Disqus - Latest Comments for jenniferalaine

Re: 5 Financial Decisions My Parents Don’t Agree With, And Why I’m Implementing Them Anyway

Jenn — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 13:46:24 -0000

I would actually not tell him anything -- it sounds like she has resources at her disposal to educate herself (hey TFD) and that all he does is react badly. There's no reason to keep "confessing" things to him.

Re: The (Extremely) Non-Traditional Hiring Process That Got Me A Job I Love

Jenn — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 16:03:14 -0000

This is truly an awful way to hire. While it's (obviously) great for the successful candidate, this approach immediately restricts the applicant pool and further drastically narrows the type of successful candidate throughout the process, resulting in a homogeneous group of employees that of course work well together but are limited in the diversity of their ideas, approach to work, and creativity.

Re: Ask Nicole: What Are Some Secure Money Management Options?

Jenn — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 17:14:57 -0000

I've used YNAB4 (local software installation) and then switched to new YNAB (web based) but I have never linked my bank account to the new YNAB -- I prefer manually entering my transactions anyway so the new feature didn't matter much to me. Even if a hacker somehow got my information, all they'd be able to do is mess my budget up, ha. Is that not considered secure? What am I missing?

Re: Introducing: Making It Work!

Jenn — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 12:53:08 -0000

I LOVE this new idea! Congrats TFD team :)

Re: Question Wednesday

Jenn — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 12:48:04 -0000

I'd probably use a sponge for the cottage cheese, but I'm sort of a hypocrite because I don't have sponges anymore so what I actually would have done would probably have been to clean it with my hands, followed by some water :) I'm not great at cleaning, though, so please don't follow my advice.

Re: Billfold Recommends: YNAB

Jenn — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 14:27:28 -0000

I've been using old YNAB for years & finally made the switch this weekend after helping a friend set up her budget in new YNAB. I still do manual entry because I like it, but I love the idea of goals & I was tired of forcing old YNAB to do goals in a roundabout way. I'm looking forward to it being web-based too, and to aging my money! You do get a lifetime 10% discount on it as an old YNAB user, which is nice. I also took this as an opportunity to do a fresh start -- I didn't make too many changes, but I split up my categories a little differently which is going to be good for reports I think.

Re: Why I Don’t Have A Debit Card (& Don’t Plan On Getting One)

Jenn — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:39:03 -0000

"Tracking purchases" is one of the arguments I hear in favor of credit cards a lot, but it confuses me. I get a statement breakdown of all my debit card purchases that looks exactly the same as the statement of all my credit card purchases -- there is not difference there.

I understand why people would choose credit cards for other reasons (rewards, miles, etc.) but as someone who needed to be accountable to the money available to me in my account, those benefits weren't worth it. I used only a debit card for years without any issue while I got a handle on my spending & paid off debt.

Re: A Friday Chat About Subscription Tickets

Jenn — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 16:52:58 -0000

I bought a Broadway subscription last year specifically so I would be guaranteed to get Hamilton tickets when it came & it was absolutely worth it -- we loved the built-in date nights and we resubscribed for another year (even though the shows aren't as interesting, hoping we'll be surprised!).

I knew the Hamilton soundtrack inside & out before going to see it live & I would recommend listening to it -- you're going to miss so much of the story because it's quick & moves through the timeline pretty fast. Plus it's historical so like... presumably no spoilers, ya know?

Re: Is It Worth It? Invisibobble

Jenn — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 16:48:59 -0000

I use these at night to keep my hair off my face while I sleep -- keeps it out of the way without being too tight, causing breakage, or leaving a crease so I can successfully wear second day hair.

Re: Everything I’m Doing To Lose 85 Pounds, & Exactly How Much It’s Costing Me

Jenn — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 13:56:15 -0000

Love this, & good luck Molly! Years ago I wrote about the cost of my own weight loss -- it's surprising how quickly it adds up! You can find it here if it's helpful: https://thefinancialdiet.co...

Re: The Problem With Debt Repayment Stories That No One Talks About

Jenn — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 14:22:01 -0000

I also think there's a lot of privilege in paying off debt *as a coupled person* versus as a single person. Every couple structures their approach to shared finances differently, of course, but there is inherent support when there are two people working and sharing costs versus tackling it solo.

Re: Parents Are Taking On More Student Debt, Too

Jenn — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 17:46:34 -0000

Like @Jay Sun, I also got the parental full ride, and they didn't take out any loans as far as I know. Both sets of grandparents had prioritized education for my parents, so they in turn did the same for me & my sister. I went to an expensive private school & my sister went to a less expensive private school & got scholarships, so that was helpful of her -- now she's the favorite ;)

I don't plan to have children of my own, but I've set up automatic contributions to my friends kids 529 plans. They've all had accounts since they were born and since they usually don't need any more "stuff" I'm going to be the book + college fund aunt every year on their birthday. Some of my friends will probably be paying off their own student loans when their kid goes off to college...

