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…]
Let’s not sugarcoat this. The pandemic pushed me back onto Facebook. Said another way, I logged onto Facebook on purpose. Repeatedly. In an effort to not totally regret my pandemic-induced poor decision making, I also started hanging out in more personal finance groups. I don’t regret that particular decision. In fact, there’s plenty of knowledge … [Read more…]
This summer, I started spending more money! Kind of. Sort of. Really? If that seems like a strange proclamation coming from someone who loves frugal living and isn’t above a little garbage picking from time to time, maybe it is. And that’s a problem. As I continually push myself to be more purposeful with my … [Read more…]
Kids can be expensive, and clothes can certainly drive up the cost. When you’re prone to both impulse spending and emotional spending, you have to keep up your guard. (That’s my PSA to me from me.) Of course, clothing isn’t the number one reason kids are costly. But if we can cut costs, be eco-friendly, … [Read more…]
“You write about what?” “But of all the things to talk about! Money?!” “You, uh, know money stuff?” Five years ago, I decided to start this blog. I wasn’t writing as an expert or as anyone with anything particularly interesting to say. Instead, I wanted to chronicle my journey of trying to spend more cents … [Read more…]
When it comes to getting ahead financially, you can spend less or earn more. You can also do both. Early on in our careers, we spent time scaling back. I got really good at saving–maybe a little too good. Over time, we’ve both climbed across our salary schedules and started other income streams. When we … [Read more…]
Last week, I wrote about why it is so critical for teachers to take off their capes and put on parachutes. Unfortunately, I wrote from firsthand experience on the plane. More specifically, it’s been the most turbulent ride of my career. The debate about how to start the school year amid the pandemic is raging … [Read more…]
“My teacher is a superhero.” “I teach. What’s your superpower?” “Teachers are just superheroes in disguise.” If you’ve spent any amount of time in the classroom, there’s a good chance you’ve heard one of these sayings. You might have even been gifted one on a coffee mug. Teaching is a noble profession. Maybe the noblest. … [Read more…]
I have a lot of credit cards. That’s actually not a surprise. After all, I opened them. Truthfully, I have far fewer credit cards than I used to. I pretty much opened a credit card at any store that asked back in my 200-plus-pair-of-shoes heyday. I never got into any consumer debt with them, but … [Read more…]