Morning!

Welcome to the first Friday of the rest of your life ;)

Here are a bunch of things I enjoyed reading and writing this week – hope it expands your brain! 🧠

Topics we covered on Budgets Are Sexy:

• All the ways kids can actually SAVE you money!
• All the random jobs I’ve had, and how much they paid
• A smattering of my favorite reads from the month
• My latest net worth report
• And a reminder that we all struggle. PLUS: my favorite hate mail ;)

Things I enjoyed around the web:

This history of how Kindergarten came to be –> “The word Kindergarten cleverly encompassed two different ideas: kids would play in and learn from nature, but they would also themselves be nurtured and nourished “like plants in a garden.”” – 99percentinvisible.org

This staggering fact about dollar stores –> “Four new dollar stores will open in the U.S. every single day of 2019. That’s a new dollar store every six hours. There are more dollar stores than there are Walmarts, McDonald’s and CVS stores combined.” – NPR.org, via David Perell

The reason most of our coins have ridges! –> “For centuries, coins were made of precious metals — gold and silver, often — and therefore, had intrinsic value beyond their stated denominations. You could shave a bit off the edge of a coin, keep the clipped-off piece for yourself, and use the almost-complete coin in a subsequent transaction… That’s the situation in which [Sir Isaac] Newton found himself as the 1600s came to a close: coin clipping had created a culture of counterfeiting. Curtail coin clipping and you’d stem the tide.” – NowIKnow.com

The mystery of the “Millionaire Hermit” –> “He spent years scrimping and saving. But without a will, where’s his money going?”

This philosophy of The Mindful Explorer –> “I have forced myself to live smaller, earn less and own less as I reached FI and must choose between not working and working. By having to work I can not do all the volunteer work that I do in my community, thus I tell myself others will not be doing as well if I act selfishly with my time. My time should be for doing good, not for making money to spend on myself.”

And this excellent reminder by English novelist, George Eliot –> “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

Happy becoming!

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Morning!

Here are all the things I wrote about, enjoyed, and learned over this last awesome week… Would love to hear about anything you’ve come across too! :)

Things we talked about on BudgetsAreSexy:

• The 6 ways to avoid The Diderot Effect
• The idea of using rental properties to fund your kids’ college tuition
• This poem I wrote up after doing something I’m deeply ashamed of ;)
• A bunch of great money #wins from our community
• And our final decision on the 15 vs 30 year mortgage debate

Things I enjoyed from around the web:

This idea of reading with friends –> “For the most part, I’ve stopped reading books alone. If I’m going to invest 10-20 hours in a book, I might as well spend an extra 2-3 hours recruiting a friend to read the same book so that we can discuss it at the end. Book clubs and 1-on-1 conversations both work and so far, it’s been a success: my reading retention has skyrocketed.” – David Perell

This announcement about Amazon! –> “Beginning in July, Kohl’s will take back items you’ve ordered from Amazon and want to return for a refund. You don’t need to pack them up in a box, either; the retailer will handle all aspects of shipping and get the items back to one of Amazon’s return centers on your behalf.”
– TheVerge.com

This note about 529s –> “529 plans offer a special exemption for scholarships. If your child earns a scholarship, you are able to withdraw the amount of the scholarship without paying the penalty.” – TheBalance.com

This hack on staying productive –> “If you’re struggling to get yourself to do the vital, difference-making tasks on your list, work like the client is You in Two Years. Why two years? Two years is enough time for a few big, valuable projects to completely change your life, if you work on them like a high-value professional. It’s also a short enough period that you could completely squander it without really noticing. You can easily picture the two corresponding versions of You in Two Years.” – Raptitude

This backstory on a new blogger I came across –> “I am the son of immigrants who came to the United States of America all the way from Ethiopia. My parents came to this country with nothing to their name. I learned from them the value of hard work and the continuous need to learn and stay educated.”
– HabeshaFinance.com

This random exchange I had with Kathy Ireland (!) –> Twitter Convo

And this excellent reminder from The Minimalists –> “A rolex will never buy you more time.”

Happy weekend, everyone!

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Happy Easter, everyone!

Will keep this nice and short, but still stuffed with goodies for your viewing pleasure over the weekend :)

Here are the fun things we discussed on the blog this week:

• Things I overheard at the coffee shop
• 4 questions to ask before you buy that next “thing”
• An in-depth guide on how to sell a coin collection!
• Adding life events to your net worth tracking
• And a reminder that no one can take away any of your achievements

And here are the nuggets I enjoyed from around the web:

• This woman who volunteered at over 200 food banks
• This dumpster diver who makes thousands of dollars/year!
• This “Packing Party” idea from The Minimalists
• These people who still have AOL accounts ;)
• This look at Hilton’s “firsts” over the past 100 years
• This reminder that we’re all dealt certain cards in life
• This day trader who made a regrettable decision in the middle of the night, lol…
• And this list of LGBTQ personal finance bloggers and creators the Debt Free Guys just put together

Blessed weekend!

*Design up top by Nicolas Raymond

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Well that was a fast week!

Here are all the things we talked about on the blog this week:

• Whether a 15 year or 30 year mortgage is better? (Which do you have??)
• A new $$$ book we’re giving away two (signed) copies of: “Broke Millennial Takes on Investing” by Erin Lowry
• My favorite obscure $$$ quotes from bloggers and rappers
• This surefire plan on how NOT to retire anytime soon…
• And a fun quiz to see if you’re an asset or a liability to your state ;)

If none of that whets your whistle this morning, try on one of these below!

