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My husband and I were together for a long time before we got married. We dated, got engaged, moved in together, got married, moved cross-country (twice), bought a house (twice) and remodeled (twice). All of this was together…but with separate finances.

Whoa! Back up, you say? Why did we have separate finances through all of our major life changes? Honestly, we just didn’t put the time and effort into joining our finances. Our system worked, and it worked for a really long time.

Some time ago, we defined assets as any item of value that you own and can sell or access easily. We threw in terms like depreciation and liquidity to round out the meaning, and we all now understand that an asset is often better exemplified through a bank account than a shoe collection.

What do you do if you believe in real estate investments but don't want to purchase an entire house? You could buy a condo. Or purchase an investment home with your brother. Or you could invest even smaller into an REIT. Not familiar with this security? Well let's take a look.

A Real Estate Investment Solution

An REIT is a real estate investment trust. Instead of being invested in stocks and bonds, you invest in real estate, real estate mortgages and construction loans. Basically, you are investing in corporations and trusts in the real estate industry.

When I was in college, I lived so frugally that I became pseudo-vegetarian by necessity. Meat was often too expensive for my part-time, minimum wage existence, and I ate as simply as possible. Ramen noodles, beans, and cereal made up the bulk of my diet, but boy did I crave a hamburger sometimes!

As you know, I've been trying my hand at super-couponing, combining sales with coupons, in an effort to stretch my family's budget. I have made no secret of my attempts to be super-thrifty, and as a result, I have received many questions from friends and family regarding all aspects of my forays into the couponing world. Here I've put together my answers to some of the most frequently asked couponing questions.

Q: Why bother? There are no coupons for what I buy; I won't save any money by clipping coupons. Couponing would therefore only be a waste of my time.

Buying your first house with your spouse may seem like an extremely daunting task, and there’s a reason for that: it can be difficult. With so many options swimming through your heads, the house-buying process is often a little overwhelming. And agreeing on the price, location, amenities, style, etc. can be trying. So how can you and yours decide on the perfect home together? Let’s take a look at some ideas.

Decide on a Price Point

First off, if you need to ask yourself how you can possibly handle multiple clients, congratulations! You’re on your way to a successful business. That business will not be a success, however, if you can't juggle those multiple clients. Thankfully, there is a somewhat simple solution: time management. Let's check out how you can manage your time (and those multiple clients!).

Prioritize

Bad years happen, and I'm sure everyone out there has had at least one or two. You know the years I'm talking about: the blows start and keep on coming, and you really start to understand that old "when it rains, it pours" cliché.

Has life dealt you a really bad hand? Or several really bad hands? What can you do to come back after that? While I'm not an expert, I have personally been dealt a couple of rough years, and here is my story about how I've been replenishing my life after some pretty grief-stricken times.

I Only Wish It Were Fiction

Have you ever had one of those weeks that seemed to have just slipped by without you noticing? Well, now that I realize it’s already the end of May, it occurs to me that I must have had one of those months.

I’ve been so wrapped up with my projects that I didn’t even notice that my husband changed my desktop background. It now reads, “Drink Coffee. Do stupid things faster and with more energy.” I’m not sure where he found that image, but I think I’d like to plaster it all over my office.

How about you? Let’s take a look at what you’ve been up to this week:

This week, I had the pleasure of attending an appreciation party for all of the savvy investors (who invested at least one million dollars in deposits, CDs, stocks and bonds) at my town’s high-end local bank. We sat atop the 12th floor of the swanky executive party room, enjoyed a resplendent array of fresh fruits and delicious appetizers, sipped wines and mixed drinks, watched the activity on the Mississippi River and chatted about local news.