The other day, we were in the middle of reviewing literary devices when I asked for a student to remind me of what sarcasm is. “It would be like someone saying, ‘I reeeeally like that blouse you’re wearing today’.” Sometimes, I just walk right into. My stomach hurt by the time we all got done … [Read more…]
This year, Walmart devised an initiative to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of our servicemen and women with a green light bulb. Lots of green light bulbs, in fact. The idea being that Americans across this great nation would traipse out to the store Walmart, scoop up bulbs, and replace their traditional bulbs on … [Read more…]
Minimalism has been splashed across more magazine covers than reality TV starlets as of late. Top 10 items to toss today. Five things no one needs in their kitchens. Three reasons to live with less. Turn to the full text of any of these articles, and you’ll get a lot more than the benefits of … [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…]
Discretionary spending. Fun money. Call it whatever you want, it’s an important part of any budget. Last week, I highlighted all the luxuries that masquerade as needs on grocery lists. This week, I thought it would be fun to talk guilty pleasures. There’s no way any of these are needs, but that doesn’t seem to … [Read more…]
One of the most fascinating aspects of personal finance is the fact that it is comprised of individual stories, goals, wisdom, and opinions. I have read certain bloggers state unequivocally that if you have not experienced debt, your authenticity as a personal finance blogger is questionable at best. I’ve also seen readers lambaste bloggers in comment … [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…]
On most days, I have the perfect excuse for not going out for lunch: I do cafeteria supervision. That’s right. I eat walking around in the company of 400 preteens. Still, there are some occasions that find me out of the building for full-day meetings, in-service trainings, and whatnot. Sure enough, when the noon hour … [Read more…]
We’ve all heard the cliche that some things are too good to be true. In the case of “free”, sometimes there’s a much higher cost than anyone expects. In our consumer culture, the notion of free shows up in a lot of ways. Sample day at Sam’s Club (the horror!). Mail-in rebates. Buy one, get … [Read more…]
I’m forgoing my usual Monday Motivation lineup because I got nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award. How’s that for motivation? I feel just like Taylor Swift. You know, all adorable and cute right before Kanye interrupted her. In all truthfulness, these past three weeks have been the craziest of rides. Less than a month ago, … [Read more…]