Disposable income. The amount of money someone could spend on voluntary or non-essential costs. You know, the money that’s leftover after you’ve paid taxes, paid your bills, and paid yourself. In our house, we think of it as fun money. My grandma loved to call it her mad money. Whatever it’s called, it’s money that … [Read more…]
I’m afraid of getting sick. Not in the sense that I’m actually afraid of germs. Goodness knows how many germs pass through my fingers (literally) on any given school day. Normally, the concept of illness lurks in the back of my mind and then lurches to the forefront when a student gets sick (literally). I’m … [Read more…]
I’m sure you have your guard up. It is April 1st after all. While I can guarantee that some of these truths will seem to be the makings of an April Fools’ joke, especially coming from a personal finance blogger, I promise they’re 100% true.
There’s a fine line between being polite and being a pushover, and it’s a line that I’ve danced along for the majority of my life. Chaulk it up to a consequence of my incredible awkwardness, but speaking up for myself in person has always been more than just a little bit challenge. Like, a whole … [Read more…]
I hate our mortgage. And I probably always will. The fact that we own so little of our home yet foot all the repair bills was maddeningly frustrating last week when our furnace started acting up to the tune of $600. But after clicking through Tim Urban’s “The Tail End”, I realize that maybe I’ve … [Read more…]
This week, we paid off Mr. P’s car loan. Approximately 56 minutes after clicking “submit” on the payment, our furnace started squawking. I had a morning appointment to keep, but Mr. P promised to stand at the ready in the basement. I’m not entirely sure what that entailed, but I like to imagine him with … [Read more…]
This blog post is dedicated to that four-letter word that will make any finance blogger blush, twitch, foam at the mouth even: Debt. We have it. We have lots of it. To be precise, Mr. P and I have six figures worth of debt, and the first digit wasn’t even a 1 until this past … [Read more…]
That’s right. I scored a $20 LOFT Rewards Card in one day–actually, in about twenty minutes–to the tune of 100% back in rewards. Here’s how it all played out: As a teacher, I love Ann Taylor LOFT. If any store has mastered the art of stand-for-eight-hours-a-day comfortable chic, it’s LOFT. However, I’ve been trying to cut … [Read more…]