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What Can You Quit Today?

July 12, 2024 By Liz Weston

For many years, I tried to personally answer as many reader emails as possible. I couldn’t offer personalized advice – I’m a journalist, not a practicing financial planner – but I wanted to at least point people to helpful articles, agencies or sites.

As my readership grew, this task became Sisyphean. I’d spend hours at it and barely make a dent. One morning, I was plugging away while listening to a babysitter play with our young daughter. I had an epiphany: I was giving away hours of my time. MSN, the site I wrote for at the time, certainly wasn’t paying me to answer emails. And those were hours I could spend with my kid.

There was no contest. I created an automated email message and put a note on my site, alerting people that I could not respond personally to messages.

I’ve tried to do regular audits of my time since that day. The goal is to figure out what I can quit so there’s more time for the stuff that offers the best payoff, personally or professionally. At work, my mantra became “If anyone else can do it, someone else probably should.” That allowed me to focus on the things I do best and that brought the most value to my employers or clients. At home, I looked for ways to automate, outsource or just stop doing time-sucking tasks without a lot of payoff.

What tasks could you quit today?

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: reader questions, time management

This week’s money news

July 8, 2024 By Liz Weston

This week’s top story: Avoiding 4 Prime Day pit falls. In other news: How to use buy now, pay later like a pro, 60/30/10 budget, and a court ruling that blocked lower student loan bills under the SAVE repayment plan has been overturned.

Avoid These 4 Prime Day Pitfalls
Protect your wallet this month by steering clear of these four shopping mistakes.

How to Use Buy Now, Pay Later Like a Pro
Buy now, pay later is a form of credit that should be used strategically and only on certain occasions.

Is the 60/30/10 Budget Right for You?
The 60/30/10 budget may help you better manage your expenses in an economy with high inflation.

Lower SAVE Student Loan Payments Can Proceed, Court Rules
A court ruling that blocked lower student loan bills under the SAVE repayment plan has been overturned. Meanwhile, 10-year forgiveness is still on hold. Here’s how else SAVE borrowers are impacted.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon Prime Day, budget, buy now pay later, Student Loans

This week’s money news

July 1, 2024 By Liz Weston

This week’s top story: State and local minimum wage hikes kick in around U.S. In other news: July mortgage rates could follow house prices downward, corporations want you to rent, not own, and 7 states where will pump up gas taxes on July 1.

State and Local Minimum Wage Hikes Kick In Around U.S.
Minimum wage earners in Washington, D.C., will now make $17.50 per hour, more than in any state.

July Mortgage Rates Could Follow House Prices Downward
Mortgage rates are poised to edge lower in July as inflation cools.

Corporations Want You to Rent, Not Own. Can Lawmakers Stop Them?
Corporate landlords wield outsize market power. Congressional bills would force them to sell.

Heads Up, Drivers: 7 States Will Pump Up Gas Taxes on July 1
State taxes average about 33 cents per gallon, though they vary widely by state.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: apartment renting, gas, gas prices, gasoline prices, minimum wage, mortgage rates, rent vs own, rent vs. buy, renting

This week’s money news

June 24, 2024 By Liz Weston

This week’s top story: What impacts bank account rates Mid-2024? In other news: 7 tips to prepare your house for hurricane season, weekly mortgage rates trend lower, and PAYE.

What Impacts Bank Account Rates Mid-2024?
The Fed rate and banks’ competition for consumer deposits play key roles.

7 Tips to Prepare Your House for Hurricane Season
This year’s hurricane season could bring over a dozen hurricanes to U.S. coasts — is your home ready for the wind and rain?

Weekly Mortgage Rates Trend Lower; Report Reveals Housing Strain
Mortgage rates continued slipping downward this week, in the absence of any major market movements or economic data releases.

Graduate Borrowers, Consider This Student Loan Plan Before July 1
If you have graduate debt and qualify for PAYE, consider applying before July 1, when PAYE will permanently close to new enrollment. Two other repayment plans will also limit enrollment in July.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: homeowners insurance, hurricanes, Insurance, mortgage rates, natural disasters, savings account rates, Student Loans

This week’s money news

June 17, 2024 By Liz Weston

This week’s top story: What Visa’s upcoming changes might mean for your wallet. In other news: HELOC to pay kid’s college tuition or not, weekly mortgage rates dip, and what women should know about their investing power and needs.

What Visa’s Upcoming Changes Might Mean for Your Wallet
Combining multiple payment methods onto one ‘credential’ is one way Visa is trying to make the spending experience seamless.

Should You Use a HELOC to Pay Your Kid’s College Tuition?
Home equity could provide an ample source of college funding, but borrowing against it is a financially risky move.

Weekly Mortgage Rates Dip, Hopes of Multiple Rate Cuts Wane
Average fixed mortgage rates fell slightly this week, with the 30-year rate continuing last week’s dip below 7%.

What Women Should Know About Their Investing Power and Needs
Women face different challenges, and some advantages, when it comes to managing their money over the long term.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: cashless payments, digital banking, HELOC, Investing, mortgage rates, Visa, women and investing

This week’s money news

June 10, 2024 By Liz Weston

This week’s top story: Weekly mortgage rates dip, home price gains soften. In other news: New digital nomads on the block: families, why you should consider train travel in Europe, and 3 steps to take after transferring a balance to a new credit card.

Weekly Mortgage Rates Dip, Home Price Gains Soften
The drop brings the 30-year fixed rate to about where it was two weeks ago and slightly under May’s monthly average of 7.01%.

There Are New Digital Nomads on the Block: Families
As the cost of living rises in many places, full-time family travel can cost about the same as staying put.

Why You Should Consider Train Travel in Europe
You can easily travel through Europe by train because of its well-developed route network.

3 Steps to Take After Transferring a Balance to a New Credit Card
Moving the debt is just the first step. Have a game plan for paying down the balance before the interest-free period ends.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: balance transfers, Credit Cards, digital nomad, family travel, mortgage rates, train travel in Europe, travel

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