Proof that bankers ought not be musicians too.
Wasn’t this a Schoolhouse Rock episode?

Kidding aside, I agree that using a debit card is one of the best ways to keep your spending in check. Or, if you have a sprinkling of self-discipline, it’s even better to use a credit card that offers rewards, but keep track of your charges as if you’re using a debit card.
Subtract each purchase from your running balance throughout the month and when the bill comes, pay it in full. It’s the best of both worlds.

If I got everything my way, someone else would handle the business side of my freelance writing business… and probably do the marketing too. Or maybe not. Now that I’ve learned more about managing my money and have gotten mostly out of vagueness about my income and expense, it’s actually kinda fun keeping track of it all.
I’m learning to plan ahead a bit too. And play closer attention to my intuition as well. For instance, I’ve noticed my current computer is taking a bit more maintenance than it used to. I’m running disk cleanup more often because it’s slowing …read more

Back in March I speculated about what I’d do when my $600 rebate arrived. Today, with the announcement that the first rebates were deposited today, I looked back at my post.
I was tickled to see that I managed to order a new couch and get bookcases without the rebate. But I’m still not sure what I will actually do with it… maybe put some in a retirement fund? Save half or some other amount… blow part of it just for fun, but doing what?
So once again, what are you planning to do with your tax rebate?
Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant …read more

If you’re watching or listening to the news, or reading newspapers, you’ve got to be aware of how much talk is going on about the slowing of the U.S. economy. This kind of “news” drives me nuts, because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
None the less, I can’t stop a recession by positive thinking and we freelance writers are actually part of the economy. But I don’t have to participate in a recession. That is, I don’t have to buy into the idea that I won’t make any money or I won’t make enough money during an economic downturn. Here’s …read more

Maybe a year ago I wrote an article called Freelance Writers and the Fear of Money and Success.
It’s one of those articles that many seemed to like. One of the ideas there is that, for the most part, man folks are afraid to even talk coherently about their earning, spending, and about money in general. I’ve learned that talking about money only makes sense.
Take a look at the article and let me know what you think.
Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing – a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision – for those who …read more