Good morning!

I survived FinCon!

Here are a bunch of pretty pics to prove it :)

Me and the incomparable Trip of a Lifestyle duo – Steven and Lauren. Who both retired at 29 and now travel the country and wherever they want! Been enjoying their blog for a few years now so was super excited to meet them in real life. And for all those who remember Money Mozart back in the day, that’s Chris Muller in the background photobombing us!

Me and my homeboy/roommate/business partner, Nate St. Pierre. Gotta love his tee he custom created, lol…

Me and Jeff from Homo Money on the left / Tom from The Frugal Gay on the right who BOTH brought home Plutus Award trophies making them officially award winners now!! Jeff took home Best New Personal Finance Blog and Tom won Best Real Estate Content for his Twitter account.

Dawned on me that they’re both also CLIENTS of my blog coaching services (which inspired this pic!), so either a) I’m super blessed to have amazing clients – OR – b) they became amazing from a little J. Money sprinkling, haha… But let’s definitely say it’s the former as they were already on their way ;) I only aim to ELEVATE!!! Congrats guys!

Nate all gussied up before our closing party… which if you know Nate you’ll now this is NOT LIKE HIM at all! Never have I seen him wear nail polish – especially pink polish! – nor rock a hat like that (it’s mine) or even *smile* for that matter 😂 But we must have caught him in a good mood, and he even went back to his 2010 roots of reminding everyone to Change The World.

And lastly, here was a shot of the pools and water slides right off our balcony… was hard to complain, that’s for sure ;) (Though I did make the mistake of sending it to my kids who were less than pleased that I came here without them!)

So as you can probably tell, I was glad I went, and somehow even managed to come back unscathed health-wise unlike my roomies who are just now finally recovering from a nasty flu a week later :(

I always wonder if it’ll be my last year there now having gone to 10 of them altogether (!), but seeing how next year’s will be in New Orleans, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop just yet ;)

There’s a killer ROTATING PIANO BAR there that I just have to re-visit again!

In the meantime though, we just keep doing our thing and seeing what the next year brings! Always makes for a great “check-in” on your business/blog/projects and you always tend to come away feeling re-motivated again…

So thanks to everyone who made it a point to stop by and say hi! And thanks to you all who continue to allow me into your lives and share my projects. Can’t do any of them without you. 🙏🙏

Favorite articles and clips from the week are down below, and will be back again next week for another fresh report…

Your (grateful) friend in finance,

 

Posts on Budgets this week:

This week was a full week of giveaways! Which all ended at the end of each day, but there’s still one last one live right now that ends at 5pm EST if you’re interested… Today we’re giving away a coin collecting package, a handful of financial greeting cards, some killer Vanguard mugs!, and a “Love and Money” course and books…

Click here or the picture below to enter for any of them:

PS: to get Budgets Are Sexy posts in your inbox the day they come out, subscribe to the newsletter here.

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Favorite Reads Around The Community:

The Best Personal Finance Books for Every Stage of Your Money Journey @ Rich Frugal Life – “Since discovering the FIRE movement in late 2018, I’ve read dozens of personal finance books and hundreds of blog posts. Here are my picks for the best personal finance books for the different stages of your money journey…”

We Didn’t Start The FIRE: The True History of Financial Independence @ Get Rich Slowly — “Who started the FIRE movement? Who “invented” financial independence? Who first came up with the concept? Today, using my collection of old money books, let’s take a look at where the notion of financial independence originated.”

The Surprising Inspiration to Declutter I Found At the Museum @ No Sidebar – “If I could live for 1000 years, what would I keep? When I am gone, what do I want archaeologists to learn about me from my stuff? What about you?”

The “No Risk” Portfolio: Stock Upside Exposure with 100% Money Back Guarantee @ My Money Blog – “Insurance companies already sell complicated equity-indexed annuities that extend a form of this “no principal loss” to investing. But why not apply it to DIY investing?”

