Happy Friday!

Hope you ended the week richer and happier ;)

Lots of juicy stuff on the blog and around the web this week, so let’s get to it!

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Articles from the blog:

It’s official – I’m a Minivan Dad!! — And boy, do I feel like a dad haha… One of the first things I actually noticed, but it’s kinda cool… I AM a dad, and I’m proud to be one! :)

Did you know you have to pay taxes on all winnings?! — It’s true… Winnings are considered “income” and you can get in some serious doo-doo if you try to hide it and it’s not only applicable to things like winning the lottery or hitting it big on slots.

What are some of your controversial personal finance beliefs? — Here are three of mine: renting is better than owning for a lot of people, buying Starbucks is perfectly fine to do!, and I always tip 20% no matter the service I receive.

When does it make sense to spend more on your looks?! — “Last year I met up with a life insurance agent who cleared $300k last year and he was telling me how he bought these suits at $1k-$3k price points. I was shocked and told myself I would never. Clothes depreciate. What a waste. Then it struck me. He made almost 3x money as me last year! Maybe he understands something I do not.”

Side Hustle #78: Being a TV/Film Extra! [$200+/day] — Another addition to our Side Hustle Series! Peggy Bree stops by the blog to share her experience being in over 200 shows in 6 years, and what you can expect from it all.

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Articles from around the web I liked:

Treasure Fever via Hakai Magazine — “Nearly three million vessels lie wrecked on the Earth’s ocean floor — from old canoes to the Titanic — and likely less than one percent have been explored.”

How I Made $39,000 on Wheel of Fortune via Dads and Dollars — “Without going into too much detail, I will point out that the first round was what is called a “perfect round”. The wheel was very, very good to me in that round, and I never relinquished control. Oh, and it was a jackpot round, which I hit, and I got a half-car. And I had been worried I would fail epically on television.”

Taco Bell offers $100,000 salaries and paid sick time via NY Times — “In the increasingly tight U.S. labor market, the company is betting a higher salary will help it attract workers and keep them on the team.”

Lego sets its sights on a growing market: Stressed-out adults via The Washington Post — “The world’s largest toymaker is pitching its bricks as a form of mindfulness. Adults are happy to play along — as long as there are instructions.”

The Other Environmental Crisis via Raptitude — “Human interaction probably isn’t in danger of extinction, but it is quietly losing great swaths of its natural habitat. Technology is making real interaction less necessary at work, home, and everywhere in between, which must mean there’s simply less of it in the world than there was a decade ago.”

Apparel that shows your FIRE pride by Accidental FIRE — “You have it together, you’re investing wisely and getting closer to financial independence every day. Show the world that you’ve chosen to live differently, and on your own terms!”

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Thanks for reading :)

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Hey friends!

How are those 409s doing? ;)

Lots of great and inspiring stuff out there this year so far, and as always you’ll find my own personal favorites shared below…

Keep trackin’ and stackin’!

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Favorite Articles from the blog lately:

A New Year’s Secret — Most people don’t know this, but I promise it’s true. A fairy once told me, Now I pass it on to you!

A Financial PowerPoint Presentation That Screams “I Love You!” — Remember our guy last year who put together a 19 slide PowerPoint presentation of his finances to woo the socks off his wife? Well he’s at it again this year, and upped the game by adding an additional 15 slides for good measure ;)

8 Money Challenges to Try in The New Year –A handful of great ways to save more and spend less in the new year! Including the 52 Weeks Challenge, $2.00 Bill Challenge, Weekly Craigslist Challenge,  365 “Less Things” Challenge, and the ever popular: $1,000 Savings Challenge.

A Cheat Sheet on “The Automatic Millionaire” — A one-pager on the classic finance book – The Automatic Millionaire, by David Bach. One of my top 3 favorite $$$ books!

