*** My car lease is up in exactly 18 days and I have no idea what I’m going to do. First off, yes, I leased a brand new car, which is something I’d probably never do again. I also bought a highly inefficient, gas-guzzling SUV, which is a little out of character for me. Go…
*** The other day I came across a blog post by She Picks Up Pennies, inspired by Our Next Life and Think Save Retire about their respective paths to financial independence and what they plan to do when they get there. The conversation started 3 years ago, so as per usual, I’m inappropriately late to the…
*** I have been blogging for about 10 years now, so I’m kind of a relic in this industry, but even still, I love learning new skills and taking courses because I always take something away from the experience. But to be honest, as with a lot of the online programs I’ve invested time and…
The other day I was in the city to meet a friend for dinner. I was early, so I popped into Athleta to kill some time before our reservation. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I’m mildly obsessed with yoga pants. They are my uniform, an absolute pleasure to wear, and one…
As an aspiring minimalist, my make up drawer is a total #fail, but truth be told, I don’t care. When it comes to fitness and beauty products, I’m a-okay on thoughtfully spending money on looking and feeling my best, because that has a positive impact on my life in a lot of ways. I’ll get…
Here’s an interesting tidbit…the original Valentine’s Day tradition (which was actually the 15th of Feb) was inspired by the Romans who would get drunk and naked, kill a goat and/or dog and then throttle their love interest with the dead carcase before mating with them for the duration of the 3-day holiday (the love interest,…
Once again, I’m not talking about pyromania here, but rather the concept of F.I.R.E. (financial independence to retire early). These are my ideas on how to influence your spouse to buy into the idea of taking control of your life and finances. So maybe you’ve just read Mr. Money Mustache front to back, consumed every personal…
Nope, not talking about pyromania. I’m referring to F.I.R.E., which is an acronym for, you guessed it… financial independence + retire early. Now clearly these are two different things, but they tend to get lumped together. Since I see them as very separate and unique goals, I’ll define them that way. Financial Independence (otherwise known…
You know those things you have in your house that you never use, but can’t seem to part with? Yep, those things. I have them, too. I think we all do. But maybe it’s time to let them go… and release what they represent. The reality is that we hang on to certain things because…
I just listened to James Altucher interview Gary V this morning. I don’t often follow Gary, mostly because I find his energy overwhelming, but I respect his messages about doing what you love relentlessly. I think there’s a beauty in being so passionate about something that you’re willing to eat a million shit sandwiches and patiently…
Before I say anything else, let me say this – If someone says they don’t want anything for Christmas you might want to try just honoring that request. It’s not the worst thing in the world for someone to not want gifts. Ask them once to be very sure that’s what they mean when they…
If you’re sick of your day job and dream of an early retirement, then what I outline below will be helpful for you to figure out if it’s feasibly possible yet. What might surprise you is that you could be closer to telling your boss to shove it than you think, depending on what you’re…
Inspired by Cait Flanders, I took on a self-imposed spending ban last month that will finish in just a few days. What I’ve learned from this experience, the way I’m influenced to shop and the impulse I have to hit the “buy” button, has been truly enlightening. Overall, this wasn’t too much of a challenge…
This afternoon, while I was listening to a personal finance audiobook (dork, I know) I was challenged to consider how much of what I spend money on has value in 10 years. When I thought about it, there’s very little that I have owned for more than 10 years. Even the houses and cars I’ve…
Before I begin this, let me say that I’m no longer a Beachbody coach, so there’s no agenda (or affiliate links) here. This also isn’t a story of bitter resentment. I like Beachbody and I quite enjoyed my experience with the brand. If it were not for the fact that it is an MLM, I’d…
Regrets, I have a few, but then again, too few to mention (record screeches to a halt). Oh yes, I’ve got more than a few regrets I can mention. Even as someone who keeps a close eye on her funds, my lifestyle has become more high-maintenance as my income has grown. So much so, that…
Have you ever asked someone how they’re doing and they say, “oh, I’m surviving”? They may not be battling cancer or a financial meltdown, but just the very existence of their day-to-day is so boring and draining that they can’t come up with a better term than “barely functioning”. It’s also something I hear from…
In the past, my husband and I owned a beautiful 3 bed, 3 bath lake house, 2 hours outside of LA. For the first couple of years we LOVED it and got a ton of use out of it. But it was at a high cost. Not only did we have to pay for the…
I’m about to admit pure failure here. I’ve been writing about my journey to minimalism for a while now. I have to say, the purging felt good. I enjoyed sharing pictures of all the belongings I pitched. I felt self-righteous about my new-found power to “just say no” to more stuff. But then the…
The Nordstrom Semi-Annual sale just happened and so did a $3000 dent in my credit card. Ouch! Yes, I bought about $3K worth of new clothes which is insane for me, but about 60% of that purchase has already been returned and about $800 of that initial sum was new threads for my husband. I’m…
I really admire entrepreneurs and folks who opted to save like crazy to gain financial independence and early retirement in their 30’s and 40’s. These are typically smart, go-getter types who are the least likely to play the victim or complain about their realities. These are the folks that know what they want and go…
I’m not an interior design expert, but I’ve noticed minimalism has a serious branding problem when it comes to interior design. When I’m on Pinterest and I’m searching for minimalist spaces, I tend to find a bunch of stark rooms with barely any sense of personal space. The design is bare and cold. While I…
There’s a tendency to believe that minimalist exists on the bare minimum, where needs are met, but wants are discouraged. Perhaps this is what minimalism is to some, but certainly not to me. For me, it’s much deeper than that. It doesn’t matter how many items I own, it matters that they serve a purpose….
Value-based spending is exactly what it implies. It’s focused spending on the things, services or experiences that add the most value to our lives. That’s something very different for everyone, but the point is the same – optimize your spending on the places that mean the most to you. For me, this includes important things like…
