Morning!

This week I’ve been obsessing over two big things: 1) finding a way to convince my wife to let us keep renting instead of buying a home again (see blog post articles below!), and 2) trying to be better about remembering peoples names.

So far it’s a big fail on that first one, haha, however I’m proud to say that the second one has seen some major progress.

I REMEMBERED *THREE* PEOPLES’ NAMES THIS WEEK!

And apparently I’m not the only one who sucks at this as one post on Twitter and the internet almost breaks, haha… But as Dale Carnegie liked to say, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” And plus – it’s just a nice thing to remember as a human :)

Hope you find this, and everything below, helpful!

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Articles I wrote on The Budgets:

MONDAY: Net Worth Update #133: $877,998.20 [+$29,332.73] — part of our Net Worth Series where we show a real-life snapshot of money (my money!) in hopes it helps put more perspective around this stuff…

TUESDAY: My wife is itching to own a home again (!!!) — As we approach our upcoming move back to the greatest state in the nation this summer (Virginia is for lovers!), my wife’s hints of revisiting home ownership again are getting harder and harder to ignore…

WEDNESDAY: Excellent home searching advice, especially for first time buyers… — If you’re new to the home buying process, or dipping your toes back into it again after some time off like us, this is for you.

THURSDAY: Advice From a Coffee Mug ☕ — If you never thought your mug could change your life, think again ;)

FRIDAY: Where are you on your path to Financial Independence? Take this test. — Answer 20 super easy questions, and it’ll spit out your rank and where you stand in your journey towards financial freedom right now :)

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Places I was featured this week:

Business Insider: 7 money habits that have a high rate of return — This is an oldie from my blog, but still jam packed with nuggets that’s sure to excite any wallet out there ;) Habit #6 is is my favorite.

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Things I enjoyed around the web:

This personal finance tip from Nicki Minaj –> “Don’t spend your tax refund”

This mega way of paying it forward –> D.C. restaurant feeds the poor and homeless every single day // “This immigrant-owned restaurant in Washington, D.C. just blocks from the White House feeds the homeless and poor every single day as if they were full paying customers, no questions asked.”

This idea on limiting phone use –> “We are trying a new routine at our house from now on. We are putting the phones in a kitchen drawer from the time we both get home from work until the baby goes down for bed. Once the baby is secured, the phones can come back out.” – Ramp Capital LLC

This wild fact about $100 bills! –> There are more $100 bills in circulation than $1 bills, and it makes no cents // bonus point for the pun!

This backstory on Justin Bieber’s mom –> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattie_Mallette // don’t ask me why I was googling that, haha…

These random invention facts –> “It took 50 years after the invention of canned food for someone to invent the can opener. And we put a man on the moon before we put wheels on suitcases. How is that possible? The can opener had to wait for thinner cans: early tins were too hefty to submit to anything less than a chisel. In the case of wheeled luggage, the barrier may have been social acceptance. Luckily Robert Plath, who patented the two-wheeled Rollaboard in 1991, was a Boeing 747 pilot with Northwest Airlines, who began selling his invention to other pilots and crew. When passengers began asking to buy them, he started the Travelpro company.” – Rory Sutherland via David Perell’s newsletter

This children’s book my boys and I are obsessed with –> “Little Pea” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

(Links to Amazon page // affiliate link)

And this beautiful love a mother in our community has for her son who was recently diagnosed with cancer –> “just came out of hospital bathroom after shaving my head again… His eyes light up.. he says “MAMA! They gave you the medicine so your hair doesn’t grow!!!” I said yep…He reaches for me.. hugs me..Pulls me back to smile at me and says “I love you mama” and gives me a big fat kiss on the lips… This is what I live for. To make that boy smile and show him I care and now I’m crying in the bathroom.” – @FrugalPharm

Every day really is a blessing,

* Subject line adapted from a quote by Rear Admiral, Robert C. Lee

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Morning, beautifuls!

A fresh new month with fresh new goals to hit! Anyone beat me to it this morning and already update their ol’ net worth?? ;)

If so, enter e-high five here.