Product of The Month –> Debit Card Sleeves with Ledger! — I know not everyone likes to manually track stuff, but if your current system isn’t working too hotly it may be worth giving it a shot… It really is amazing just how much more AWARE it makes you when you’re forced to write everything down, and at $2.75 a pop (with free shipping!) these sleeves are well worth a try.

And if you’re new to the blog, here were the “best ofs” over the past year:

☆ The most popular articles of the blog in 2019
☆ My *favorite* articles from the blog in 2019

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Favorite articles from around the web:

Clever Ways to Give Cash via @TwoClawsMedia — “None of the kids wanted toys for Christmas this year, they just wanted cash. Understandable, but cash as a gift, while practical, always feels impersonal, so I made special packaging. Went over well.”

A Financial Independence Spreadsheet from Mad Fientist — Want to take your finances more seriously in 2020? Start tracking your money in the FI Spreadsheet!

How To Go Deeper In 2020 via Raptitude — “Taped to the door of my friend’s apartment, right at eye level, is an Anais Nin quote: “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.””

Keanu Reeves on Money via Medium — “Keanu Reeves rarely talks about money — but when he does, it’s life-changing. Choosing one of these goals as your focus will produce more money than you could ever expect.”

Climbing the Wealth Ladder from Of Dollars And Data – “If I gave you $100, would that change your life? What about $100,000? How about $100 million? Your answer will depend on many things including age, family situation, and your current net worth. More importantly though, how you change your behavior after receiving such money can tell you a lot about your current financial standing.”

Total Cost of Ownership: Tesla Model 3 Compared with Audi A5 and Toyota Camry via EVANNEX — “Using 2019 figures, the new study reached the astonishing conclusion that, when all relevant factors are taken into account, Model 3, which is indisputably a superior car, is slightly cheaper to own and operate over a five-year period than Toyota’s mass-market sedan.”

Why the 2020s Will Be About Making New Clothes Out of Old Ones via Vogue — “What will happen to this T-shirt, handbag, or sneaker when I’m done with it? In the long term, it should ultimately change the way we shop, because we’ll only buy things with legitimate value and a feasible end use.”

‘Kakeibo’: The Japanese Art of Saving Money via CNBC — “Kakeibo, pronounced “kah-keh-boh,” translates as “household financial ledger.” Invented in 1904 by a woman named Hani Motoko (notable for being Japan’s first female journalist), kakeibo is a simple, no-frills approach to managing your finances.”

And lastly, a quote I caught from one of my favorite newsletters I’m subscribed to (5am Joel):

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”

– Shannon L. Alder

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XOXO,

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Hi all!

Hope you’re ready for a fun, holiday-filled week ahead! The one time of the year you’re allowed to NOT think about money at all and just BE :)

So no newsletter next week as I do exactly that, but before we venture off to it all here’s some good reading material from both the blog and other places online.

Hope it inspires you to do something great! And remember – all Fails get erased in the new year, so no more dwelling on them ;)

Happy holidays everyone.

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Articles from Budgets Are Sexy this week:

10 Resolution Ideas for 2020 — A list of some good financial resolutions to work towards in the new year, especially for those just starting out on their journeys!

Will this $1,000 matter when I’m retired? — It’s never fun to lose $1k or any number of dollars for that matter, but when you think longer term and what life will look like in retirement, it’s not gonna make too much of a dent in it.

Do you ever USE your Emergency Fund? What for? — We all know it’s smart to have money saved up for emergencies, but what exactly constitutes an “emergency” these days? And do you ever feel bad when pulling from it even when emergencies DO come up? (I do!!)

#156 on the “Million Dollar Club” makes good on pledge! — Another pledger has hit the Double Comma status! Here’s the breakdown of his net worth, along with a MONSTER budgeting/retirement spreadsheet you can download that he uses to track it all.

Are you done with your Christmas shopping already?! — Here’s how we do Christmas shopping in the Money household… Including two *new* rules we’re trying out :)

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Items from around the web I liked:

This GENIUS way to wrap a gift!! by @Waterstones –> a public service announcement 🎄 📚 🤓

Budgets Really ARE Sexy! with J. Money via BiggerPockets Money Podcast #103 –“In this episode we cover: J. Money’s journey with money, what his biggest financial regret is, building income on buying and selling blogs, where he got his blog name from, the “no spend month” challenge, his net worth, his advice on starting a blog, the reason why he was called the Miley Cyrus of finances, and SO much more!”

The Ultimate Crappy Gift Guide by 1500 Days — “I’ve tried to persuade family to give up the practice of giving gifts. Instead of buying an object, I’ve suggested that we all use our money to spend time together. In some cases, it’s worked. In others, not at all. To end the battle, perhaps I could come up with some gifts that are so horrible that the practice will be discouraged forever?!??”

What Moment Made You Feel Most Alive This Year? by One Frugal Girl — “Sometimes the burdens of life keep us trapped in a place of unhappiness. We continue to go to work to pay the bills for the life we thought we wanted to live. When you reflect on the past year ask yourself, ‘Are these the goals I want to pursue? Is this checklist worth completing or are there elements that should be removed?'”

99 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas by Becoming Minimalist — “The reality is that our homes are already overcrowded with clutter. In fact, the average American home has 300,000 items inside it. The thought of adding more layers of stuff on top of it? It’s all too much. What then can we give that won’t add to the clutter problem?”

A new site I came across –> SpreadsheetMan.com — “I have used spreadsheets for decades – making all kinds of business calculators, fun simulations, data collectors, analyses of business deals, pricing calculators, and everything else you could imagine – and some things you couldn’t ;) … Over the years I develop spreadsheet solutions to interesting problems and I share them here.”

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XOXO,

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Good morning!

Here is your weekly update with all things of the utmost importance ;)

If I haven’t told you so lately, thanks for being a part of the community!

Would love to hear more about what you’ve been getting into over there? All things good in money land? Love? Happiness? Anything juicy happen lately?

Shoot me a note and let me know!

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Articles from Budgets Are Sexy this week:

“Inhale confidence, exhale doubt”” — A great line to repeat any time you’re in need of a boost ;)

Hidden Investment Opportunities in Mobile Homes — An overlooked space of the real estate industry prime for the picking!! My long time internet friend Rachel Hernandez (aka Mobile Home Gurl) stops by the blog to share the ins and outs of the niche, and why it’s a great opportunity to consider.

Our new couch battle – am I in the wrong? — Where I battle with Ashley HomeStore for not giving us our ottoman we thought we had paid for… A perfect read if you enjoy getting fired up by crappy customer service ;)

Rescued these books from Goodwill… Want them? :) — Two more days left to enter one of these books: “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, “The Automatic Millionaire,” and “The Four Tendencies” by Gretchen Rubin.

#Overheard at the coffee shop – Volume VII — Did I catch you this month? ;)

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Articles from around the web I liked:

Overcoming Your Demons by Morgan Housel — “About 20% of kids stutter. Most outgrow it by age 5. About 1% still stutter by age 10. A lucky 0.1% stutter into adulthood, with some small fraction of that being chronic enough to affect their daily life. I’m one of them… Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t. But I want to tell my story, because it ends well.”

Changing My Attitude… Changed My Life! by 5 A.M. Joel — “Instead of walking out the door, I went straight to the bar and ordered two pints of Guinness. One for me, and the other for… well, me. I returned to my table of friends and announced that I was there to have a good time, and I am no longer in a bad mood! They all cheered! And then an angel appeared…”

Twitter has to figure out what to do with dead people by MIT Technology Review — “Twitter said it would shut down any account that hasn’t logged in for six months, starting from December 11. It wasn’t ready for the backlash.”

