A Series of Weird Impulse Buys, Ranked on a Scale of 0-10

In which 0 equals “no regrets” and 10 equals “all regrets.”

Wealth, Debt, Unions, and Festivals

It’s the Tuesday news roundup!

Billfold Recommends: YNAB

It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for another Billfold Recommends — and I am SO EXCITED about this one.

How Two Retired Ghostbusters Do Money

Winston Zeddemore and Ray Stantz are two members of the Ghostbusters, the famous paranormal investigation and elimination business which ran from 1984 to 2010.

Dear Businesslady: Remote Possibilities

What work-from-home routine is right for you?

How Money Fits Into a Happy Life

Deborah Copaken offers 30 life lessons from a 30th college reunion.

Monday Check-In

It’s Monday, which means it’s time to check in on our weekend spending.

A Year of Unpaid Maternity Leave

When I got pregnant I knew that I wanted to take a year off to stay home with the baby.

Clean: A Halloween Story

The handprints are everywhere. No matter how many times I clean, they come back.

A Friday Chat About UltraFICO

Featuring Nicole in conversation with herself!

Friday Estimate

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to estimate our weekend spending.

Two Articles and Two Podcasts About Stores That Are Going or Recently Went Bankrupt

No good retailer is gone forever.

The Cost of Homemade Halloween Costumes

My daughter wanted to be a plague doctor for Halloween.

Billfold Book Review: It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work

I read this book twice, because it’s that good.

Do 1 Thing and Hope There Aren’t Any Trains

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time to Do 1 Thing.

I Was a Haunted House Zombie Girl

I was no longer the girl who was always scared; instead, I was the girl who could scare.

Throwback Thursday: Which Halloween Candy Is the Most Expensive?

Tootsie Child’s Play Candy Assortment, aka “stop pretending Tootsie Rolls are chocolate, you aren’t fooling anybody:” $8.98 for an unstated number of candies, or 15 cents per ounce.

Why John Waters Won’t Return to Cedar Rapids

So there was this festival.

Question Wednesday

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to come clean with your financial questions.

When Your Friends Share Their Streaming Accounts, Do You Need to Buy Your Own?

Guest access on my friend’s Netflix and HBO accounts already gives me more programming than I could watch in my lifetime.

Doing Money Series: Preparing for Maternity Leave

I want to maximize my pay for as long as possible to give us as much of a cushion as I can to get by on reduced pay for the duration of my leave.

Four Articles on the Mega Millions Lottery

Even when you take taxes into account, your lottery ticket is still going to be worth more than the $2 you paid for it. Theoretically, anyway.

Billfold Recommends: Delta 2-Spray Water Amplifying Shower Head

It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for our FIRST-EVER Billfold Recommends column.

How a Vice President Who Follows the 50/30/20 Rule Does Money

Beatrice (not her real name) is a 40-year-old vice president in Minnesota.

The Hidden Costs of Germophobia

I’m hyper-aware of the fact that my fingers touch the elevator button and then accidentally touch my face. Or the fact that I accidentally sit on my bed with the same jeans I’ve worn on the train.