so that we can pursue our interests and find what makes us the happiest.  Everything always comes down to seeking happiness and how it comes to each and every one of us is almost completely unique.

Retirement

I thought I'd spend a post talking about retirement in general, before moving on to specific ways to help save money for retirement.  I also have posts on retirement saving strategies and retirement investment strategies.

Weekday Vegetarian

I don't have time these two weeks to make a very formal post about a new topic, so I thought I'd share a very motivating TED talk I have heard in the past and taken to heart.  It is about vegetarianism and the guy talks about a unique way of thinking about your health.  I started it about a year ago after watching this video and I really believe in its benefits.  In a previous post, I mentioned how buying in bulk can help you better budget.  Buying groceries are a better alternative to eating out at a restaurant and with weekday vegetarianism, you can help your budget (the environment, and your health) even more.  Click read more to see the video.