The First (and Second, and Third) Time I Felt in Control of My Money
I can point to three points in my life when I felt more in control of my money than before.
The Cost of the Adoption Process: The Pre-approval Stage
Agency fees, training costs, background checks, and more.
My 2019 Resolution: Do More Things That Don’t Make Any Money
I found myself getting to the end of every day with lots of work done and very little life stuff done.
The Cost of an All-Inclusive Vacation
What do we pay for the freedom to not nickel-and-dime ourselves?
The Time-and-Money Tangle of Workday Breakfasts
For breakfast to truly work well for us, we had to optimize sleep time, food prep time, food cost, and food quality.
Life in the Land of Layoffs
I started my job three years ago, and within six months, there was talk of upcoming layoffs.
How the New Standard Deduction Will Change Our Charitable Giving
Some people might donate less, now that the tax incentive is reduced. My husband and I plan to donate more.
I Used My Holiday Downtime to Test a Freelance Career
How much money could I earn from three days of full-time freelancing?
Paying for My Wisdom Tooth Extraction with an HSA
Healthcare is expensive, but the HSA made it feel “free.”
Coworker Gift Exchanges and the Aggressively Generic Present
I will say right now that I dislike the institution of the coworker present exchange.
Holiday Spending When There Are No Kids in the Family
When my sister became the youngest cousin to become an adult, we officially entered a twilight zone: all the grandkids in the family were adults, but none of us had our own children.
The Year We Saved $10K, If Mortgage Payments Count
We just passed the $10,000 dollar mark in extra mortgage payments.
Settling for a Good Enough College
My parents had high expectations for my education, including the expectation that I would graduate with as little debt as possible.
How Nextdoor Saves Me—and My Neighbors—Money
There are a few things that Nextdoor has going for it.
Confessions From the Sorta-Budgeting Life
Paying attention to your money versus allocating every dollar.