A few weeks ago my mom and I were on the couch watching “Say Yes to the Dress.” My mom marvelled at the dress budgets that flashed on the TV screen, starting at $3,000, and increasing comically as the show progressed. But the prices didn’t seem real, especially since someone else was going to be […]
How to Live a Luxe Life…and Still Save Money
A few years ago, my coworkers and I got a fat bonus. Unexpected, and unusually high. We all clinked our glasses of champagne, musing about what we were going to do with the money. One coworker was a Lord of the Rings fan and wanted to book a trip to New Zealand. “I’m thinking of buying a […]
So What’s the Point of Saving If Life Is Great Right Now?
One of my earliest memories is of my mom and dad at a dealership paying for their first car, a light blue Subaru, producing wads of cash from a kraft envelope. Credit cards made you overspend, so my parents didn’t have any, and stocks were the sure-fire way to flush your money down the toilet. […]
Saving Half My Income on Less Than a Six-Figure Salary
Everyone in New York is richer than you. Or so it seems. Take today, for example: on my way to work I made note of all the usual signs of wealth. The latest Gucci fur mules on the subway. Twenty-three-year-old co-workers living alone in the Meatpacking district. Facebook friends posting pictures of dinners from Eleven Madison […]