Spills Spotlight: Volume 12

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Welcome to this month’s Spills Spotlight! This series consists of a roundup of my favorite personal finance blog posts from around the web, publishing on the last day of each month. If you missed last month’s Spotlight, you can check it out here.

Throughout the month I read a couple hundred blog posts and include my favorites here. Spills Spotlight is an opportunity for me to share my favorite posts with my readers, and showcase the work of my fellow bloggers within the personal finance blogging community. I hope you enjoy this series, and feel free to comment with suggestions on which posts should be included in upcoming months!

Why Money is Always More Than a Math Problem

by She Picks Up Pennies

“When we try to strip away emotion, when we approach something entirely devoid of context, when we remove the person from personal finance, we are playing a numbers game. And the numbers do work out on paper. But a far greater issue remains. You might be able to solve someone else’s math problem, but who is going to fix your heart condition?”

The $1,500 Rule for Car Buying

by Mystery Money Man

“Following this rule when you buy a car will ensure that transportation expenses don’t swallow up your paycheck. The best thing is that the rule works for families across most income levels. The rule is this: The purchase price of a vehicle (taxes included), shouldn’t exceed $1500 per year, when averaged over the number of years you own the vehicle.”

Think of Your Decline in Net Worth as a Loan

by Accidental FIRE

Dave shares a short illustration about Mr. Mark E’tdecline, a creative way to think about market declines.

How I Almost Went to Jail for Eating Out

by The Frugal Convert

“Impulsive spending will always keep you behind your goals. You can’t achieve financial independence if impulsive spending is part of your habits. I’ve learned this the hard way.”

How Long it Actually Takes to Make Money as a Blogger

by Heath & Alyssa

“Because when you try to force success right away, you’re missing the most essential thing you need to become successful: actual experience. Instead of taking the time to learn and grow and make mistakes and become credible and create something that makes people want to follow you, you’re trying to skip the part that will provide you with meaningful skills. And gaining those skills take time.”

Is Financial Independence a Blessing or a Curse?

by Fly to FI

“Since discovering this financial independence movement, I feel that I now have a responsibility to society. I (and the rest of my fellow financial independence content creators) need to play the role of Neo and fight back against the system. We need to ‘wake up’ as many people as possible and show them that a different type of life is actually possible.”

Why the Financial Independence Community Matters

by Life for the Better

“The financial independence community matters because we have a strong sense of belonging. I’ve found that I have more in common with those on the path to financial independence than I do with those who are not. I’ve always wondered why this is, but it comes down to values in life.”

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