Let’s get the bad news out of the way. This teacher’s maternity leave is entirely unpaid. The good news is that–in a really cruel world–I’m actually fortunate enough to be in a position where we can swing an unpaid leave at all. I’m especially fortunate that I’ll be able to take the full amount of … [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…]
If you have a stack of books or textbooks that you’re absolutely desperate to part with, you are not alone. Sometimes, donating books or giving books to another home is the right call. But sometimes, you just want to be done with them! In cases like that, Half.com used to be my jam. I have … [Read more…]
I haven’t done one of these saved and earned recaps in a while. Why? Because I somehow seem to be one of the only people in the universe whose spending isn’t dramatically less during COVID. Why is staying home so expensive? OK. It could have something to do with the fact that just this morning … [Read more…]
What a week it’s been in the personal finance world. The market turmoil continues, as does the panic over COVID-19 the fact that our local Target can’t quite seem to keep up its stock of toilet paper or frozen pizza. Unlike some people, I’m not choosing to tune out the daily news cycle. Instead, I’m choosing … [Read more…]
Summer is winding down as anyone who has recently set foot in a Target can attest. You can’t move your shopping cart three feet without being assaulted with back-to-school reminders, especially those towering shelves at the Dollar Spot. Just that sentence is enough to send new and veteran teachers alike deep into fantasies about cute … [Read more…]
You can always make more money, but what you can’t get more of is time. This statement is both profoundly true everywhere and logistically false in education. The idea that any teacher can simply work hard to earn more income shows little understanding of a profession that is governed by salary schedules, lane changes, and … [Read more…]
Personal finance and financial independence: it’s about money. Often times people also point out that it’s not really about money. It’s about time and freedom. But the past few months have reminded me that I’m not only interested in those things. I want more money. I need more time. I love the idea of having … [Read more…]
Woohoo! What do financially-savvy and frugal people like more than free things? How about free things that make you better with money? Then don’t miss the details about the giveaway at the bottom of this post. I’ve had an advance copy of Tanja Hester’s Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way for several weeks now. … [Read more…]
Are you giving the perfect gift this holiday season? If you’re anything like me, after spending 0.000547 seconds online, one thing is abundantly clear: you’re probably not. As with most of life, we’ve managed to overcomplicate things when it comes to gifting. I fell down that Pinterest rabbit hole so hard when I was picking … [Read more…]