I’ve been writing this blog for 2 years now. I’ve never really paid close attention to the stats, and even though this blog is way more popular than it has been in the past, it’s always been small enough that I’m still really, really, excited every time I get a comment or an email.
I guess the point of this post is - I just want to know who you all are. (Lurkers, please delurk now!) Tell me what you like about the blog, suggestions to make it better, why you read it, where you’re from, where did you find out about it, etc. etc.
Oh, and what is one website/book/factoid that I MUST know about?
I am a new reader/blogger. Just starting my own PF blog actually. (no posts up yet though, so not worth sharing the link) My fiance and I are recent college grads from Rochester, NY trying save for retirement/a house/life, etc. I just discovered your blog, and many others, a few weeks ago.
As for the website/book/factoid: I don’t know if you’ve heard of Dave Ramsey, but he is definitely worth finding out about.
http://www.daveramsey.com
or books, “The total money makeover” and “Financial Peace”
-I don’t agree with everything he says, but he is really motivational and has some great ideas.
I’ve been lurking for awhile. I can’t remember exactly how I found your blog (likely from another PF blog), but I added it to my RSS reader and I really enjoy it!
I’m trying to de-lurk on a lot of the blogs I read. I’m a 20-something in Richmond, Virginia. I recently started a blog about my life right now (personal finance, house hunting, being a newly wed, and things I enjoy in general).
Website/book/factoid: I personally absolutely love the magazine Real Simple (www.realsimple.com). There are so many helpful organization tips!
I have been reading your blog for a couple of months now, I came across it through my Google Reader discover button…so in essence Google recommended you to me.
I blog myself, not about PF but life in general.
I started really educating myself about PF finance about three months ago. I’m 26, own my own home, have started planning for retirement, and have a very small debt load (with the exception of our mortgage). I can’t help feeling like now is the time to plan, plan, plan… so that the significant other and I can retire happily and comfortably. Our financial goal (it’s lofty but I love it) is to have a net worth of $2 million by the age of fifty.
You can read all about me above (double duty self-promotion and laziness! Score!). I read your blog regularly because you seem like a normal, if somewhat more pleasant than normal, person. In some ways we seem to be at similar points in our lives, so I really enjoy posts about you life as a twenty-something woman because you have a different perspective on things I’m dealing with, or things I see my friends dealing with. Sortof the Well Heeled/English Major/Grag Girlcohort even if I’m still on the JV team.
… Who can’t spell. Sorry! Handheld!
I forgot my factoid: more people are killed by falling vending machines than are mauled by bears. Just another reason to pack your own snacks.
I just started reading your blog about a week ago, but I went through some of your archives too so it feels like I’ve been reading for longer. What I like about your blog is that I’m a recent college grad, working in my first real job out of school (sort of, I just got a promotion!) so where you are in your life is more similar to where I am than many PF blogs. I have student loans, I have some credit card debt I’m working to pay off, and I have a car payment. Sometimes it’s very overwhelming to read about people with NO debt, it just makes me feel that much more behind. I also really like that you don’t seem to feel bad about spending money on things you really want. I don’t think I could be happy living insanely below my means like some PF bloggers. Anyway, keep up the good work!
If you’re at all into TV, I highly recommend televisionwithoutpity.com. It’s the only site that’s ever made me consistantly laugh out loud.
I just had my PF ephiany recently - I’m also in my twenties and I’ve regretably spent college and several years after college in some sort of financial haze. I like reading you because you are relatable - close in age to me - and I like your writing style!
One website I love is NotMartha.org - a really cute girl in Seattle blogs about do-it-yourself projects and crafts.
I took a business reporting class last year and got interested in the way we talk about money. Then, like Mal, I had a recent PF realization (the imminent approach of graduation, and thus “real” life, can do that) and started doing a LOT of reading, which included your blog. When I started exploring wordpress (for yet another class) I decided to build a blog to practice on and PF seemed like the natural topic. I’m still new to the game, but you can check it out at http://www.mcqmag.wordpress.com.
Also, did you know that young sloths are so inept that they frequently grasp their own arms instead of tree limbs and consequently fall out of trees?
I am a new reader to you site as its been on my list of sites to visit regularly. Ive been blogging about PF for a few years now but decided to take it to my own domain. I am 27..married…in gad school…no kids living in DC Metro.
Nice to “meet” you, I plan to stop by more often.
I honestly can’t remember how I came across your blog, but it must’ve been through a link from another site. I’d been reading TheSimpleDollar for about a year when it occured to me to look at some websites from his regular commentors…eventually I ran into yours.
I’ve been reading your blog for about a month or two and I just feel that I can really relate to you as another 20-something, graduated 2 years ago and now working. I love shopping and shoes, so your tagline really caught my attention! Keep up the good work! I love your perspective and writing style!!
I have no factoids I can think of, but if you watch any TV you HAVE to watch 30 Rock!! Super funny…I LOVE that show!!
I’m not sure how I ran into your blog but I know its been a couple of weeks and you and I seem to be on the same page. And I like knowing I am not the only one who has to think about their finances all the time.
20-something SoCal girl. Working a real job + a side business for a couple of years now. Still have dreams of owning a house in this crazy place. I’ve been blogging for a couple of years, randomly.
Factoid: The guy who plays Dexter on Showtime is hot.
Book: Eat Pray Love.
I think I’ve probably commented before, once or twice.
The reason I read your blog is because of how casual it is. A majority of PF reading is the repetition of a handful of tenets, sometimes with a little devil’s advocate thrown in so as to make things seem not entirely whole wheat. And while I am sure a lot of people need this repetition in order to learn, it only takes me nine or so tries before I get things right.
Recently, I’ve had to unsubscribe from a large number of PF blogs simply because they all seemed the same, and they seldom taught me anything new (and, when they did, it wasn’t very long before the other ones tried to teach it to me again). I didn’t unsubscribe from yours, though, because you’re not a teacher. You’re a student, and that is infinitely more valuable and interesting to me. I like to hear your thoughts on money because they read like the difference between learning and understanding. I also like the glimpses into your personal life, perhaps because it contrasts so highly with my own.
Well, I suppose that was more about you than me. But I wanted to let you know what I think you are doing right, anyway. Thank you.
I stumbled on to your blog from another blog… don’t remember. I don’t often comment on others’ blog, except I have delurked myself a bit lately, haha.
I’m a 20-something in Bay Area and I do blog myself, on a mix of personal finance and personal development topics. I mix them because I think the fundamentals are the same, but most people probably find my messages boring
But I write because it helps me learn and learn to write. Drop by sometimes and let me know what you think.
Have you read “Tuesday with Morrie”? Great book and probably an “eye-opener” for many people. Put tears in my eyes toward the end.
Oh heck, i never could resist a direct question (you know those posters that say somethingorother ‘needs YOU!’? I talk back to those) So, i delurk.
I can’t remember how i found you, actually. I started reading Get Rich Slowly, then followed links from there and from the GRS forum to other money blogs, eventually finding this one. You’re in my top browser panel of bookmark buttons for blogs i like to check daily, hoping for new content, hee.
You’re next to my Google Reader button and my Torrent Search button. Are you comfy up there? I can move you if you’d prefer to be next to 43 Folders (checkout that site by the way: http://www.43folders.com). One webcomic you *must* read if you don’t already: http://xkcd.com. Good geeky fun, and there’s some awesome existential stuff there every now then.
I’m a 25 year old woman, Irish, living in Devon in the UK. Working as a Search Engine Optimiser with a small web design company. I left uni with about $26,000 of debt (and a crap degree that i hated), moved back in with parents and only woke up a few months ago when it became apparent it was time for me to move out. Suddenly i am Productivity Woman! I am downsizing my belongings, snowballing my debts, i have an emergency fund freshly built, and i’m all about plans and structure and goals. It rocks! I’m also studying part time for a second degree, in Psychology, and paying for it as i go rather than using loans. I thought about writing to you with my story, but sometimes i grow tired of the sound of my own voice, so i didn’t in the end.
I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog, you seem like the same kind of person as me so i can relate to things, and i love hearing about other people’s progress with their finances. Reading about you mulling over financial stuff keeps me motivated to mull over my own. I was also attracted by your blog title, because i’ve recently discovered the woman within, and bought my first pair of shoes with heels (i’m an extreme tomboy). By the way, go you for thinking of learning a new language! I am a language addict, and am trying to four at the moment. I can point you to lots of very interesting linguistics blogs if you want, just shout.
And nice to meet you! I’ll stay out of lurkdom now i’ve shown myself.
Nnnnnnggggg! Emoticons drive me crazy. The End.
