It started with a box of Weebles. A coworker of mine loaded up a small Amazon box with a few dozen pear-shaped plastic creatures. My name was scrawled on the box in permanent marker. At first I thought it was to keep Weeble thieves away. What I realize now, though, was that it was a … [Read more…]
As of late, frugality has come under fire. I should know. I took one of the shots. Recently, though, I have also seen other personal finance writers throw some jabs at frugality. They pulled no punches. A lot of it was ugly, and it was downright incorrect in some instances, which leads me to wonder … [Read more…]
Kids are expensive. I’m going down swinging. But how expensive they are does have some variability. In fact, when it comes to caring for an infant, we have found that we can fit him into our regular budget. This excludes the cost of childcare, of course. Hence why I’m still swinging. But looking back on … [Read more…]
Less may be more in a lot of respects, but when it comes to personal finance, more is definitely better. Ideas should be scalable. Why double when you can 10X? In a world so focused on growing gaps, increasing income, and building entrepreneurial empires, it makes sense to focus on more. Still, after reaching some … [Read more…]
What would you do if you found an extra $500 in your budget? I mean, after you dry your tears of joy and dance around the kitchen (quietly, though, there’s a baby). After my salary was slaughtered this year thanks to an unpaid maternity leave and a bizarrely written contract that landed me with a … [Read more…]
For as long as I can remember, my mom has carried around a checkbook. While some might interpret it as an indicator of her age or of someone who needs to learn a thing or two about modern money, that checkbook has so much to teach. And not just about how many times you can … [Read more…]
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…]