The 7 Personal Finance Articles We Love This Week

This week marked a very exciting milestone in my life: I made it back to L.A. and got to deposit the checks that were waiting for me. Then I cried real tears of joy, and all was right with the world. I’ve been thinking a lot about how much money I spend on catching up with people. When you arrive back in town after 10 weeks away, you have so many people you need to see. And often, I instinctively ask people if they want to catch up over drinks, dinner, brunch, etc. But honestly, I live in a city that is warm all year around, and there are so many free things to do that it seems ridiculous to shell out $20+ every time you want to see someone. I’m also lucky that I live somewhere where we actually have space in our apartments. So I’ve been doing a lot of catching up with people while sprawled on their couch, rather than catching up with people over $15 martinis.

I’m even more inclined to be frugal right now because I just took two weekend trips while on the east coast, and I have an exciting trip coming up at the end of June. So if I can be scrimping a bit more than usual right now, I’ll be thankful when I head to Mexico without being worried about my account balance. For this reason, the weird things I did to save money in my 20s article really spoke to me. I have to admit that I wholeheartedly agree with the author’s point that eating samples at Costco and drinking before you go to the bar (as long as you’re being safe and not driving!) is the way to go. However, I found that the fun budget article was a nice complement to this. I like to save money, but I will never be Mustachian in my money habits, so I, too, support the fun budget. And while some may think of a “fun budget” as frivolous, I think if you’re going to spend money on experiences, you should have a good handle on how much you can afford to spend, so you can kick back while not wildly overspending.

Anyway, these are just a few of my thoughts on this week’s seven personal finance articles we love, brought to us by our friends at Rockstar Finance. As always, I look forward to hearing your reactions too. Enjoy!

1. 1,000 Days of Early Retirement — Root of Good

“1,000 days ago I retired early without really knowing it. When I walked in the office on the morning of August 26, 2013, I didn’t know it would be my last day of work forever (probably).”

2. Weird Things I Did to Save Money in My 20s — Tawcan

“I quickly realized how much money I could save by living at home. So for 1.5 years I continued living like a poor student, paid no rent, ate food for free, and spent very little money.”

3. 5 Quick Money Tips for Millennials to Become Millionaires — Mr. Everyday Dollar

“It’s all about the relationship between your numbers. Choosing to be wealthy over being rich is what gives you freedom and control over your life.”

4. 4 Women with 4 Very Different Incomes Open Up About the Lives They Can Afford — Esquire

“The same financial pressures men face only increase when a Y-chromosome is taken out of the equation. So, as we did with men, we asked four women with four different incomes about the lives they can afford.”

5. Cash Flow Suffering? Change $hit Up! — Retire Before Dad

“Cash flow is the all-powerful financial tool. With it, you build wealth. Without it, you tread water.”