Put Harriet Tubman on a New $25 Bill by National Review — “The exciting and powerful film Harriet, on screens now, should earn its heroine a well-deserved platform on which everyone can see her: a new $25 bill. Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in Maryland, fled north 100 miles to Philadelphia, and began life as a free woman in 1849. But she didn’t sit still…”

I’m Honestly Fed Up With All The Bad News, So I Illustrated 50 of The Best Ones From 2019 by Bored Panda — “We are often bombarded with fear-mongering and shocking headlines that make us feel that the world is falling apart. However, while it’s important to report on problems and issues, I believe there is so much good in this world that it needs to be found and promoted just as widely. Because of that, I started The Happy Broadcast. It’s an anti-venom to the vitriolic rhetoric that pervades our media.”

And lastly, always remember…

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Enjoy the ride ;)

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Happy Friday!

Here’s the best of Budgets Are Sexy lately, as well as other parts of the web that I couldn’t help but want to share with the world ;)

If only people in our “real” lives appreciated this as much as we do! But oh well, guess everyone can’t be as awesome as us…

Let me know how you score on that nerd quiz btw ;)

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Favorite articles on the blog lately:

You may be a money nerd, if… — “You track 2 different versions of your net worth… You fund a college savings account – even though you don’t have any kids yet…You get more heated debating whether the RE belongs in FIRE than you do with politics!”

Are you financially better off *today* than you were at the start of the year? — Answer these 6 questions to find out!

Let’s use up those forgotten gift cards! — Every year we give up close to $1 BILLION of unused gift cards in our country. Let’s make sure we’re not a part of it!

12 More Money Ideas to Try — A bunch of great money tips from our community featuring The Money Binder, The Car Payment Pretender, The “One Hanger” Rule!, The Book Diet, and The Santa Boxer-Upper

You’re always one decision away from a totally different life – Most of us know what we should be doing, but it’s a whole other thing to actually DO IT. Let this be a gentle push to take that first step, and if you need an accountability partner along the way I’d be happy to be one for you :)

12 Ways to Live More Sustainably/Frugally — Caught a great list of 101 ways to live more sustainably and here were some of my favorites. Along with some links they recommended which sent me down a whole other rabbit hole for the past hour and a half, haha…

14 Frugal (and Actually Helpful!) Moving Tips — A handful of clever tips I’d never heard of before from Twitter! Who said that place was a waste of time?! ;)

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Favorite articles around the web lately:

The ‘Strange, Unduly Neglected Prophet’ via NPR — “He proposed a new kind of paper money that would have an expiration date. To avoid expiration, the bills would have to be periodically stamped for a fee. With no new stamp, they would become worthless… Gesell believed this would keep money whizzing through the system, preventing future depressions and increasing public prosperity.”

Mr. Rogers Wasn’t a Saint, He Was One of Us via Raptitude — “Joanne Rogers has said she doesn’t like it when people refer to her husband as a saint, because that makes his level of kindness seem unattainable. “People invariably say, ‘Well, I can’t do that, but I sure do admire him. I would love to do it.’ Well, you can do it.”

Life Hacks I’ve Picked Up From The Death Notices via The Globe and Mail — “I spend Saturday mornings with a coffee in one hand and my newspaper’s death notices in the other… What is it that makes me want to know these people? I have been asking myself the same question for a decade.”

I’ve Been Using a 950,000-Mile Lexus as a Daily Driver via Autotrader— “Not too long ago, our editor/overseer/cause celebre Doug DeMuro expressed amazement at discovering a Ford Excursion with 603,000 miles on the clock. Me, I wasn’t as impressed — because I’ve been cruising around in a 1996 Lexus LS400 with half again as many miles as that old Excursion.”

And then for all those who loved our Christmas Tree Side Hustle years ago and/or Taylor Swift, here’s a fact that will blow your mind: Taylor Swift GREW UP on a Christmas Tree Farm! And you can see it in her latest video she dropped, which also includes a home video of her getting her very first guitar that would go on to change her – and everyone else’s – lives years later… Pretty wild!

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Happy weekend,

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