Latest Blog Posts
Retire Early? What FIRE is and What it Means For You
“I’m never going to retire. I don’t make enough money.” “Retire early? Good luck. Only rich people do that.” “I’m going to work until I’m 70. Only people who have a pension can retire comfortably.” These are just a handful of the depressing things that I’ve heard...
150+ Blog Topic Ideas for Lifestyle Bloggers
I love blogging. I enjoy inspiring others to make smarter financial choices and it's amazing that I can make a little side income through this blog. This money goes straight toward the debt snowball on my student loans. (Side note: If you're interested in starting...
20 Things I Could’ve Bought Instead of Student Loans
I saw a list like this on another blog and thought it would be funny (and maybe a tad depressing) to write a list of things we could've bought with the $117,000 we have in student loans. Here are 20 things we could've bought for $117k instead of our loans. *This post...
Let’s Talk About Privilege
As a personal finance blogger, I’ve thought a lot about the best way to help others improve their finances. Some bloggers are very non-judgmental and say that everyone has their own unique path. Others feel that people should follow a more rigid set of rules in order...
How to Stop Caring What Other People Think
Debt has become so normalized in our culture that we no longer believe it is possible to live without it. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we are constantly bombarded with messages about how to live a “normal” life. These messages come from a variety of different...
7 Reasons Why I Drive a 17 Year Old Car
My car is ugly. It’s rusty, it has plenty of scratches and a few dents, and it’s 17 years old. It’s not pretty or shiny. The heat/AC is out half the time and it’s usually making some sort of bizarre noise. It’s what most people would consider embarrassing. Some...
30 Copycat Starbucks Recipes
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that my hubby is the spender in our relationship. He's addicted to Starbucks Chai tea lattes and the cost adds up quickly. $6/day becomes $180/month or $2,190/year! That's over $2,000 that could be going...
I Deserve a New Car, Right?
I know a couple who recently paid off massive credit card debt. After years of scrimping and never spending money on anything fun, they wanted to celebrate. I get that. Really, I do. But they celebrated by putting themselves right back in debt. They purchased two...
The Solution to The Student Loan Crisis
The average college student now finishes school with nearly $40,000 in student loan debt. Those with advanced degrees, such as master’s, doctorates, or professional fields (medicine, law) often graduate with six figure debt. Many articles have been written about the...
Money & Marriage Event – A Review
When I first read about the Money and Marriage event on Dave Ramsey's website, I really wanted to go. Rachel Cruze (Dave Ramsey's daughter) and Les Parrott (a psychologist and an award-winning author) were coming to Minneapolis to talk about relationship psychology...
My Winter Survival Kit
If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that I live in Minnesota - the land of 10,000 lakes...and 10,000 blizzards. Minnesota is also the. coldest. place. on. Earth. No, really. The Thrillist recently ranked Minnesota as the #1 worst state to live in...
Why Student Loans are Not “Good” Debt
When I was 18, I believed that going to college was my only option. I had naively thought that I would spend the rest of my life flipping burgers if I didn’t go to college. Since my parents earn middle-class incomes, they couldn’t afford to pay for my education, but...