Real financial advice for real scientists
I hate our apartment with the passion of 1,000 fires. That’s why I was so surprised when I convinced Zach that we should stay here when our lease comes up for renewal in a couple months. Let me rewind and explain… I became accustomed to a certain way of life, with a certain amount…
I used to love Christmas shopping as a kid. Me, my mom, and my sister would head to the mall for the day and wander around aimlessly throwing shiny things in the cart. We didn’t have any Christmas shopping strategies in mind; we just were drawn in like moths to a flame. My dad…
I have come to teach you how to brew too. Why brew your own beer, though? Let me try and convince you… It’s tasty, and you can make beer whenever and however you like it. Have a hankering for an Oktoberfest in March? Brew it yourself. It’s a lot of fun, and really does…
Every time I walk into an upscale department store, it’s a mystifying experience. I’ve never been to another country (except for Canada, and as a northerner, that doesn’t count), but I imagine it’s a bit like the same thing. Everyone looks kind of similar and maybe even sounds the same, but something is just…
I have another confession to make…before we started managing our money better, me and my husband used to spend $800 per month on dining out. And that was even after spending $675 per month on groceries! Between the two of us, we were each literally eating away $24 every day. Things were getting dire with…
I’m on a quest to reduce my monthly food bill. I’ve done a lot of great things so far—I’ve streamlined my process for cooking at home by collecting recipes, planning meals, and making cooking more hassle-free. Heck, I’ve even started freezer cooking. But there’s one thing left that’s really been bothering me. We buy…
I’ve always been fascinated with learning new languages, ever since I saw the movie Boondock Saints where the Irish brothers talk in several different languages together to confuse people. Aside from my failed 100 pushup challenge, it’s about the most badass thing I could think to do. So of course, I had to tackle…
Working out has all kinds of benefits, but it can be hard in lots of ways. I’ve spent the last ten years trying to fight the effects of being a small (weak) person who is aging—my own mother was stick-thin like me until she was 26 years old, and then things started to…change. Well,…
Pokemon Go seems like the latest craze that everyone’s getting into (Zach included). I’m not a gamer, but I can get behind the idea of a game that gets people outside, exploring, and interacting with others in a community. This made me think of another activity…geocaching. Me and Zach used to go geocaching a…
Do you like saving money on home-cooked food, but hate actually doing the cooking part? Me too. I’ve been on a huge home-cooking spree in the past half a year or so in a desperate effort to tone down my food budget. I’ve tried finding and collecting new recipes, planning my meals, and even…
