Money Musings 💠There's always a 🏠compromise
What you’ll find below:
Reflection: My tips for moving
Money Move: Trick yourself into saving more for retirement
You Gotta See: Share your faves for our holiday gift guide
Reel of the Week: PSA - renting is not "throwing away" money
By the time we sold our condo and found our new place, it was go time. We had two weeks to get ready to move.
Here’s how I prepped.
I minimized the amount of stuff there was to move.
We dedicated a lot of time to going through our things. As we did, we asked ourselves, “is this worth moving?” And if it wasn’t, we either:
Sold it on Thredup (for clothing items - a very low lift)
Posted it for free on our local parent group
Posted it for free on our local Buy Nothing Group
Any clothes / shoes that weren’t in good condition went to textile recycling
While finding each item a new home took a lot more time than dropping it off at Goodwill or Salvation Army, I felt better knowing it would get use in a new home rather than sit in a trash bag for who knows how long.
Then it was time to pack.
I was 36 weeks pregnant the last time we moved so we had decided to pay the moving company an additional $300 to pack our entire apartment. It felt like a great deal until it added over $1,500 to the move in additional boxes and packaging materials.
This time we decided to do it ourselves. On a friend’s recommendation we used a company called Bin-It that delivers (and eventually picks up) plastic bins, a dolly for moving and sticker labels (SO important for getting packed bins to the right room!).
You rent the bins for a certain time period and have to pay more to get more time. A major incentive to unpack!
We packed our kitchen and moved it over ourselves and then hired movers for the furniture and the rest of the bins.
We also hired a babysitter to be with the kids during the move so they could watch the action when they wanted but could also leave and go to the park when they got bored.
While it was a ton of work and the move took a day longer than we expected, I’m excited to report that we are fully unpacked two weeks later. I’m just waiting for my mom to visit and lend her design eye before we hang any art and order some finishing touches. It’s not my strong suit.
Have you moved recently or have a move coming up? Share your tips and questions!
P.S. If you are planning to move, I have a free moving budget template. You can get it here!
MONEY MOVE OF THE WEEK
RETIREMENT CHECKUP SERIES - STEP #4 - SNEAK IT UP & CHECK-IN.
If this series (step #1, #2 and #3) has you worried you’re behind (or way behind) in saving for retirement , that’s the way it is for most of us. If you haven’t started yet or are far from your goal, don’t fret (too much).
Starting small is okay and builds exponentially.
If you’re looking to increase your contributions, I’m a fan of the sneaky increase. Up your contributions by as little as 1% of your salary. Then set a calendar reminder to increase by 1% again in four to six weeks.
Some 401(k) plans allow for an automatic increase on contributions to make this process easier for you.
Then, you’ll want to check in! I recommend going through these steps once per year and making adjustments as needed. You can also track your progress each month or quarter at your Money Parties.
If you’re not having Money Parties yet, you’re missing out on what I think is the most powerful financial habit. Here’s a guide for you.
In the press
Yahoo! Finance: HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR SELF-CARE SPENDING WITHOUT ADDING FINANCIAL STRESS
FIND YOUR FRUGAL JOYS.
Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, founder of The Fiscal Femme and author of “Financial Adulting,” says she’s a big fan of “frugal joys” — free or inexpensive things that make you happy or provide you with self-care.
There may well be some self-care expenses, such as seeing a therapist, that potentially cost more. However, she encourages people to expand what they think of as self-care and look for what they can do for themselves in small, inexpensive ways.
“There are things like just saying no to something, going to bed early, or getting your face out in the sunlight every day that can be a form of self-care,” Gerstley said.
you Gotta see this
HELP US MAKE OUR HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE.
Each year we proudly highlight incredible women-owned businesses to support while doing your holiday shopping (and all year round) in our Holiday Gift Guide.
Why? Because what we buy matters! How we spend money is a way to vote for more of what we want to see in the world.
Plus, the pandemic, inflation and supply-chain issues have made the last few years really challenging for small businesses. Our support will make a big difference.
And this year, we’re shaking things up a bit!
We're on the hunt for an up-and-coming women-owned business to shine the spotlight on and include in our guide.
Plus, the winner gets a FREE money coaching session with me.
Help me make our Holiday Gift Guide, so we can support and feature your favorite women-owned businesses.
Hit reply or use this form to share about your women-owned business or to nominate an emerging one you admire. Tell us a bit about what makes it special!
your weekly money wins
Here are all the amazing money moves you made this week
AmyB: Found a 50 lb pumpkin, and some designer pumpkins for free....
Rikki: Made my first Poshmark sale
Rebekah: Sold my shares to put on the mortgage
Stacy L: Sold a few things on FB that had just been lying around
Annie: Finally opened a high yield savings account - should have done this forever ago!!
Phoenix A: Started disputing credit collections
Grace N: Fixed a broken tea pot instead of buying a new one
Maggie: I got a promotion and got a 14% raise!
Yelia: I paid off my credit card and put 2k in the rainy day fund!
Joanna: Staying at a friend's place instead of booking a hotel for an upcoming trip!
Janet D: Paid a load on my credit card. Almost paid off!
Erin: Paid off my student loans in full
Abigial S: I moved more $ into my savings today than I had to take out for an unexpected expense last week!
Alli: Received a surplus check from my escrow account & deposited into my home SF, & said yes to boarding a dog for $55/night