If TV shows have gotten NOTICEABLY crappier over the last decade, then why is cable so heckin’ expensive? I’ll tell you who’s to blame, how you can cut cable costs, and where to go if you’re ready to cut the cord altogether.
Read MoreTaylor Swift has a budget. Stay with me …
Budgets are not just for cheap or broke people. They are a savvy way to track what flows in and what goes out — and yet they get this negative association with being overly frugal. Here's the truth of it: Having a budget doesn't chain you down. It offers you freedom with, and control over, YOUR money. Get your FREE step-by-step guide to creating a budget that works for you!
Read MoreAs part of my no-spend challenge for the month of June, I’ve been forced to reassess my spending — what’s essential to daily life, what’s not, and what isn’t really essential but that I will try to make up some excuse for anyway. Here are my top three contenders for non-essentials that can be cut from my budget this month. Do you agree with my choices?
Read MoreHow prepared are you to head for the office door? For some people — especially millennials — retirement may be pretty far off.
The average retirement age in the United States is 63, but maybe you don’t want to be average. Maybe you, like me, plan to give your two weeks well before that. Either way, retirement requires planning.
Read MoreYou scoured Pinterest for the best recipes. You’ve mentally meal prepped and your shopping list is on point. Then you walk into the store and all hell breaks loose. Before you know it, your cart is full of things that weren’t on your list and you’re at the checkout, contemplating a personal loan for chocolate covered almonds. Read these 7 tips and then get a hold of yourself, woman.
Read MoreWe’ve all been there. The clingy boyfriend. The emotionally draining one. The fling.
But have you ever been there with your money?
A relationship with money isn’t optional — it’s there, you’re there, and you have to figure out a way to live together. The secret is this: you get to determine your attitude towards your money. YOU get to set the terms of the relationship. So what kind of relationship do you have?
Read MoreMuch like a 1994 Mariah Carey, payday is full of the highest highs, with unexpected lows. I have no shame in admitting that the first time I officially got paid, I experienced a roller coaster of emotions. Ever eloquent, my initial reaction to my first pay stub was somewhere along the lines of: “YAY! MONEY! I’M SUCH A BALLER. Wait. Whaaa-azklasdljkf. Who the hell is FICA??!?!?!?!??! WHY ARE YOU TAKING MY MONEY?!”
So WHO is FICA? As it turns out, “FICA” stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. It requires that you, along with the vast majority of workers, have mandatory deductions taken out of your paycheck ...
Friend, hello!
My name is SC. I’m a twenty-something living in the Lowcountry who, at any given moment, might be found with my nose in a book or dramatically re-enacting scenes from Mulan. And I started this blog out of stupidity.
Let me explain.
I felt stupid for not knowing what FICA was. Stupid for having to Google average 401(k) contributions. Stupid for feeling like I failed basic #adulting.
But the thing is, I’m not stupid. I’m a relatively bright, college-educated, well-read individual. So why is money so hard? Why is adulting so hard? Maybe it’s because this stuff just wasn’t in school. And I figure that if I’m feeling this way, I can’t be the only one.
I’m not a financial expert (not even CLOSE. Not even in the same zip code, just so we’re clear). But here’s what I do have: solid research skills, an insatiable curiosity, unlimited access to GIFs and parents who’ve shared a fair amount of common sense. This blog serves as a resource — a place to streamline research, improve financial literacy and foster conversations we don’t have enough.
Consider this Adulting 101.
I hope you’ll join me in my search for money-saving solutions and fight for financial independence. And for the inevitable Taylor Swift references.
