I can completely buy this. I got the $40k raise, but now I have to spend three hours round trip per day commuting into SF. Driving sucks, and so does public transit. Yesterday morning someone commuted suicide by jumping in front of a BART train, and the system backups were chaos, making us all at least an hour late to…

Thanks for the link! Hadn't heard of FBB, but it looks like a good resource!

Hi Keli, thanks for stopping by. As an atheist, I want to make sure that my donations go to secular organizations. I'm interested in knowing how to determine whether a charity has strong religious values, like the Salvation Army, and how to find secular alternatives. Sometimes charities don't make their faith known…

25 years old here, and yesterday I finally discussed sterilization with my doctor. I've always been passionate and nurturing when it comes to animals, but I've never wanted children. You're definitely not alone in feeling resentful toward the autonomy you'd lose, and I'm seeing more and more women decide parenthood…

Yep, CHP is not nearly as hard-hitting as it thinks it is, but as much as it frustrated me, I appreciated the experience. Glad to hear from another Slug!

I had seriously thought about transferring but stuck it out. Fortunately, I graduated a year early. Loved the campus, the city, and most of the faculty, but couldn't stand the hippies!

Banana Slug here, Anna, and I feel that feel! I'm too terrified to burn bridges now, but as an undergrad at UCSC I quit the school paper after only one quarter because I felt that the editorial staff was more into slacktivism than actually getting stuff done. After ten weeks, I finally got them to relent on reporters…

I love making financial resolutions. This year I became debt-free, saved a full emergency fund, and started putting 15% into retirement. In 2015, I plan on continuing that 15%, with 10% into my Roth 401(k) and 5% into my Roth IRA. My goal is to reach 25% of my annual salary.

I feel you on that. My bf is visiting this week, but then he'll be traveling for a month as well. Super bummed about not being able to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with him. So don't worry, you're not the only whiny gf! :)

Yes, Keith is mighty fine, but Will was robbed, I say! ROBBED!

I use You Need A Budget (aka YNAB). It is the BEST. It's a desktop budgeting software with mobile apps, and I got it last year during a Steam sale for half-off on Black Friday. In a year, I have paid off my student loans and saved 3 months of expenses thanks to it. Now I'm putting 15% into retirement. I recommend it…

I use You Need A Budget (aka YNAB). It is the BEST. It's a desktop budgeting software with mobile apps, and I got it last year during a Steam sale for half-off on Black Friday. In a year, I have paid off my student loans and saved 3 months of expenses thanks to it. Now I'm putting 15% into retirement. I recommend it…

Fresno born and raised right here. I feel you on that! Sucks to be an atheist from the Bible Belt of CA :/

Thanks for the reply. While I do not agree with Dawkins on everything, especially regarding his recent misogynist outbursts, his book did indeed change my life because it was my first experience with militant atheism, and it was exactly the kind of aggression I needed to wake me up and shake me out of my guilt that I…

There are so many great books out there, so I'll break them down into categories:

The best thing that you can do is go to schools that you (and your parents) can afford. Period. I went to state universities for both my BA and MA, and graduated with less than $10k in student loans. My Master's degree was essentially free because I FILLED OUT MY FAFSA and received aid while living with my parents.…

Any other crazies doing NaNoWriMo? I'm taking a moment to procrastinate, because I need support! Week one is kicking my butt: I'm 12,000 words in, which is 3,000 words behind. I only made it to 30K last year, and I'm desperate to win this time! Any advice or encouraging words? Also, feel free to add me as a writing…

I love listening to Brian Preston, aka "The Money Guy." He and his cohost Bo Hanson are CPAs/CFPs who release new podcasts about every two weeks, discussing topics like investing, retirement, real estate, and more. They're highly knowledgeable and offer more than just common sense stuff, but they have a Southern…

Amen! I couldn't get over the fact that they sounded like frat bros going through 'Personal Finance for Dummies." Their advice was often terrible and inaccurate, and they admitted it. Hello, you're supposed to know *more* than your readers!

First off: Nobody should start investing unless they are consumer debt-free and have an emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses, excluding getting an employer match on your workplace 401(k). Keep that e-fund liquid in a high-yield savings account. After that, I've just been investing 15% of my income into my Roth…