******

Articles I enjoyed from around the web:

This interview by David Cain –> An Interview With The Man // “Millions of people work for The Man, and many complain about his managerial practices and his indifference to the plight of workers. I sat down with him to get his side of the story, and he was very candid.”

These thoughts on risk –> “Risk is the currency of life. NOT MONEY. If you want a BIG life, you pay for it with big risks other people are afraid to take. With everything you want, ask: what is the extra risk I am willing to take?” – @jaltucher

This new cereal for adults! –> “On April 9, 2019, Magic Spoon launched “childlike cereal for adults.” All four flavors (Fruity, Cinnamon, Cocoa, and Frosted) are not only seriously yummy, they’re also high in protein but low on carbs and calories.”
– Business Insider

This interesting way of covering your tuition –> College Grads Sell Stakes in Themselves to Wall Street // “To pay for college, Amy Wroblewski sold a piece of her future. Every month, for eight-and-a-half years, she must turn over a set percentage of her salary to investors.”

These dangers of sending handwritten thank you notes –> Should You Send A Handwritten Or Email Thank You Note After An Interview? (A great follow up to the previous post on how important it is to send thank you notes in the first place (can cost you that dream job if you don’t do it!!))

This caution about overextending yourself (!!) –> 50 Cent Sells Massive Connecticut Mansion After 12 Years for an 84 Percent Loss

And this snapshot from one of my favorite coin magazines:

Happy weekend!

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Morning friends!

Who’s up for some early morning stats?! :)

A report just came out by WalletHub on the most financially literate – and least financially literate – states, and I was proud to see two of those I’ve called home over recent years land in the top 6.

How about yours?

The Most Financially Literate States:

1. Virginia <— Aww yeahh!
2. Utah
3. New Hampshire
4. New Jersey
5. Minnesota
6. Maryland <– BOOM
7. Maine
8. Colorado
9. North Dakota
10. New York

The Least Financially Literate States:

42. Rhode Island
43. South Dakota
44. Hawaii
45. Kentucky
46. Oklahoma
47. New Mexico
48. Delaware
49. Mississippi
50. Alaska
51. Louisiana

If yours landed in the bottom pile there, time to forward this newsletter around to everyone you know!!! ;) Details on the metrics used can be found here.

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Articles I wrote this week:

MONDAY: Net Worth Report #134: $886,776.74 [+$8,778.54] — This month’s net worth report along with the rhymes and reasons behind it… Although much less rhyming than reasoning I’m afraid… (I like big budgets and I cannot lie! You other debtors out there can’t deny! Woop!)

TUESDAY: An idiot’s guide to money: Stop being broke, start building wealth — A free ebook someone came out with in hopes of inspiring others // “In 2014 my life imploded. I was renting a room I couldn’t afford, working two jobs and nursing a really serious cocaine habit. I lost pretty much everything and had to start from scratch.”

WEDNESDAY:  Happy Money vs Unhappy Money — A Marie Kondo’esque way of looking at your money ;) // “Happy Money makes people smile and feel loved and cared for deeply… It is in many ways an active form of love… Conversely, Unhappy Money is the kind of money you use begrudgingly… Money circulated in frustration, anger, sadness, and despair is Unhappy Money.”

THURSDAY: 12 Excellent Money Hacks For Ya — A bunch of notes people have shot me in recent months to better help them speed up their savings.

FRIDAY: How far have you come since 2012?! — If you’ve got a pen and paper handy, jot down what life/money was like in 2012 and then compare to how different/improved it is now in 2019! I bet you’ll be amazed at how much things have changed!

******

Things I enjoyed around the web this week:

This list of calculators! –> The Ultimate Directory of FIRE Calculators

This road trip idea :) –> Meet the Curiosity-Seekers and Die-Hards at the Last True Blockbuster

This interview with the granddaughter of Roy Disney –> What It’s Like to Grow Up With More Money Than You’ll Ever Spend (Hat tip to Blair P for passing this over to me and highlighting one of the best lines in it: “You are who you are and the least important thing about you is what you have.”)

This scavenger hunt in your change! –> GreatAmericanCoinHunt.com // “The Great American Coin Hunt is a plan for hundreds of coin dealers and collectors to drop an enormous quantity of vintage and collectible coins back into circulation. Here is your chance to dig through your change and find coins that have not been in circulation for decades! From Indian and wheat cents, to buffalo nickels, to Ike dollars, silver certificates, five and ten dollar blue and red seals will be spent at restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores from April 21, 2019 to April 27 2019.”

This new toilet paper ;) –> Charmin ‘Forever Roll’ toilet paper can unravel to equal height of the Washington Monument // “This 2-pound roll is said to last up to one month (depending on the user, of course) and consists of 1,700 two-ply ultra soft sheets. Laid out flat, it measures 555 feet — as tall as the Washington Monument.”

This reasoning for moving into a 665 sq ft portable cabin –> Our Story // “When the world turns upside down, things shake loose. Curiously, after the dust settles and you take a look around, you may just find that those things that were falling fast, needed to go anyway.”

And this site I hope is a joke but is probably not ;) –> SchoolofAffluence.com // “You will learn: How to enter the elite circles ▸ How to fit into the high-society ▸ How to look like an affluent woman ▸ How to make wealthy connections ▸ How to find a rich man ▸ How to get a life full of extravagance”

Happy schooling!

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