How to Get a Work Permit and Job. Snowflaking and Goals. One of my favorite personal finance tactics is “snowflaking.” For those unaware, “snowflaking” refers to the idea that if you make little frugal steps throughout the month, you simply add the amount you saved with that method and include the total as an extra payment at the end of the month. So, for example, if you used coupons to save $5 on your normal purchases, you would then add $5 to an extra debt payment at the end of the month. This knocks $5 off of the total amount you owe, reducing your interest owed in future months and getting rid of the total debt that much faster. “Snowflaking” is almost always used in a debt-related context – the name itself comes from the popular “debt snowball” – but I’ve actually found that snowflaking is incredibly powerful for almost any goal in life.
Here are some examples for how I use snowflaking for some of my personal goals. Bigger savings goals The biggest savings goal that Sarah and I have right now is for our next home. 15 Ways to Get Started on Snowflaking. One of the best personal finance articles I’ve ever read is Snowflaking: A Primer, at I Paid For This Twice Already. Here’s an excerpt so that you get the idea: Snowflaking is a spinoff of the Snowball approach to debt reduction popularized by Dave Ramsey. With the Debt Snowball method, you figure out what amount you can pay to debt every month, and then you keep paying that amount, even as your debts shrink and your minimums get smaller.
To implement it, in a nutshell, make a list of all your debts, order them from either smallest to largest or highest interest to lowest interest (that is a debate in itself), and you focus all extra money above the minimum payments on a single debt (either the smallest total or the highest interest, I use interest order). Snowflaking is, quite simply, a great way to get aggressive with your debts.
It gives you a little extra push towards achieving your goals. Even better, you can also “snowflake” towards any savings goals you might have. House-sit.
Digital camera buying guide. The most important stuff There is no spec that tells you which camera is best. A higher resolution (i.e., more megapixels) or bigger zoom range doesn't make the camera better. I'll repeat: you're never looking for the camera with the most megapixels or longest zoom.Don't get hung up on making sure you've got the "best" in a particular class. The truth is, one camera rarely bests the rest on all four major critera--photo quality, performance, features and design. (You may have noticed how few Editor's Choice awards we give for cameras. That's partly why.) At least not at a friendly price. What type of camera? If you don't understand any of the terms or their implications, jump down to the Key Specs section below. How much zoom? A longer focal length lens lets you get closer without moving; for example, at 250mm you can see the observation deck of the Empire State building, while at 1000mm you can start to make out tiny people.
Key specs Resolution Generally referred to in megapixels.