A Humanistic Concept of Net Worth @ Douglas Tsoi – “Here’s the truth: a person’s financial net worth has little to do with their human net worth. It says nothing about their resilience, their depth or their happiness. It does not define their participation in community or their generosity. Financial net worth is an advantage that some leverage for good and others flaunt or squander or worse.”

Do You Rent Or Own Your Job? @ Financial Panther – “You can rent a job. Or you can own a job. It’s not easy to own a job. And there’s nothing necessarily wrong with renting a job either. But for me, owning a job is the way I’d rather do it. If I’m going to have to work, I’d rather work at a job I made for myself, even if it means I have to take all the risks.”

Forgotten Treasures: The Stranger Things People Leave in Library Books @ Euro News – “The documents left in between book pages range from the tantalizing to the mundane: bookmarks of children’s art, Christmas snapshots, family photos, weekend to-do lists, letters written but never sent and notes from lovers.  Each of them offers a snapshot of the life of the person who left it there.”

The Case for Timeshares – Who Should Buy @ Financial Success MD — “Not everyone should consider owning a timeshare. Meeting the following criteria first is crucial to becoming a happy timeshare owner. Those who do not meet these criteria, however, should not acquire a timeshare at any price, not even if it is free, because they will be unhappy.”

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Timeshares get a lot of bad press, and rightfully so, but there *are* people who thrive off them and absolutely love them! One of these is Dr. Cory S. Fawcett who I finally got to meet in person at Fincon this week, and who just came out with a book on the very topic: A Guide to Loving Your Timeshare: How to Get the Most for Your Money in Family Fun and Experiences. They may not be for everyone, but for some they can be great! And Fawcett has been taking advantage of them for over 20 years now…]

[Links to book are Amazon affiliate links]

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News Around The Community:

Some interesting news that caught my eye this week…

• Financial Mechanic just quit her job!
• Fiery Millennials got a promotion and a raise
• Julie B. Rose celebrates 2 years as a nomad

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Clips From The Community:

Some interesting passages that caught my eye this week…

• “Every hour you spend exercising is likely to give you six to eight hours of additional healthy life.  There is no other lifestyle change that even comes close.” – Of Dollars and Data
• “Some luxuries won’t make your life any better, but losing them after having experienced them will certainly make your life worse.” – Nassim Taleb (via Young Money)
• “Working such long hours is not good for your health. In fact the Japanese government recognise that more than 80 hours a month overtime can lead to certain risks. What are these risks? Well, you know. Just working yourself to death or Karoshi as the Japanese call it. In 2017, Miwa Sado (31) died according to a labour standards office, as a result from overworking. This is Karoshi. Death by overworking.  In the lead up to her untimely death from heart failure, Miwa logged over 159 hours overtime in the prior month of work.” – Foundered
• “Petrichor”. It means: a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. – 5AM Joel

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Video of The Week:

Money Advice from Financial Experts (FinCon Money Nerds) by Jason Brown via YouTube — “I was blessed with the opportunity to attend FinCon 22 in Orlando, Florida, which is affectionately dubbed as the place where “Money Nerds Unite.” Since I was surrounded by nearly 2,000 so-called nerds (who I consider financial experts in their chosen genre) I thought it would be an intriguing idea to walk around the conference asking people the BEST and WORST financial advice they’ve ever heard. There’s a lot of wisdom in these responses. Hope you learn something… I know I did!”

Lots of people you’ll recognize in this! Including *myself* who kicks off the series with some financial tips (along with my grovely voice which I’m about to lose after days of talking non-stop!). Thx for having me on, Jason!

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And that’s it for this week!

Hit reply and tell me what you’ve been up to!

 

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Morning, friends!

Getting into anything good this holiday weekend? Any juicy biz or financial things poppin’ off?

No luck w/ our Big Idea we pitched that company the other week, but FinCon is around the corner so we’ll see if we can snag any good ears with a hefty stockpile of cash that wants to be invested… It’ll be my first time back to the conference in three years too, so I’m excited to see everyone live and in person!

