What comes to mind when you hear the words “lunch break”? Is it time to relax and unwind? A chance to grab the occasional to-go meal? Swing by the Starbucks drive thru? In my world, a lunch break has always been synonymous with “extra work time”. So when I lost my lunchtime workspace this month, … [Read more…]
Let’s get the bad news out of the way. This teacher’s maternity leave is entirely unpaid. The good news is that–in a really cruel world–I’m actually fortunate enough to be in a position where we can swing an unpaid leave at all. I’m especially fortunate that I’ll be able to take the full amount of … [Read more…]
“You’re really writing a card for that?” “But, Miss. It was only a picture!” I’m lucky to receive gifts as a teacher. Of course, I have some favorite teacher gifts from over the years. But I treasure every time a student and their family thinks of me. Recently, it occurred to me that I’ve written … [Read more…]
After spending an actual lifetime in the classroom, you would think that I would know a thing or two about the best teacher gifts. But this is a hard post to write. Not because I can’t pick a favorite gift (I really can’t!), but because there is so much noise surrounding teacher gifts right now. … [Read more…]
In less than three months, it’s going to be 2020. I don’t actually care about the year, but based on Internet memes, I needed to point that out, right? Whether it’s 2020, 2021, 2022, or any other flip of the calendar year, I think there’s something really inspiring about the time of year leading up … [Read more…]
Aging is not a death sentence. It is, in fact, the exact opposite. Each birthday is another opportunity to grow, and it’s not just about becoming long in the tooth. People travel forward on their journeys, even if especially if their journeys aren’t straight lines. Of course, our thoughts and views change. What doesn’t get … [Read more…]
Personal finance and financial independence: it’s about money. Often times people also point out that it’s not really about money. It’s about time and freedom. But the past few months have reminded me that I’m not only interested in those things. I want more money. I need more time. I love the idea of having … [Read more…]
Are you giving the perfect gift this holiday season? If you’re anything like me, after spending 0.000547 seconds online, one thing is abundantly clear: you’re probably not. As with most of life, we’ve managed to overcomplicate things when it comes to gifting. I fell down that Pinterest rabbit hole so hard when I was picking … [Read more…]
I did it. I finally did it. I doubled my salary. I’m not talking about my full-time income mixed with various side hustle streams. This has nothing to do with passion projects. No freelancing, no ghostwriting, none of it. I doubled my full-time salary. And I am so proud. There’s a lot of debate about … [Read more…]
Numbers are everywhere. Of course they are, Penny. You’re a personal finance blogger. It’s hard to talk about money without mentioning numbers. Touche, friend. Touche. But we’ve already established that your bank account is a poor measure of you as a person. In case you need me to say it again, though, I will. You … [Read more…]