Programming Note, Plus a Thank You

We’ll be cutting today a little short so our editors can have the last days of December off to be with loved ones and recharge. In the meantime, we’ll be publishing pieces from our end-of-years series for the rest of this week and next.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting the work we do. It means a lot to us, and we know that we’ve had a positive impact on so many of you. Here is a nice letter we received from a reader this week:

Hey hey,

I’m not really writing to articulate how I’m exactly gonna be a better version of myself in 2016. Rather, I’d just like to thank you. I discovered your site in 2015 and it has, much more than other sites and books, changed how I look at money and personal finance, something I stress a lot about.

It has always seemed to me that I was the only one of my friends and acquaintances that really struggled with finances — not being aware of my spendings and being fearful of checking out my online bank at the end of the month (sometimes even at the beginning). I have tried to start up YNAB several times and failed after a weekend where I’ve been a bit too generous and not really wanting to know how generous. That is, of course, stupid — everyone has some sort of issue with how they handle their finances. The Billfold is just the first site I’ve discovered where all these fears and worries are being articulated.

The Billfold has a certain sense of humanity to it — your writers acknowledge that it’s perfectly okay and human to fuck up and, say, not saving up enough money for events and things you know you’re going to have to pay for eventually. It has really been a big help these last few months after I’ve graduated — I’m trying to start up a company with three of my friends and that certainly isn’t easy. I’m lucky I live in Denmark where there’s a good social safety net to support you, but that hasn’t stopped me from having sleepless nights about finances and money.

So yeah, I just wanted to say thank you — The Billfold is well-written, interesting and most importantly honest. So many other sites make it easy to say that you’re just gonna turn down invitations and do a lot of outdoor activities that doesn’t cost anything with your friends, but that’s not really how life works. Sometimes, you have to — nay, NEED, to go out and spend some money and maybe even overspend, but as long as you acknowledge this and are willing to work on bettering yourself, then it’s perfectly okay — it’s human.

— C.

We wish you all an amazing holiday and a happy New Year!

— Mike, Ester, and Nicole

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