The 7 Personal Finance Articles We Loved This Week

I recently asked some women in my life, who are all a generation or two older than me, about their experiences working in the professional world. I like asking people to tell me their stories all the time; being a writer, for me, is necessitated by liking people in the first place, or at least enough that you want to listen to them talk. But I also want to learn from them. I liked hearing about my mother’s mistakes growing up, which she would offer up to me without hesitation, because she knew I could learn from them, too.

Because no matter what you’re going through, someone else has been there, and someone else has figured it out. I’ve had to learn from my mistakes — I’m still learning from a lot of them, and I believe it’s universally true that we hear lessons and still don’t learn from them until we’ve had the experiences and made the mistakes ourselves. The women I asked reminded me that I’m still learning how to negotiate for myself and be my own advocate, two things that are hard for me to get used to. But there are also things we take away from people older than us that aren’t so heavy. Recipes, small rituals, DIY cleaning hacks, a preference for the cheapest wine at Trader Joe’s.

So I really loved J. Money‘s first pick this week, “Grandma’s Top 10 Frugal Habits.” The writer talks about all the things her grandmother did to save money, sometimes without even trying. Many of them emphasize spending time on the ones you love instead of money. This isn’t always possible, but the idea is so important to how I spend both my time and money. What we choose to spend our money on is personal, and our time even more so. The article is full of practical advice, too, like driving a car that’s not flashy but is paid for, if the “fanciness” of the car isn’t worth it for you. (I am never giving up my TV, though.) The rest of the picks for this week continue below — may we all find something to comfort, validate, or inspire. Enjoy!

1. Grandma’s Top 10 Frugal Habits – Life and My Finances

“If you start a debt-free journey before retirement, think of the years you’ll have with no payments. The less debt you have, the more control you’re given.”

2. Why I Didn’t Move In With My Parents After College – Millennial Money Man

“I truly believe that privacy is essential to figuring out who you are as an adult. How can you figure out who you are if you never get one-on-one time with yourself?”

3. What’s Your Emancipation Proclamation? – Rich Habits 

“Your Emancipation Proclamation is, in one sentence, a declaration of how you will gain your freedom.”

4. The Best Retirement Account You Didn’t Know You Had – Be Net Worthy

“Not only are they tax-deductible during the year that you make the contribution, but they are also tax-free when you withdraw them for qualified medical expenses. Let me repeat that, they are tax-free.”

5. Lunchroom Pizza – Screw Debt 

“I don’t care how you say it. I don’t care if you mispronounce it. I don’t care if you don’t say it at all. I don’t care if you use a different word and mispronounce that one!  BUDGET!”

6. Make Your Own Financial Wake-Up Call! – Fruclassity 

“Everyone was far away, and we were left alone with our pile of debt and no one to compliment our cars, our home, our clothes or our status. It was just us, staring face to face with tens of thousands in credit card debt.”

7. Money Doesn’t Matter If Everything Else Sucks – Yes and Yes

“Money can’t buy you happiness if you don’t know what makes you happy. But once you figure out what makes you happy? Well, happiness probably costs a lot less than you think.”

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