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The Round Table – May 24, 2013

by moneysma on May 24, 2013

The unofficial start to summer is upon us! Just in time, it’s gotten really humid in my neck of the woods…oh how I miss winter, haha!! Tonight I am in one of my best friends wedding, so I’m really liking the fact that it is a long weekend. Other than that, I really don’t have many plans, which means I get to do some things around the house, play golf and watch movies!! Do you have any plans this weekend?

Always Know Where Your Money Is at Stocks and Cents
Quitting Bad Habits to Save Money at Eyes on the Dollar
Simple Ways to Spend Less on Food at Modest Money
Low and No Down Payment Mortgages are Still Available at Debt Roundup
Is Pocket Change Worth Saving at Stumble Forward
World Tax Comparisons at All Things Finance
Refinancing a Rental Home at One Smart Dollar
Did Your Degree Come With a Course on Student Loans at Frugal Rules
The Rules of Investing Money at Brick by Brick Investing
8 Signs That Now is Not The Time to Retire at Step Away From The Mall
Earning > Saving at Beating Broke
You Really Really Can Save Money, Here’s How at Johnny Moneyseed
12 Facts About Student Loan Debt to Make Your Hair Stand on End at Making Sense of Cents
4 Mistakes I Made When I First Started Investing at Reach Financial Independence

Posts MoneySmartGuides Wrote for Other Blogs

Disadvantages of Taking College Courses Over the Summer at 20′s Finances
How Declining Birth Rates May Impact Your Social Security at My Dollar Plan

Carnivals MoneySmartGuides Appeared In

Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at My University Money
Finance Carn. for Young Adults at Faithful With a Few
Carnival of Retirement at Money Q
Carnival of MoneyPros at Freeat33
Yakezie Carnival at Money Reasons

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5 Free Excel Spreadsheet Templates

by moneysma on May 22, 2013

Budgeting isn’t the most glamorous thing in the world. The least you can do when filling out your budget us to pick a template that you will actually look forward to using. I did a little research and found some great free excel spreadsheet templates for you to try out when completing your budget. Hopefully, after checking them out, you will find an excel spreadsheet template that you will enjoy using.

MoneySmartGuides Excel Spreadsheet Template

OK, this is a shameless plug here. Like I said at the start, all of the excel spreadsheet templates are free, so I’m not making money on pushing this. But since it’s on my site, I use it, and I’ve gotten some good feedback, I thought I would mention it for those that were unaware of it.

Vertex 42 Excel Spreadsheet Template

Vertex42 has a ton of excel spreadsheet templates. Too many to list here in fact. If the template above isn’t you cup of tea, my guess is that you will find one from Vertex42. Their excel spreadsheet templates are free as well. They look great (easy on the eyes) and are super easy to use.

4 Step Budget Template

This excel spreadsheet template can be found on Life After College. What’s nice about this template is that after you fill in your income, and important expenses, it give you your allowance to spend on discretionary items.

Pear Budget

Before I was using my current budget, the excel spreadsheet template I used was Pear Budget. All of the instructions to use it are listed on the first tab of this template. You really need to read through it first before using it to get the whole picture of how it works. This isn’t to say that it is difficult to use, you just have to understand it in order to get maximum benefit from it.

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Template

If none of the above tickle your fancy, there is Microsoft itself. They have over 100 free excel spreadsheet templates to choose from. If you can’t find one there, then I don’t know what to tell you!

Final Thoughts

A budget is a key tool in making certain that you are living within your means. As a result, you need to find one that you will enjoy using and that you understand. Since everyone is different, there are lots of free excel spreadsheet templates to choose from. Take your time in finding one out that you truly enjoy and get to budgting!

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Poverty in America

May 20, 2013

A few weeks ago, I was browsing the internet and came across the story of a single mother trying to make ends meet in the tough economy. It got me to critique what this mother was doing, both right and wrong. As I started to write about this story of poverty in America, I felt [...]

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The Round Table – May 17, 2013

May 17, 2013

Another week gone by. Last weekend was rough. It started out good on Friday night, as I was able to sneak out for some golf after work. I had been battling a cold last week as well (first time I was sick in two years!) and it decided to give me everything it had on [...]

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All About Rent to Own

May 15, 2013

The following post is by MSG staff writer, Shondell of Call Me What You Want, Even Cheap. She blogs about her recent car loan and mortgage pay off of over $95k and a whole bunch more. Check out her blog right here. When you move into your own place, there are so many things you [...]

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Traveling Abroad: Make Sure You Packed Your Life Insurance!

May 15, 2013

Unfortunately, there are many policy-holding Americans who leave the country for business, pleasure, or to even live temporarily abroad, who don’t realize the traveling restrictions of their life insurance policy. Most policies, from most agencies, do not provide international coverage as part of an existing U.S. policy. Some do; companies such as Transamerica Life, Prudential, [...]

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Engagement Ring Shopping Tips

May 13, 2013

About two weeks ago, I said in my Round Table post that I had some news to share. I ended up getting engaged! Yup, I decided to take the plunge. I never shopped for a diamond before, so when I first stepped into a jewelry store it was a little overwhelming. I ended up doing [...]

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The Round Table – May 10, 2013

May 10, 2013

Last weekend I finally got out to play some golf. I’ve been itching to do so but just couldn’t find the time. I played half-decent and am OK with it since it was my first time out since last year. I’m oping to sneak out again relatively soon. Things are still super busy with me [...]

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2 Common Credit Card Traps and How to Avoid Them

May 8, 2013

Depending on who you ask, credit cards are either a blessing or a curse. For those claiming that credit cards are a blessing, they are the users who typically take advantage of sign up promotions and use cash back and rewards cards to their advantage. On the other hand, those who shun credit cards are [...]

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The Importance of Waiting Giveaway

May 6, 2013

Ever since my teenage years, I have always been interested in electronics. You name it, a television, speakers, car audio, DVD player, anything of this sort and I was interested in learning more about it. When I was younger, when a hot new item would come out, I would rush out and buy it. I [...]

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The Round Table – May 24, 2013