Denali Northern Expenditure

Tag: relationships Page 1 of 2

Our Focus on Gratitude

Our Focus on Gratitude

By

On November 22, 2017

In Goodness

2017 has been a crazy ride for us, but we know we have so much to be grateful for! Today’s post is a reflection of our focus on gratitude.

What Northern Expenditure has done for us:

Sure, we don’t make money off this blog (I think we managed to break even this year!), but this blog has been amazing in so many ways. As we reflect on the things we’re grateful for, we obviously start with family, friends, better health, our home, our jobs, and the opportunities we have. Focusing specifically on this blog, we’re grateful for:

You – our readers

I know, I know. I’ll try not to get too sappy, but I LOVE it when you comment or send me an email about your own journey. It makes it all worth it.

This blogging community

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the blog, but I certainly didn’t expect making so many good friends I would fly across the country just to hang out with them for a week in Texas (for FinCon). There’s also a handful of my closest blogger friends that have been so awesome. How sad I would be to miss out on those friendships if I hadn’t decided to jump in!

Strange opportunities

Through this blog, I have had the opportunity to dabble in SEO work, freelance writing, freelance research, and without the blog, I would not have found out about Merch by Amazon.

As we gather with our local friends tomorrow to eat turkey and Mr. T’s pies, know that I am thankful for this little corner of the internet that we have created and your part in that.

Happy Thanksgiving (US) friends – (international friends: please eat pie to celebrate anyway. There’s no bad day for pie.)

FinCon 2017 Recap: What YOU Need to Hear

FinCon 2017 Recap: What YOU Need to Hear

By

On November 8, 2017

In Personal Finance

I realize not everyone wants to know how to grow their blog or SEO, etc. (in fact, I didn’t go to most of those sessions either!). The two things I learned at FinCon that are important for everyone are:

1) The Importance of Community

I went to FinCon because that’s my tribe. Are all of them my people? No way! But there were 1700 people there and a subset of that are my friends. We relate. We communicate. We help each other out.

Read More

The Impact of Good Business Communication

The Impact of Good Business Communication

By

On February 20, 2017

In Saving Money

A business can do everything right, but if they have poor business communication, they’ll never succeed. You are your business. You need to make sure you have the ability to communicate your goals and priorities to yourself, your partner and to others that that are involved in your bottom line.

Business Communication Leads to Trust

Read More

Last Minute Frugal Valentine’s Day Ideas (for kids and spouses)

By

On February 13, 2017

In Goodness

When is Valentine’s Day again? TOMORROW?! Don’t worry… I’ve got your back. I literally don’t do a THING until the day before to prepare and I don’t spend a penny on this holiday!

(Insert: rant about commercialization of a made-up holiday designed to make you spend money to prove your love…)

Valentine’s Day Decorations

Okay, fine. We planned a LITTLE bit ahead on this one, but I still had to share it because it is literally the GREATEST IDEA EVER (I can’t take credit… I found it on Pinterest years ago and I can’t find the original source…).

Read More

Northern Expressions

Northern Expressions: The Right Investments

By

On December 9, 2016

In Northern Expressions

Investments in marriage, family, and success at work are almost certain to pay off.

Happy Friday, friends!

Today’s Northern Expression comes from Helaine Olen & Harold Pollack in The Index Card:

Your time is valuable. Your happiness and economic security depend on your marriage, your family, your success at work and in your relationships. Investments in those areas are almost certain to pay off.

Every choice you make with your money or your time is an investment. If you invest too much time into something, you inevitably neglect another. Make sure your life asset allocations align with your priorities.

It’s possible to be economically secure AND happy. This balance requires prioritizing. You vote for your priorities with your time and your money. Vote wisely.

Love, Maggie

Do not swim alone

Do Not Swim Alone, Swim with Swimmers

By

On October 10, 2016

In The Ride

When I was working in the office last month, I stayed in a nearby hotel and made myself go swimming each evening after work to get some exercise and relax. Each evening I was the only one in the pool. The last night (that’s right, I blatantly ignored them for four days), I read the posted rules for the pool. The last one read simply: DO NOT SWIM ALONE.

My first thought? Oh no! I’m going to die in here and no one will even know! Second thought: That’s ridiculous. I’m an adult and a competent swimmer. Third thought: I think I feel a metaphor coming on…

If you’ve read this blog at all, you know I love a good metaphor whether it comes from watching some fishermen or straight out of a fortune cookie. And here was a brilliant one, right on the wall of the hotel pool.

The Metaphor:

Read More

How Parents and Significant Others Impact Student Finances

By

On April 6, 2016

In Research Highlights

On Monday, we discussed how people are sometimes dumb with money and love, but it’s not all bad news. Today, we highlight research that shows love can positively influence our finances. The first study, published in December 2015, followed 693 University of Arizona students. The (mostly white, female) students were extensively surveyed toward the beginning of college (ages 18-21) and then again toward the end (ages 21-24). The 693 study participants were all included because they reported being in a serious, committed relationship at the second survey. The study was trying to figure out the impact parents and romantic partners have on the financial behaviors and attitudes of college students.

Read More

When Money and Love Don’t Mix

By

On April 4, 2016

In Personal Finance

I read a lot about healthcare for my job and one thing that keeps coming up is that we’re terrible at making rational decisions about our loved ones. It’s easy to have a discussion about end-of-life care and how trying everything, no matter how expensive, is ridiculous for someone in her eighties. I don’t want to live or die like that. But when it’s your own mother, the story changes. If you’re the one that has to make the choice about pulling the plug on the breathing tube, everything changes. Understandably!

Read More

How Much Do Your Neighbors Matter?

By

On March 11, 2016

In About the Banks

We live on a cul-de-sac with a shared picnic/BBQ area. In the summertime, my kids are constantly riding bikes and playing in the cul-de-sac. There are currently no other kids, but we know most of our neighbors and they are great about letting the kids play. (One neighbor even bought them tiny rakes because she thought they’d like them. They do!) Our neighbors have been awesome. One helped with our windows, two of them insulated their attics the same day we did so we could all help each other out, and we used the tools of one of our neighbors to do all the window and door trim work. Two of our neighbors came over for Christmas Eve two years ago. We really like the dynamic of our cul-de-sac. We often end up having communal dinners in the picnic area during the summer and stay up late chatting with the neighbors when the sun is out until midnight.

Read More

Sex and Money in Marriage

By

On November 20, 2015

In Personal Finance

“It’s okay. We just kissed a little. No big deal.” I can’t imagine Mr. T would take that well if it ever came up in a conversation. We know honesty in marriage is important. And we know that cheating is wrong. But somehow, finances get left out of those discussions. Did you know there is a term called “financial infidelity”? Do you know what it means? Secrets. Money and sex are tricky. We like them, but we don’t like talking about them. When we get married, we just expect both to happen without discussing either of them. But there’s one difference: with sex, we know there shouldn’t be any secrets. In money, there isn’t a consensus about secrets. In fact, 33% of people admitted lying to their spouses about finances. And that’s just the people that admitted it!

Read More

Page 1 of 2

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén