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Those large expenses that don’t occur monthly are a big reason why some people end up in debt. Even people who are well intentioned and good at avoiding debt in other circumstances are often caught by surprise by these big expenses. Insurance, taxes, and other bills that are paid yearly rather than monthly are all examples of these irregular expenses. Even Christmas spending can fall into this category if you fail to plan for it. These expenses are easy to forget about because you don’t pay them month in and month out as you do with a utility or credit card bill. So you fail to account for them in your daily budget and then, wham! The bill for $1,200 in property taxes arrives in your mailbox and you think, “Oh, no. I don

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This guest post from Lars is part of a new feature here at Get Rich Slowly.

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Two of my favorite writers, Liz Pulliam Weston and Bill Maher, suggested in recent columns that now may be the time to leave your bank and join a credit union. Ms. Weston’s advice was more along the lines of informing her readers that “you can get better interest rates and better treatment at a member-owned credit union than a bank”. If you know Bill Maher’s reputation, you can imagine how different the tone of his blog post was.

And you’d be right. Maher did

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SpendOnLifer Ryan has been testing out moneyStrands, an online and mobile budgeting tool that adapts itself to your financial needs. See what he has to say and decide if it’s worth trying out for yourself. 

Set up your “strands”

First, a little bit of lingo: “Strands” are basically your various banking, saving, and investment accounts. moneyStrands pulls all of these together so you get a clear overview of your money. To import each of your strands into moneyStrands, you’ll need to supply the username and password that you use online with the financial institutions behind each of your accounts (don’t worry, the site is completely secure).

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Complacency causes breakdown cover calls and accidents. Drivers should make sure their vehicles are safe and get suspected mechanical faults looked at to avoid needing to call on breakdown cover or having an accident.

Research from road safety organisation Brake and insurer Direct Line revealed that 42% of drivers admit they have got behind the wheel of a vehicle with at least one serious fault in the last year.

The defects included broken lights and indicators, poor tyre treads and pressures, incorrect oil or water levels and faulty braking systems.

Some 73% of the motorists surveyed confessed their vehicle’s brakes are only checked at annual MOTs and 84% of drivers did not know how worn they were at the time of this inspection.

“This research shows a shockingly low level of knowledge and concern among drivers when it comes to the safety of their vehicle, particularly ‘out of sight, out of mind’ components such as brakes which are so safety-critical,” said Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of Brake.

Recent snow and ice means checking a vehicle for faults or damage is even more important if an accident or breakdown is to be avoided. Full Article…