the tools you need to be set free
Four years ago, I hit “apply” on a Software Engineering job posting despite my lack of a computer science degree. The demand for more developers is high, but the skills are tedious to learn. Yet out of all the engineering disciplines, software is the one most likely to open its doors to self-taught bootstrappers and […]
I was wondering what to write this week, but I could not think of a topic for love or money. Then it hit me– love and money! With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought I could cover how we handle money in our relationship. Mr. Mechanic and I met on vacation 10 years ago. Resolutely […]
There is so much baggage weighing down our money conversations. Taboos and complicated feelings make talking about money extremely difficult, even though it is important. There is shame, spite, and many strong opinions where money is concerned. The way we spend our money is a reflection of the way we want to live our lives. Everyone has their […]
The resounding advice for someone looking to control their finances is to know your finances. We all hear this advice: you should know how much money is coming in, how much money is going out, and ultimately where that money is going. Similar to many others, I did not follow this advice for a long time. […]
It is one thing to clock in to work every day, earning a paycheck and steadily working towards financial independence, but it is crucial to remember to enjoy life in the process. One way to avoid burn out is to make sure to intentionally take time off and unplug from the daily demands of work.
I am two weeks into a new job and I declare them the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weeks. First off, in my last week working for my old company I started getting really itchy eyes and a runny nose—figured I must have picked up some allergies in adulthood. I said goodbye to coworkers, […]
I think most of us have our first car near and dear to our hearts. I was lucky to be able to drive my family’s Mitsubishi Expo during the later years of college. Talk about glamour. Prestige. My friends loved it or hated it, loved it because if you sat in the front seat it […]
I am part of a growing group of millennials looking for a way out of the rat race. The movement is called FIRE: Financial Independence, Retire Early. The blogosphere is growing with people embracing the movement, and I at first felt like I had little to add to this space. After all, Gwen of fiery millennials is another 20-something […]
My parents set the example for frugality. I’m sure my dad had a mental catalog of every item in the grocery store and how much it should cost. After shopping for our staples at King Soopers, our local Kroger mart, we’d walk across the street to Safeway because milk and bagels were cheaper there. We never […]
“You can have a dog when your sister is your age,” my dad promised. Which meant in four long, painstaking, wishful years I could have a dog. I asked how much a dog would cost me, and my dad said, “One hundred dollars.” He knew my five-year-old brain would convert that to “a lot of […]