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Author Archives: Michelle
What’s your vision?
“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” – Yogi Berra After I transitioned from working in an office environment to working at home, I decided to join Rotary International. I had previous exposure to Rotary when I lived up in Northfield and I like their motto: “Service Above Self.” I was also looking for a networking opportunity and – barring anything else – my Tuesday AM meeting guarantees … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction, Everyday Living, Random!
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The power of DIY
My husband and I are having some unexpected company this evening. And I’m out of toilet bowl cleaner. Under normal circumstances, the two situations wouldn’t be mutually exclusive, but it’s been awhile since I’ve scrubbed said bowl and decided that this is a perfect excuse to do a Google search on “How to make your own toilet bowl cleaner.” Because that’s something that I’ve wanted to do … phase out commercial/conventional cleaners in favor of greener alternatives (that don’t cost … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Minimalism, Money Saving Strategies
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REALLY????
Every once in awhile, the dearth of common sense makes me want to bash my head against immobile objects. Like walls, my desk, doors … you get the picture. Today’s “duh” moment came courtesy of a blog that I read on a regular basis – it belongs to Chef Marcus Samuelsson – one of the best things to come out of Sweden, after Alexander Skarsgard, his father and Ikea. One of today’s topics is how the USDA is taking on … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction, Everyday Living, Inane articles
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Mourning the perceived death of the debit card
My husband emailed me this article today from Minnesota Public Radio. On the heels of Bank of America announcing they will be charging debit card users $5 per month, analysts are asking the question: Are debit cards on the downhill slope of their popularity? As someone who has used their debit card as a primary mode of currency for the past five years, this news makes me want to shriek. I mean – I rarely use anything else other than … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living
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Eating on $30 a week …
If there is one thing that has struck me through my financial journey, it is that I need to be more mindful about what is spent for our household’s groceries. With that in mind, it is no wonder that this article on CNN struck my eye – especially its question: “Could you eat on $30 a week?” The premise, of course, is that families on food stamps have about $30 a week to feed their families. It is quite the … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction, Everyday Living, Good Reading
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The ABC’s of Me
Frugal Babe had this post the other day which detailed “The ABCs of Me.” Every once in awhile, I think it’s fun to do these things. They just go well with procrastination and coffee. A – Age. I’m 33 B – Bed Size. Queen. C – Chore I dislike. Dusting … I have no clue why I don’t like to dust, I just don’t – I’d rather clean the bathroom. D – Dogs. I do not consider myself a dog … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction
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Putting my money where my mouth is
I am susceptible to suggestion. This comment means a multitude of things to me, whether its following the vampire craze and reading the Twilight books in one weekend or going to those damn catalog parties and finding myself the owner of jewelry that I rarely wear. Then there was that time that I became a vegetarian for a year because I was honoring River Phoenix. Oh yes – I did that, just ask my poor mother about that one and … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Reader Input
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My reading roundup
Technically, there are still some days left of summer, but on this September day (even with 80 degree weather), I can feel fall in the air and I’m happy to greet it, because … well. Fall means blue jeans, crockpots of soup, crisp weather, my favorite sweater, quilts and even MORE coffee. Fall also means a bit of slowing down for me … during the summer, my husband and I spend a lot of weekends traveling to see friends and … Continue reading
Posted in Good Reading
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The hidden perk/pitfall of home ownership
“Good fences make good neighbors.” – Robert Frost The end of August will mark four years that my husband and I have lived in our house. To the east of our house, is a rental home that has had a dubious run of tenants until Katie, an emergency room nurse and single mom of two girls, moved in. To the west is Bonnie – Bonnie means constancy and today, a shopping bag full of onions from her nephew’s garden, as … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living
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Frugality: Not just for common folk
I’m going to stop short at saying that I’m obsessed, but I’m going to throw this out there: I enjoy reading stories about the British royalty. I am especially charmed by Prince William and his lovely wife Kate, erm, Catherine. (And I would love to hit a pub with Prince Harry – I’m just going to throw that out there …) Anyway – I chalk these stories up to slow news days, but I am particularly delighted when the media … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction
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