For everyone else, let’s move, baby! Tracking it is one of the best things you can do for your money, besides earn it! And I’ll be reporting back on my own come Monday, which will make the 133rd month in a row and quite literally 28% of my life, haha… Guess there could be worse habits to have though?

My favorite reads from the week, as well as everything I wrote on BudgetsAreSexy, are below… There were some zingers this week!

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Articles I wrote:

MONDAY: The average 401(k) balance by age — Which almost broke my site this week! Apparently it got featured on Chrome’s “recommended articles” list and gave me the highest day of page views since the site’s creation (40,000). It was a good post, but not sure it was that good!

TUESDAY: A Saver Checklist + Tips! — The perfect way to celebrate “America Saves Week!” See how many things you can cross off this checklist (I hit 12 of 15), and then scroll to the end to learn about a $750 giveaway going on for anyone who pledges to save throughout the year.

WEDNESDAY: Would you give up sex for a year in exchange for a free year of college tuition? — What about if it’s for your kids?? What about if it erased a year’s worth of *student loan DEBT?* :) We do an unofficial poll on the site, and then test our fortitude whether or not we could actually pull it off, haha…

THURSDAY: Obscure financial holidays to mark on your calendar :) — A bunch of great – unknown – holidays that are actually GOOD for your budget!! Like “Library lovers Day” (2/14) and “National Thrift Shop Day!” (8/17)

FRIDAY: Favorite articles from around the web this month ✨ — Basically a roundup exactly like this newsletter here, only the best from the *month* of which you’ve already mostly seen ;)

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Things I enjoyed from around the web:

This nerdy FIRE calculator –> Will My Money Survive Early Retirement? // “It helps to answer the question: If I start out with $X dollars at the beginning of my retirement, will I run out of money before I die?”

This idea for all website owners –> How to Make Your Website Carbon Neutral (BTW, it’s Really Easy) // “Every time someone visits your website a server somewhere needs power. More often than not that power comes from a “dirty” electricity source. Websites now produce a huge chunk of global greenhouse gasses.”

This research on happiness –> Happiness research shows the biggest obstacle to creativity is being too busy // “Simply put, creativity happens when your mind is unfocused, daydreaming or idle. (This is why we have so many “aha” moments in the shower.)”

This brilliant investor you’ve never heard of before –> An Optometrist Who Beat The Odds To Become A Billionaire

This fundraising idea –> Church Raises $100K Through Month-Long Fast So They Can Pay Off Student Debt for 34 Grads

This thief who gives all coin collectors nightmares! ;) –> Man Stole $33,000 of Rare Coins And Cashed Them In At Coin Star For $29.30

This perspective on social media by a photographer –> Why I Deleted All of My Social Media and 60,000 Followers

And this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson –> “The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”

Happy stretching,

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Morning!

Did you see that the Mint has partnered with Oreos to create the new Double-Stuf Quarters? Yum yum! Haha… And in other fiscally fun news, The Tooth Fairy is now giving kids an average of $3.70 a tooth, even though that tooth didn’t do a thing to earn it! ;)

More on The TF, and other interesting stufs around the web, below…

Happy Friday!

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Articles I wrote this week:

MONDAY: Stats That Would Make Our Founding Fathers Cringe — Includes such gems like, “Two-thirds of pet parents would buy a portrait, blanket or article of clothing with their dogs face on it” and “Nearly 1 in 3 Americans think “Bigfoot” being real is more likely than retiring comfortably.”

TUESDAY: 17 Hacks to Reach FIRE Faster — Includes a number of clever ideas like the “uniform” hack, the “punishment” hack, the “free yoga” hack, and the ever popular “why I can’t go out to lunch with you” hack!

WEDNESDAY: Some good resources on the blog to bookmark ⭐ — Reminders of all the awesome stuff on my blog since no one looks at menus or sidebars anymore :)

THURSDAY: When was the last time you really treated yourself? — My take on an article about a CEO who grants 10 of his employees’ wishes each year instead of year-end bonuses. (Spoiler alert: you can be your own CEO Fairy!!)

