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 hate my mortgage. How’s that for today’s installment of Truths That Surprise No One? No amount of rationalizations have ever made my mortgage seem palatable. I know our interest rate is low. I know we bought at a great time. I know that my money could be working harder for me in the market. … [Read more…]
The maturity date on my mortgage is 2042. 2042. 2 0 4 2. It’s a pretty depressing number if you let that fully sink in. My kid will be done with college. My teaching career will be coming to a close. My car will most assuredly fly a la The Jetsons. 2042 is a long … [Read more…]
If I’m being totally honest, I haven’t felt much like celebrating lately. What a way to start a post on money wins, huh? I think I lost the forest for the trees. Or the trees for the forest. Or money doesn’t grow on trees. Or something. Everything has just felt so financially ordinary lately. There … [Read more…]
Normally, this money wins series is all about celebrating small victories. In past editions, I’ve shouted from the blog rooftops about everything from reversed credit card fees to rounding up paycheck pennies for charitable causes. But you know what? It’s the start of a new year, and it’s time for some major motivation. We made … [Read more…]
OK, OK. It’s not technically the end of the quarter. But I’m on winter break, so I don’t really know what day, what week, or what year it is. Plus, everyone and their uncle blogger buddy is posting 2018 recaps. Since I don’t set yearly goals (mostly because I’m probably the world’s worst goal setter … [Read more…]
It’s the shortest day of the year, but we’re going to party hard. And not just because every day from here on out gets a little bit lighter and brighter for a little bit longer. Nope, we’re celebrating because the holiday money wins came pouring in this week. Why? I suspect a lot of us … [Read more…]
It’s almost turkey time in the States. While I understand the holiday’s roots are questionable, and holidays in general can be a difficult time for people, I always find myself awash with gratitude this time of year. Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’m grateful for and … [Read more…]
I love words. It’s sometimes weird electing to spend all of my virtual free time in a world that values numbers when it is really words that speak to me. But when I look back at my progress this year, I have a confession to make: The numbers make a difference. I used to be … [Read more…]
What are you waiting for? Start now. There’s no reason not to. If you’re anything like me, you might have a handful of legitimate reasons why you can’t charge full throttle at every dream, both big and small, that you have right now. You’re don’t want to shortchange your students or your colleagues. You are … [Read more…]