I am a fellow personal finance blogger, and I found you through another PF blog although I can’t remember which one.
I don’t have time to read all the blogs I like everyday, but I enjoy yours when I get a chance to take a look. Also, I really like the simple design/layout of your blog.
I live in the expensive state of CA, but am originally from TX.
You have to know about the book I am reading right now. It is called America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money, and so far I think it is great!
Hi there, my name is Xin. I write at Wise Bread (http://wisebread.com/xin-lu) and The Baglady (http://baglady.dreamhosters.com). I haven’t been writing my blogs for very long and I love to read other people’s stuff! I am almost 25, and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Well, I’m not really delurking since you are more than familiar with my “I love Well-Heeled” fandom by now.
Nonetheless, I can’t resist a post like this, so:
I’m a writer/editor, living in Chicago, with no debt and lofty goals: I’d like my own home/condo within the next few years (preferably just after the housing market bottoms out), I’d like to get $8K in my emergency fund soonish and I’m aiming for a promotion at my job. LOL–truthfully, I’d be happy just to reach one of these before 30. Or really, I’ll probably be happy even if I don’t.
As for a recommended something: Do you Yelp or dig Apartment Therapy? I love them.
ljkesler–another 20something from Richmond, VA! Seriously!
Wanda - ran across your blog at random looking for 20something finance blogs. I love blogs like thesimpledollar, frugal for life, etc, but it’s hard to see the relevance to a single 20something girl who wants to save but likes to indulge and splurge….and doesn’t own a home yet, doesn’t have a giant next egg, etc — basically someone like me who isn’t “settled”
gosh…a book/website/etc?
Watch this movie: “The Ultimate Gift”
http://www.theultimategift.com
An older friend’s financial planner invited us to a screening last year, and all I can say is WOW. You have to see it (or read the book).
hiya! Suzy at Bookish. who knows, probably stumbled upon the snappy title in a blogroll… right now i live in the midwest and work in marketing, but am dying to:
1) get back to the coast, either… NY, Boston or SF
2) write stories for a living
3) afford a nicer place to entertain in, and to afford to take my friends and fam out for lovely meals on lovely evenings
4) start a personal catering business
Hmm. On the last note, CookThink.com is an awesome website if you like to cook. It tells you exactly what to make for whatever mood you’re in.
I’m a geek, er.. math+CS student at Warsaw University.
I’ve been reding your blog for afew weeks and come by a link form another site, but I don’t remember which one. (I read LifeHacker, Penelope Trunk’s blog and Savvy Sugar so one of these must have linked to something that liked to you - and these sites are imho worth checking out.)
I’m jobless at the moment (too busy with school) and a bit frustrated about that, so I read a bit of PF to learn how to manage my tiny budget. Whole story here:
http://math-geek-rock-chick.blogspot.com/2008/02/materialism.html
i just got into reading financial blogs about a month ago. i saw a link to this blog on savvysugar.com and i have been reading every day!
I stumbled on to your blog from another blog. I was just scrolling down someones blogroll and came across your site. I try to read your site at least every other day.
I’m a 27 yr old in the metro Atlanta Area and I do blog myself, on my personal finance and just overall development. I tend to take a lot of different angles to help me try to eliminate my debt and put saving into perspective. I just started my blog at the beginning of this year.
I have been on of those lurkers to your site. I do enjoy your posts.
I came via Single Ma’s I think and I have been reading your blog for a few months now. I am very interested in personal finance though my own blog is a professional one. I like your blog because it has a fresh feel (’read’?) to it and you seem to be where I wish I were at your age. Your blog is encouraging. I live in Barbados.
I’m a 20 yo Boston-SoCal transplant currently in Utah for college. I think I started reading your blog in March 2007 after perusing one of your posts about shoes. I started reading getrichslowly, simplydollar, englishmajorsmoney, mymoneyblog, unclutterer, and some others around the same time in anticipation of maturing into the real world. I’m mostly a lurker though. I come from a not-so-smart-about-pf background and was looking to change how I look and the way I run my life. So thank you for opening up about your life and letting the rest of us observe and take notes!
website: thestoryofstuff.com It’s a bit alarmist from the sky-is-falling crowd, but it definitely makes you think, especially about conservation, the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and choosing quality over quantity when it comes to your wardrobe and the like
I can’t remember how I got here probably mid-2007 when I got interested in pf. It’s all automated now. Your blog has more of a personal voice which I enjoy tremendously. I live in Kuwait.
