Evolving Personal Finance » income
Accepting Money for a Favor
This week, one of my colleagues asked me if I would edit a document he’s working on – and he offered to pay me to do it. I said that I would help with the edits but turned down the payment offer twice and we left the money issue unresolved. I’m still not sure what to do. I feel a little strange accepting money from a friend for what I consider to be a favor. I … Read entire article »
Filed under: income
Stretch Goal: FinCon 2014!
I have absolutely devoured all the FinCon13 recap posts in my RSS reader this week! I know some of the writers think they are boring/tedious for their readers, but since I “know” so many of the participants it’s interesting to me to hear about them hanging out together. I am considering buying the Virtual Pass so I can at least learn from the presentations, although I know that the in-person networking is the more important … Read entire article »
Losing Half Our Buffer
Keeping a certain amount of money in a checking account to prevent overdrafts/denied transactions is a pretty common practice among moderate PF’ers. Beginners haven’t yet figured out that they can avoid fees, interest, and embarrassment by keeping such a buffer. Ideally, you wouldn’t overspend the amount of money you have available for that month, but we are all capable of making mistakes. I personally like to play chicken with a zero balance, though – I … Read entire article »
DECREASE IN PAY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I received an email last week that gave me a bit of a scare! The subject line included my name and “Pay Decrease.” When I opened the email, the attachment was titled “DECREASE IN PAY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.” I kind of freaked out until I read the body of the email, but even after that reassurance I was pissed at the manner they let me know about this change! Even my advisor agreed that it was “unfortunately … Read entire article »
Filed under: grad school, income
Financially Surviving Your First Month as a PhD Student
First month’s rent up front plus a security deposit. A parking permit. Textbooks. Furnishing your new place. In the first few weeks of grad school you’re hit by one expense after another. On top of that, your department expects you to start orientation (followed by classes and research) five to six weeks before getting your first paycheck! How are you supposed to swing this? The best position to be in at the time you enter grad … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, credit cards, food, frugality, grad school, housing, income, spending, taxes
What Would You Do If You Really Needed Money?
I asked myself and Kyle this question last week when I was thinking of contingency plans in case Kyle is unemployed for a while between graduation and starting a postdoc. I’m not about earning the maximum possible amount of money all the time – if I was, I wouldn’t be pursuing a PhD! – so there are plenty of money-making activities that I could do but am not at the moment because I’m satisfied with … Read entire article »
Filed under: income
So Excited about Referrals!
Two people have used my referral link for Republic Wireless, which means if all goes well I’ll get a $38 credit to my account! You can tell what an advertising noob I am because I am way too excited about this. Like so excited that I had to write a post to deconstruct my feelings because they are totally weird. I don’t even know if the people who signed up with my link did so through … Read entire article »
Irregular Income: Gravy Edition
Kyle has been working at an extra position around 10 hours per month for a few months now, so we have had some time to adjust to having this additional income stream. He wasn’t looking for more income, but rather volunteered for a position (that we later found out was paid) so that he could learn a new skill. While I still stand by the method of handling irregular income I outlined earlier, that strategy … Read entire article »
Filed under: income, targeted savings
Judge John Hodgman on Frugality
One of my favorite podcasts currently is Judge John Hodgman (JJHo). The premise of the show is that John Hodgman (of The Daily Show and The Areas of My Expertise) hears “cases” brought by regular Joes and issues judgements. The cases are often silly and relatable, such a wife who wants to get chickens but her husband doesn’t and a man who wants his friend to stop smoking ecigarettes in sports stadiums. It took me … Read entire article »
How to Save Money without Giving Up Your Social Life
The following is a guest post from SB as part of a Yakezie blog swap. SB blogs at One Cent at a Time, where he writes personal finance topics like earning extra money, becoming rich and saving environment. My guest post on the same topic is up at his blog so please check it out! When I wrote 101 ways to save money, I received mails asking if I was advocating giving up life. Sure some … Read entire article »
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