finlit

By:
On:
In: Personal Finance 101

Since starting our debt-crushing journey, I’ve read a couple of the “greats” in #FinLit (a.k.a. famous personal finance books). What I’ve realized is that not all money books are equal. For instance, Your Money or Your Life  was wholly disappointing to me. I found it outdated, somewhat condescending, not practical, and poorly written. That being said, I know a lot of people who swear by it. Well, after reading four #FinLit books…I’ve gotta say, I’m Team Ramsey. #FinLit Summary The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey is definitely my favorite thus far. I found it engaging, motivating, and I loved that Ramsey managed to teach acceptance overRead More →

We Tried It

By:
On:
In: Budget Beauty & Living

Stress can be a great motivator, but it can also be terrible for your health. I find there’s a very fine line for me between productive stress to get my finances under control, and hurtful stress that depresses my mood and health. Your health is very important, and during this stressful time in your life, we need to make sure we don’t neglect it. So this week’s post is a 7 day yoga mini-challenge. Boo-ya! #getexcitedRead More →

painless

By:
On:
In: Debt Repayment

Paying down debt with regular, automatic payments is great. Paying down debt faster with extra payments is better, especially if it’s painless. As you guys know, I currently have three kinds of debt: federal student loans, a private student loan, and credit card debt. Based off this, my debt repayment plan is to pay off my the consumer debt first, private student loan second, and then tackle the federal loans last (i.e. going for highest interest rate first). My Plan for Paying It Off Faster With all of my payments automated, my current credit card debt payoff date is May 2018; however, I’ve decided toRead More →

By:
On:
In: Money Challenges

I spent money. I know, Jensen, I know. It wasn’t much but it was something I could have waited to buy and was not set forth in the law of my budget. But self-compassion and all that. I made a mistake, it happens. I had a moment of weakness and now I know I need to change my strategy. (And no, beating yourself up about things is not a good strategy.) New strategy: wait to buy. I got out of the habit of saving for purchases, and now it’s time to get back to it. If I see something I want (but don’t need) I willRead More →

fire

By:
On:
In: Debt Repayment, Personal Finance 101, Saving Money

  If you’re a pro at FIRE, then welcome. If your new to hearing this word in a non-burning context, also welcome…welcome to the wide world of nontraditional living. From minimalism to passive income to early retirement, there are multiple paths to whichever ending you’d prefer, and FIRE is one of them. Today, I’m talking about why I’m rejecting one of these more popular goals in the personal finance world – FIRE specifically. Let’s get lit! (Sorry, I had to) FIRE – It’s an Acronym! FIRE is a term that refers to Financial Independence and Retiring Early. While these two might seem awfully similar, they areRead More →

We Tried It

By:
On:
In: Budget Beauty & Living, Saving Money

***This post contains an affiliate link. <3 from the Dames*** Laundry, o laundry, I hate you. Clothes! Beautiful clothes! I love you. But you get dirty. Why hasn’t someone invented clothes that don’t have to be washed yet? How is this not a thing? Unluckily, we have no washer/dryer in the apartment 🙁 I’m ‘lucky’ enough to have a laundry room in the building, one of which always seems to be broken. There are three machines, for over 45 apartments…Somehow the math just doesn’t seem to add up. So, just to be clear, let me break that down for you: mountains of laundry > 3 machinesRead More →

By:
On:
In: Money Challenges, Personal Finance 101

I like to think that I’ve always been good at handling my money. I’ve been tracking my spending and using a budget since undergrad. I opened a Roth IRA while still in law school, and I’ve been trying to save whatever possible for an emergency fund. Despite doing all these things though, I never really made progress on any of my financial goals: I was spending more than I earned, my credit card debt increased, and I had approx. $25.44 in my emergency fund. This year, I set my goals for my financial life like I usually do, but then, I decided to do somethingRead More →