Financial Blogger Conference

Frugal Phoenix fashion.

by

Before I begin, let me pat my own back for successfully resisting the headline “Phrugal Phoenix Phashion.” You’re welcome.

The thrift stores down here are much better than the ones in Anchorage. No surprises there, since more than a million people live in the Phoenix metro area. This means a lot of donations.

Specifically, a lot of donations of warm-weather clothing, the kind that doesn’t exactly crowd the racks in Anchorage thrift stores.

Since I’m due to attend (and speak at) the in Orlando, one of my goals was to find a couple of new shirts and maybe a pair of pants. My daughter and I spent some pleasant times treasure-seeking in Savers (called Value Village in Anchorage) and Goodwill.

I scored four shirts and a pair of cotton-linen slacks for less than $22. Abby found a bunch of tops for even less – and in the process triggered her thrift-store FOMO. That’s one of the down sides of thrifting. Fortunately my trying-on tolerance is fairly low, so I tended to find a couple of things and then just wait with the cart while she test-drove shirt after shirt.

The best part about Savers: the 50-percent-off sale that takes place every Monday. This allowed me to get good prices on clothes and also a hat to keep the punishing summer sun off the top of my head.

 

Read more

September. Orlando. Come see me!

by

Nope, I’m not dead. Just…absent.

It’s been a busy and fairly stressful couple of weeks, which is technically no excuse for not posting. Lots of people – for example, my chronically ill daughter – are busy and stressed, yet they still manage to blog at least a couple of times a week.

However, the past couple of weeks included far too many occasions of writing all day and well into the evening. After a dozen or more hours at the keyboard the last thing I want to do is write, even though I love it.

Put another way: I used to love doughnuts. When I got a job at a bakery, working with crullers and long johns – and smelling 120 dozen of them frying – changed my opinion. We were permitted to take home half a dozen doughnuts each shift. I’d walk into the house, toss the bakery bag at my brother and head straight for the shower to (try and) wash off the greasy, glazed smell.

But that’s not what I came here to write about. I came here to write about .

 

Read more

At FinCon – and this year it’s MY turn to be sick.

by

At last year’s FinCon, my daughter became seriously ill and wound up hospitalized. This year it’s my turn.

Not to be hospitalized, I hope, but to be sick. On Monday night I came down with the same bug that DF had just before it was time to leave for FinCon in Dallas. Spent a big chunk of Tuesday* at one of those doc-in-the-box places and then picking up three prescriptions and some food for the room.

Slept from about 4:30 to 11:30 p.m. yesterday, got up to take the last of the day’s meds and went right back under. Today I did something I haven’t done since, well, forever: I stayed in bed for the entire day. It felt weird, but I have to admit that it’s helping.

The three prescriptions probably also had a hand in my improvement. The fever and pounding headache are gone, I haven’t retched in 24 hours, and while I’m still barking like a seal the cough is what my physician terms “productive.” (Eeewww.)

All of which is a roundabout way of saying: I really, really hope to be well enough – and non-contagious enough – to do a Dallas reader meet-up.

 

Read more

“Your Money, Live!”: An event for YOU at FinCon17.

by

The night before the 2016 Financial Blogger Conference began, members of the public were invited to a free program called “The Money Meetup.” This evening of short inspirational speeches plus a meet-and-greet with personal finance folks was very well received. I hoped that this would become an annual event.

Conference founder Phil Taylor has expanded the public reception into an eight-hour event called “Your Money, Live!” It will take place beginning at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel – during FinCon17, rather than the night before.

In other words, you’ll probably run into a lot of people whose work you read and/or listen to regularly. (Including me, I hope.)

“Your Money, Live!” attendees can attend their choice of four workshops (more on that in a minute), listen to money experts (including keynote speaker David Bach), and attend the Ignite FinCon event, which is TEDx style speaking followed by a networking party where you can meet personal finance writers, bloggers and podcasters.

 

Read more

The painful truth about your emergency fund.

by

Last year I fully intended to promote my book and also my daughter’s book at the Financial Blogger Conference. What happened instead is that Abby became seriously ill and we both missed most of the programs.

No networking for us!

