As a 30-year old who is a part-time grad student and a full-time office worker, are my goals to get control over my life (weight loss, finances, home, work, etc) really unrealistic? Is there a way to just be NORMAL and balanced, or is it really just normal not to really have things together, even as an adult? [more inside]
posted by dumbledore69 on Nov 13, 2009 - 27 answers

Household-budgeting-filter: how can I determine how much "wiggle room" or safety margin will be needed to cover unexpected expenses? How much do you allow, and has it been sufficient? [more inside]
posted by yersinia on May 11, 2009 - 15 answers

Seeking guidance with financial planning (loans, down payment, more) [more inside]
posted by mintchip on Apr 20, 2008 - 5 answers

Recommendations for a financial advisor/accountant for a young couple in NYC? [more inside]
posted by scazza on Jan 30, 2008 - 2 answers

Look, I truly do get the “know your income, know your expenses” bit about budgeting. And I’m pretty frugal in my habits. My problem is this, as the financial head of this family, I have to decide what we will spend our inadequate resources on. So in general, how to prioritise discretionary spending in a fair and efficient manner? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 12, 2008 - 25 answers

Will budgeting help? [more inside]
posted by frosty_hut on Apr 9, 2007 - 22 answers

I need to find a free or very low cost service where I can sit down with a live person on a weekly or monthly basis and help make a budget we can stick to and sort out my family finances. I am not low income. Does such a service exist for me in Maine? [more inside]
posted by anastasiav on Mar 19, 2007 - 15 answers

Help me build my monthly budget for living in Los Angeles. [more inside]
posted by JPowers on Jan 24, 2007 - 14 answers

Help me organize my finances. While reading another thread I was struck by the number of people who balance their checkbooks on a frequent and regular basis (like every day), and it made me wonder what's involved. I am one of those paycheque-to-paycheque people (rather student loan-to-student loan) and although my bills are never unpaid, I'm falling behind in other things. [more inside]
posted by arcticwoman on Oct 26, 2005 - 17 answers

Trying to create and stay on a family budget. Has anyone had any success following a plan from a book or website? Should I hire a financial consultant? (More . . .) [more inside]
posted by jeremias on Aug 2, 2004 - 17 answers