Last month I shared a journey through the recesses of my brain, or at least, the clothing and appearance-related recesses of my brain. If you haven’t read that post yet, I recommend you go there first since today’s article is the second in ...
Laura and her husband Sam live in Virginia with their two young children and one dog. Sam works for the federal government in a law enforcement capacity and Laura works as a full-time stay-at-home parent. Sam is eligible for retirement (with full benef...
I’m starting something new, people! I love helping folks with their money, so I’m going to do more of it. Starting today, you can schedule a one-on-one Private Reader Case Study with me. These consultations will bear a striking resemblance ...
Elisabeth and her husband James live in New Hampshire with their two young sons. James works as an architect and Elisabeth is a private reading tutor for students with dyslexia. The couple live near Elisabeth’s extended family, which is perfect. ...
Birthday Brewery Bash! Mr. FW celebrated his 39th birthday in August and my in-laws graciously kept our children for three days (and two nights!!!!)! We decided against traveling this year–last year we went kid-free to Cambridge, MA–and ins...
Tara and her husband Rob live in Texas where he’s a high school teacher and she’s an editor with a publishing company. They are happily child-free and cat-full by choice and own their condo. While Rob enjoys teaching, he anticipates needing...
We bought a new car. Not a “new to us” car, not a “nearly new” car, an actual factual brand new 2022 Subaru Outback. But Liz–you’re now fretting– don’t you know that: Buying a brand new car has to be one ...
I have a hectic relationship with clothing. In my 20s and early 30s, I worshipped it. I stuffed the closets of our various rental apartments with beaded slip-on loafers I bought at an outdoor market in Strasbourg, France; a vintage bubblegum-pink stewa...
Sam loves her outdoorsy life in Salt Lake City, Utah and is an avid rock climber, hiker, trail runner, ultimate frisbee player and skier. On the professional side, she manages content creation for Petzl, a French company that manufactures work-at-heigh...
After nine years of pandemic isolation, we decided this would be the summer of family day trips! Our kids hadn’t been to any of the area museums or towns or restaurants or libraries due to: a) pandemic; b) being babies before the pandemic. We...
Jenny and her husband Will live in the Upper Midwest along the shores of Lake Michigan with their two children, Sam (age 16) and Alex (age 10), and their one old cat. Will is 56 and the couple always planned for him to retire at 60 and to pay for Sam a...
June was a month of celebrations! My husband and I marked FOURTEEN years of marriage, Kidwoods “graduated” from Kindergarten, Littlewoods finished her first year of preschool, we went to a town-wide end-of-school party with a food truck and...
Kait and her husband Dave live in Alaska with their three young children. Kait works as a Postpartum Doula and Dave as a scientist for the state. They love their outdoorsy lifestyle and have created an incredibly close-knit community with their neighbo...
The heralded day is here. It’s Day One of the July Uber Frugal Month Group Challenge and there’s still time to join me–and thousands of other frugal devotees–for our month-long journey to financial wellness. Sign-up in the box ...
It’s UFM time!!!!! We take the UFM as a group twice a year: in January and July and it’s time to sign-up for the July edition! It’s like Christmas in July, but cheaper (SINCE IT’S FREE!) and more exciting–debatable, but yo...
Taylor loves living in Washington, DC and enjoys her job in global public health. She likes to travel, spend time with her family and friends and has a stellar roommate/friend. The only trouble? She’s tired of renting and would like to buy a cond...
My May expenses are a great illustration of why it’s so important to track your spending every single month: this was a month rife with unexpected, aberrational, one-time expenses. But by tracking, I’ll have a clear picture at the end of th...
Leigh is a diabetes educator living in Denver, CO. Her children are on the cusp of adulthood and she’s looking around her soon-to-be empty nest, considering her options. She’d like to downsize to a smaller home in her same Denver neighborho...
Knowing where your money’s at is the first step in financial planning. Before you can set goals, panic about having no money, or compliment yourself on your ability to buy a new back scratcher, you’ve got to know: What you earn What you sp...
Vanessa lives in Eugene, Oregon with her boyfriend and three cats, Freya, Orpheus and Gandalf. Vanessa works as the Licensing & Contracts Officer for the University of Oregon and is an attorney by training. In 2018, she bought her first home and is...