October 2016 - Northern Expenditure

Scariest thing to say to a personal finance geek

In the spirit of this spooky Halloween holiday, I made a list of the scariest things you could say to a personal finance geek. Then I opened it up on Twitter:

Monday's post is a list of the scariest things to say to a PF geek. Tweet yours to me and I'll add it! Ex: "Bought a house no money down!"

— Maggie Banks (@northernexpense) October 30, 2016

The response was overwhelming. I immediately threw out my own list since all of them were covered. So, turn on the creepy Halloween music and prepare yourself for a Twitter storm of the scariest things you could say to a personal finance geek (ordered by category).

Northern Expressions: Election Edition

By MaggieBanks

On October 28, 2016

In Northern Expressions

These Northern Expressions are usually picked out by me and designed by Mr. T. Today, Mr. T created his own for the crazy election time. If you didn’t know, Mr. T is a biker. We love family bike rides in the summertime and Queen just so happens to be my favorite band.

So, as the election cycle (pun intended) starts getting you down, Mr. T just wants you to remember:

I don’t want to be a candidate for Vietnam or Watergate. All I want to do is BICYCLE, BICYCLE, BICYCLE! – Freddie Mercury

Happy Friday, friends!

Love, Maggie

(and Mr. T – who adds: “next week, I’ll do a ‘fat-bottomed girls’ quote”*)

*Queen reference. Not just a random crude remark. 🙂

Practicing Escapism

By MaggieBanks

On October 26, 2016

In The Ride

What day of the week would you guess searches for jokes are at their peak?

I would guess Monday. How else would you get through a “bad case of the Mondays”? Turns out, I’m wrong! Searches for jokes are at their LOWEST on Mondays! And highest on Fridays-Sundays (when I commonly search for lunchbox jokes for the kids for the week).

So what search terms are highest on Mondays?

Depression. Anxiety. Doctor.

This is devastating. Joke searches also dive after traumatic news events like bombings. This information suggests two things:

It’s Not Your Fault You Want to Spend Money

By MaggieBanks

On October 24, 2016

In Saving Money

FLASHBACK: Thousands of years ago. You live in a cave, kill your own food, carve your own pictures into cave walls, and communicate very effectively through a series of grunts (clearly, I have no actual sense of what this period of time was like).

We know our bodies evolve based on our circumstances. THIS IS STILL TRUE. Example: Wisdom teeth. Remember back in the cave when we had to tear flesh apart with our teeth. No forks. No knives. Teeth. “Oh” you say, “THAT’S why we have wisdom teeth!” Now, wisdom teeth are a hassle. They crowd our smaller jawlines, mess up the rest of teeth, can get impacted, and cost money to get removed. Well, guess what? Humanity has gotten the memo! I, personally, only had 2 wisdom teeth, and my husband only has 1 that’s never grown in (I know. We’re advanced specimens). Some predict wisdom teeth will disappear altogether within just a few generations!

What does this have to do with spending money?

Oh yeah… I was talking about money.

Roth IRA Challenge: Mustard Seed Money Mortgage

By MaggieBanks

On October 21, 2016

In Roth IRA Challenge

Today we have a FABULOUS guest post about paying off your mortgage. If you haven’t noticed, I am SO SICK of my mortgage. On my September plan update post, I expressed my disdain of my mortgage balance and Mustard Seed Money wrote the greatest comment about paying off his mortgage. I basically begged him to write this post. By way of introduction, Mustard Seed Money works for the federal government as an accountant and is on the way to financial independence in just a few years! When he’s not inspiring my comment section, he shares amazing wisdom over at Mustard Seed Money. And now, his thoughts:

Paying off my mortgage was the best thing that I ever did in my financial life. In the beginning, I thought of my mortgage as a necessary evil. I was pretty grateful to get a 15-year mortgage with an incredibly low 3.5% interest rate, when I purchased my home in 2004.

Seward’s Folly (Happy Alaska Day)

By MaggieBanks

On October 19, 2016

In Uncategorized

Let me tell you a little story about taking chances that people think are stupid.

There once was a guy who bet $7.2 MILLION DOLLARS on real estate. I mean, Crazy right? And this was WAY back in 1867, so those dollars were worth WAY more back then!

His name was William Henry Seward and his purchase? ALASKA! He bought the state for the equivalent of 2.5 cents per acre!

Ways to Say NO to Spending Money (and still be cool)

By MaggieBanks

On October 17, 2016

In Saving Money

How to Avoid Spending Money:

What is the number one reason you can’t save money? You spend it!

It’s hard not to! Everyone wants a piece of it.

“We’re just going out to eat!”

“It only costs $15!”

“You don’t want to miss out!”

You want to say: “NO YOU DUMMY, I’M SAVING MY MONEY!” But you don’t. Because you’re nice. But don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Today, I’m creating a handy-dandy list you can print off and keep in your wallet. Reference this the next time you get a proposal to spend that hard-earned cash!

There are three ways to successfully extricate yourself from a money-spending predicament: excuses, possibilities, and alternatives.

Northern Expressions: The Purpose of Work is to Create

By MaggieBanks

On October 14, 2016

In Northern Expressions

You guys, maybe you’ve seen this around, but if you haven’t stopped to watch it. DO IT. This is Mr. Money Mustache talking about how the purpose of work is to create and when money isn’t in the equation, we can truly be authentic in our creativity.

I watched this and was audibly yelling “YES! YES!” multiple times (reminding myself to be quiet to not wake up the kids!). THIS IS WHY WE WANT THIS!

I won’t take up any more of your time. WATCH THIS:

Happy Friday, Friends!

Love, Maggie

Why You Should Be An Amateur AND An Expert

By MaggieBanks

On October 12, 2016

In The Ride

On Monday, I made a case for not swimming alone, but finding people passionate about your subject and swimming with them. You’ll notice I did not use the word “expert.” When you’re seeking out someone with that passion, you want them to be both an amateur AND an expert.

“Amateur” Definition (Oxford English Dictionary):

1. One who loves or is fond of, one who has a taste for anything.
2. a. One who cultivates anything as a pastime, as distinguished from one who prosecutes it professionally; hence, sometimes used disparagingly, as = dabbler, or superficial student or worker. b. Often prefixed (in apposition) to another designation, as amateur painter, amateur gardener.
3.a. Hence attrib. almost adj. Done by amateurs. Cf. amateur gardener with amateur gardening.
b. Used disparagingly. Cf. sense 2.

Following this list of definitions, “amateur” both means someone with such a passion about a subject, it goes beyond everyday interest as well as someone that “dabbles” instead of seriously studying.

“Amateur” comes from the Latin “Amatore” meaning “Lover of.”

Do Not Swim Alone, Swim with Swimmers

By MaggieBanks

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:

Month: October 2016 Page 1 of 2

Scariest Things to Say to a Personal Finance Geek

Northern Expressions: Election Edition

Practicing Escapism

It’s Not Your Fault You Want to Spend Money

What does this have to do with spending money?

Roth IRA Challenge: Mustard Seed Money Mortgage

Seward’s Folly (Happy Alaska Day)

Ways to Say NO to Spending Money (and still be cool)

How to Avoid Spending Money:

Northern Expressions: The Purpose of Work is to Create

Why You Should Be An Amateur AND An Expert

“Amateur” Definition (Oxford English Dictionary):

Do Not Swim Alone, Swim with Swimmers

The Metaphor: