Why This Blog Exists

I was a widow with a young child just ten years ago and my husband left so little money that I had to borrow to pay his funeral expenses. Learning personal budgeting skills saved my small family and it might save yours.

I devoured every financial planning book on the market, many of them are recommended in my blog like Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace and Andrew Tobias' The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need. Learning from others lifted me out of financial despair. That information, mixed with a lot of encouragement from friends along and a full-time job with benefits, steadied me along as I rebuilt my life. These books and these tips on the blog allowed me to finance my child's sub-Ivy league college education and build a year of emergency account funding now stashed in very safe investments in ING Direct savings bank accounts.

This is not professional advice, just sharing of a journey. Learning to manage money, while still enjoying the wonderful things in life (a very French skill), gives you freedom, power and joy. My real name isn't Coco, but Ms. Chanel is my inspiration. She built garments of great quality and taste. Living within your means doesn't mean being cheap or miserly, it can be quite the opposite, allowing you to buy the best, even on a financial plan like the 60% solution.

I want this freedom and power for my daughter, your daughter, anyone else who is willing to go for it. The pay off is self-respect and confidence.