It’ll also be the first time away from my family for more than a minute, so will have to make sure I don’t get too carried away and revert to my old partying ways, lol…  Ya know, since Covid is still around and my forever disease is always looking to take me down. 🙃

My mom hates it that I’m about to hop on a plane and “risk it all”, but I feel like if I don’t I might as well just crawl back into my bed and wish for the days to pass again. Or maybe something a bit less dramatic, but either way I just need to leave the nest and live a little…

So, sorry Mom – I’m going! But I love you to pieces!

And if anyone else is going, make sure to snag me in the halls so we can catch up!! You can then report back to my mother that her good son is behaving (and lie if I’m not!).

Favorite articles and snippets from the community posted below… Not sure if I’ll get to next week’s newsletter due to the aforementioned festivities, but if not I’ll be sure to hit you upon my return.

Have a great weekend over there! Hope you can get into something thrilling too!

Your friend who’s risking it all,

// Photo up top from FinCon 2012!

Posts on Budgets this week:

Life and Fines of the 1940s — Did you know that it was once illegal in our city to dance from 2am-8am during the week? Or you weren’t allowed to work on Sundays?! Check out what it was like to live in the 1940s as well as what happens if you dare mess with the law ;)

How Do You Deal With Financial Loss? — Here are 3 tricks I use to help myself get over financial pain and loss… It doesn’t take away the entire sting, but it does get me through!

PS: to get these in your inbox the day they come out, subscribe to the Budgets Are Sexy newsletter

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Favorite reads from the community:

Why I’m Appreciating FI More Than Ever Now @ Mad Fientist — “I’m ridiculously pleased to tell you that there is now a Mad Fientist Jr. :) He arrived on July 14th and Jill and I are both over the moon! I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated what FI provides more than I do now.”

The Health Work Love Play Dashboard @ Brewing FIRE – “Here’s your homework assignment. Go fill out the Health Work Love Play Dashboard for your life as it currently stands. Then think about the improvements you can make right now, over the next few weeks, and long-term.”

Some Things I Like and Don’t Like About Student Loan Forgiveness @ A Wealth of Common Sense – “I don’t like rich old people complaining about young people getting handouts.  Rich old people have been getting tax cuts for decades. They’ve been getting handouts for years.  Give me a break.”

The #1 Best Way To Track Credit Card Rewards @ Route To Retire – “Although my spreadsheet is extremely useful, you still need to remember to go into it to stay on top of things. With Travel Freely, you get emails as needed along the way. This can ensure that you don’t miss bonus deadlines, annual fee alerts, or opportunities to really crush the travel rewards.”

17 Business Ideas Free for the Taking! @ Side Hustle Nation – “Today we’re giving away a bunch of business ideas, and to help me do it is Steve Chou. In this one, we go back and forth brainstorming some ideas that we think should exist in the world.  Here are 17 business ideas we came up with that you’re welcome to take for free and run with!”

A Workbook on the Kind of Bullsh*t You Need to Do When Someone You Love Dies @ ms-demeanor – “This is an eighteen page book that you can print out, download, share, and give away; it is meant to be used to collect information about funeral planning and account management after a death OR you can use it BEFORE you die and give people information so they’re not stuck playing Nancy F*cking Drew…”

Why You Should Never Retire @ Can I Retire Yet? – “I recently received an anonymous email from someone who identified themself as a 70+ year-old long-time blog reader who is well past the point of financial independence. I challenged him to explore what was behind some of his sentiments. In turn, he challenged some of my deeply held beliefs.”

PrepperFI 2022: Taking Control of Your Future Beyond Just Money @ Women’s Personal Finance – “There is an interesting subset of people in the financial independence movement, and I guess I’m one of them. I’m going to call them the financial independence PREPPERS. The folks endeavoring at PrepperFI.  You’ve heard of preppers. You’ve probably seen some tv shows. They probably seem a little cooky at times.”

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News from the community:

Some interesting news that caught my eyes this week…

• A Purple Life celebrates 1 year of running
• Frugalwoods buys a brand new car (*gasp*)
• Karen Trefzger revises her popular book, A MINIMALIST HOLIDAY: Simplify Your Celebration for More Meaning and Joy*

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New Merch on PF Swagger!

