12 Money Challenges for 2024

You can’t spell challenge without change.

The challenges in this list aren’t your typical save $1 on Day 1 and $2 on Day 2, although, those can be pretty helpful. These challenges are to help you see that money is an integral part of our lives, but it’s not the primary goal. You’ll learn that after doing these challenges, money and time are both important, living frugally doesn’t have to mean deprivation, you don’t always have to spend money to have a good time and that getting a community together can help with your money goals.

4 Books To Read Before Baby Comes

“Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.” - Maria Montessori

With our little girl turning 1, I thought I would share some of the books that helped us in the first year. There is no shortage of books for new parents so this isn’t the most comprehensive list. It’s funny how many become parents without formal guidance or education. Many think that parental instincts kick in when the baby is home, but sometimes that’s far from the truth. It helps to be prepared by reading a book or two from people you’ve been there and done that.

Top Negotiation Books for Parents: Unlocking Effective Results

Negotiation skills are crucial in various aspects of life, including parenting. Whether you're trying to convince your toddler to eat their vegetables or discussing important decisions in the workplace, effective negotiation can make a significant difference in getting effective results. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of good negotiation skills for parents and highlight the top five negotiation books to help you become a master negotiator. Additionally, we'll provide you with valuable tips for negotiating with both toddlers and business counterparts.

Book Review and Summary: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

“Negotiation is not an act of battle, but a process of discovery.”

This month’s book is all about negotiations. It’s called “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it” by Chris Voss. Chris Voss is a former FBI kidnapping negotiator. He shares nine key strategies hat he and his colleagues learned and use to help people in very risky situations. Here are the chapters in the book which correspond to the nine tested strategies.

10 Sustainable Swaps to Save You Money

As it is Earth Month, I'm sharing some of my tried and true sustainable swaps. My journey to sustainability continues to this day and the biggest thing I've learned is that it is a journey, one that never ends, as we challenge ourselves to do better each day, learn more, and teach others. Sustainability comes in so many forms that we all have to do the best we can, given our resources. I've also learned that when you are kind to the planet, you also become kinder to the wallet.

Digital Minimalism: How to declutter your tech usage to save time, money, and sanity

Digital Minimalism is “a philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.” It is an important step to take if you want reduce your tech usage to save you time, money, and sanity.

5 Ways Journaling Can Help Improve Your Finances

Journaling is a simple practice, yet it can be a powerful tool to help you process everything that's going on in your life. 15 minutes, a pen and paper, and a few prompts are all you need to start a journaling practice. And it is a practice. It takes time to build a habit of writing and reflecting.

When it comes to your finances, journaling about your money fears, money habits, and money opportunities can help you become more aware of the impact of money on your life.

Planner Productivity: How to Make Sure You Actually Use Your Fancy Planner

It’s a new year and you’ve been inspired to start anew again. You stopped by your local Target and got a pretty 2023 planner. You scribbled a few due dates in, maybe a few resolutions, but now what? The blank pages before you seem overwhelming or you simply don’t have the willpower to continue going back to them. It can be difficult to plan productivity and that’s why many of us fail at it.

Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your planner in 2021!

22 Money Saving Tips for Fall

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days."

As the weather cools down and Instagram is flooded with all things autumn, it’s easy to want to do all the fun things too. Fall is beautiful and a lot of fun, but with all the fall festivities going on, it’s a great time to re-evaluate and think about ways to save some money this time of year. Here are 22 tips on saving money this fall.

The Motherhood Penalty, Women's Finances and the Future

“When moms first come back to work they need someone to tell them, ‘You are going to feel crazy. It’s ok to feel crazy. You won’t always feel crazy.’”

With Mother’s Day coming up this week, I wanted to write a post specifically about how motherhood affects the financials of women. This article comes from my perspective as a new mom, but I know there are other people out there (dads, aunties, grandparents, etc.) playing the role of mom so this article goes out to you as well.

The Motherhood Penalty is defined by AAUW as the “phenomenon by which women’s pay decreases once they become mothers”. This is a contributing factor to the current gender pay gap.

There continues to be economic and social benefits to having children, but women should stop being penalized for having children.

The Six Figure Babysitter: How Stay-At-Home Moms Can Pay Themselves

A stay-at-home mom is a working mom.

Based on an analysis by salary.com, the annual salary of a stay-at-home mom post-pandemic was $184,820. Unfortunately, the reality is that no matter how much these figures have risen over time, stay-at-home moms do not see a single cent of this salary. Before you become someone else’s caretaker, set money aside for the sole reason to have it as a cushion for when and if you decide to leave the workforce to care for others.

The College Series: 9 Ways to Reduce Student Loan Debt

Give a man an education and he will build a new world, but give a man a loan and you can own that man forever.

It’s been 10 years since I graduated from grad school. I still proudly hang up my diploma because it put me on a better path for my career and my income. It was also FREE. No loans, no debt, no soul to be sold. With that, I thought I might offer some ways to help reduce debt if you are a college student or have a child that is about to head to college.

12 Ways to Spring Clean Your Finances

When we think of spring cleaning, we often think of going through our homes and consolidating our belongings. Whether it’s going through our closets Marie Condo-style, or channeling our mothers’ habits of having a spotless and clutter-free home, amidst the cleaning frenzy we often neglect cleaning up our own finances. It’s not just about sorting out our lives physically, but financially. As we readjust over a lost hour of sleep and welcome sunnier days, it’s time to take our finances head on. Here are 12 ways you can spring clean your finances: