Small businesses are struggling. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. If it saddens you, though, there are some action steps that we can take to help some of these businesses survive. We’ve tried to adopt these practices into our lives throughout the pandemic, and it’s been important to us as a family to revisit them in order … [Read more…]
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday. It goes on and on. And it truly does. By my calculations this is actually the second full Cyber week because one week and certainly one day isn’t enough. After writing in defense of Black Friday shoppers and also encouraging people to shop in a way that is … [Read more…]
There’s a chill in the air and a battle over when Christmas music can be played. The start of the holiday season is unmistakable. With all the promise of glitter and gifts, there’s also plenty of advice that gets floated around. Only spend X dollars. Purchase precisely Y things. Make sure you have Z experiences. … [Read more…]
While we are no stranger to choosing time over money, starting the school year with my husband on a leave of absence was a hard choice. Now that his leave is winding down, I wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at his leave and what we’ve learned. The Start of a Leave of Absence As … [Read more…]
Raucous holiday gatherings that I hopefully came in under budget for and could heartily enjoy. Moments of pause to reflect on goals I met and goals I didn’t. Way too much hot cocoa. And yet somehow, this year is shaping up to be very different. Given the bleak start to fall we are having in … [Read more…]
It doesn’t take more than a few clicks to find someone on social media shouting about how personal finance should be taught in schools. Usually, it’s people made cranky by tax time. While that’s definitely a discussion that’s bigger than this post, I did get the chance to squeeze in a lesson on financial independence … [Read more…]
There’s so much advice swirling around. It’s a cacophony of promises to take the edge off the pandemic. While I sincerely hope it’s working for some people, it hasn’t much worked for me. This post isn’t set to weigh anyone else’s advice. In fact, it’s likely that the advice may truly help someone–or many someones. … [Read more…]
The warm weather faded dramatically fast in typical Midwestern fall fashion. Overnight temperatures are already flirting with freezing, and the days aren’t nearly as warm as they were even a week ago. While there are many things I adore about the change in seasons, there’s no doubt that it’s easier to have free & frugal … [Read more…]
Originally, I considered writing a post in order to crowdsource input, advice, and insight regarding car buying. But then I remembered that there’s exactly one stance espoused by personal finance gurus: Spend a few grand on a car (always pay cash)…or better yet, ride a bike. Don’t worry. No bikes were purchased in the making … [Read more…]
We’ve crested a lot of milestones in 2020. Not only do we have enough money set aside in savings to pay off our mortgage when we’re ready, we can also afford for my husband to take a short-term leave of absence from a work situation that no longer works for our family. Oh. And the … [Read more…]