This year we took a fresh look at the best to-do list managers, helped newbies learning to code pick a first language to learn, helped you choose a great Wi-Fi router, and of course, found out which Android phones are the best this year. via Most Popular Hive Fives of 2014.
“If you are carrying a lot of debt, you can’t afford to take a vacation, you avoid going out, you feel pinched.” via The True Cost of Debt – The Simple Dollar.
It’s not what you make, it is what you spend. If you want to be wealthy (in-charge of money and not money in-charge of you) you will always have to spend less than you make and start saving and investing. It is that simple. A wealthy person is someone out of debt and saving and investing….doesn’t matter the amount. via 100 Grand a Month is Not Enough to Survive! Broke Millionaire Club Member Story –.
There are many different software programs for creating password-protected archives, but — whatever you use — be sure it’s using secure encryption. The problem with Zip encryption isn’t purely theoretical. The web is full of tools that can “recover” a password-protected zip file that was created using the old encryption scheme. “Recover” is a less-scary word for breaking and removing the encryption. via How to Create Encrypted Zip or 7z Archives on Any Operating System.
Today is the 48th edition of our periodic guest post series called 10 Questions and a Pizza Place. (The 1500′s are pizza fanatics.) We have a list of 17 questions we pose to fellow financial bloggers, and they are free to pick and choose 10 or answer all 17. Let us know if you would like to be featured in a future edition of 10 Questions. via 10 Questions and a Pizza Place with The Currency of Time Read more
If you’re not good at creating habits, you simply need to practice these four hidden skills. If you mess up, just practice some more. No one mastered anything on their first few attempts — it takes time to get good at anything. via The Four Hidden Habit Skills : zen habits.
When we’re weighing which types of jobs to apply for, or even which to accept from multiple offers should we be so lucky, the differentiators often come down to benefits. Pay, job security, balance, work environment, etc. For too long the skilled trades have been neglected as not having any benefits. Thankfully, the tide is turning, and people are starting to see that blue collar work offers some real advantages over white collar work. There Read more
Author Elaine St. James explains how she deals with clutter in Simplify Your Life: Put them in a box with a label indicating a date two or three years from now—but don’t list the contents on the label. Store the box in the attic or the basement, or wherever is convenient. Once a year, examine the labels. When you come across a box whose date has passed, throw it out without opening it. Since you Read more
As Stuart Heritage puts it for the Guardian, “Barack Obama has pared his wardrobe down to such a degree that he can confidently walk into any situation and make decisions that directly impact on the future of mankind.” The president is not alone in this practice. The late, great, Steve Jobs wore his signature black turtleneck with jeans and sneakers every single day. via The Science Of Simplicity: Why Successful People Wear The Same Thing Every Day.
And as for that New York Magazine headline, no, I don’t want you to Spend Like You’re Poor. To me, that would imply car loans, processed food, hair salons, restaurants, lawn care companies, housekeepers and all the things that people get when they follow the standard script of a people who are starved for free time and chasing material comforts as a replacement for happiness. I want you to spend like you are the richest person Read more