No. Inherently, there is a lot of power in the word no. The power to bring an end to something already set in motion. The power to stop things before a drop of life is breathed into them. The power to snuff out possibility. Undoubtedly, the person who utters those two letters possesses a great … [Read more…]
It’s official. By the year’s end, we will have paid off $18,000 worth of debt. Instead of ordering ourselves a bunch of pink plastic flamingos for the yard or sending ourselves a delicious Edible Arrangement, though, we aren’t celebrating this milestone. The reason? We paid off a lot of debt. But we had no other … [Read more…]
The other day, we were in the middle of reviewing literary devices when I asked for a student to remind me of what sarcasm is. “It would be like someone saying, ‘I reeeeally like that blouse you’re wearing today’.” Sometimes, I just walk right into. My stomach hurt by the time we all got done … [Read more…]
I admit it. I was hesitant at first. How much money could a mobile savings app really net someone? My first introduction to Ibotta came from some of the extreme couponing sites* I can’t seem to quit. Twenty-five cents back on soup, fifty cents back on a case of bottled water. These women would lose … [Read more…]
Last week, Yahoo Food ran a Refinery 29 piece entitled “What It’s Like to Feed a Family For Less Than $20 a Day”. It was widely read, and if the 3,510 commenters are any indication, it was also widely misunderstood. In a lot of ways, I blame Refinery 29 and Yahoo. Their sexy headline was … [Read more…]
Almost exactly two years ago, I sat across from my grandma as she blew out the candles on her birthday cake. Her 93rd birthday cake. She laughed, and she cried. I remember watching her eyes glisten as I told her I couldn’t imagine having ninety-three birthday cakes. She squeezed my hand and said, “Neither can … [Read more…]
Pennies matter more than you know. In the world of personal finance, we often focus on ourselves — our saving, our spending, our investing. It makes perfect sense. It’s what puts the personal in personal finance. Still, how we spend our money has far-reaching consequences that are easy to overlook during a time of year … [Read more…]
“If it didn’t make them money, they wouldn’t do it.” That healthy dose of skepticism was the mantra of the first entrepreneur I knew: my dad. To this day, whenever my mom mentions loss leaders, BOGO deals, and doorbusters, my dad smiles, shakes his head, and repeats his favorite pearl of financial wisdom. This notion … [Read more…]
Whether you opted to sit out this Black Friday or have already been shopping for hours, there is no denying that the gift-giving season is upon us. While I’m not sure the perfect gift actually exists, I do finally feel comfortable and confident in my gift-buying strategy. Surprisingly, my planning has little to do with … [Read more…]
Last week, I found myself feeling all sorts of things: sick, tired, sick of being tired. The trimester was coming to a close. It seemed as if I was spending every waking moment planning, grading, putting together the literary magazine, supervising an intervention group. Plus, a former student asked if we could resume our evening … [Read more…]