DINARRECAPS8 6/1/25 DINARRECAPS8 6/1/25

Benefits of a Cash Budget – Part 2

Written by Sam -

In part 2, I explain how budgeting will help save you time in the budgeting process.

How Cash Will Cut Your Budgeting Time By 80%

Think for a second about entering transactions into financial software like Quicken or YNAB. What are most of the transactions? By far the majority of the transactions come from categories like groceries, household, or entertainment. They are purchases at the grocery store, or walmart, or the corner convenience store.

What if you took those transactions away. For most people, there are only a handful or two of transactions left that occur every month. You might have utilities, a cell phone bill, a few gas transactions, but that’s about it.

DINARRECAPS8 6/1/25 DINARRECAPS8 6/1/25

Benefits of a Cash Budget – Part 1

Written by Sam

In this article series of articles, I have recorded somewhat of a manifesto for using cash in your budget.

That’s right, I’m talking about using cash in your budget. Using cash in your budget is a tough topic. People shy away from it and toss it aside as being too much of a hassle. I want to challenge you to put those beliefs aside for a moment and let me make a case for using cash.

The fact is, I know how you feel. Using cash in our budget was one of the things I fought against most. We started using cash as part of Financial Peace University. It was one of those concepts I was ready to ignore and tried to convince my wife that we shouldn’t use cash. But she wanted to give it a shot and since I’d agreed to follow the program, I reluctantly went along.

I’m glad I did.

DINARRECAPS8 5/31/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/31/25

11 Guidelines For Using Cash In Your Budget

Written by Sam

Here’s how to tell in which categories you should use cash.

1. You Don’t Have To Use Cash For Everything

To reap the benefits of using cash in your budget, you don’t have to go exclusively to cash. Some may choose to go exclusive, but it’s not necessary. Instead, identify which categories will be most effective for using cash using the tips below. You should use cash for categories where either you tend to overspend or where there are a lot of transactions in a month.

Groceries are a main perpetrator of both those criteria which is why I absolutely recommend funding that category with cash. Other problem categories are ones relating to household spending (light bulbs, cleaning products, etc), eating out, personal, and entertainment.

DINARRECAPS8 5/30/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/30/25

5 Basic Money Skills Many Americans Don’t Know

Ashley Donohoe Thu, May 29, 2025 GOBankingRates

A Pew Research study found that 46% of Americans didn’t have at least a fair amount of knowledge of personal finances. Unfortunately, lacking financial literacy can put you at risk of taking on too much debt, not having enough for retirement and being unable to cover expenses.

In a YouTube video, money expert George Kamel reacted to this study’s findings and gave straightforward advice on handling five essential money tasks that many American adults struggle with. Learn how to boost your skills in these popular weak areas.

DINARRECAPS8 5/29/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/29/25

5 Money Mistakes Even Financially Savvy People Make

Cindy Lamothe GOBankingRates

No matter how great you are at managing your finances, no one is immune to making the occasional money mistake — and some of these can be dire.

“It’s important to recognize that some seemingly minor errors can have significant long-term effects,” said Michael Ashley, finance expert and founder of Richiest.

While everyone has financial blind spots, the good news is you can learn about them before they cause you problems. Here are some of the top money mistakes even the most financially savvy folks make.

Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week.

DINARRECAPS8 5/29/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/29/25

10 Sources Of Emergency Cash, Ranked From Best To Worst

Christine Benz of Morningstar Tue, May 27, 2025

If unanticipated expenses exceed your emergency fund, here’s a look at where to go next.

1. Your Own Emergency Fund/Short-Term Securities

Emergency funds should be held outside of tax-sheltered wrappers and include highly liquid investments like bank savings accounts, money market accounts, and so on.

2. Low-Risk Assets In Taxable Account

Next, look at other taxable holdings: investments in brokerage accounts, outside the confines of tax-sheltered vehicles.

DINARRECAPS8 5/28/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/28/25

5 Things You Should Discuss During Your First Meeting With a Financial Advisor

Gabrielle Olya

A financial advisor can be an excellent resource to help you make a plan for your money both now and in the future. But if you’re new to this world, you might not know how to make the most of your time during an initial meeting. In today’s “Financially Savvy Female” column, we’re chatting with Jane Voorhees, CFP, director of financial planning at ALINE Wealth, about how to prepare for a first meeting with a financial advisor and what topics you should be discussing.

DINARRECAPS8 5/28/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/28/25

5 Suze Orman Money Tips For a Financial Fresh Start

Nicole Spector Tue, May 27, 2025 GOBankingRates

Financial guru Suze Orman has long been dedicated to helping the average American reach financial freedom. In an article posted on Oprah.com, Orman delved into 10 of her top tips on how to get a fresh financial start, which can help you get your finances on track.

GOBankingRates highlighted five of Orman’s standout, practical and realistic tips.

DINARRECAPS8 5/26/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/26/25

With The Penny Going Away, What Should You Do With The Ones In Your Coin Jar?

Mike Snider and Daniel de Visé, USA TODAY Sun, May 25, 2025

Learn to love your coins.

That’s the message from Kevin McColly, CEO of Coinstar, the company behind those coin-cashing machines you see in supermarkets. American consumers made only 16% of their payments in cash in 2023, according to the Federal Reserve. A 2022 Pew survey found that two-fifths of consumers never use cash at all.

President Donald Trump has ordered the Treasury to stop minting pennies because their production cost exceeds their value. (Intriguingly, the same is true of nickels.)

DINARRECAPS8 5/26/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/26/25

So What Happens To America’s 114 Billion Pennies Once The US Stops Making Them?

Chris Isidore, CNN Sun, May 25, 2025

The American penny isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

The US Treasury Department announced Thursday that it plans to start winding down production of the one-cent coin it has been minting for more than 230 years. But the penny will still remain legal tender, and will still be in use at thousands of retailers around the country for sometime to come.

“If we look at the experience in Canada, for the first year after they stopped making pennies, there’s really no change in transactions,” Jeff Lenard, spokesperson for the National Association of Convenience Stores, told CNN. Convenience stores do more cash transactions than any other group, about 32 million a day, or about 20% of the total number of purchases by their customers, Lenard said.

DINARRECAPS8 5/22/25 DINARRECAPS8 5/22/25

Is Lending Money To Family Always The Right Thing To Do?

Monique Danao Thu, May 22, 2025 Moneywise

I’ve hustled hard to make something of myself. Now my sister, 29, wants to borrow money — again. What do I do?

Consider the case of Eric, a 33-year-old who is debt-free, owns his own business and lives comfortably after years of hard work and risk-taking. When his 29-year-old sister recently asked him to cover a few months of her rent, he said no.