Excluding Medium & my tutoring business — As someone who is passionate about budgeting as a way to make maximum progress towards financial goals, I’m always aware that it’s often not wise to fixate too much on the “cutting expenses” side of things. …

Without just giving in and cutting back on your savings rate — If you’re still trying to stick to the budget, you used last year or the year before, kudos to you. (And kudos to you for having a budget in the first place!) But with inflation, nearly all of us have had to face the reality that the old amounts we…

Or are you just saving “to save”? — I had a conversation recently with a business owner trying to get a handle on her personal finances. She felt frustrated because she knew she really ought to be saving more, but she somehow never really seemed to make headway. When I asked her what she was saving FOR, there…

Attention grad students, teachers, and other underpaid experts! — Attention teachers and grad students! If you’re anything like I used to be, you’re feeling underpaid, overworked, stressed, and overwhelmed. Teaching is a challenging career, with not nearly enough compensation given the work involved. …

(that don’t involve coupons, apps, or discount crab trucks) — The other night, a truck pulled up to our apartment complex outside Busan, Korea, selling discounted crabs that had been caught that morning. An announcement was made, and my husband went to join the line of other apartment residents buying their share of crab. My husband and toddler devoured a…

Must-reads for work-from-home solopreneurs — I’ve been in business for myself for the past ten years doing private test prep tutoring. Since then, I’ve grown my business from something that brought in a little money on the side to something that fully supports my family of three. Along the way, there’s been a lot to…

Because even the most well-crafted budget can’t anticipate it all — My husband recently surprised me with a bit of financial news. His mother’s upcoming surgery and hospital stay? About half of the bill will fall to us. And by extension, we’re also going to be expected to pay for other major medical expenses as they come up over the years…

Even if they seem mathematically impossible — Working toward big financial goals can be tough. The bigger your financial goals, the tougher it can be to stay motivated to make progress toward them. Bigger goals tend to be for those things that are more long-term (paying off a mortgage, or reaching retirement), and it can be difficult…

Although I made many failed attempts at budgeting off and on for years, I first got truly serious about budgeting at the beginning of the pandemic. During that time, I was living alone without my husband due to visa issues, was pregnant with our first child, and was watching the…