I’m Waiting (Almost) a Full Year to Take a Honeymoon September 19, 2017 Lifestyle Erin Lowry To start, it’s important you know that I’m not the type of person who dreamt about her perfect wedding. Quite the contrary, I never wanted one in the first place. Don’t get it twisted, I want to marry my partner. Marriage and weddings are not the same things. Weddings always seemed like such an over-the-top Keep Reading
How to Be Financially Prepared for a Natural Disaster September 14, 2017 Home, Lifestyle Erin Lowry In 1989 storm ripped through Houston, Texas just two weeks before my birth, which took down a tree in my parents’ backyard. That tree fell right through the roof and into my nursery. Had I been born just a little early, I may not have survived my first month of life. That’s not the kind Keep Reading
A Week on a Cash Diet September 5, 2017 Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Erin Lowry The Cash Diet is the ultimate financial reset program. Consider it the juice diet of the financial world. It’s not entirely sustainable over the long-term, but it really helps you focus and recalibrate in the moment. For those who say, “I always spend more when I just have cash in my wallet.” Think of it Keep Reading
The Power of Saying No August 24, 2017 Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Erin Lowry I’ll start by saying, no one likes the feeling of being left out. I remember sitting at my work desk and instant messaging with a co-worker to ask why I’d been left out of happy hour the night before. “Truthfully, you always say no,” he typed out. “So I just assumed you wouldn’t be able Keep Reading
5 Craziest Things I’ve Done to Save a Buck July 26, 2017 Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Erin Lowry I’m eternally grateful that TLC never discovered Erin Lowry circa 2011 to 2012 because my lifestyle would’ve made great fodder for a network with shows like Extreme Cheapskates and Extreme Couponing. I was a 22-year-old working three jobs and trying to make it in New York City. Part of my mandate for “making it” included Keep Reading
What to Do with A Small 401(k) When You Leave A Job June 19, 2017 Cinch, Industry, Investing, Savings Erin Lowry One of the many loose-ends you need to tie up when transitioning from one employer to another is figuring out what exactly to do with your retirement savings. When my boyfriend, whom I call Peach, left his first teaching job for an opportunity at a different school, he also left behind a modest 403(b). For Keep Reading
Broke Millennial’s Take on Raiding Your Cash Reserves June 12, 2017 Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Erin Lowry Picture this: Your clunker of a car is finally on its last legs. You’ve driven that bad boy into the ground and its really time for you to finally invest in a more reliable mode of transportation. It’s all good though because you’ve been tucking away money specifically for a new car. You do your Keep Reading
Demystifying Financial Jargon: APR & Interest Rate May 29, 2017 Cinch, Credit Cards, Student Loans Erin Lowry APR Annual Percentage Rate or APR and interest rate are often used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference of which you need to be aware. APR encompasses all the fees that may be associated with a loan. Typically, with credit cards there are not fees other than maybe an annual fee to consider. With mortgages Keep Reading
I Make More Than My Boyfriend, And Yes It Can Be Awkward May 23, 2017 Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Erin Lowry “I’m giving Peach a trip to Berlin for Christmas,” I started explaining my friend Bobby. “But I used miles for the flights and we’ll be super frugal there so I’m not going to have to pay that much for us to go.” “Why are you downplaying this?” Bobby asked. I thought about that for a Keep Reading
Is Reddit Actually the Best Financial Advisor Out There? May 5, 2017 Industry, Lifestyle Erin Lowry Our parents had “Dear Abby”. We have Reddit. The tone is certainly different, but the underlying principle is the same. We’re confused and just want someone else’s guidance, even complete strangers. Reddit, which if you aren’t familiar is best explained as a message board, although some will be loftier in its description and call it Keep Reading