Re: A Complete Breakdown Of All My Spending In 2018 (So Far)

Jenn — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 11:50:31 -0000

I love these posts, with real numbers! Makes me want to figure out where all my money has gone so far too...

Re: 5 Thoughts After One Year Of Owning A Home, In No Particular Order

Jenn — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 13:32:15 -0000

Yesss another Desirae post! Seriously though, this line "In some markets, or at some salaries, there is no overlap between what’s available and what’s within your means" is so true & perfect & something that 99.9% of the rest of the personal finance internet fails to consider.

Re: 6 Changes That Tricked My Brain Into Enjoying Exercise

Jenn — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 13:48:25 -0000

I cannot overstate the importance of #3 -- I am currently gym-shopping because I started a new job in a different part of town & my go-to gym is now no longer convenient to work OR home. I was amazed at how quickly I went from "this gym is my favorite & I am never leaving it!" to "nope not worth it" when faced with the hassle of making it across town at rush hour only to then have to hoof it all the way home when class was done. The gym I'm hoping to join now is easy to get to from my office, takes 5 minutes to walk home from, and has two class times that are convenient for me both if I can leave the office a bit early or if I get stuck working late a few nights.

Re: Turns Out Women Negotiate Just as Often as Men Do

Jenn — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 17:07:16 -0000

I did not negotiate the starting salary at my first job but have successfully negotiated several times since then. I think I was only turned down twice: once when I tried to negotiate a cost of living increase for moving offices (I wasn't told no, just told to wait three months so we could reevaluate and we did) and then once with a starting salary at a new job. I even had a competing offer for more, and they still said no. I took the job anyway because I wanted it more, but it was a little frustrating.

Re: 3 Misconceptions That Are Keeping You From Traveling

Jenn — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 12:41:23 -0000

I live in Oregon, but travel to the east coast regularly, so I know that particular itinerary :) In May, I took a Thursday night red-eye to NYC, landing Friday morning & leaving again on Sunday afternoon. And in June I took it a step further -- flew to Boston on a Friday night red-eye, landed on Saturday morning, and flew back Sunday afternoon. It was brutal but worth it to celebrate special occasions!

Re: 3 Misconceptions That Are Keeping You From Traveling

Jenn — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 10:50:22 -0000

I will also add to #2 that you can absolutely fly somewhere for a quick weekend! As I learned in my 20s when I was balancing weddings & bachelorette parties with very limited vacation days, a Friday-Sunday trip is possible. Tiring, yes, but definitely possible. (This is especially true when you're going somewhere specifically to see people, rather than to explore a new place from top to bottom.)

Re: What Being Gay Taught Me About Money & Security

Jenn — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:49:17 -0000

Please write more articles for TFD -- this was so great! (And LOL @ at the #toosoon Avengers joke in #2)

Re: Question Wednesday

Jenn — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:12:05 -0000

Is it possible to fix the strap at all? I recently did that for my favorite bag & it was $30 versus another $150+ to replace the whole thing. If a new purchase is required, I usually steer clear of the "designer" bags and go with more specialty shops... all my leather goods are from Cuyana which is the perfect balance for me between quality & price. I know some people love local artisans which are usually good options as well!

Re: 5 Little Self-Care Expenses That Are Financial Self-Sabotage

Jenn — Thu, 31 May 2018 12:08:58 -0000

Sometime's I'll scratch that itch by ordering household things I actually need, like laundry detergent or cat food. It's not quite the same but still satisfies that "must buy something!" feeling without being irresponsible.

Re: 21 Little Luxuries That Make You Feel Way Richer Than You Are

Jenn — Thu, 24 May 2018 16:15:45 -0000

I'm recently on board with #4 -- I have several matching sets of winter pajamas, but just bought my first pair of summer pajamas & whoa do they make a difference!

Re: Question Wednesday

Jenn — Wed, 23 May 2018 13:59:49 -0000

I try to fast in the morning, so I sip on coffee (roughly two cups, stays hot in my contigo travel mug) throughout the morning. Sometimes I break that with some trail mix (or half a donut, as was the case today) and sometimes I can make it through until 12 or 1pm. Usually a mid-afternoon snack, and then dinner around 8. Trying to break myself of that post-dinner snack since that means I'm eating so close to bedtime, but it's not going well.

Re: Question Wednesday

Jenn — Wed, 23 May 2018 13:57:24 -0000

I've recently experience a large increase in income over the past 2-3 years, and my spending has definitely changed. My fixed expenses are the same, and I still budget, but I'm a lot more lenient now about going over in certain categories. I'm saving a lot, but also spending a lot, so I could absolutely cut down on spending & increase saving, but I just... don't. I stress less about money day to day and now stress more about money long term (ie retirement, healthcare costs when I'm 90, will I ever see social security, etc.)

Re: 5 Items I’m Definitely Not Buying This Spring

Jenn — Wed, 23 May 2018 11:02:55 -0000

I just banned myself from this yesterday when I tried on a bikini top that looked nearly identical to the two others I own. If I'm going to get a new swimsuit, I need to branch out beyond my usual black :)