How much money will I have to make before I stop getting excited about free food at work? Alright, friends, I must confess. This is a trick question. I don’t think the dollar amount exists. My money win for the week is actually a look ahead. Teachers are scavengers. Truly. If you think the kids … [Read more…]
“Maybe we should just give up.” A blank stare greeted me. “OK. Not give up, but we could just push a really big pause button for the next five or ten years.” I got no reaction. Instead, silence hung in the air. Finally, something. “If that’s what you want. But I know that’s not what … [Read more…]
You know the best wins come on the heels of a loss. And that’s exactly how I’m feeling about my money win this week. In other words, boy, did I make a money booboo. I bought something at Kohl’s and I went to pay my bill online right away. Because that’s what I do at … [Read more…]
You can have debt and still be good with money. Full stop. I know. Good day to you, too, friends. Some of you might be scratching your head or making a beeline to the comment section right now, but hear me out.
I am here for money wins. Big, small, it doesn’t matter. Any excuse to send some celebratory GIFs into the world and cheer people on as they travel through their money journeys. Why? Because the journey is long. And hard. And challenging. And boring. And basically everything that makes mastering your money so complex. Rather … [Read more…]
Get rid of your stuff without putting a burden on someone or something else? Sign me up! Britt at Tiny Ambitions created a mindful decluttering challenge called Minimize in May. It spoke to me for a lot of reasons. It’s important work. (I still have too much stuff). It’s more manageable. (You can only fail … [Read more…]
Chocolate or vanilla? Cake or ice cream? Beach or mountains? Either/or questions might have their place when it comes to icebreakers or dating profiles, but they have also become incredibly pervasive in personal finance. Pay down debt or invest? Grow your income or cut expenses? Donate time or donate money? Focus on little leaks or … [Read more…]
Blame it all on my roots. This doesn’t have anything to do with boots, black-tie affairs, or Garth Brooks. It has everything to do with how I was raised, and I am not sure I have let everyone in on it. In fact, I know I haven’t. If I had, you might think about those … [Read more…]
850. Eight hundred fifty perfect points. It happened for the first time a few months ago: My FICO score hit the fabled 850 mark. It was, in a word, perfection. It also gave me the opportunity to think about how I got a perfect credit score. How I Landed a Perfect Credit Score I shop. … [Read more…]
Drumroll, please! Alright, alright. I don’t really need a drumroll since the title is one giant spoiler alert. Since you already know that we put over $30,000 towards our debt in 2017, let’s take a look at how two millennial teachers raising a newborn did it.