Intentional Living

To “live intentionally” means to live according to your values and beliefs.  I believe when we commit to being more thoughtful in how we spend our time and our money we can overcome the overwhelm, reduce financial stress, and live a more purposeful life.

Intentional living allows us to take better care of our minds and our bodies, and in turn, better care of those around us.

Here you’ll find content to help you spend less time and money on the things that matter less so you can create margin in your life and your budget to spend more on the things that matter most.

Couple talking on couch

She’s Putting $150,000 More Than Her Fiancé Toward Their First Home, and He Calls Keeping Track of That “an Odd Way to Start a Marriage”

Getting married next summer, house hunting near Boston, and $300,000 sitting in an investment account since her grandmother passed away last year. That inheritance came up naturally once conversations about a down payment started, using around $150,000 of it to significantly shrink the mortgage seemed like an obvious move. What followed wasn’t obvious at all:…

Man looking very upset sitting on the couch with his face in his hands

His Loan Got Rejected Two Weeks After Trading In His Car, and the Dealership Admits They Already Sold It to Someone Else

Two weeks ago, a car got traded in and a newer used car went home the same day, with signed financing paperwork still pending final bank approval, something explicitly communicated at the time. Yesterday, the dealership called saying the lender rejected the loan unless a higher interest rate got accepted along with several thousand dollars…

Older man in a hat looking unamused

He Bought the House With No Disclosure of a Buried Metal Box, Then the Former Owner Threatened Legal Action to Tear Up His New Patio and Get It Back

A house bought earlier this year came with a detached garage and, apparently, an unmentioned metal box supposedly buried behind it two decades ago by the previous owner’s father. Nothing about it appeared anywhere in the sale documents or disclosures. Since moving in, a small stone patio went in behind the garage, and based on…

Older woman looking angry with adult woman

Mom Sold a $1 Million Vacation Home and Still Says She’ll Never Retire, While Her Daughter Builds Her Savings From Nothing

A 22-year-old is watching her mother, 60, insist she’ll never be able to retire. Meanwhile the mother is sitting on roughly $800,000 in cash. She also has interests in three fully paid-off rental properties. The gap between the actual numbers and the constant anxiety is what’s driving the frustration. The mother earns around $170,000 a…

Young woman looking upset while looking at her phone

She Never Asked Her Gardener to Work on Labor Day, but He’s Guilting Her for Extra Tips Since He Chose to Anyway

The gardener showed up on Labor Day without being asked, something he does on his own schedule since he sets his own hours. He worked hourly, as always, and she’s historically rounded up his pay without issue. What changed this time was a text that arrived the next day, a not-so-subtle nudge about how gratuity…

Man holding his forehead and looking regretful

He’s on Disability and Gave His Girlfriend Rent Money After a Fake Eviction Notice, Then Found Out Her Parents Already Paid It

He lives on disability income, roughly a quarter of what his girlfriend earns. They don’t live together. Over time, a pattern developed: she needs grocery money, she’s sobbing, her account is negative, he sends it. He’s genuinely fine with that part. Small, ongoing support between partners isn’t the actual issue here, and he’s clear that…