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Mental Health, Part 2: Sanity and Financial Security

My Mental Health Four Years Ago

Remember that NBD accident from Mental Health, Part I? Yeah, it left me pretty screwed up mentally as well as physically. I did a great job of pretending I was okay for awhile, and the panic attacks and obsessive thoughts kept getting worse. I was a mess. And ironically, it took my therapist and I awhile to figure out that I was depressed. Turns out I was so good at faking normal by that point that even in my own head, depression was masked as extreme stress and exhaustion. But when we did finally put a name to that feeling of being constantly overwhelmed and unable to find a way out, things got a lot better. Why? Continue reading “Mental Health, Part 2: Sanity and Financial Security”

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Financial Advice from My Cat

Pets have always been in integral part of my life. They make me happier, and they’re great companions to have through tough times. They’re also fantastic sources of amusement – both cats and dogs tend to do pretty ridiculous things (have you ever seen a cat get his jaw stuck in his collar? Or jump into the shower by accident when it’s running?). But in addition to all of that, my cats have also imparted some pretty deep financial advice over the years. And being the generous person I am, I decided I had to share that wisdom with the world. Courtesy of my financially savvy cats:

Continue reading “Financial Advice from My Cat”

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10 Pieces of Financial Advice for My 20 Year Old Sister

Lately, during my phone conversations with my little sister, I have this overwhelming urge to bombard her with financial advice. All of the things that I wish I had known before I racked up credit card debt and bought a new office wardrobe. Before I spent some of my first real money on a classy pair of “big-girl” diamond earrings. Before I got my first apartment and spent absurd amounts of money on takeout. You get the drift…

But usually our phone calls are short because she’s busy studying or going between commitments on campus. Plus, she’s 20 and thinks she has all the answers. So I thought I’d compile my thoughts here in the spirit of encouraging student financial health in others, and maybe in the hope that having a written response will be helpful to her. So here we go!

Continue reading “10 Pieces of Financial Advice for My 20 Year Old Sister”

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The Origin of a Name

When I decided to start a blog, I had a lot of trouble choosing a name. I wanted it to be something that meant something to me, and I didn’t want a name that was flip or too “cute” (I didn’t think that would fit my goal for the blog or my tone). Several great ideas I had were already taken, so I decided to turn to some of my favorite books for inspiration. Continue reading “The Origin of a Name”

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The Joy of Cooking at Home

Something I decided to do when I got serious about eating healthier and spending less money was relying less on convenience foods. Last year I did a pretty good job cutting out delivery and eating out, but I was still such a sucker for higher priced items at the grocery store—the “oven ready” kits, the fresh sushi in the prepared foods section, the artisan bread loaves that always smell so tempting…the list goes on. In January, I resolved to cut back on these and make as much from scratch as possible.  Continue reading “The Joy of Cooking at Home”

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Side Hustling FTW.

One of my goals that I’m talking about in this blog is Financial Independence. This one means a lot to me. When I graduated college, I spent money a little too freely. I needed a new wardrobe for my new life as a professional, I needed new furniture, I needed fun things and dinners out and travel. I needed to adopt not one, but TWO new animals (for a total of 3). And now, three years later, I’m stepping back and asking myself how I can be more strategic about getting to my financial goals because I’ve taken the time to figure out exactly what those goals are.

 

Continue reading “Side Hustling FTW.”

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Welcome Winter!

I absolutely love when the weather turns cold. I spent most of the weekend running both my dryer and my oven in a futile attempt to delay turning on my heat. I had to finally cave Saturday evening, but the effort was worth it! All my laundry is done, and my house is full of baked goods and roasted vegetables. Sounds like a win to me.

(Also, in an attempt to find an awesome winter photo for this post, this one below was one of the first that showed up in my search. And nothing can possibly beat a chipmunk in a knitted hat, so I decided to roll with it. Isn’t it cute??)

Continue reading “Welcome Winter!”

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Hello world!

Hello World! My name is Elizabeth. I’ve decided to start this blog to document my efforts for self-growth. I’ve been taking steps to improve my life, and I thought it would be helpful for myself (and maybe for some strangers on the internet) if the journey was documented. So here it goes!

Continue reading “Hello world!”