Happy New Year everyone! I hope that all of you made some great memories during the holidays. 2016 was a rough one for a lot people. The hateful goodbye messages on social media were proof enough of that fact. We faced many challenges of our own, but survived and came …
As we count down the last few days until Christmas, the world around us seems a flurry of holiday activity. Everyone is finalizing preparations and checking things off their family to-do lists. We’re looking forward to a break from school and work that will start on Friday, but the hustle …
This time of the year tends to make us reflective. We look back and assess what we’ve done well and what we’d like to change as we move forward. The clean break of the New Year gives us a great opportunity to make new goals for our personal lives, careers, and our …
Personal finance is all about the spending and saving idiosyncrasies that make each of us unique. A lot of people don’t seem to give much thought to their money, earning and then spending their paychecks, over and over again. I think that anyone who has taken the time to really …
This journey to financial semi-independence started with a gradual adjustment of priorities. I suffered a sort of early, mid-life crisis. Over a period of at least one year, I did a lot of soul-searching, reading all sorts of things online and spending time reflecting, in my search for a more-meaningful life. …
Paid work is usually a good thing for your finances, even with low-paying positions. You go somewhere, clock in, clock out, and a receive a paycheck. It’s then up to you to apply that income in a productive way. However, some jobs encourage you to spend your hard-earned money, before …
Today was another day spent in the office. Another day surrounded by people who are working hard for status and to buy expensive stuff that they don’t need. I couldn’t feel more disconnected from my coworkers. And when you don’t feel challenged or engaged by your work, it can become extremely tedious and …
You may have noticed a few recent references to stressed-out Mr. Smith. I commented in response to Mrs. Groovy’s positivity challenge, that I really wanted to find a way to help my husband be a little more thankful and relaxed. The key was figuring out the root of his anxiety. As …
We just returned from our first family vacation in two years, a wonderful trip to Maine. It’s funny how vacations seem like impossibly-expensive luxuries. Yet, simple escapes can grant you immense perspective and seriously recharge your soul. Our debt is still there, but we now have new memories to motivate us and …
I had a little Twitter chat with Ms. Our Next Life and Kate from Good Night Debt last month. Was it about investment strategies, new frugality strategies, or some other personal finance topic? Nope. Our chat was about piercings. Apparently, Ms. ONL has a nose stud and a helix piercing. Kate …