We chat about money. We track our spending. We even make a laughably simple budget every month. (Hello, “Make a Copy” in Google Sheets.) My husband and I have also crushed some major milestones. Some that I’ve celebrated here and others that I haven’t talked about yet. We’ve paid over $80K towards our debt in … [Read more…]
Drumroll, please! Alright, alright. I don’t really need a drumroll since the title is one giant spoiler alert. Since you already know that we put over $30,000 towards our debt in 2017, let’s take a look at how two millennial teachers raising a newborn did it.
I am 100% average. When it comes to the average American, he or she spends $906 a year on Christmas. If my Google Sheet lieth not, I’m about to be able to say samesies. You read that right. I’m a personal finance blogger. Who practices frugality. And mindful spending. And toys around with minimalism. And … [Read more…]
Repeat after me: frugality is not a destination. Setting up a budget, tracking spending, and reducing expenses are all essential parts of understanding money. But mastering a $200 grocery budget or figuring out how to address all the awkward encounters after your cheap semi-annual haircut is not the end. Rather, it’s the means to an … [Read more…]
I talk a lot about money. In fact, I’ve written about it 262 times over the past two years. While I’ve learned a lot, I’m no money expert. I’m also not an expert blogger, so you won’t see anything in this anniversary post related to blogging income (spoiler: it’s in the negatives) or vanity metrics … [Read more…]
Our savings account balances just crested six figures. Six figures! I could buy a whole bunch of Jimmy Choos or even a Tesla. We won’t do that, of course. Instead, we’ll celebrate and shrug with our favorite virtual family (that’s you guys). Because if we’re talking about savings, we’ve got to be honest: it can … [Read more…]
It’s been over a month since the great experiment to slash our cell phone bill in half began. Like all the exciting scary adventures in our marriage, I made Mr. P go first. Ziplining, cenote jumping, breaking up with Sprint and spending a month with Boost Mobile. Now that thirty days have passed, I’m ready … [Read more…]
How much do you spend on a phone each month? As of last month, we spent $170 a month on two phones. And we’d been doing so for years. After a fair amount of hemming and hawing mixed in with waiting out the duration of our contracts, we decided to put a stop to the … [Read more…]
I don’t set goals. But I do get set in my ways. Since I’m so charming, it all works out. Right? Riiiiight. For more than the past year, we have implemented the exact same approach to paying down debt and investing–do both as well as we can. And it’s working. But I also wonder if … [Read more…]
Earlier this month, I turned in my paperwork for my twelve-week maternity leave. While I plan on doing a post in the near future with all the gory, number-crunching details, the short story is it is entirely unpaid. Our income won’t drop for another five months, but we’re already looking hard at what to do … [Read more…]