Money is a constant concern in our lives, and let’s admit that. Nicole Ouellette discusses financial matters, including her personal life, in a candid blog that speaks honestly about money.. And her highs and lows about it. If you need tips on how to save, or to make an unexpected $500 check for filing your taxes, Breaking Even should make an entertaining read.
Breaking Even, according to Nicole, “is about where life and money intersect. I use research, my life experience, and the experiences of friends and family to find new and creative ways to save money, make more money, and enjoy the money I do have. I like to think of it as personal finance with a personality.”
Excerpt from Breaking Even:
Like most people in our great country, I thought that I make so little money that it didn’t really matter whether I would itemize my deductions for tax time (’tis the season for charitable contributions after all). Apparently it does matter. If you own property or a house, have a home office, pay for childcare, have had some medical bills this year other than standard checkups, have a retirement account, are involved in education, pay student loans, have your own business, or travel for business, you can save money. Check out this site for what you can legally deduct.
A little more about charitable contributions: as of recently (in the last few years), if you donate goods you need a receipt verifying your donation. This year, for example, I really cleaned out my closet, taking care to write down everything I got rid of. I have a receipt for all my donations (and, on a side note, I thought it was kind of cool that one of my shirts made the front window display of the thrift store). Goodwill has a good way to approximate how much your donations are worth if you go on this page and check out the pdfs on the lower, right part of the screen. Donating 5 shirts and a couple pairs of jeans? That’s worth $56 and I’m just going with the middle range on the value scale! (source)