Why our practically empty home makes me happy
My husband and I live in the parsonage of the church where we work part-time. What this means is really amazing, financially speaking — we get to live in a giant, lovingly-maintained, FREE house. All of this is obviously wonderful, but we moved into this house from a tiny student apartment. And we didn’t have enough furniture to fill THAT place. Basically, our discretionary income doesn’t rise to the occasion of this grand home. And I learned that you don’t realize how much Wanting Stuff and Acquiring Stuff weighs you down until you just stop doing it.
Why I love every inch of my stretch marks
I have obsessed about my weight since I was eleven. I’m not going to get into all of the years of disordered eating and self-loathing in this post, but when I look back on photos of myself, I can’t believe I thought there was anything wrong with me. I was a fox — long, lean, lithe, and curvy in just the right places. I could shimmy into tons of really cute clothes, and heads would turn. These days, you could describe me as “pillowy” rather than “willowy.”
How do I find a financial advisor for non-rich folks?
My brand new husband and I are muddling through figuring out our money and I thought that seeing a financial adviser would be a great idea. I started looking for fee-only financial advisers in Los Angeles and I found that by and large, these folks are for rich people. One even said they won’t talk to you if you make less than $200,000 per year. I feel like professional help is in order, but who do I get it from?
The cutest handbags with the darkest style
Thanks to this amazing ribcage knuckle duster clutch, I just found out that Neatorama’s online store has an awesome selection of handbags! From Hello Kitty to skulls and flowers, these bags are the cutest, darkest accessories you’ll see this side of the interwebs.
Is quitting your day job to own your own small business worth the risk?
I am a nurse and have been doing that for about four years. But I had to quit my job out of sheer exhaustion. I love to cook. I had started to look into a small business that I can run out of my home kitchen. I am 100% sure I can do this, but my question is… is it worth the risk? Has anyone else had this sort of complete career change and succeeded?
What I learned from overcoming my addiction to Facebook
November of 2007 is when I first opened a Facebook account, and I was hooked on social networking. Then, when I was engaged, things got weird. — virtual harassment bled into real life creepiness. After that I started wondering how much I actually needed Facebook. So I deleted all my online accounts and learned a lot in the process.
Celebrate the return of Arrested Development with Bluth Cornballs!
As someone who was counting down the days till Netflix brought back Arrested Development, you can imagine my excitement when this photo of Homie Sarah Swingset‘s Bluth Cornballs appeared in our Flickr pool.
Use lingerie bags for washing delicates AND sweaters
I hate washing things by hand. In addition to sweaters, I think that other delicate clothing/unmentionables last longer if you wash them by hand. My first victory was moving somewhere with a washing machine that has a delicate cycle. But I was still doing multiple loads of delicate laundry since bra hooks and knit sweaters do not mix! The next victory was what I like to call a “baskets moment” or in my case, a “bags moment.” For people who apparently live under rocks like I do…