I am Zachary, a fellow personal finance blogger from http://www.SeeMeGetRich.com
Hi there!
I came across your blog a couple months ago via Savvy Sugar and have been a regular reader since.
I’m a recent college grad (May ‘07) and moved to SF from the East Coast to work for an investment bank. I hated the job with a passion and quit after half a year. I’m no longer in the Bay Area, but I’ll always have an affinity to the city.
Here’s a foodie factoid: Try Limón in the Mission (it’s on Valencia at 16th). Delicious Peruvian food and their ceviche is to die for.
-Bacon
P.S. You inspired me to start my own PF blog. It’s called Saving My Bacon. Check it out at http://savingmybacon.blogspot.com/
Hi and happy Monday!
I came across your blog about two weeks ago and it re-inspired me to get on the personal finance bandwagon. I am a newly married twenty-something, trying to find my way and my financial feet. I married a spender, which has been a wild ride so far!
I JUST started my own blog last week (it only has one entry so far!), and it will deal with the basics - paying down debt, saving for financial goals and dealing with the gamut of twenty-something issues.
I really enjoy your blog because I can relate - and you seem really dedicated…which I can aspire to!
As for books - I am in love with WAY too many to just suggest one…but I would read Infidel by Ayan Hirsi Ali. It gives a unique perspective on Islam and women.
Thanks!
This has got to be your most-commented-on post!
Like some others who have commented, I found your site by randomly perusing the internet searching for some budgeting advice. I’m a 20-something (just turned 22) engineering student who is about to graduate in 1.5 months (already have a job lined up in a city 1 hour from “home”)! I just finished developing a budget, it really helped when deciding how much rent I could afford. You have a lot of insight that will definitely help me in the next few months.
I’m pretty well off in terms of debt (thanks to scholarships!). In the next few years, a house and grad school are in the plans, but I can forget the car (since gas is really high and I will be living exactly 2 miles from work).
I don’t have any suggestions in terms of books, I just always consult my PF guru, my mother!
Your blog first caught my eye when you blogged about building a classic wardrobe with $1000. I love budgeting. I love Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. Sold!
I’m newly 30 and live in Minneapolis, and I love hearing about your goals - I cheer for you every time the save-o-meter climbs!
[...] A big thank-you to everyone who commented and delurked. It’s awesome to know a little bit more about my [...]
Orangette.blogspot.com
You must check out her blog on food … it’s so pretty.
I’m a 25-year-old from the Bay Area, living in SF and trying to figure out at the moment how to stay sane and save money while cramming for this exam I’m taking in two weeks.
Your stories are wonderful and very personal - that’s what I love about your blog. I discovered your blog from the Mapgirl or another blog.
Not sure how long I have been reading your thread, but it has been awhile.
I enjoy personal finance blogs, good to see ideas other people may have. Cant say how much I may learned, but I realize that everyone is striving for financial freedom from one place or another.
As far as me, I’m Steve from The City of Brotherly Love, good old Philadelphia. 27 years old and have been working in the energy/utility sector for 3 years now.
I lurk mostly, but I comment sometimes. I found this blog a long time ago - I don’t really remember how - but I’ve been hooked since day one. You have a refreshing way of writing that’s relaxed and real. As much as I love the BNB (Big Name Bloggers) in personal finance, I find some of the material is great but not at all fitting. Most are men who are at least 15 years older than I am, with families. I’m a female college student trying to balance my budget and awesome shoes.
It looks like you’ve also attracted some male readers, which also shows your accessibility.
Thanks for sharing so many great stories and experiences with us!
Ok, de-lurking.
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now. Yours was one of the first blogs I really liked when I found the american PF blog scene. I like it beacuse it is well-written, you don’t take yourself to seriously and I can really realte to the whole starting-out-your-career-and-financial-life-after-graduation-thing.
I’m from Sweden (it’s very interesting to compare and contrast how PF issues are adressed in the states vs Sweden (but that’s a lengthy discussion so i stop here (a guest post maybe?))), in my early thirties and starting out my career in law (people study for a longer period + you are expected to take a lot of gap years, so for a Swede early thirtieis not considered late to start your career). I work as a legal adviser for a governmental agency. I love my job and part of the reason I choose to work for the government is that, even though my salary is on the low side, the hours are great. I find that I value my free time more than a lot of money in the bank.
I’ve recently started to put my financial house in order, so to speak, and at the moment my top priority is to save up for an emergency fund (even though the purpose for that fund is more to boost the benefits I get from the state in case of unemployment etc (again our system is very different from yours), than a necessity) and stop living paycheck to paycheck. I’m also in the process of paying off some uncalled for (i used it to pay for DVD’s, books and clothes. foolish) credit card debt. I do have student loans at about USD 30 k, but at an interest rate of 2.10 % i will not try to pay them off ahead of time (25 yrs is what the government stipulates).
In that process I’ve found great inspiration from your blog, and other American PF blogs. It was a revelation to me when I discovered them, since personal finance issues are rarely spoken of in Sweden (maybe because there is no absolute necessity to save up for emergencies, retirement and health care, child care and school/university is provided for little or no cost), and I’ve learned a lot from following your blog.
Well, I’ve commented on your site a few times before, but I’m Stephanie. I’m in my early 20s and I graduated from MIT in 2006. So now I’m working and paying of my horrendous student loans (darn you, MIT!) but that’s about it for debt. I like reading your posts…you seem to be in a (somewhat) similar place to me, as in, similar age, similar goals, etc.
I’m subscribed to your blog in my google reader, so I read pretty much all of your posts (creepy?). I don’t remember when I first started reading your blog, but I’m thinking I saw you linked from someone else’s blog (as is usually the case with the pf blogosphere).
cool, I’ve delurked!
there are 3 types of people:
1. those who make things happen
2. those who watch things happen
3. those who wondered what happened
I’m giving away a copy of “A million dollars by thirty” by Andrew Douglas, author of Missed Fortune 101.
click on the above link to sign up for it.
sorry here’s the link: http://www.livingoffdividends.com/2008/03/14/gold-cracks-1000oz-investing-for-a-recession/
I’m a 20 something female living in Boston, working in internet marketing during the day and running a non-profit, reading, skiing, and playing floor hockey at night.
I came across your blog via another random blog. It’s always good to read PF blogs as a reminder to have a little self restraint, and it will pay off! Thanks for sharing your tips and stories.
The one PF website I love is http://www.mint.com... but my favorite website is my non-profit’s blog: http://volunteer-boston.blogspot.com. There’s not much about PF there, but I find it entertaining.
W, I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now, and you sent me an email in response to one of my blog posts, so I think you have some idea of who I am. I like reading your blog since it’s a view of who I could have been. Does that sound weird? I’m only a few years older than you since I’m 28- I can’t believe how fast time flies! I thought about going into I-banking but realized that I probably would hate the lifestyle and instead have a consulting job that’s intense, but no where near the intensity of I-banking. I like your writing style and your casualness. Although I discovered PF while in my mid-twenties, I wish i discovered it while I was still in college. As a summary about me, I’m 28 Asian newly married female living in SF. I only have a really small amount of debt that I never really talk about since I’m not focused on paying them off (student loans fixed at less than 3%). My husband and I are trying to save for a home and we’ve tentatively targeted the end of this year for when we’re going to seriously look into the purchase. More information can be found at my blog.
I felt a little silly answering this just because I feel like we’ve been around the block together
But I’m definitely still a reader!
Hi,
I’m Natasha from New Zealand… recently returned to university to become an English and Drama teacher and looking to personal finance websites for realistic ideas on how to stretch my dollars.
Book factoid: The movie “The Other Boleyn Girl” is nowhere near as good as the book.
Hi there,
I’m de-lurking. I may have commented before I think. I came here by other PF blog and I don’t remember who. I am a 27 year old living at home with mom and dad for the past 5 years now. I was once 100% debt free (late 2004). Then I stopped working to go to school full-time and acquired 15,750 in student loans and 10k in credit cards! I do have a beautiful camry that I paid cash for 3 years ago and thanks to mom and dad about 50k in investments. I currently have 4k in credit cards and the same amount of student loans. I plan to live at home 2 more years (at 30 I go) pay off all debt for the final time, close the credit card accounts and I won’t have any more student loans because my job pays 100% tuition.
What I like about your blog is your writing style.
I’m on the Dave Ramsey band wagon too. I keep thinking if I knew about Dave when I was 100% debt free the first dang time, I would probably have my own house by now because I would not have taken out the student loans! But I shouldn’t regret my mistakes only hope someone can learn from them