It’s been a hot minute, but I’ve added up some new merch over at PF Swagger that I thought was dope. It comes from fellow blogger, Financial Common Cents, who provides “educational tools to assist individuals with practicing better financial habits, with a focus on budgeting, saving, debt management, and rebuilding and repairing your credit… using Financial Common Cents.” That’s her mission statement anyways. I much prefer her motto “Bad Girl, Good Credit” ;)

(This is the same person behind that credit score rap video we featured a couple of weeks ago too – full of spunk, that one!)

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And that’s it for this week!

Cause some good trouble out there, but keep that credit on lock! 💪💪

 

*Link to book is an Amazon affiliate link

 

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Good morning!

In a world where you can be anything, be kind :)

(Don’t you love that quote???)

I’ve been coming across all kinds of reminders like this this week, so thought I would take it as a sign to keep passing on the good word…

As you get into the weekend, be sure to keep all of these in mind for your human-kind! (see what I did there??? Someone stop me!!)

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“Give at least one sincere compliment every day. The only thing people remember about you is how you made them feel.”

– A Teachable Moment

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“Being nice is an investment.

Being mean is an expense.”

– Carl Richards

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“Be kind — everyone is in a battle… All judgments are incomplete. We never know the full story. So be kind. Cut those around you much slack. It is hard getting through life. Others look like they are skating effortlessly but they, like you and me struggle with all kinds of things that are concealed. So be kind. Don’t bear a grudge. Don’t keep score. Give people around you the benefit of the doubt. Wag more, bark less.” – Russ Roberts

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And always remember, it costs nothing to be kind :)

Favorite posts, and snippets, from the week are collected below for your enjoyment…

Hope they give you a little extra inspiration today 🙏

Posts on Budgets this week:

I did surveys for money (and I liked it!) — AmeriSpeak got me hooked and now addicted to sharing my opinions for rewards! (Imagine that, a blogger who likes sharing opinions, lol…)

Going After Uncollected Judgment Money! (Side Hustle Idea #85) — In which an investor reaches out to help me recover long lost money owed from a lawsuit settlement I won years ago… Always some way to earn money out there! You can even make stuff up out of thin air like this guy! :)

PS: to get these in your inbox the day they come out, subscribe to the Budgets Are Sexy newsletter

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Favorite reads from the community:

My Twelve Rules for Life @ Russ Roberts – “Learn to enjoy saying “I don’t know.”  If you enjoy saying it, you’ll say it more often. It’s not easy to enjoy — it’s definitely an acquired taste. When you’re young, it hurts to say it. As you get older, you can savor saying it. Work on enjoying it. Remember that honesty is better than posing as the expert that you’re not. Say it calmly with open eyes. Don’t look away. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” (Shout to Apex Money for this find!)

How Minimalism Saved Our Family of Seven from Financial Ruin @ Becoming Minimalist — “It’s one of the best things we have ever done for ourselves and our children. If you have been struggling with where to start, I would encourage you to pick just one category, such as your own t-shirts, and see if you can reduce the number by half. I’m so glad we did!”

38+ Life Lessons That Helped Me to Retire Early @ Accidentally Retired – “As I reflect back on my life, I can’t help but think that it all just goes by too fast.  I don’t want to live my life with regrets. When I’m 80, I want to look back at my life and know that it truly kicked ass.”

Buy Nothing Group: 10/10 @ The Frugal Girl – “Buy Nothing groups are hyper-local Facebook groups where people give things away (and also sometimes ask for stuff). The idea is to keep things out of the trash but also to keep things local. That way people aren’t having to ship stuff or drive a long way to pick up freebies. I really love my Buy Nothing group. A solid 10/10 from me!”

