Track your spending. Review your expenses. Keep a budget. These are the fundamental aspects of straightening out any money messes you may have gotten into and making your money goals happen. And for good reason. They work! But what if, just like rules, budgets are meant to be broken at times? How would you know?
There’s a lot to be said about being on the same page as your partner financially. Teamwork makes the dream work after all. But when I think about some of the best financial savvy that I learned growing up, I realize that much of it comes from the fact that I grew up in a … [Read more…]
There are a lot of things that we do right financially. We save half of our income and max out our Roth IRAs. We both pick up extra work and bank the additional income. We brown bag our lunches and cook dinner at home almost every night of the month. But there are also a … [Read more…]
It started weeks ago like any other conversation about holidays. “You don’t need to get me anything,” I said. Knowing full well that Mr. P would never listen, I followed up with a gentle reminder that Dollar Tree sells lovely cards. Valentine’s Day. Mother’s Day. Sweetest Day. They all follow the same cookie-cutter pattern. And … [Read more…]
I gave it my best shot. I really did. But if being pregnant has taught me anything, it’s this: there’s a time and place for frugality. And the time isn’t always and the place isn’t everywhere. What a thing to say just two days after I condemned the side hustle. It is almost as if … [Read more…]
The first quarter of 2017 went out with a bang. Or a boom. Or maybe a thud. Instead of sharing how much our net worth soared (we don’t track it) or how much our investments made (I mostly try not to look), I want to share another kind of truth with you. Sometimes you will … [Read more…]
“What would you do with $5,000? Would you buy one of those purses or would you take a nice cruise?” The thing about my nana is that it was never really all that hard to tell exactly where she stood on an issue. A master of both Italian guilt and loaded questions, if she wasn’t … [Read more…]
Why do you save? This question is spotlighted enough in the personal finance world that if I asked it in a room, I’m sure I’d see arms waving everywhere. For a rainy day, a downpayment, early retirement, any type of retirement. Pick a goal, slap it on your savings account. But what if I asked … [Read more…]
Have you ever gone a month without being asked to contribute to a group gift at work? In nine years of teaching, I’m almost positive I haven’t. If it isn’t a bride-to-be and her shower, it’s a new baby on the way, meal train for an ailing coworker, or a bouquet of flowers delivered to … [Read more…]
Last year, I couldn’t make up my mind when it came to our debt. At first, it seemed like we had paid off just shy of $20,000. Then, I remembered came clean about the fact that we still had a car payment. So we clocked in right around $24,000 when it was all said and done. … [Read more…]