Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard that tax reform is a thing right now. I have no comment on the clusterfuck that is the U.S. tax code and am not going to pontificate on rough drafts that are changing daily: Yesterday: "The mortgage interest deduction will be repealed." Later Yesterday: "Never … Continue reading On the Borderline? How to Qualify for More Tax Deductions
I made the poor life decision to drive home to New York from Chicago for Thanksgiving. No, no, no...I mean the decision to drive, not the one to go home. Being home for the holiday is the best, but next time I call myself trying to save money I will remember that nearly fourteen hours … Continue reading You Want To Do What?
I am an eternal optimist with an unwavering belief in the best parts of myself. I hold dear my sense of humor, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and outgoing personality. It is this version of me who opens email invites to networking nights, workshops, parties, and more and clicks the YES button to RSVP for activities a week … Continue reading Give Us Free Fridays – Living Social
I had no plan for my money when I bought my condo, signed up for my cell phone plan, took on student loans, and committed to all of my financial obligations. Now that I want to tell my money where to go, I'm finding that it already has a lot of other places to be.
In my life I have had the following job titles (in no particular order): Business Planning Associate, Partner Sales Executive, Business Category Manager, Senior Change Manager, and several others that all result in the same question from friends and family. To keep it simple I would always say, "I work in sales." But could people … Continue reading No Job. No Problem.
It has been a few weeks, but I'm back with another installment of Give Us Free Fridays. In a couple of recent posts I've mentioned widening the gap between earnings and spending. J. Money over at Budgets Are Sexy had a change of perspective (courtesy of Mr. Money Mustache) on the outflow side of the equation. … Continue reading Give Us Free Fridays – Have Cake and Eat It Too
A few days after moving from New York to Minnesota I went to pick up the keys to the apartment I had just leased. My bladder had been screaming at me for the last hour so I decided to pop into my vacant unit to use the bathroom before heading back to my temporary housing. … Continue reading You’re Gonna Pay For That- Homeownership Part 3
One of the cardinal rules of personal finance is to avoid lifestyle creep. That means that as your income increases your cost of living should not. So if you make $60,000/year and at your annual review you're awarded a 5% raise, conventional wisdom states that instead of upgrading your lifestyle with that extra $250/month (i.e. … Continue reading My Way – Home ownership Part 2
I am at war. At 6:00 p.m. I won the first battle against Old Fashioned Donuts. With the help of a late afternoon nap I was victorious over the urge to drive 40 minutes to Chicago's Southside in the pouring rain to buy a dozen donuts for my one person household. With that shop now … Continue reading Friends With My Benefits
Upon graduating from business school in June of 2014 I had yet to find a job. My lease was up, I had no income, and my savings were dwindling. I sublet my classmates' apartments a month at a time thus giving myself shelter and relieving them of the burden of paying rent while they climbed … Continue reading Is It Worth It? Home Ownership (Part 1)
Open Mouths Get Fed 