My Ever-Evolving Relationship With My Clothes @ Frugalwoods — “I’ve only recently realized how intertwined my clothing obsession was with my previously undiagnosed depression and anxiety. I’m starting to unravel the emotions I carried in my clothes and my appearance. It’ll probably take me the rest of my life, but I’m happy to take you along with me. So this post isn’t about money, but it is about how material things can take on too much importance in our lives. How we can define ourselves by what we own–by what we buy.”

Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Highlights (Up to $20,000) @ My Money Blog – “The big news today was that a Biden administration executive order granted a one-time forgiveness of up to $20,000 in federal student loan balances (based on income) for tens of millions of borrowers.”

What Would You Do if You Were Rich? @ Darius Foroux – “What matters is that we make our life decisions based on the lifestyle we want to have. Not based on external factors like being famous, having status, or having a certain amount of money.”

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Clips & news from the community:

Interesting clips and news that caught my eyes this week…

• Lazy Man is on an epic European Disney Cruise

• “Do whatever you want now. The past? That’s what we call our memories. The future? That’s what we call our imagination. Neither exists outside of your mind. The only real time is this moment. So live accordingly.” – Derek Sivers via DariusForoux.com

• “The Yield Shield & the Cash Cushion was what ended up saving our butts. Because we had arranged our portfolio to pay us a yield in the form of dividends and interest that, when combined with our cash cushion, was sufficient to cover out living expenses, we were able to sit confidently on the sidelines as everyone panic-sold. Not only that, when the stock market eventually rebounded, our portfolio ended up even higher than when we started.” – Millennial Revolution

• “I’ve talked about how much I love the Fitbod app since it takes a lot of thinking out of the picture for me. I just click on the “Workout” tab and it tells me what exercises I’m doing, how many sets/reps, the weight to use, etc. It all builds on my previous workouts so it’s custom to me. I love this app and probably wouldn’t be working out as religiously as I do (usually 5 days a week) if it wasn’t for Fitbod. It’s helped me grow from a novice to an intermediate and to be more confident in what I’m doing… I love it.”
  – Route To Retire

• “When you first start to study a field, it seems like you have to memorize a zillion things. You don’t. What you need is to identify the core principles – generally three to twelve of them – that govern the field. The million things you thought you had to memorize are simply various combinations of the core principles.” – Collaborative Fund

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Pic of The Week:

That’s a shot of my beer bread!! The easiest bread to make ever – just flour, sugar, and a bottle of beer 😎 Recipe can be found here (2nd pic)…  (And you can test different beers too for slightly different tastes!)

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HAPPY WEEKEND 🙌

 

 

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Morning, folks.

Today’s post is in memory of Gary Weiner, the blogger behind SuperSavingTips.com who I learned passed away earlier this week :( I didn’t know him too well, but it’s hit me pretty hard for some reason so I felt compelled to share with you.

It was always so great to see him online, and after searching my inbox I saw he’d actually been a reader – and commenter – of Budgets Are Sexy going back to 2014 (!) He left over 50 comments on the blog, and even just THIS WEEK shared an article of mine on his Twitter account days before his passing, so freaky…

One day you’re here, and the next you’re not. Did he have any idea what was to come just days after tweeting me? Would he have done anything differently if he had? What would you do if you knew your time here was ending in just a few days?!

Really makes you think… And all week I’ve been doing exactly that, trying to fast track my way to The Meaning of Life and be better about appreciating everything more :) Which I think I’m pretty good at in general, but times like this just jolts you into it, ya know?

At any rate, if you knew of Gary or read his blog (it was never super popular, but he was passionate – writing over 780 articles in the span of 8 years!), I bet his wife would appreciate it if you stopped by and dropped a note.

Here was the announcement made earlier this week: A Sad Announcement (now taken down)

Lots of great (and less morbid) articles in our round up today… Hope it all conspires together to give you a burst of inspiration!

