Not all lawyers make a lot of money. And even a high salary might not be enough to live a luxurious lifestyle and pay off debt. Sometimes you just have to go to basics in order to make ends meet – minimalism, frugality, budgeting. It’s being smart, and there’s no reason to feel embarrassed. Every dollar saved goes toward your future – whether in the law or in another profession. Every dollar goes toward your independence.
An ex once told me that I was impossible to embarrass. He was exasperated by this, but I took it as a compliment. (I couldn’t fathom leaving the house if I were as easily embarrassed as him). This lack of embarrassment makes frugal living easy....
January 1 is easy. You’re filled with excitement and hope. And you’re surrounded by other people with the same optimism. January 2-5, you might still be coasting on that optimism and the successes of your past. And January 6 onward is hard. Ok it’s all...
There’s so much bad personal finance advice out there – so much clutter. It’s time you all learned how to KonMari your finances. Get rid of the bad advice – the tips that are wrong, or don’t fit you or spark joy in your life....
Not every legal job pays well and some pay so poorly that lawyers are forced into side hustles. As lawyers, though, side hustles come with a word of caution. Practicing law on the side has a slew of pitfalls that could imperil your job and...
Personal finance is personal – one person can choose vacations over a nice house whereas another person would rather keep her creature comforts (and herself) at home. Both the people listed above are prioritizing what they want – which is good and not cheap. Cheap...
Reading quick money tips is my junk food. But sometimes the tips are so outdated, they leave a bitter taste in my mouth. A lot of (lazy) personal finance writers would argue that their advice is timeless but that cannot be true. The world is...
Even as states lift their lockdowns, minimizing trips to the grocery store is still a smart idea both for safety and for saving money. Every time you run out to the store, that takes time and gas (not to mention the possibility that you catch...
Many people think the American Dream is dead – but immigrants like my parents continue to escape poverty. Spoiler: it wasn’t primarily through hard work. It’s ingrained in the national psyche that “all you need” to achieve the American Dream is to “work hard.” But...
It’s easy to think that the rich life is the happier life, but it’s sometimes easier to be happy on a low income. Fact of the matter is, opulence can be an impediment to happiness. For instance, my friends still talk about a certain buffet...
The 50-20-30 budget is one of the most popular budgets according to personal finance “experts.” In it, you spend 50% on needs, 20% on savings/debt reduction and 30% on “wants.” This is a terrible plan for almost every income and lifestyle. The 50-30-20 budget is...