I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but mattress sales on Memorial Day are ubiquitous across the United States. Then, there are the home good sales. And the linen sales. And the lawn furniture. And the list goes on. While I have nothing against scoring a bargain on something you actually need, no one should … [Read more…]
Whether it’s your first, second, or third, receiving a stimulus check is pretty exciting. So what exactly do you do with it? It depends on who you ask. For many Americans, it’s long-awaited relief that might cover a few bills. For others, it’s an opportunity to make creative purchases. While the original purpose of a … [Read more…]
How fast can I spend $1200? How fast can we spend $2400? In my mind, I can spend that money in a blink. (In a past life, I probably could have, too, on shoes alone!) But it turns out that we have only spent a fraction of our stimulus check so far. Personal finance is … [Read more…]
I hate my mortgage. If you’ve read my blog at all, you’re probably acutely aware of how much it eats away at me on psychological and emotional levels. You also probably know that I can be the queen of frugal, even if it makes things downright awkward. So why in the world would this frugalista … [Read more…]
I used to be really good at decluttering. So good, in fact, that I landed myself on a minimalism podcast (Tiny Bites rocks!). But things came to screeching halt at the end of last year, and I’ve been struggling to embrace decluttering like I once did. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what happened. In fact, … [Read more…]
For some of us, Veterans Day means a day off from work or school. For most of us, it also means a bombardment of sales, specials, and limited time only deals. I certainly don’t begrudge retailers offering perks to veterans or service people, but I do think that the rest of us can do much … [Read more…]
Over the past year, I received two remarkable gestures from two Internet heroes. While I’ve certainly thought about their actions, I haven’t quite been able to find the words to tell the stories. I’m still not sure I have those words. But I want to share their gestures now for two reasons. I want to … [Read more…]
Happy April! The birds are chirping. The sun is staying out later. And it’s snowed, it’s rained, and it’s been 50 and sunny…all in the past week. Welcome to springtime in Chicago! With the arrival of spring (and the other three seasons that also sporadically burst onto the scene), I thought it was finally fitting … [Read more…]
I didn’t start the year with a concrete number for how many items I wanted to declutter. I was invited to do a few different challenges. The most dramatic one promised to part ways with 1,000 items. I didn’t accept. Because honestly? It seemed too easy. For a house that generally abides by the clean … [Read more…]
In the past week, I decluttered 9 things from my house. Three items were sold and the rest were Freecycled. Here’s how things unfolded. I sold: One pair of Ugg boots (They’re cozy but oh-so-slippery!), One pair of Nikes (I only realized I actually should have sized up after wearing the wrong size for…weeks), and … [Read more…]