Author: Elizabeth

I've been on a kick this year reading what I like to call "personal improvement" books. They aren't "self help" books in the sense that there's a problem about my life that I'd like to solve. Rather, I'm just looking to grow and improve. A few examples of these books include: The Power of Habit, The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, All the Money in the World, and The Power of Full Engagement (a re-read). Based on my reading, reflection, and personal experience I've come up with a fairly simple plan to maximize your happiness. 1. Give Yourself Time and Space to Think You're not going to be able to create your happiness plan in bits and spurts of time. Ideally you would block off several hours or a half…

Today's posts are all about family and money. Check them out below: On Women's Money Week: The Cost of a Baby Isn’t as High as You Think (But There are Surprises) From MoneyCrush: Tired of Fighting About Money? From Ideas For Women: Money, Finance, and Investing Blog:4 Tips to Balance Your Family’s Income and Time Needs From Payoff: 5 Ways to Teach Children to Be Smart With Their Money From NZ Muse: Family and money, obligation and guilt From OCCA Consumer Debt Relief: Dealing with Debt during a Divorce From New School of Finance: Stop Bikering About Money From Femme Frugality: The Cost of Children: Health From Chicago on the Cheap: Kids and money From Eboo Saves: Family and Money From Money Master Mom: Yearly Expenses for a Family of…

Before my son was born, I imagined that having a kid would be insanely expensive. The US Department of Agriculture publishes an annual report on the costs of raising a child, but the costs never seemed shockingly high. (Around $250,000 over a lifetime.) I thought our own costs would be higher than estimates, and so we planned accordingly. So we saved a large chunk of money for my son’s first year. But there were some surprises about baby costs. Here they are. Surprises about the Cost of a Baby 1. They Aren’t Expensive Babies really aren’t that expensive. In their first year the spend most of their time eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. Breastfeeding and cloth diapers dramatically cut these costs. Plus, you have a lot less time…

Here are a few of the great posts about time and boosting productivity that were posted today: How a Walking Desk and Crock Pot Made Me More Productive Since there is no way to slow down time or add more hours to the day–but boy wouldn’t that be an awesome option–I have had to learn how to use my time better to be more productive. And two of the tools that have helped me to do that are the walking desk that I made–also known as my treadmill desk–and my Crock Pot. Read more at Suddenly Frugal. Who Do You Want to Become Who would we see if we were to take a peek into your calendar? Most of our calendars reflect the life of an overwhelmed, overworked, person who…

Would you rather have more time or more money? Yesterday we covered how to make more money, so today's posts are all about how to find time and/or increase your productivity. On Women's Money Week: How Find More Time Each Day: 7 Tips From November Sunflower: Managing your time is never gonna happen From Not a Coupon Queen: Finding Time and Increasing Productivity: Think ahead From Budget for Health: How to Manage 1440 Minutes From the Road Not Chosen: Finding Time and Increasing Productivity - A Time for Everything From Take a Smart Step: Five Time Management Tips that Help You Accomplish More From Family Money Values: Leverage Your Time From Early Bird Mom: Why Do You Want To Be More Productive From Northern Cheapskate: Making the Most of Your…

Ready to start earning more money? Check out all the posts below to figure out the best ways to increase your income. Let us know your favorite posts in the comments. On Women's Money Week: 6 Ways to Increase Your Income by Changing Your Mindset From Northern Cheapskate: 5 Ways to Boost Your Income on a Budget From New School of Finance: Make Money From Your Home From 2 ringgits'worth: How to maximise your income when you are starting out From Monroe on a Budget: Stay current in your job skills so you can maintain income From Chicago on the Cheap: Using online education to learn new skills and increase income From Eboo Saves: Increasing Income From Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance: 5 Tips to Increase Your Income From the Road…

There are many great blog posts, articles, and courses about how specifically to earn more money. But all of these articles assume that you are ready to earn more. You probably think that you’re ready to earn more money, but the truth is that many of us are held back by internal assumptions, mantras, fears that prevent us from actually stepping out and increasing our worth. So instead of listing specific tips about how to increase your income (If you’re looking for tips, here are a few good posts: decide how to make more money, how to make more money at work, how and why to find a second job, how to make money on the side) this post is about how changing your mindset can help you earn more.…

Women's Money Week 2013 is the second annual weeklong online event running from March 4th-8th, 2013 — coinciding with International Women’s Day. Women’s Money Week is about encouraging women to speak up about money, take control of their finances, and reshape their financial futures. For one week of the year, the best and brightest in person finance come together to share their knowledge and experience. Each day a new topic is tackled a new topic as it uniquely affects women. The 2013 Topics are: Monday, March 4: Increasing Income Tuesday, March 5: Finding Time / Increasing Productivity Wednesday, March 6: Family and Money Thursday, March 7: Happiness, Hobbies, and Money Friday, March 8: Future Planning & Financial Planning Check back each day for a full list of posts. In 2012…