Recently I was visiting my parents and my dad asked me to check out their bundled bill for television, home phone and Internet. Their 12-month promotion had just expired and the price increased. I had recently convinced my dad to subscribe to my blog, so I think he wanted to test my personal finance skills and… Read More: Call and ask for a discount »
One of my favorite and most successful Operations of all time (and my favorite post) was Operation Enjoy the Crap Out of Sydney. I spent the last six months of my time in that part of the world making plans to do something every single day and stumbled over the secret to making friends. Ask people to… Read More: How to make friends part II »
Pyramid schemes fall into the same category in my brain as timeshares and timeshare presentations. You might get suckered into the first meeting by a vague advertisement, but your financial avatar will walk away either exasperated or training for perpetual knife fights. Pyramid schemes are scams. It’s not a way to make money. It’s not a way to get rich quickly.… Read More: Pyramid Schemes: A lobotomy for your financial avatar »
The first time someone tried to sell me on the idea of going to a timeshare presentation, I have to admit that my first thought was “that doesn’t sound terrible.” The woman on the other end of the line promised me two plane tickets to Las Vegas and two nights in a hotel for only $99 and my… Read More: Timeshare Presentations: Throw your financial avatar into a cage match »
As the title implies, I like to personify money concepts in my head to entertain my financial avatar. (I’m not good with titles.) Here are the cast of characters in my soap opera. Mimi – Mimi is my Financial Avatar. This is who I picture whenever I write “my financial avatar.” She’s savvy. She doesn’t… Read More: Personify Money Concepts to Entertain Your Financial Avatar »
My financial avatar gives money freely and happily for me to have a happy place to lay my head at night and enough good, happy food to eat. These two expenses probably take up the largest part of my budget and I am more than okay with that. I’m happy to sign a lease for a nice apartment for… Read More: Why I don’t plan to buy Real Property anytime soon »
Let me get the uncomfortable part (for me) out of the way first. I read Judge Judy’s memoir recently and this passage spoke to me. Being fearless means standing up for yourself. Timidity does not make you happy. Women are notoriously bad self-promoters. I always understood this about myself, so I let other people toot my… Read More: Will tap dance for feedback »
The title of this post is misleading and I should probably change it, but I think “Thriftygal’s 2016 Budget” is more click-baity than “Thriftygal’s 2016 Financial Philosophy” or “Thriftygal’s 2016 Experiment with Financial Independence in an Annoying Bear Market.” I haven’t settled on a name for this operation yet. Maybe I’ll just call it Operation Earl and confuse… Read More: Thriftygal’s 2016 Budget »
There is no way to protect yourself 100%, especially when you’re in a foreign country wandering. I think you can still take some basic precautions. Here are my sacred rules when I travel. Tip 1: Don’t engage with people who approach you. When I’m out exploring a city or sightseeing, especially at classic tourist destinations, I never engage… Read More: Thriftygal’s Travel Tips »
I have a couple more items that I know that you probably already spend a significant amount of money on and that I didn’t want to point out earlier because I know you’re going to yell at me. But, dagnabbit, these items are WANTS and you really have to think hard if they are worth… Read More: I thought of more items you spend money on that… »