See you around! (Unless I don’t! 😱)

Posts on Budgets this week:

Ways I Accidentally Save Money… — From cutting my own hair to daily walks to cheap “wants,” there’s a lot of areas I save money without intending too. Of course, I probably spend more in other areas too, but good to be thankful for the frugality that comes naturally to us ;)

How I Stopped Sabotaging My Own Financial Independence [Part Deux] — Monica, Pie Lady FI, stops by the blog to share an update on her personal and financial journey over the past three years. Last we heard she had crossed a net worth of $900k and was battling a few mental demons. See where she’s at now!

PS: to get these in your inbox the day they come out, subscribe to the Budgets Are Sexy newsletter

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Favorite reads from the community:

A Night on The Town @ Humble Dollar – “I have a new favorite low-cost indulgence. Elaine and I will grab a bottle of vino out of the basement and a couple of plastic cups, and then head to Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia’s iconic park. On our way we’ll pick up a couple of takeout salads or sandwiches. Then we’ll find a bench, pour a glass of wine, eat our dinner and watch the world go by.”

Can’t Take It With You @ Young Money – “”I’ll take you anywhere in the world for two weeks, name the spot.” The year was 2008, I was a few months shy of my eleventh birthday, and my grandma, Mama Ruth, had just offered me one hell of a proposition.”

Six Things I’ve Learned from the Amish About Living Intentionally @ Becoming Minimalist – “It is very rare that you will find an Amish person who is in debt. Occasionally they will take out a loan for their home, but more often they simply live with their parents until they have enough saved up to purchase their own piece of property.”

The Biggest Life Event That No One Talks About @ The Belle Curve – “Retirement is more than a transition from the daily grind to a life of leisure. It is a major turning point in our relationship with money. It requires learning a new skill; the ability to spend without feeling stress or anxiety. This is a skill set that has never before been required of human beings.”

The Love, Career and Finance Advice I’d Give to My Younger Self (From a Single Woman in Her 30s) @ Julie De Vivre – “Don’t get married just because you’re “supposed to” or because “it’s time.” Don’t choose your career on “suitability,” choose a calling. Forget the things that’ll make you look rich, invest in what truly enriches your life. Let everything you do be best for you; for now or later, and for the betterment of what really matters in this life.”

The Backyard Nursery Side Hustle: $10k a Year Selling Plants @ Side Hustle Nation  – “On one hand, today’s story is about matching your interests and skills with a hungry market, but maybe more importantly it’s about documenting your work. When you do those two things, like Craig Odem has, you start to see some fun results.”

Why Volunteerism Could Be Your Life’s Greatest Vocation @ TicTocLife – “I think that volunteerism can be the early retiree’s half-altruistic and half-selfish trick to securing purpose in their life. Maybe you’ll find your life’s calling, your vocation, along the way.”

Ben’s 4 Common Sense Rules of Investing @ A Wealth of Common Sense – “There is no single way to invest that will guarantee success or the results you would like. But there is one way to guarantee terrible results with your life savings — don’t invest your money.”

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Clips & news from the community:

Interesting clips and news that caught my eyes this week…

• Femme Frugality celebrates 11 years of blogging (and does it in a very sweet way!)

• Kara Perez was recently hospitalized and fundraising to help pay off her medical debts :(

• Athena Valentine got engaged!

• “Did you know that foreigners can “buy” visa status in the United States and dozens of other countries? Referred to as “golden visas,” these countries offer citizenship in exchange for investment. Unfortunately, the price is on the steep side in almost every country. But if you have the funds and a great desire to live in a foreign country, obtaining a golden visa may be the best way to do it.” – Wallet Hacks

• “Housing is the key to reversing a lot of terrible systemic problems: affordable housing reduces intergenerational poverty. It increases economic mobility. It’s the most cost-effective strategy for reducing childhood poverty. Kids living in stable, affordable housing are more likely to thrive in school and earn more as adults. It narrows the racial wealth gap. But let’s say you don’t give a damn about the quality of life of The Poors™. Much like an increased minimum wage, greater access to affordable housing would be fantastic for the country’s precious economy too.” – Bitches Get Riches

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Video of The Week:

“Credit Game”… Watch Those Scores Go UP! via Financial Common Cents – “I don’t only teach you the rules to this game called “Credit”….BUT I TEACH YOU HOW TO WIN!!!”

