How My Priorities Have Changed Since Getting Pregnant

Having gotten knocked up later in life, I can say with confidence I do not envy anyone younger than me bringing a baby into this world. It turns out I’m, like, a pregnancy champ, so I might be a bit biased. But I’m also mature, and content, and wealthy, and married to a great man, […]

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2018 in Review and Goals for the New Year

  In spite of my not having worked the first three months of 2018 (against my will, for once), financially the Warckens crushed it last year. I didn’t start working until the first week of April, and just to show how much of a sugar mama I am, I made more in my first two […]

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What Would You Do With A Million Dollars?

  When we moved from Oklahoma to Arizona I drove the Subaru, Sheila, and Greg drove the Tundra, who he named Percolator? Harvey Judgerson? I can’t remember. The point is, I had a lot of hours to listen to financial podcasts and think about money in the solitary comfort of my own vehicle. How much […]

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Investing in Layman’s Terms

  If you are well-versed in personal finance, this post is not for you. I wrote this as a catch-all for the people I work with everyday who have no idea what it means- and especially how- to invest. There are obviously many more retirement and other investment accounts out there, but the following are […]

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How Much Would It Cost NOT To Work This Summer?

  I’m nearing the end of my contract- only five weeks left! As always, when we’re facing the end we have to decide whether I’m going to extend, or if I’m going to find another nursing contract elsewhere, or if we’re going to take a few months off to do what we really love, which […]

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Allowances for Adults?

  You betcha. Once upon a time, before we were married, Greg and I quit our jobs and took a round-the-world trip. Now as frugal as we like to consider ourselves, we both love to gamble. We will happily skimp in other areas, like toilet paper and soap, before we cut back on our gambling […]

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Our Totally Free Checking, Savings, and Money Market Accounts

  If you currently keep all your savings in coffee cans buried around your front yard, this article is perfect for you. If you’re currently paying for a checking account, or not earning any interest on it, or paying to withdraw your own money from ATMs, this article is definitely for you. I about fell […]

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The Joy of Living Within Your Means

  I’ve found people who are bad with money typically know they’re bad with it, but they think just having or making more would solve that problem. That couldn’t be further from the truth. If you currently spend everything you make, no increase in income is going to change that. You have to learn to […]

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Budgeting On An Inconsistent Income

You think it’s hard to budget with a guaranteed income? Hoowee! Try doing it when you don’t know the next time you’ll get paid. I just got my first paycheck since November, but thankfully we had money set aside and Greg has been part-timing all along, keeping us afloat. Of course we do this on […]

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Our Investment Strategy

  Spoiler alert! Our investment strategy is super boring, and anything I know about investing I’ve taught myself through numerous books, blogs, and podcasts. And you can too! Since getting married in 2013, thanks to quitting a job I detested, traveling, and travel nursing, I’ve worked a total of 39 months. That averages out to […]

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