Buyer’s remorse: A feeling of deep regret when you realize you don’t actually want or need or even like your purchase. As irritating as buyer’s remorse can be, in many situations, there’s a return policy for that. But what about saver’s remorse? Is it possible to actually save money in such a way that you … [Read more…]
For this post, I thought I’d change things up a bit. Think of it as the awkward vacation edition. Generally, these posts are a recap of how people in my life question our money-saving choices. Since I’m writing this cozied up to the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica–seriously, our hotel’s wifi stretches all the way … [Read more…]
No, this isn’t going to be a post about how I put breakfast and booze in my suitcase to save money. That kind of packing isn’t necessary here. We’re taking Mr. P’s favorite kind of trip where he can eat so much that people marvel at his ability to not throw up: an international all-inclusive … [Read more…]
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…]
This past month, I have learned to say no. I know, I know. Clap a little louder so I can hear you while I take a bow. In the past thirty days, I successfully turned down three in-person Stella & Dot parties; five virtual parties of assorted sundries like lotions, bags, makeup, and diet pills … [Read more…]
Latte factor: the total cost of your regular, nonessential spending to show how much you could be saving each year. “Look at all that money!” A student gasped, staring at her calculator in disbelief. Sure enough, that burst of excitement flagged the attention of several other students. “Money?” “What money?” “Whose money?” “Where did it … [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…]
Cleaning your home is not as simple as it might originally seem. Just consider the amount of money it costs you each month! Store shelves are overflowing with all sorts of cleaning tools, detergents and solutions. There’s a product for washing your windows, another for polishing wooden surface,s and yet a third one for cleaning … [Read more…]
“Wine is a grocery, not a luxury.” No, Richard Betts, you’re wrong. Last week, I was in the midst of catching up on my favorite podcasts, when I stumbled across that sound bite courtesy of Richard Betts on the Tim Ferriss Show.* While I most certainly understood his point — in his experience, the table … [Read more…]