Last Friday, I got my last paycheck for the foreseeable future (though, fingers crossed, I am one of like eight million candidates for another academic position at another school at the moment). I know I’m incredibly lucky. I have literally been overwhelmed at how lucky I am that this spring was my first semester ever…
**This post contains affiliate links to some cool services that help you save money.** Once upon a time, in a far away land of New York City, I lived in a tiny, tiny apartment that felt like a mansion after moving there from living on a circus train. When I was out on that circus…
Every once in a while, one of the blogs I write for asks me to write a spending breakdown related to groceries. For example, this post about how to Whole 30 on a budget. I find them to be some of the toughest posts to write because, at the end of the day, budgets often…
In an ideal world, economic issues should not limit one’s education, but we do not live in that perfect world, unfortunately. The cost of college education is one of the greatest limiting factors in the US when it comes to advanced learning. Even the ones who can afford it often have to rely on expensive…
Do you sometimes feel you’re falling short of your own standards and expectations when it comes to managing your finances? Everyone — at sometime in their lives has felt that way. But if you have a healthy account balance or if you understand your overdraft properly, it’s possible to not only cope with these challenges,…
Word of mouth is really how we roll these days, isn’t it? My two best friends and I have a group chat that regularly pings with a message that one of us found an awesome deal. Sometimes it’s a sale on something we know one of the others would love or sometimes it’s an amazing…
“Piggy Bank Money” (CC BY 2.0) by Tax Credits Highschool, college or university. No matter what kind of student you are, money is always an issue, whether you are sixteen and cannot afford your first date, or a Fresher at university saving up for a train journey home. It has to be said, university students are particularly hard done by. According…
Travel has changed, the age of two week holidays in the sun and gap years are being replaced by digital nomadism and of course, the quest to complete your very own bucket list. As more and more people get inspired to create their personal list of hopes and dreams, the question of how to complete…
Do you have money set aside for a rainy day? We can’t always prepare for unexpected expenses, and financial experts all agree having an emergency fund is a non-negotiable. If your emergency fund is not as stacked as it could be, or you don’t yet have money set aside, use these tips to grow your…
Recently, I read another blogger’s money story – and I always find them pretty fascinating! I mean, it’s a big part of why we blog about what we blog about and our own outlooks on money and life. Several years ago, I wrote my debt story. I was finishing up paying off $30,00 in student…
Update: 4/18/17: In light of digit’s move to start charging $2.99/month for their services, you may want to check out my post What Are Some Other Ways to Save besides digit? Since I’ve started paying more attention to my finances, I’ve tried a lot of websites and apps to make my life easier. Some start off strong…
Otherwise known as… the perils of variable income and how to come to terms with it. I remember one of the toughest things to wrap my brain around as a college stage manager was a professor warning me about how non-linear a career in the arts can be. While the majority of the world climb…
Let’s back up a little and assume that you’re just starting college. You’re trying to balance all your theater classes, along with those pointless other classes to make you well rounded, mandatory hours in the scene shop, and rehearsals. College is tough. Here’s a hint, the real world is worse. Here are a few things…
Profile I am thirty years old and I am a stage manager/lighting director for a show out on tour. I have no rent and no real bills… although there’s a good chance I should actually invest in some health insurance. I’m not 100% sold on that idea yet though. I make $700 a week with…
A few months ago I wrote about how I felt stuck in neutral. As I’ve been reviewing my New Year goals, I realized I don’t feel that way at all anymore. I think there’s always a period of transition when things in your life change. It’s nice to think that after you’ve gone full tilt…
Trying to take giant steps towards your goals is awesome, but sometimes getting started is difficult. Or things may be going well, but you still want to improve your finances a little more and you’re not sure where to start. I was thinking about that this past week as I’ve been adjusting to an entirely…
I guess it’s not that surprising that I’ve spent the last few days thinking about the past year and what has changed in my life. From the sort of posts I’ve seen popping up on other personal finance blogs, I’m not the only one – and there’s one change that actually makes me really happy.…
Profile I am thirty years old and the first full month of my 30’s didn’t go so badly. It still might be the year of Mel. I work as an assistant production manager and, my yearly salary is $53,560. Saving & Spending: The Good The good has been the $600 that went into my IRA…
I really love my change jar and I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. A lot of the little things in life that I enjoy are attached to that jar – but with no strings. Change jar money has always been “extra” money to me. It exists outside of my budget, because there’s no…
The other day I got my bi-yearly haircut (it’s true) and since I’m not particularly chatty, my hairstylist struck up a conversation with the neighboring hairstylist that was fascinating to me. Hairstlyist #2 enters salon and drops a half a dozen shopping bags on the floor next to the neighboring chair (that salon is in…
So now we’ve calculated your net worth. Based off your net worth, we’ve set up budgets for each month. Now is the time to start building an emergency fund, because you never know what life is going to throw at you… and mostly, it seems to like cruel tricks. The idea of an emergency fund…
I am awful at budgeting. Seriously awful. Mostly because I’ve been pretty lucky to not have to worry too much about money most of my life, I sort of just have an idea of what’s happening in my checking account and try to keep my expenditures under that. Once in a while I fail and…