FRIDAY: Tooth Fairy payouts plunges for a 2nd consecutive year 🧚‍♀️ — According to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll® by Delta Dental, average monetary payouts are down $0.43 from last year, bringing the current rate to $3.70 per lost tooth. And even more interesting than that, the stats have been mirroring the movement of Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) for 14 of the past 17 years!

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Other things I enjoyed around the web:

This 46 page (free) e-book by David Cain –> On Becoming an Individual (or HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD) // A great, quick, read with a cup of coffee or tea in hand… Touches on three main areas: why people live up to only a fraction of their capabilities, why people usually end up serving the desires of other more focused people, and how to plan an exceptional life that defies what’s “normal.”

This 1 min video on how Shaq chooses partnerships –> Why Shaq Turned Down Wheaties (I do the same thing with all my projects!)

This problem to solve before you die ;) –> The Weird Rise of Cyber Funerals // “When more and more of our lives are lived online – from tweets to dating profile and even medical information – how we dispose of that personal data matters, arguably more than what happens to our physical body. That corpse will decompose over time… but our digital legacies could last forever.”

This advice by Austin Kleon –> Love What You Do in Front of The Kids in Your Life // “You can’t tell kids anything. Kids want to be like adults. They want to do what the adults are doing. You have to let them see adults behaving like the whole, human beings you’d like them to be.”

This take on budgeting –> Welcome To The Wish Farm! // “After budgeting for obligations and fully considering and saving for True Expenses, it’s all about the Wish List. Budgeting becomes a wish farm and the harvest is rich!”

This idea about sleep –> “Legend says that when you can’t sleep, it’s because you’re awake in someone’s dream.”

And these thoughts by Derek Halpern –> “I’ve come to realize that nobody ever remembers what you say on social media… They remember how you make them feel. And if you make them feel great, under a unified theme, they’ll remember the theme.”

Happy themed weekend :)

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Morning, y’all!

My wife stumbled across a bunch of old emails I sent her a decade ago, and apparently my strategy of woo’ing her was slipping in jokes ;)

It worked! So I thought I’d re-share some of them here in case they turn your heart on too…

XOXO

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Four fonts walk into a bar…
The bartender says “Get out! We don’t want your type in here”.

A guy went to a psychiatrist. “Doc,” he said, “I keep having these alternating recurring dreams. First I’m a teepee, then I’m a wigwam, then I’m a teepee, and then I’m a wigwam. It’s driving me crazy. What’s wrong with me?” The doctor replied, “It’s very simple. You’re two tents.”

A duck walks into a bar and asks, “Got any grapes?” The bartender, confused, tells the duck no. The duck thanks him and leaves. The next day, the duck returns and asks, “Got any grapes?” Again, the bartender tells him, “No — the bar does not serve grapes, has never served grapes and, furthermore, will never serve grapes.” The duck thanks him and leaves. The next day, the duck returns, but before he can say anything, the bartender yells, “Listen, duck! This is a bar! We do not serve grapes! If you ask for grapes again, I will nail your stupid duck beak to the bar!” The duck is silent for a moment, and then asks, “Got any nails?” Confused, the bartender says no. “Good!” says the duck. “Got any grapes?”

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Articles I wrote this week:

MONDAY: Hack #1308: Put yourself in situations where you can’t even spend if you wanted to! — Here are 8 ways to hide money from yourself if your spending has gotten out of control!

TUESDAY: New Book (and Giveaway): “Work Optional” by Tanja Hester of OurNextLife.com — Another book by a blogger got released this week! Be sure to stop by and congratulate Tanja if you know her, or answer the question at the end of the post for a chance to win one of TWO FREE COPIES we’re giving away.

WEDNESDAY: Model Ts and Immoral Debts — Where I learned Henry Ford was massively against personal debt! And that you can still buy (working) Model Ts!

