the tools you need to be set free
You have looked forward to this rare slice of time away from work for weeks. You have spent hundreds of dollars to venture across state, national, or continental borders. You have planned each day meticulously to make every minute count. And now you are waiting in a line. “Surely it will be worth it,” you […]
How old were you when you had the talk? You know, the one where you sit down awkwardly with your parents, going red in the face as you both dance around a topic you would rather not broach? You know, the one where you talked about your family’s entire financial situation, including their income, debt, and net […]
I cringe every time someone says, “I am not a math person.” You are many things, and one of them is a math person. You are an artistic person, a creative person, a dancing person, because you are human. The surest way to hamstring your growth as a human being is to peg yourself into […]
The journey to FIRE– financial independence, retiring early– looks like a lot of things to a lot of different people. Some people retire to the countryside. Others retire to travel the world. Still others ‘retire’ to run their own business. No matter what the path, all the journeys have five things in common, and along […]
The average American woman spends $44 on a haircut. Add 20% tip, the total rises to $53. If she goes to a salon the recommended 4-8 times a year, she pays $212-$424 per year on haircuts. The average American man will spend $28 on a haircut. Add 20% tip, he will pay $34 every visit. […]
Every day my routine around food was the same: I would come home exhausted and root around in the fridge, scrounging up something to tide me over. I ate a lot of frozen meals and huge plates of simple chicken and rice, but I knew this wasn’t healthy in the long run. I talked to […]
I do things in bursts. I let messes accumulate until one day I decide that is enough and clean everything. I don’t like making calls so I will wait all year for a burst of energy one Thursday afternoon when I book a dentist, doctor, and car maintenance appointment one after another.
Cheapskate. Miser. Scrooge. These words describe people with an unhealthy relationship with money and often other people. Frugal people often walk this line– how can we be mindful money managers without being misers? The distinction got me thinking about the balancing act between the future and now, saving and spending, and the relationships we have […]
It is easy to disregard retirement when it feels far out on the horizon. Imagine your financial life like a sailing adventure—the destination is beyond our sight, but we can at least set a destination and course correct as needed.