If you want to reach the peak of success in life, you have to have self confidence. In fact, I would argue that understanding the importance of self confidence and learning how to acquire it is one of the most important lessons you could ever undertake in life. Why is Self Confidence Important? Self confidence is important for many reasons. First and foremost, when you’re self confident, it means you believe in yourself. You have full faith in your abilities and in your decision making skills. Even if you don’t know how to do something or achieve something, self confidence gives you ..read more

If you found this post, you’re probably wondering how to make money as a freelance writer. Maybe you’ve tried freelance writing before, but you never got very far. Maybe you sent pitches and never heard back. Or maybe, just maybe, you want to see your writing in print but you’re scared. Maybe it’s no good, you wonder. Maybe I’ll just keep this dream to myself you say. Well, I’m here to tell you how to make your first $100 per month as a freelance writer – regardless of your experience level or setbacks you’ve had thus far. The good news is that you can make money as a freelance ..read more

Well, I just got back from FinCon 2019, and I have to tell you: It was a whirlwind! I am slowly getting back into work mode and mom mode, but I wanted to write down everything so I didn’t forget! Wednesday at FinCon19 This year, the timing of FinCon was particularly tricky. I dropped my twins off for their first day of kindergarten on Wednesday morning and then headed to the airport. I was looking forward to FinCon as I do every year, but I was almost in tears on the plane. It killed me to leave my twins on such an important day. I was glad I was able to meet their teachers, see their classroo ..read more

Sometimes you want to save money fast. Maybe you don’t have an emergency fund and it’s driving you crazy. Or, you want to save up for a big vacation or a home purchase. Whatever it is, if you’re anxious to build up that savings account ASAP,  there are lots of great ways to save money fast. Below are over 30 examples! What is the quickest way to save money? Usually the quickest way to save money is also the simplest: look for your biggest expenses. Sometimes we spend a large amount on something because we feel that it’s expected. We never really stop to consider whether we need or want th ..read more

There is a significant amount of debate in the personal finance community about the benefits of being mortgage free. Many people love the idea of being completely and wholeheartedly debt free – mortgage included. They say you just sleep better at night, and you haven’t lived until you have a life of no payments. However, others in the community believe it’s financially wiser to carry mortgage debt and use any excess cash to invest in the market instead. They say the math works out better in the long run. In many ways, it comes down to individual preference and whether or not you think the pros ..read more

Welcome back to part three of my traveling with kids series. In this series, I’m sharing some amazing places I’ve been fortunate to visit with my little family. I’m also giving you some tips and tricks of what worked for us and why we picked each location. Today, I’ll be chatting about things to do in Iceland with kids. My friends at Radius Bank helped me bring this series to all of you. They are committed to helping families save – and grow – their money so families can do amazing things like buy houses, travel, and save for their children’s education. If you haven’t seen my video collaborati ..read more

Welcome back to my travel series where I’m sharing five posts full of tips and tricks for traveling with kids. In my last post in the series, I shared 6 Things to Do on Mackinac Island With Kids and today I’m going to share 7 things to do in New Orleans with kids. This series is brought to you courtesy of my friends at Radius Bank who are committed to helping families save – and grow – their money. If you haven’t seen my video collaboration with Radius Bank, please check out the video (and my adorable kiddos) on YouTube. Now, some long time readers might know this but if you’re new here, I gre ..read more

Have you ever heard of Mackinac Island? It’s a magical little place in Michigan where cars aren’t allowed, horses and bikes are the main form of transportation, and fudge is pretty much the primary food group. I thought it would be fun to write about our recent trip there and share some things to do on Mackinac Island with kids. If you’re new here, travel is one of our family’s big financial priorities. We always say we’re happy to spend money on travel & education, and everything else just isn’t that important to us. This post is actually a part of a five post series, which is brought to ..read more

Creating a boy and girl shared room can be challenging, especially as kids get older. You don’t want things to be too girly or too masculine, but you also want it to be memorable and fun. I get it. I have four year old boy girl twins, and they’ve shared a room from the beginning. The great news is that they both love their space and have never asked to have their own rooms. Over time, I’ve been able to create a cute boy and girl shared room without spending a ton of money. Since we just updated their room with big kid beds, I wanted to share its most recent transformation with you. No longer d ..read more

Getting engaged is such a fun time in a couple’s life. After all, you’ve found the one you love. You’re deep into planning your dream wedding. You’ve registered for all the necessities, the menu is set, and the DJ is booked and ready to give you an epic party during your reception. You might think you know everything about the person you are about to marry and spend your life with, but do you really? I’ve been married for over 8 years now, and I still find out new things about my husband. Just the other day, I found out he hates hard boiled eggs. I know, it was a thrilling  ..read more