FinCon19 wrap-up, and a related giveaway.

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I’m back, sort of. Before attending FinCon19, I spent five days in Washington, D.C. with my daughter, who had five nights’ worth of free lodging. (Love those travel rewards credit cards.)

We mostly* hit the free museums, gawked at the architecture like a couple of tourists, and ate nearly every meal at the hotel (yay free breakfast!) and from our fridge (it was a full-kitchen Marriott Residence Inn, and there was a Safeway about five blocks away). This frugality allowed us to indulge in Thai and Ethiopian restaurants the rest of the time.

Then it was off to FinCon19 (aka the 2019 Financial Blogger Conference), where I ran nonstop for four days: attending programs, meeting with a bunch of writers and potential employers, and moderating a panel on why freelancers should quit undervaluing their worth.

The conference was a bit overwhelming, especially compared to the first-ever FinCon, which had fewer than 200 participants. This time around it was 2,500 attendees, and the noise and the swirl left me feeling pretty worn-out. At times I would dip out of the crush and head back up to the hotel room for 10 minutes’ worth of peace.

Overall, though, it was an absolute blast. I hung out with old friends and met some new ones, shared tips with newbies and was given great advice by veterans, attended some receptions (especially the AARP one, which was crammed with amazing women writers), and most of all, felt like a professional again.

I’ve been making a living as a writer for 35 years. Living way up in Anchorage makes me an outlier, though, far from easy access to writer meet-ups. Too, I tend to isolate myself: Sometimes I need help, or advice, or simple fellowship but don’t reach out to others.

(About that last: Had a very rewarding chat with Jackie Lam of Hey Freelancer and Sarah-Li Cain of Beyond The Dollar, who both told me to Facebook-message them any time I’m having One Of Those Days. Bless their hearts.)

Bonus: The conference yielded a moderate** amount of swag for a future giveaway, plus a very nice stand-alone item that I’ll be giving away at the end of this article.

 

Originally I’d planned to go home right after FinCon19, despite its proximity to family in South Jersey. After all, I would have been away from home for nine days at that point. But then I learned that my sister, whom I haven’t seen in three years, would be in my hometown a couple of days after FinCon. So I stayed.

 

The post FinCon19 crash

 

Now we’re both at our brother’s home in a small town called Fairton, waaaaay down in Cumberland County. And since Sunday I’ve consumed an Italian hoagie, a cheesesteak, a bunch of Tastykakes *** and a frozen custard. Some healthy stuff here and there, too, but mostly it’s been regional delicacies. I’ve slept a lot, too, to make up for the rest I missed during the conference.

It’s in the high 80s and very humid. Fortunately, my brother’s home has a shaded back deck that gets plenty of breeze. Last night we sat out there until the wee hours, talking and reminiscing. My dad dropped in yesterday to take us to lunch, and he’ll be coming back tomorrow to drive me up to see an aunt.

On Friday my brother and I will drive up to visit our dad and stepmom, who will take me to the Philadelphia airport so I can get back to my beloved partner, whom I miss like oxygen.

Don’t get me wrong: This has been a great trip. But I seem to search every room for a glimpse of my partner.

Some amputees experience “phantom limb syndrome,” swearing they can still feel the missing digit or limb. That’s me and my DF: I keep feeling as though if I turn around, he’ll be right there. Call it “phantom love syndrome.”

 

About that giveaway

 

At Fincon19 I met with the friendly folks at Ally Bank (which is where I keep most of my money). They were kind enough to donate a $100 Airbnb gift card. A lucky winner will be chosen at random to receive the scrip, which will be a nice head start on your next vacation.

Even if you’re not an Airbnb kind of person, enter to win it anyway! It would make a swell holiday or birthday gift. Or maybe you know someone – a new parent? someone who just successfully defended her dissertation? – who could use a weekend away.

Or, heck, sell it to a co-worker or put it on the secondary gift card market.

To enter:

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry (e.g., “Subscribed via e-mail” or “Follow you on Twitter”).

The deadline to enter is 7 p.m. PDT Wednesday, Sept. 18. If I don’t hear back from the winners by 7 p.m. PDT Thursday, Sept. 19, I’ll have the random number generator pull a new name.

*We did pay to get in at the International Spy Museum, which was great fun. I’d tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you.

**Since I was taking the Megabus up to Philadelphia after the conference, I was limited to one suitcase. Even so, it will make a nice box of fun stuff.

