Establishing a budget is an important step toward financial independence. You will get a better understanding of where your money goes and be more intentional with how you use every dollar. However, some people give up on budgeting because of how rigid it can feel. In a recent YouTube video, financial guru Kate Kaden shared some of the strategies she uses to stretch each dollar she has while having fun with budgeting. Advertisement: High Yield Savings Offers Powered by Money.com - Yahoo may earn commission from the links above. Check Out: 25 Places To Buy a Home If You Want It To Gain Value Read Next: 8 Frugal Habits Americans Are Ridiculed for — and Why You Shouldn’t Care Having fun with budgeting doesn’t mean spending money irresponsibly

But the same can be said of any spouse that’s making less money than their partner, as in the case of Paul.“Debt is one of the top financial challenges facing widowed women. Thirty-nine percent carried over $25,000 in debt immediately following the loss of their spouse, including 10% having over $100,000,” according to the survey.A Thrivent survey found that more than half of widowed women experienced financial challenges, with 51% living paycheck to paycheck or struggling to manage their bills.Women also tend to live longer than men — roughly six years , which can have significant financial implications.Powered by Money.com - Yahoo may earn commission from the links above.Earn up to 3.80% APY¹ & up to $300 Cash Bonus with Direct DepositWomen tend to be hit harder than men, since women on average make less money than men. As of 2024, women earned 85% of what men earned in the U.S., according to a Pew Research Center analysis. They may also leave the workforce temporarily or permanently to raise children.Paul isn’t alone. Individual annual income falls by an average of $5,500 after the death of a spouse for at least two years, according to National Bureau of Economic Research data cited by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The rate of financial insolvency also increases after the death of a spouse.Dealing with the death of a spouse is hard on many levels

When paring down a budget, some might think that means eliminating anything fun — especially when there’s debt to pay off. Entrepreneur and author of “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” Ramit Sethi insists that’s not true, even if a consumer has unpaid debt. In a recent video Sethi posted on his Instagram, he said, “I believe in living a rich life today and living a rich life tomorrow, even if you have debt.” Advertisement: High Yield Savings Offers Powered by Money.com - Yahoo may earn commission from the links above. His video went on to detail three ways that consumers can find some wiggle room in their budgets. These are things that Sethi said most people “won’t even miss.” Read on to find out how to find these hidden savings. Read Next: 8 Common Mistakes Retirees Make With Their Social Security Checks Check Out: We’re a Family of 5 Living on One Salary: Here’s Our Monthly Budget Sethi’s first suggestion was for people to look at their subscriptions and see if there are any they wouldn’t mind canceling — or didn’t even remember they were subscribed to