Free. It’s a powerful word. Magical, really. Out of all the four letter words, this one really stops people in their tracks. People clamor into stores en masse, wading through a sea of people only to endure time-halting lines. And free is good. In a world that often has complete disregard for their bottom line, … [Read more…]
Why wouldn’t you want to earn more money? You can always earn more; it’s cutting back that you can only do so much of. Most people could find a job that pays twenty, thirty, or even forty thousand dollars a year online in a matter of days. These sentiments that get bantered about online—coupled with … [Read more…]
Y’all, I am frugal. I am FRUgal. But let’s tell the whole truth, mkay? If this sounds familiar, cool, that means I haven’t been totally wasting my time on Twitter. Last week, I wanted to send a little thought out into the universe. I never imagined it would gain the traction that it did. It … [Read more…]
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…]
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…]
Since we’re all friends here and I’m really good at confessing secrets now, I’ll let you in on another one: I’m a supremely awkward human being. Just last week, I was sitting in a work meeting with my boss and my coworker best friend former best friend. Midway through the meeting, I swatted stray hairs … [Read more…]
Last week, Yahoo Food ran a Refinery 29 piece entitled “What It’s Like to Feed a Family For Less Than $20 a Day”. It was widely read, and if the 3,510 commenters are any indication, it was also widely misunderstood. In a lot of ways, I blame Refinery 29 and Yahoo. Their sexy headline was … [Read more…]
Just like when I was learning to drive, I am starting to realize my tendency to overcorrect when it comes to personal finance. It is no secret that I fell headfirst into the trap of excessive consumerism. In a lot of ways, it was not a fall, so much as a gleeful swan dive, credit … [Read more…]