Freaking Yes

I found a new blog that I'm SO excited about that I couldn't contain myself in sharing it with y'all! So much so that I'm even posting on a usual "off" blogging day. Can ya believe it?! I know. Crazy town.

I equally love and dislike finding a rad new website or blog. Hear me out.

Love? Finding someone who can entertain you and educate you simultaneously.

Dislike? That they've been writing so long that there's a huge cache of incredible information. *Brain explodes.*

Love? Relating (probably too much) to their humor.

Dislike? Wait...where did the last three hours go? My tea's cold and the baby's awake?? What has happened to my life???

Love? Helpful, relatable tips that are immediately applicable to my life. They're watching me. They must be.

Dislike? What a sleek, modern, yet inviting appearance. My blog looks like it walked into a poopy willow store -- or a free background Google search, either way.


I check in with several blogs. Most are DIY/design blogs (as you may well know). Some are family blogs. Some are just plain hysterical. (#neonfresh) When I find a lifestyle or food blog, I tend not to follow it regularly, for whatever reason. Wait, I know. I tend to use them for one purpose, then move on. (Is that catty? I don't mean to be. Sorry, blogs-I-only-check-out-once! I have a family to feed and bathe and watch Cary Grant movies with!)

Through a favorite blog, I found Our Freaking Budget. I KNOW, RIGHT?! With a name like that, how can it not be a) hilarious, b) informative, c) entertaining, or d) all of the above.

(Here's a hint, kids. Always pick "all of the above" if it's an option. The odds are in your favor. *wink*)

Since we're still on quite the financial trip over here (short story - Dave's got mad college debt (but is impeccable with his budget and tracking of financials) and I'm the anti-budgeter...and Hadley eats like a 16-year-old boy, I swear.), I'm finding tons of value in every post I'm reading on their site.

Here are just a few articles that have me either chuckling or nodding...or both:

How to Organize Your Financial Paperwork - Wait. I can throw out bank statements?! *Clouds part, angels sing*

All Things Budgeting - This is where I need the most work...so I read. The link includes numerous posts on this topic. I'm totally going to steal borrow their "Everything Else" concept. I love the looseness in that. It's got "Meg!!! It's so easy even YOU can do it!" written all over it.

It's not super financial-related (although, if it costs money, isn't it ALWAYS financial-related?), but I love the He Says/She Says: Pillows debate. As a lady who loves a good, practically useless decorative throw pillow, my heart goes out. Although, with a toddler, they've come in handy for breastfeeding...and he always likes the cushiony squishiness under-head during a diaper change, so there's that. See? Purpose served!

LOVE this Are You a Dave or a Suze? post about the differences between Dave Ramsey (guru of attacking and mercilessly murdering one's debt) and Suze Orman (whom I can only picture as an SNL character, no matter how hard I try otherwise). Best part of the post? That they refer the mix of their styles as "Duze." 

I'm not a "Breaking Bad" follower (heck, if my heart can't take the ups and downs of Downton Abbey, how can I handle meth heads? Is that what the kids are calling them these days? Meth heads?), but the branding on this Breaking Bad Budgets post cracks me up -- and the content is aces.

This one, Budgeting Means You Don't Like Nice Stuff (clearly not true), hits the nail on the head so well, I shared it on Facebook already. If you know how infrequently I share stuff, you know that's kind of a big deal for me.

I could go on and on. There's. Just. Too. Much. GOOD. So, finally, I will give you...

Inbox Zero: How to Whip Your Emails into Shape - I don't remember how many email ACCOUNTS I have. I still mainly use my Yahoo, although I'd like to make the switch over to Gmail for good. It's kind of like how I still haven't found the courage/energy/time to switch to a closer credit union. Anyhoo, my Yahoo account has 6,211. Strangely, the oldest in my inbox is from April 24, 2008. And...OMG...I'm seeing professors emailing me about graduate classes that I've long since completed. Oye. Yes, this needs chipping away, for sure.

My financial must-have of the year is a new computer. I've hemmed and hawed for years over a replacement. Another Windows OS or refurbished Apple? For awhile I even considered next to no programs and just utilizing Google's free apps -- Google Drive, etc. (My current Dell was purchased over 4 years ago, I believe. There's something wrong with the video card so there's a big bar splitting the screen in half vertically, the caps lock key was torn off by a certain baby, -- who shall remain nameless -- and the "r" sticks like mad (hardly working one minute and snapping too much at others). Rrridiculous.

Since I don't/won't put any purchases on a credit card, I'm working on it.

The other financial "whoa" is that we're hoping to meet with some financial folks to see how viable a possible move would be. (Not too, too far.) There, I said that publicly. Now we won't qualify for squat. ;-) But, seriously, analyzing what our fix-ups need to be (cough-driveway-cough)

So, happening upon a blog that shows that financial freedom can work for normal folks like me, who are more on the creative side of things than the practical side, gives me some hope and doesn't stress me out like other sites. I guess this one is a ton more "love" than "dislike." Now, off to mysteriously lose several more hours of my life. *poof*

SIDE NOTE: WHO SAW DOWNTON SUNDAY?? ARGH! I knew someone was getting (spoiler) this season, but I didn't expect it to be (spoiler). I hope (spoiler) doesn't go postal.