THURSDAY: You’re Hot, But Your Finances Are Not! — A Valentine’s reminder of how important it is to stay away from STDs… Sexually Transmitted Debt ® ;) (Yes, that’s actually trademarked! By a friend in our community even! –> Valerie Rind)

FRIDAY: How to Get Health, Wealth and Comfort… in 1890 — Some fun passages from a 100 year old pamphlet I stumbled across recently…. (and why you should never live in the city unless you want your kids to have “thin hair, saucer-like eyes, sunken cheeks, and emaciated arms and legs” – hah!)

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Things I enjoyed from around the web:

This short (economic) story by Collaborative Fund –> “If you fell asleep in 1945 and woke up in 2018 you would not recognize the world around you.”

This experiment by David Perell –> “For days or weeks at a time, I will escape the present moment and only consume content published in a different decade. For example, if I want to learn about the 1970s, all my media consumption will consist of books, videos, and interviews published in the 1970s. By doing so, I’ll embody the mindset of people in a bygone era and gain new perspectives on the here and now.”

This idea of writing letters to CEOs –> “I realized something scary a couple of years ago: There is no way I could ever act on all the ideas I’ve scribbled in notebooks, even if I live to be 100. That’s why I decided to freely give away ideas for new products, marketing strategies and businesses.”

This mixed media and street artist –> Amberella

This coin collector… who’s blind! –> BlindCoinCollector.com

What happens when you mistype gmail .com –> https://gail.com/

This reminder by Uncle Buffett –> “If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don’t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.”

And this definition of “The True Gentlemen” by John Walter Wayland, circa 1899 –> “The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.”

Virtuous weekend, everyone.

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Morning, friends!

Hope that $$$/family/career is going well for you over there! Spent some extra time with the wee one this week [look how happy he is!] and always reminds me of how precious life is… As well as how *little* we actually need to be happy :)

Of course, that didn’t stop me from buying a few extra “wants” for myself this week, haha, but that’s only because I made a small windfall when I randomly sold a domain I’ve been sitting on for years [CreditCardWars.com].  I was pretty proud of myself for negotiating a $1,000+ deal up from $100, but then again maybe he got the best of me when it turns into a multi-million dollar enterprise! Haha…

Time will tell, but in the meantime – check out some of these articles from around the web this week, as well as those I’ve spent over 20 hours on myself :) 100% free knowledge with just a click of a mouse!

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Articles I wrote this week on:

MONDAY: Net Worth Update: $848,665.47 [Surprise Increase of $57,000?!] — Our 132nd monthly net worth report! And apparently the best January for the markets in 30 years too?!

TUESDAY: New Book Out (and Giveaway): “Financial Freedom” by Grant Sabatier of MillennialMoney.com — Answer the question at the end for a chance to win a *free* copy of Grant’s new book that just hit the shelves!

WEDNESDAY: Which “tendency” are you? — Take the quiz and see if you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel in life. You might be surprised! :)

THURSDAY: My new favorite charity right now –> Breadcoin — Had to re-share this again because I’m just so OBSESSED with them! Love the idea of handing out tokens instead of cash!

FRIDAY: How I Stopped Sabotaging My Own Financial Independence — A guest post from ThePieceofThePie.com who stops by to share her financial journey over the past 10 years 💪💪

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An interview I did:

GreenbacksMagnet.com: A Look Behind the Man and the Mohawk: An Interview with Budgets are Sexy [no longer live]— Where I answer questions like “what’s one thing people may not know about me,” “What great piece of art, song, film, book, etc would I steal credit for if I could,” “What my autobiography would be called”, and my personal favorite – “Which animal would make the best type of president if the animal kingdom ever rises up and takes over” haha…

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Other gems I enjoyed this week:

This Museum of American Finance! –> “The nation’s only independent museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting and teaching about American finance and financial history.” – moaf.org

This journaling method, done entirely through *email* –> ahhlife.com

This musician who hid a secret song in her videos –> Dodie Clark [youtube]

This 2 min. video by Bill Gates –> “There are few things I love talking about more than toilets.”

And this quote by American novelist, Anne Lamott –> “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Happy unplugging,

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