Archives for October 2018

The Benefits of Walking to Work

October 29, 2018 By Deanna 22 Comments

I completed my debt pay off journey on December 29, 2017. Just like my sobriety date, I’ll never forget it. I lived with my parents during the final 15 months and once the debt was gone, I started making plans of where I’d live next. The whole world was my oyster and so I had choices. I ultimately chose to live where I could walk to work.

Clean Slates & Strategies

My parents are awesome and encouraged me to stay with them through the winter months to save some more dough. I acquiesced to their suggestion and by not being in a hurry to move out, I was able to:

Build up my emergency fund to a sizable amount (something I managed to not have for the first 44 years of my life).
Buy some stuff for my new apartment.
Celebrate my debt pay off by attending CampFI Mid-Atlantic.
Enjoy more time with my parents.

When I started looking for apartments I knew one of my goals was to lessen my commute time to work. You see while living with Mom & Dad, I had a 45-60 minute commute one way to work. I took advantage of that time by listening to podcasts but I was ready to be done with the loooong commute.

When you have a clean slate a whole world of choices opens up to you.

Less Leads to More

October 25, 2018 By Deanna 11 Comments

During the year and a half I lived with my folks to intensely pay off my debt, I learned to live on less. I made sacrifices and spent little money. Basically, I put most of my money into either my emergency fund or towards my debt. In this phase of my life, I learned that less leads to more.

Less Leads to More

Before moving into my parent’s house, I met with a woman who was keeping me financially accountable. We slashed some things off my budget and she pointed out some categories that seemed high. The categories which were slashed are:

Grocery
Hair
Skiing

Negotiating for a Raise as a Woman

October 22, 2018 By Deanna 13 Comments

Firstly, I think the title of this article should just be negotiating for a raise. Period. However, apparently, it’s a bit different for women. So, ladies, this one is for you! Would you like some tips on how to negotiate for a raise as a woman? Yep, me too. Let’s explore this together

Sage Advice on Asking for a Raise

I worked in restaurants basically from the time I was 16 until I was 36 years old. At some point, I worked myself up in the ranks of serving to be a server in a fine dining restaurant. Furthermore, I became the assistant manager and wine sommelier of that fine dining restaurant.

Servers at this fine dining restaurant were paid a high hourly rate rather than being tipped. Members were charged a service fee but servers didn’t receive a commission. Occasionally, we’d receive additional tips but that was the outlier rather than the norm.

Early on in my career at this restaurant, I asked for a raise. I did it all wrong. How did I know I did it incorrectly? My boss was kind enough to turn it into a teaching moment:

Me: I am having a difficult time making ends meet on my current wage. Can I have a raise?

My boss: Don’t come to me and ask for a raise because you need it. Come to me and ask for a raise because you deserve it.

Photo by Faye Cornish on UnsplashContinue Reading

Brain Health, part 2 – Stressed Brains

October 18, 2018 By Deanna 13 Comments

Welcome to part deux of my new series titled Brain Health. There is more to say about brains under stress! I’ve received enough encouragement to keep this series going, but as always I welcome all feedback, either in the comments or by contacting me. 🙂

Why am I writing a series on brain health on a personal finance blog? Well firstly, my PF blog is unique in that I intertwine stories of recovery. As someone who’s recovered from drug addiction and debt, I’ve got a lot to say about both.

Furthermore, this is a blog about getting better. Period.

Secondly, brain health affects everything we do…including money.