With the new year just days away, now seems like a fitting time to look to the future. Many of the posts on She Picks Up Pennies have had a financial focus this past year. Looking ahead, I plan to continue to pay down debt (we’re shooting for well above the $18k mark for 2016!), … [Read more…]
No. Inherently, there is a lot of power in the word no. The power to bring an end to something already set in motion. The power to stop things before a drop of life is breathed into them. The power to snuff out possibility. Undoubtedly, the person who utters those two letters possesses a great … [Read more…]
It’s official. By the year’s end, we will have paid off $18,000 worth of debt. Instead of ordering ourselves a bunch of pink plastic flamingos for the yard or sending ourselves a delicious Edible Arrangement, though, we aren’t celebrating this milestone. The reason? We paid off a lot of debt. But we had no other … [Read more…]
No one actually lives like that. It’s impossible to retire early. Sure, anyone can say those things, but you’re not actually doing that. The amount of vitriol at the bottom of significant savings or early retirement posts on sites like Yahoo Finance could give the Fashion Police on E! some serious trolling competition. It is easy … [Read more…]
Last month, I finished decluttering my kitchen. Well, I finished decluttering almost my whole kitchen. I ran into a roadblock when I got to my built-in desk, which doubles as my home office. There were papers, pens, photos, envelopes, coupons — current and long expired. Then, there was the junk drawer. Oh, the junk. So, … [Read more…]
This really compelling series first piqued my interest when I read Our Next Life’s blog post about it. The magic continued with Think Save Retire. Afterward, Northern Expenditure and My Countdown to Freedom all chimed in. All of their answers are incredibly inspiring, carefully planned, and simply great reads. Then there’s this post. Here’s the thing: I’m not … [Read more…]
Rabbit, rabbit! Happy October, all. Cool breezes, crunchy leaves, fall colors. I’m feeling fall for sure. While my biggest autumnal ambition is to make it to November without turning on the heat, there’s not much I can do about Mother Nature in the Midwest. In the spirit of focusing on the things I can control, … [Read more…]
Drum roll, please. At the start of September, I set two lofty goals. I pledged to reduce our grocery budget by 20% to keep the total spending to $200 for the two of us. Since my focus was already set on the kitchen, I figured I would keep my sights set on it by creating … [Read more…]
Some say breakfast of champions. I say breakfast of cheapskates. Some people were surprised to hear that our grocery budget goal for this month is $200. It clocks in quite a bit lower than the national “thrifty” average of $387 for two people. I’ll let you in on a secret. Part of why our grocery budget … [Read more…]