Repeat after me: frugality is not a destination. Setting up a budget, tracking spending, and reducing expenses are all essential parts of understanding money. But mastering a $200 grocery budget or figuring out how to address all the awkward encounters after your cheap semi-annual haircut is not the end. Rather, it’s the means to an … [Read more…]
Cue the confetti! She Picks Up Pennies, otherwise known as the little slice of cyberspace that you’re currently visiting, is a finalist for the 2017 Plutus Awards. Specifically, my blog was nominated in the best frugality blog category. Whaaaaaaat? I know. That was my exact thought when I first found out as well. Actually, I … [Read more…]
I felt like a fraud. Here I am writing about spending $7 a month on breakfast and paying down over $50,000 in debt in two years, and all of a sudden, I’m playing eeny meeny miny moe on my Instagram story with two pairs of $99 Michael Kors flats. (Confession: I ordered four. I’m only … [Read more…]
Now that I’ve been a mom for two months, I know precisely two things: when it comes to kids, there are lots of opportunities to spend money and there are lots of opportunities to embarrass yourself. Take, for instance, the weekend I stood up in a wedding. I met the other bridesmaids at the nail … [Read more…]
I gave it my best shot. I really did. But if being pregnant has taught me anything, it’s this: there’s a time and place for frugality. And the time isn’t always and the place isn’t everywhere. What a thing to say just two days after I condemned the side hustle. It is almost as if … [Read more…]
I talk about spending seven dollars on breakfast for the month, and everyone wants to know my secret. Oatmeal. Oatmeal is my secret. And our lunches are so cheap. You know why? Because we make them and because we’ve worked really hard at reducing our expenses. I realize that I’ve talked a lot about what our … [Read more…]
About a month ago, I was driving home from work and decided long hair was exhausting. So, I did what any sane person does. I found a Great Clips coupon and lopped off 7 inches of hair less than an hour later. And man, did things get awkward.
After I ran my last post in this series, I thought surely I would run out of awkward moments to share. Then I remember that I’m me, and there’s no shortage of awkward moments in my life, finance related and otherwise. For instance, let’s flashback to two weeks ago in my classroom: I don’t normally … [Read more…]
In the last installment of this series, I confessed to being a supremely awkward being. I wasn’t lying. Just when I thought I couldn’t embarrass myself any more in front of my bosses, I had my evaluation meeting. Halfway through the meeting, one of the beads on my necklace cannonballed down my shirt. Thankfully, we … [Read more…]
If you’re looking for a post about a way to devour a 57-ounce dry-aged bone-in rib eye and wash it down with seared Hudson Valley foie gras at Prime Steakhouse while the Bellagio Fountains dance for $10 a person, keep looking. While I won’t promise you big-name chefs and bank-breaking restaurants, I can promise you … [Read more…]