Categories
News

Calvin’s parents must have been millionaires

Remember the CALVIN AND HOBBES comic strip?

Kids today may not be as enamored with comic strips as their parents were back in the day – it really was the golden age of comics: Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Bloom County. Some would include Garfield on this list, but that may vary depending on how you feel about cats.

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

Categories
10 Things Travel Websites

What are the most walkable cities in America?

If you’re looking to move from your current home, what are some of the criteria that you use to select your new location?

It is solely based on affordability? Schools? Convenience to work?

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time
Walkable City:
How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

Categories
10 Things How To

20 Ways to Save a TON of Money (and survive living on a budget)

Living on a budget is one of those things that everybody should do at least once in their lives.

Clearly, college students have figured this out.  They know where all the cheap beer is, what bars do free food at happy hour, and how many weekend meals you can get out of a single large pizza delivered at 2a on a Friday night.

For college kids, frugality is necessity.

And then they get their first job out of college and a paycheck, and it all goes to hell, racking up tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, never to be able to take a real vacation ever again.

The Frugal Life
The Frugal Life

Categories
shopping Travel Websites

What is the minimum annual budget a family of four should plan?

Planning a future budget is one of the most difficult activities anyone can do.

It’s easy for you to look at a single monthly or weekly paycheck and determine where that money is going to be allocated to.  So much for rent or mortgage, this much for a car payment, these utilities and credit card bills need to be paid.  Don’t forget groceries, gas, and… oh yeah, the kids need new shoes for school next week.

But looking at the bigger picture, it can be daunting to plan three, six, or even twelve months down the line as you can’t always predict what you’re going to need to pay for beyond those regular set payments such as rent or a car note.

The Budget Kit: The Common Cents Money Management Workbook
The Budget Kit:
The Common Cents Money Management Workbook

Categories
How To

Why you should have an emergency fund

Lots of financial experts will tell you how important it is to have an emergency fund.

Heck, even Web Watch has told you about the plan to have $10,000 in savings before you turn 30.  And while $10,000 in the bank today may not mean as much as what it did 10 or 20 years ago, if you’re able to pull this off then you’re still doing better than the vast majority of people you hang around with.

Categories
How To

How much money do kids make with allowance?

A question for all the parents who read Web Watch: how much money do you pay your kids in an allowance?

One would think this would be a simply question to answer, but it’s really a bit more complicated than one would think.

Are you the type of parent who pays an allowance to their children, no matter what?  Or do you only pay an allowance as payment for specific jobs being done around the house?

Categories
10 Things How To shopping

How does the average American spend their paycheck?

Web Watch remembers the old adage when we were just starting out to be able to sustain ourselves on our own.

“When you make your budget, you should always devote 1/3 to housing, 1/3 to transportation, and 1/3 for everything else.”

Now, we may not have been able to follow that breakdown exactly, but it’s not necessarily that far from the truth of how AMERICANS ACTUALLY SPEND THEIR PAYCHECK.  Especially if you take into account the need for saving some money for retirement or a rainy day, that ratio may be better split into quarters:

“devote 1/4 to housing, 1/4 to transportation, 1/4 put away in the bank/IRA/investments, 1/4 for everything else”

That seems to be closer to the truth.  Let’s take a look at how the average 48-year-old spends their average $63,091 annual salary (before taxes):