Not only did we not have the chance to promote our work, the experience wound up costing us. She had to take extra time off work, and as a contractor, she doesn’t get sick days as such. She just doesn’t get paid.

I wound up spending about an extra $1,000 on extended hotel and rental car costs plus the change fee for my plane ticket. Wheeee!

Did any of that matter? No. And yes.

That’s the subject of my post today on The Simple Dollar, a piece called “The Painful Truth About Your Emergency Fund.” Obviously I would have done anything to help my daughter recover. Yet I learned something from the experience: that using your EF is really irritating.

 

Read more

What financial health means to me: An evolution.

by

(FinCon and the Center for Financial Services Innovation are sponsoring a writing contest: “In 500 words, explain what financial health means to you.” Here are my thoughts.)

My journey to financial health was entirely roundabout, and I didn’t get there until middle age. Financial survival, not financial health, was the focus of my childhood and young adulthood.

Our one-bath, two-bedrooms-plus-attic place housed six. “Lunch” meant peanut-butter-on-bakery-outlet-white-bread sandwiches.

Clothing came down from cousins. We got a few toys at Christmas and a little meat for most suppers. I watched Dad at the kitchen table, printing the household budget. $30 groceries. $10 shoes. $15 Sears.

When my mother moved out it was natural (if not healthy) that I took over, pinching pennies and fretting a hole into my 16-year-old stomach lining. We always broke even – the only kind of money health I knew.

Read more

Three things about me.

by

thA big bunch of FinCon16 wasn’t much fun, but I did have the chance to connect with some new people this year. One of them was the delightful and well-read Jana, author of the Jana Says blog and a podcast called The Armchair Librarians.

The other day Jana put up a post called “Three things,” a series of prompts and replies that likely wouldn’t surprise loyal readers but will help newbies like me get to know more about her.

She credits Steph of Life According To Steph for the idea. I’m stealing it from the both of them.

 

Read more

Giveaway: The big box of FinCon16 swag.

by

thDue to my daughter’s mystery illness, we both missed huge chunks of the 2016 Financial Blogger Conference. Huge bummer for us both, especially since we’d looked forward to meeting with some local readers.

(I did get to say hello to Ro in San Diego, a regular reader/commenter. Thanks for dropping by, Ro.)

My daughter and I each managed to visit the expo hall, where a ton of organizations and businesses were handing out goodies. Obviously both Abby and I wanted to learn about new products and services, but I must admit to thinking how much fun it would be to share these items with a lucky winner.

FinCon swag giveaways have been popular in the past. Pretty sure that the big box of FinCon16 swag will keep that streak alive.

 

Read more

Sunday: Meet us at Smashburger.

by

thSan Diego-area readers: Any chance you can have lunch on Sunday?

I’ll be at the Smashburger on Laning Road starting at about noon. My daughter, Abigail Perry, will be with me.

And if you’ve already eaten? Stop by anyway, have a cold drink and money-nerd-out with the two of us.

If you’re looking to do some early Christmas shopping, we’ll both have our books there:

“Frugality For Depressives: Money-Saving Tips For Those Who Find Life A Little Harder” (hers)

“Your Playbook For Tough Times: Living Large On Small Change, For The Short Term Or The Long Haul”  (mine).

Best of all: The FinCon16 discount will apply.

 

Read more

Giveaway: ‘Live Your Life For 1/2 The Price.’

by

th-1On the back cover of “Live Your Life For 1/2 The Price,” prolific personal finance author Mary hunt perfectly sums up my feelings about frugality:

“It’s the money you don’t spend that ultimately gives you the freedom to live the life you love.” 

You tell ’em, girl.

Hunt, who’s written a couple of dozen books and created the Debt Proof Living program and the Mary Hunt’s Everyday Cheapskate website, gives readers the tools to do things like reduce costs, get control of spending, avoid fees, retire the mortgage off early and pay a fair sum for the right car. And she does it with her trademark humor, compassion and pragmatism.

In other words, she’s fun to read and she knows what it’s like to be in debt — boy, does she know! — but she won’t let you off the hook for any of it. Instead, she’ll throw you a lifeline.

 

Read more