Money 40s

Let’s be real: saving money for yourself can feel a little uncomfortable. We’ve all been there—guilt creeping in when you think about setting aside money just for you when there are so many other places it could go. Bills, family, friends, obligations. It feels like you should be taking care of everyone else first, right?…

Let’s talk about something most personal finance blogs won’t tell you: you will probably use your emergency fund. The whole point of building one is to have money available when life throws a curveball, and believe me, it will. I learned that lesson in a way I wasn’t exactly prepared for. It wasn’t a catastrophe….

When I first set out to build my emergency fund, I did what most people do: I tried to save in big, dramatic bursts. “I’ll put away $200 this week,” I’d tell myself, and then I’d pull it off. For about a week. Then life would happen, and I’d drop back into old habits. The…

The first time I saved $500, I barely remember it. I was in my twenties, working full-time, living at home for a bit, and not really thinking about emergency funds. I just did it because some finance article told me to. The second time I saved $500, I was in my forties—and it felt like…

Let me tell you something I didn’t expect to feel in my 40s: panic when my car made a weird noise. I thought I’d be past that stage by now. You know—the one where you hear a rattle and immediately wonder if your entire month is about to collapse. But there I was, holding my…