If personal finance feels like punishment, you’re doing it wrong. Ask me how I know. Better yet, let me tell you. As someone who would compulsively and mindlessly spend hundreds of dollars a month on unnecessary items at the mall and then rack up another hundred dollars each weekend at different bars, I know a … [Read more…]
Does money ever just feel like it’s burning a hole in your pocket? If I’m being honest, that’s a big reason why I don’t carry cash. It’s too easy and too tempting to spend. But even when I’m budgeting, tracking my expenses, and tucking paper bills out of sight and out of mind, I still … [Read more…]
Is apple picking worth it? We can–and do!–go to the store and score apples for less than what we pay at an orchard. So, from a purely mathematical standpoint, this would be the shortest post ever. Even by my standards. Fortunately, personal finance is rarely ever just a numbers game. To us, apple picking is … [Read more…]
The email hit my inbox around 2 am. If you know anything about Target and their designer collaborations, this is not all that unusual. In fact, it’s pretty standard. What was different about this designer launch is that I…slept through it. In years past, I would sit up and watch the minutes click by. Would … [Read more…]
Is there anything more Midwestern than a blog post about what a fair costs and visiting cute farm animals? How about the mention of deep-fried Oreos or deep-fried mac ‘n cheese? (Full disclosure: I saw both served on sticks and I ate neither…this time.) I’ve been going to the Walworth County Fair every summer since … [Read more…]
What’s the best cure for a case of the Mondays? Shockingly, my answer isn’t early retirement. (Though, I’m sure losing track of your days helps immensely.) Now that our little family is back to its usual school time routine, we’re at risk of catching all sorts of conditions. No matter how much hand sanitizer and … [Read more…]
In news that should shock absolutely no one, we don’t calculate our savings rate officially. Just like we don’t track our net worth in a formal capacity…or have a projected FI/FIRE number. And we still have cable. Basically, someone should just come take my money blog away. Even without a formal savings rate calculation, I … [Read more…]
Remember how in my last money diary I joked about $19 in 48 hours making kids expensive? Hahahahahahahaha. Here’s live footage of me trying to salvage our budget at the end of July. via GIPHY There’s just something about summertime that means spending in my life. Though if social media is any indication, it’s pretty … [Read more…]
In the first two days of the month, we managed to spend $19 on our toddler. That means it’s official. Kids really are expensive. I kid. Kind of. We’ve actually been basking in the glow of all the fun summertime outdoor adventures these past two weeks. Thankfully, many of them also happen to be free … [Read more…]
Happy summer! It is summer, isn’t it? I ask because I think I’ve spent more time looking for my jacket and snuggling under blankets than anything else lately. Despite the rain and the chill, we’re making lemonade with our summer break. We’re also trying hard to not totally blow our budget. Granted, we did just … [Read more…]