She Doesn’t Want a Mortgage September 27, 2017 Home, Lifestyle Jamie Burgess The best landlords I ever had didn’t care much about the money. The husband and wife had lived in the same house for 35 years, only the third owners since the place was built in 1935, and they rented out the stand-alone guest cabin on their property every winter because they believed in giving us Keep Reading
I’m Waiting (Almost) a Full Year to Take a Honeymoon September 19, 2017 Home, Lifestyle, Savings Erin Lowry To start, it’s important you know that I’m not the type of person who dreamt about her perfect wedding. Quite the contrary, I never wanted one in the first place. Don’t get it twisted, I want to marry my partner. Marriage and weddings are not the same things. Weddings always seemed like such an over-the-top Keep Reading
How to Be Financially Prepared for a Natural Disaster September 14, 2017 Home, Lifestyle, Preparation Erin Lowry In 1989 storm ripped through Houston, Texas just two weeks before my birth, which took down a tree in my parents’ backyard. That tree fell right through the roof and into my nursery. Had I been born just a little early, I may not have survived my first month of life. That’s not the kind Keep Reading
Renting an Apartment in Chicago: How to Navigate this Quirky Rental Landscape August 31, 2017 Home, Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Erika Napoletano Ah, Chicago. The Windy City. Home to the Cubs, White Sox, da Bears – and a whole lot of quirks if you’re looking to rent an apartment there. I recently sold my condo and switched back to being a renter for the first time since I moved to Chicago. The entire process was, to say Keep Reading
How to Save Money on Your Move August 14, 2017 Home, Lifestyle, Preparation, Savings Robyn Parets There’s no sugarcoating it. Moving is stressful. In fact, regardless of whether you move cross-country or across town, uprooting your home ranks right up there with death and divorce as one of life’s most stressful events, according to HealthStatus. As if this isn’t bad enough, moving is also expensive. According to HomeAdvisor and industry estimates, Keep Reading
Run Your House Like a (Literal) Boss July 24, 2017 Budgeting, Home, Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Bethany Johnson A few years ago, I realized we had been budgeting all wrong. The revelation was particularly painful because I was considered a personal finance expert in the industry. I’d been writing for a huge string of credit unions, a nonprofit credit counseling service and a few big-brand investing firms. The household budget was supposed to Keep Reading
When A 20% Down Payment on a House Just Isn’t Happening May 12, 2017 Budgeting, Home, Lifestyle, Savings Bethany Johnson Five years ago, my husband and I started saving for a down payment on a house. We had heard it’s best to have 20% of the ball park purchase price before house hunting. But instead of getting our ducks in a row and then finding the right house, the house found us. And at the Keep Reading