Fabulous Finance Ladies!

It’s Friday, and since we celebrated International Women’s Day on Wednesday I’d like to take this opportunity to point my exceptional MMM readers in the direction of some fabulous finance lady bloggers! Due to the extremely ridiculous amount of talent out there by my fellow female bloggers, this is in no way an exhaustive list, rather a shout-out. Feel free to yell out type in your favorites in the comments! And without further ado…

Are Emergency Funds Awesome? Or For Suckers?

We’ve all heard the financial gurus out there telling us we need 3 – 6 months worth of expenses, 8 months worth of expenses, and even up to 2 full years worth of expenses sitting in a safe, accessible account in the event of an emergency. I’d like to dissect this advice a bit and get to the bottom of where it comes from and why you should or shouldn’t follow it.

Life Lessons From My Father’s Grave

The year was 2006 and my life was in turmoil. I was breaking up with my long-term boyfriend and leaving our big suburban house with the in-ground pool to move into an empty apartment with 4 lawn chairs and my 2 cats. Up until that moment, I had everything – minus a great relationship. On top of being forced into a Life Reboot at an age I always pictured I would be marrying and starting my family – my dad was dying. His death taught me so much about my life and helped carry me through that dark period. I’ll forever be thankful for his death. His death taught me a little bit about myself and inspired my continued resilience. He continues to teach me life lessons from his grave. I’m willing to bet you have a lost loved one who does the same for you. 

Are Excuses Killing Your Dreams?

Today I wanted to veer off the well-trodden trail of personal finance and write a kick-in-the-@$$ motivational post. I am a firm believer in having an internal locus of control and not blaming anyone else for my position in life. I have had many peaks and valleys and have learned valuable lessons about life and myself at every turn. I’m here to tell you that it IS possible to change almost any situation in your life by changing the way you think about it. Every problem has a solution. You just have to find it. Have you found yours? Have you even started looking yet? Let’s take a look at some of the biggest excuses people tell themselves to justify their positions and simultaneously hold themselves back from living the life they truly want to live! 

Inexpensive Family Staycations Are More Fun Than You Think

Spring is just around the corner and that means that you’re probably starting to think about your summer vacation. I know I’ve certainly been hearing vacation rumblings around my office water cooler these days. Everyone seems to have a few ideas as to where they’d like to go and are trying to weigh the pros and cons of each before picking a final destination. But what if you don’t have the money to drop on a family vacation this summer? You’re probably not the only one in that boat. Believe it or not, most of the people around you planning their vacations probably don’t have the money to drop either, but they’re going to do it anyway. What if you don’t want to go into debt to go to the beach or go see a giant-eared mouse? You’ll be happy to know there is an inexpensive alternative. Why not try a family staycation this year?