This question’s been plaguing my mind from the past couple of months and especially after I wrote about how I make my budget work. Because, I don’t recollect a single month when I have managed to beat my budget — ever. I’ve always overspent but never underspent. I’ve always thought that when the chips are […]
The content for this post was provided by reader Ajay who proactively noticed a mistake in the interest credited into his Public Provident Fund (PPF) account, diligently followed-up the matter, and got it corrected. Each of us needs to keep a vigilant eye on our personal finances because no one cares about your money more […]
A reader shares his EMI woes with Bajaj Consumer Finance and Citibank. Two months back, when I purchased something, I opted to fund the purchase through a loan from Bajaj Consumer Finance. I asked for the ECS debits for the EMI to be done from my Citibank account. Previously, I had done the same for […]
I’ve assembled from scratch each and every one of the desktop computers that I have owned. I used to obsess over and then handpick each component that goes into building a desktop computer. To this day, I keep up-to-date on what’s happening with computer hardware technology. That obsession recently proved its worth, and in doing […]
To me, “inflation” is simple. If last year, I was spending Rs 25,000 per month on an average and this year, if I am spending Rs 30,000 per month on an average, then my expenses have inflated by 20 percent — and that’s my Personal Inflation Index. Simple. Then, it really doesn’t matter to you […]
I was speechless.
I wonder who’s managing the books at Pizza Hut. I haven’t seen any other food chain levy the myriad forms of charges and taxes that Pizza Hut does. You really need to carry much more cash than you think is necessary because here’s what happens after you’ve eaten: You’re first billed a compulsory and fixed […]
At work, I have the option to opt for Sodexo Meal Coupons. The income-tax benefits on these food coupons are good enough a reason to opt for this facility. But the physical-voucher form of these coupons really needs to change — especially when you have card-based equivalents for competition. It’s a pain to use these […]
I don’t recollect specifically writing about my budgeting techniques. So here goes. I used to have a detailed budget for my monthly expenses. I used to put specific targets for each expense item — salaries for domestic help, groceries, eating out, clothing, entertainment, fuel, cellphone bill, utilities and what not. I used to track and […]
The maximum that they can do is to fire me — that’s OK! Recently, I overheard a colleague say this and it’s really stuck in my mind since then. To me, that’s a sign of someone who’s financially well prepared. In fact, very well prepared. The day that you come into work and say this […]