Written By Paula Pant
How often have you heard people defend flagrant spending with the following words: “Ah, c’mon. It’s only $25!”
Hogwash. That’s the wrong way to think.
The better mental shift is to think: “That cost one hour of my life.”
****
Unless you’re magical, $25 doesn’t appear out of thin air. You get that money in […]
Written By Paula Pant
Let’s see a show of hands: how many of you actually make a budget?
(Silence. Crickets chirping.)
Yeah, I thought so.
One of the most overplayed pieces of financial advice is “make a budget.”
There are a small handful of nerds who jive with this idea. You dig data. You love crunching numbers. Good for […]
Written By Paula Pant
Imagine that you bought a $100 ticket to a ski resort in Michigan.
A few days later, you find a $50 deal for a ski resort in Wisconsin.
The $50 Wisconsin deal promises better ski slopes, nicer snow, and an all-around more fun experience.
On impulse, you buy that ticket, too.
Then you learn that […]
Written By Paula Pant
This was originally published in 2012 as a series of separate blog posts. For the sake of simplification, we have consolidated these blog posts onto this one page that you’re reading. Unless otherwise noted, the information has not been updated, so all numbers and information reflect 2012.
I’m changing careers. Well, sort of.
About two […]
Written By Paula Pant
Today’s letter comes from a 25-year-old reader named Chris, who asks:
“Invest for retirement or pay down debt? This may be more of a personal choice than anything, but I have been subscribed to the ‘pay down your debt before you invest’ camp for about a year now.
I should have my debt […]
Written By Paula Pant
“Hey Dad, you can change your own oil and save $20 bucks!”
“Honey, that’s not worth my time.”
My Dad and I had this conversation in high school, and at the time, I had no idea what he meant. How could saving money be a waste of time?
Now I get it. Traditional […]
Written By Paula Pant
Let’s take a look at a typical American worker — and figure out how much she earns.
Lisa starts prepping for her work day the night before, when she irons and lays out her clothes, packs lunch and cleans her car. She meets with clients throughout the day, so she must present a polished appearance.
[…]
Written By Paula Pant
Yesterday I learned a colleague from my newspaper was found dead in her Colorado apartment.
I learned the news, ironically, by stumbling across her obituary while I was reading the same newspaper for which she and I both wrote. It struck me, for the first time, that the final consequence of working at a newspaper […]
