The triple “money” in the title of this post is not greed (hopefully that was a given); rather, I grew up with us singing that phrase.

We’re talking finances today and growing, not necessarily our money, per se, but our money skills.  The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, of course, has a specific “Budgeting & Finances” category.  It also has a “Working at Home” category, and some budget-related resources in the kitchen category.

This is kind of a weak area for me.  I know the general principles of budgeting, but I don’t handle our budget, so I don’t practice budgeting skills a lot, and math is not really my “thing.”  Shopping frugally is more in my wheelhouse.  So I’m going to share some of my top-rated resources here, but please be aware that in this area more than just about any other, there are bound to be excellent resources not on my radar.

General Money Management & Budgeting

When it comes to handling money, the “big picture” of money management is probably one of the biggest things.  You have to know how to “tell your money where to go” — that is, how to make and use a budget.  Dave Ramsey’s materials, particularly Financial Peace University and/or Total Money Makeover (depending on what type of resource you’re looking for) are some of the most-recommended.

My husband and I have mixed opinions on these.  Overall, the information is solid, so if you know nothing about managing money, they’re a good place to start.  But take the details with a grain of salt.  They work well for those who make plenty of money and just need help knowing how to manage it; they may not always work well for those who are legitimately struggling to make ends meet.  Paying off the smallest debt first instead of the highest-interest debt often doesn’t make the best financial sense, in our opinion, either.  (I’ve also heard experienced investors say the investment information is not great, but I don’t know investments at all, so I have no personal opinion on that.)  But you’re definitely better off following these principles than flying blind.

I’ve heard really good things about his Foundations in Personal Finance courses for teens.

Foundations in Personal Finance High School Edition for Homeschool (2014 Edition)Foundations in Personal Finance: Middle School Edition for Homeschool Teacher/Student Pack

Crown Financial Ministries is another popular source of information, from a distinctly Christian perspective.

For a slightly different take on budgeting, I also like the money jar system.  It comes from T. Harv Eker’s Secrets of The Millionaire Mind (which is not a Christian book; it’s a mixed bag of great information and New Agey concepts  – I liked it, but be prepared to “sift”), but if you want the nutshell version, you can find it in The Money Jars.

Shopping Well

Besides learning to budget, and not spending money on things you don’t need (part of sticking to the budget), it also makes sense to shop well so you don’t spend more than you need to on any given thing.  There are a number of “tricks” to this and, with practice, you’ll learn which ones work best for your area and your situation, but here are some principles to start with.

• Learn to use coupons effectively.
• Be open to alternative sources.  Consider the farmer’s market, bulk food store, scratch-and-dent store (if you have one), feed store (you’d be surprised what you can buy there, if you’ve never been in one!), international grocers, co-ops, yard sales, thrift and/or consignment stores, roadside stands, etc. depending on what it is you’re looking to buy. But…
• Compare prices and don’t make assumptions about which is the least expensive option.  It isn’t always what you’d expect.
• Buy in advance if you can.  You can often get better deals on clothing, for instance, if you’re not looking for something you have to have next week.  Buying ahead by a season or a size (for kids’ clothing) can give you that extra wiggle room to wait for a sale.  (And off-season clothing is often less expensive.)
• Allow for Black Friday week sales in your regular budget.  As the idea of Black Friday shopping has expanded over the past few years, I’ve found more and more of my “regular” household needs to be deeply discounted during this week of sales.  But I haven’t always been prepared for this, in terms of my budget.

What is your favorite budget tip?  Share in the comments.