***Those snack cakes are kind of a fetish for Delaware Valley expats. To me, they bring back memories of rare childhood treats. Getting a Tastykake, even if you had to share one, was an occasion. I will be taking back several boxes for my niece and her sons. She will appreciate them for the same reason that I do. The boys will merely consume them.

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154 thoughts on “FinCon19 wrap-up, and a related giveaway.”

  8. It warms my heart to hear your trip was worthwhile, connecting with like-minded professionals and also soaking up precious family time. And what a joy to head home to your dear one, knowing you really missed him!

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  9. The conference sounds great! As a professional who does the behind the scenes work for those events, though, I agree they can be exhausting!

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  20. I also follow you on FB.
    Donna have you ever thought of posting on Instagram.
    It would be an awesome platform to see pictures of some of the gardening and food preparation posts.

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    • Funny you should mention this: While at FinCon it became apparent that I need to be more active on social media. And I knew, with a sinking heart, that this would include Instagram. A well-known “influencer” told me that she has decided to back waaaay off the ‘gram, because it was taking far too much time away from the work she needs to do.

      Also, Instagram fans can be weird: She went to the trouble of creating a slide show of a unique (and important) museum show, only to be told that her fans wanted to see HER at the show, not the show itself. Check please!

      Reply

  27. Glad you had a good time at FinCon. I’m also glad you made time for family. Years. Ago, my parents were visiting the Four Corners area and family in Colorado Springs made time to join them there. I’m very glad they did.

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  29. Long time reader who wishes you were here longer a bit longer in order to grab a South Jersey McDonalds or Sbuxx coffee. Family time is so precious-enjoy every moment, as well as the loving arms that await you in Alaska.

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  32. I grew up in DE & MD, so I know about Tastykakes! One of my friends sent me a huge TK care package during my first pregnancy. Best gift ever!

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  43. As a Philly-ex pat, I gotta’ say you have given me an ear worm. (“Nobody bakes a cake as tasty as a Tastykake”) I follow you everywhere I can! When I saw the beginning of your article, I was hoping the give away was a giant box of Tastykakes! But please enter me for the Airbnb and if I win, I bet you know where I would use it!
    Glad to see also that you enjoyed by hometown (DC)as well as your time in South Jersey. And I hope that you got a chance to eat some good Jersey tomatoes. Post Data: Last Sunday I got a call that your crayons arrived (finally)safely, at their destination. THANK YOU!!!

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  53. I love Ally Bank. So convenient and they have the best customer service. I would highly recommend them to anyone. This is a great giveaway. Thanks Donna!

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  61. I went to high school in West Windsor, and I miss Philly cheesesteaks SO MUCH! You just can’t get a good one here, and we don’t have the Amoroso rolls either.

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    • Somebody had to stay home and take care of the garden and greenhouse! But seriously: He did accompany me to the St. Louis conference, and took care of some business while Abby and I went to FinCon.

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  85. Hi Donna! Thanks for the chance to win the gift card. I’m a longtime follower- your wisdom got me through a 3-year drought between jobs a few years ago. Unfortunately, just lost my job again two weeks ago, so it’s good to have learned some frugal hacks from you and your readers!

    Reply

    • Hoo boy…I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope you’ll update when you find your next gig.

      Speaking of gigs: A friend of mine who’s a longtime personal finance journalist has a website that she aims to make “the Consumer Reports of side hustles.” She writes about the pros and cons of various jobs and apps that can help you make money on the side. The site is at http://www.sidehusl.com (and yep, that’s the way it’s spelled). Maybe you could find some extra cash that way?

      Reply

  102. Mmmmmmm….Tastykakes…..and I thought the Spy Museum was great fun, and definitely worth the price of admission. One of my favorite exhibits was the diagram of how many East Germans you can hide in a VW bug!

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  113. Sounds like a lot of fun, and with your family visit, you even got a vacation to recover from your vacation. I’m assuming you’ve made it safely back home to your DF and all is right with the world. (If I’m a little early on that, I hope you’re reunited soon.)

    I’ve never tried AirBnB (and probably just spelled it wrong) but this would be a low-risk way to give it a shot. Or perhaps it could be an early holiday present for my sister, with strong hints that she should use it for a visit one of these days soon. ;>

    Either way, please enter me to win, and thanks for the opportunity!

    Reply

  118. I follow you wherever I can find you! Thought about attending Fincon, but even though the distance is not too great, the traffic and connections and time spent in travel kept getting in the way.

    Reply

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