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God bless you.

 

 

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Good morning!

Hope you all are having a good week! Just chillin’ over here, nothing too exciting or juicy to report which is kind of refreshing every now and then :) Time for the body (and mind) to re-energize and “just be.”

Though I did pitch a fun “out there” idea to a business this week that’ll be interesting to see if anything comes of it… It’s an idea we’ve had for 6-7 years now that we’ve never seen done, but one that requires an enormous amount of capital and time to get off the ground so it’ll never be tackled without a good partner (and investment).

I’m way too conservative to go “all in” on it myself, but it was great to revive it for an hour and get real-time feedback from others in the community. And they want a 2nd call on it so they must of liked it enough! Our next job is to try and flesh out exactly what the costs and time commitments would look like, and to see if it’s even worth considering regardless of how good the idea is. So we’ll see!

In the meantime, back to chilling and blogging and Dad Life :)

Hope you have a great weekend! Enjoy today’s articles! 🙏

Posts on Budgets this week:

The Magic of Habit Stacking ✨ — In which a tip from my plumber completely transformed my mornings for the better! Here’s why you want to stack habits in your life (and your finances).

Daily Happiness > Future Happiness — If you’ve found yourself in a continual loop of obsessing about the future, STOP IT!! Do not wish your days away! Today’s happiness > tomorrow’s (possible) happiness.

PS: if you’d like to read these sooner when they come out, subscribe to the Budgets Are Sexy newsletter

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Favorite reads from the community:

The Price of Security @ JL Collins – “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller

I’m 36 and I’m Semi-Retired… What Does That Even Mean?! @ Julie De Vivre – “Hi, I’m Julie. I’m in my 30s, I’m single, and I’m traveling the world on $27,000 a year. And as of December 2021, I’m FIRE’d.”

The Biggest Mistake People Make When They Find Out About FIRE @ Alan Donegan – “Why do humans have this self-destructive tendency to make everything binary?  I either spend everything I have, go into debt but I am happy or I spend nothing and miserably work towards FI? Sacrificing happiness for financial independence is stupid.  You are sacrificing years of your life to get to a magic number that won’t make you happy either.”

Should You Die With Zero? @ Of Dollars and Data – “Perkins presents a radical new way to think about saving and spending money, namely, that you should try to die with $0 to your name. His reasoning is simple—every dollar you didn’t spend while alive is wasted life energy. It’s money that you never needed to work for in the first place or money that could’ve been given to heirs earlier in time.”

Happy 14th to My Blog! @ The Frugal Girl – “Today, it’s been 14 years since I first hit “publish” on a Frugal Girl post. I didn’t start blogging with much of a plan or vision, but I am so thankful that my 2008 self gave it a try. In honor of 14 years of blogging, I’m sharing 14 observations from my years of writing here.”

Swedish Death Cleaning: Will This Spark Joy for Someone Else? @ One Frugal Girl – “Swedish death cleaning is a method of paring down your possessions so your friends and family won’t have to figure out what to do with your stuff after you’re gone. It’s about parting with things you don’t want, to save your friends and relatives from the burden of doing it for you.”

MRR From Royalties Is The Ace Up My FIRE Sleeve @ Accidental FIRE – “Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is income that a business can count on receiving every single month – in other words, predictable revenue. It represents the value of all your customer relationships, normalized to a month.”

Investors Need Some Cosmic Insignificance Therapy @ A Teachable Moment – “Throughout history, people worked so they didn’t have to labor as much as they age. Today, we do the opposite. The wealthiest tend to perform the most extended hours. Score Keeping takes precedence over common sense.”

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News from the community:

Interesting news from the space that caught my eye this week…

• Go Curry Cracker! has gotten into woodworking
• FI Heroes spent the last three months living on a cruise ship!
• Route To Retire stepped out of his comfort zone and went on an 8-night fishing trip of a lifetime in Canada!

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Dad joke of the week:

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Happy weekend :)

 

 

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