In case you don't know who Mary Hunt is, she writes a syndicated newspaper column called "Everyday Cheapskate." She has a parallel website called "Debt Free Living."
It really irritates me that a woman who claims to be helping people save money and get out of debt, wants people to pay for things that she personally profits from. In essence, Mary Hunt is increasing the wealth of Mary Hunt. On her website she recommends you sign up for (read PAY) for subscriptions to her newsletter, a Rapid Debt Calculator you can just as well use your own calculator for, Mvelopes (a budgeting tool), and a coupon service. Who would pay to have someone send you coupons? Why not just get some envelopes and budget yourself? It just doesn't make sense. If I signed up for everything she promotes, I'd be broke! That's before I spent an arm and a leg on her books.
On the upside she does have good information I've clipped and saved on how student loans work and which bills to pay first if you don't have enough to go around. Not for me, mind you, but in my efforts to assist low income people with addressing some of their financial problems. Her newspaper column is free of course, minus the cost of the newspaper which I assume you were buying anyway.
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2 comments:
Mvelopes? Is she charging you for envelopes labeled with things like
Grocery; Gas; School supplies?
Your idea of re-using junk mail envelopes for lists could also work for this. Some junk mail comes in nice sturdy brown envelopes that could be labeled with a marker. I know that people like Mary Hunt think it's helpful to get folks started with things clearly laid out for budgeting perhaps, but someone who is undisclipined is not more likely to take advantage of a cool Mvelope she has anymore than one that is lying around the house. I speak from personal experience and many attempts to use organization schemes.
I of course didn't pay to find out what a Mevelope is, but I think it is an onliine budgeting program. Something like you put money in virtual envelopes. How this helps anyone I have no idea.
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