Evolving Personal Finance » spending
Five High-Value Baby Products for Your Shower Registry
I have to admit I really struggled in creating the registry for DPR’s baby shower. I’m not much one for shopping, and as a first-time mother with very little exposure to babies, I didn’t have many recommendations in my mental file yet. I definitely should have sought out more recommendations from other mothers as it was very difficult to sift through all the “must have” lists for newborns. Now that DPR’s been with us for five … Read entire article »
Filed under: parenthood, spending
Impulse Purchase for the Win
In January, Kyle and I did something completely out of character for us: we made a large impulse purchase. We literally fell victim to advertising and the “sale” mentality, but I actually think it turned out to be a great decision! Maybe when you train train train yourself not to make rash or quick spending decisions, the exceptions you make work out? Kyle subscribes to some of those ridiculous deals-of-the-day type emails. (I’d rather not expose … Read entire article »
Filed under: spending
Picking Up the Check
Here’s one perk to being a grad student: everyone pities you. Wait, that doesn’t sound like a perk… I’ll rephrase. When you’re a PhD student, people with real jobs assume you are poor. They either think you’re taking on debt for your extended schooling or know that you’re living on a small stipend. The perk is that this pity often expresses itself in financial generosity in the form of free meals. For nearly all of … Read entire article »
Things Are Experiences
There is a certain theme that comes up cyclically in reporting on personal finance issues: it’s better to spend your money on experiences rather than things. Sometimes this assertion is backed up by studies and sometimes not. The basic point is that experiences give you a great time and leave you with wonderful lasting memories, while the enjoyment you receive from stuff is rather fleeting and it just rots in your closet/garage/storage unit. Actually, phrased … Read entire article »
My Unfrugal Shopping Spree
In the last three weeks, I have been on the largest shopping spree of my life, bar none. This week I am starting my three-month fellowship in DC, which necessitated a professional wardrobe. Thankfully, the dress code is business casual four days per week and casual on Fridays, plus there will be occasional events that call for business dress (one instance is on my first day, actually). Even with that fairly lax (for DC) standard, … Read entire article »
Filed under: spending
October 2014 Money Puddle and Spending Report
This was our first month under our new money management system! We needed to change things up because with only one regular income plus some side hustles for the fall, we no longer have the luxury of saving into our targeted savings accounts. I consolidated most of our savings accounts in October and stopped our automatic transfers. I have to admit that figuring out how much money we spent was a bit more difficult that what … Read entire article »
Filed under: funemployment, income, month in review, spending
Celebratory Spending
The main reason I’ve been absent from EPF and the blogosphere generally is that Kyle defended his PhD last week! You may now address him as Dr. Kyle. (Not that kind of doctor.) (Just kidding. We can all call him Kyle after just this one post.) Dr. Kyle has been working toward this moment for nearly seven years. It’s just staggering all that went into this accomplishment. I can’t even tell you. I’m so proud of … Read entire article »
Filed under: grad school, spending
Financial Tweaks for Our New Year
Kyle and I have been so busy with work in the past few months that we have really left our money management on autopilot. I haven’t even played with spending scenarios recently, as I love to do! But even without me looking for issues to tweak, three areas of our budget have popped up with some needed updates. Take-Home Pay Increase We noticed that the take-home pay we received at the end of in January was slightly … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, food, savings, spending, targeted savings, taxes
Our Best (Pain-Free) Money-Saving Moves
In this post I will detail how much money we have saved (that is, not-spent) by making simple, painless changes in our life. We really haven’t given up anything by making these choices, although sometimes the workarounds can get a bit creative! I’ve ranked our choices from most money saved per year to least. Moving Closer to Work While Reducing Our Rent Two years ago, Kyle and I were living in a luxury apartment and we really … Read entire article »
Filed under: choices, credit cards, frugality, housing, luxuries, spending
How Do You Decide If You Can Afford a Purchase?
Lately I have been thinking about how to determine whether to make a purchase of a “want” and I’d love some feedback from you all about how you make that decision. One of the purposes of a budget, in my mind, is to help you make that decision. A budget gives you guidelines for what you want your spending to be, and then all you have to do when contemplating a purchase is ask yourself … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, spending, targeted savings
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