Tracking your expenses is one of the best ways to control your finances, but tracking expenses isn’t just about writing down what you purchase and how much you spend. To truly change your financial habits you need more than the price and description of the items you buy. You need to know how you feel […]
Money Mentality
Frugal Living: How to Trim Expenses Without Feeling Deprived
The term frugal is often mischaracterized as cheap or selfish. It brings to mind images of stingy, old, rich men like Ebenezer Scrooge who refuse to part with their money, but being frugal doesn’t mean being tight-fisted or greedy. By definition, a person who engages in frugal living carefully manages their material resources, particularly their […]
How Much Should I Spend on Groceries?
How much should I spend on groceries? Each time I buy food the total seems to grow. We didn’t eat out a lot before the pandemic, but our takeout excursions have nearly disappeared this year. As we eat three meals at home our grocery bills continue to swell. After loading my virtual shopping cart full […]
Life is Messy: How Can We Embrace the Messy Parts?
“Do you feel like you’re oversharing?” a long time friend asked after reading a recent post. “Yes,” I shouted, “without a doubt!” “Then why are you sharing the messy parts of your life?” she asked. I’ve been pondering this question for a while. Over the years, I’ve written about infertility, chronic illness, a failed business, marital problems, and […]
Could Thinking About Death Be Good For Us?
I roll over and click the tiny button that illuminates my watch. The time is 2:33 am. I hate waking in the middle of the night. It’s too early to start the day, so I stare at the ceiling fan and count down the minutes until morning. Here we go again. 2020 has brought this […]