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.

Woman looking upset as she looks at a bill

She Called Social Security About Spousal Benefits, Followed Everything They Told Her to Do, and Received a Letter Six Months Later Demanding $1,900 Back for an Overpayment

ByKristin Stones

His wife started collecting Social Security about a year ago because she’s older than he is. When he turned 62 last October he started collecting his own benefits at the earliest possible age, and shortly after that his wife contacted Social Security to ask whether his claim would affect her payment. Based on their understanding…

Middle aged man holding his head with tattoos looking upset

Worker Who Deleted Inspection Records on His Boss’s Orders Says HR Is Now Asking Questions That Sound Like They’re Pinning the Entire Cover-Up on Him

ByKristin Stones

He’s worked at a mid-sized food processing plant in Ohio for just over four years and isn’t part of management. His job involves handling digital recordkeeping for his department, including temperature logs, maintenance reports, and similar documentation, which is exactly why his supervisor came to him in April, shortly before a scheduled state inspection, and…

Young woman looking upset while looking at her phone

She Received a Random Text From a Stranger Informing That Her House Was Just Sold For $1,800 Due To Unpaid Property Taxes

ByKristin Stones

His girlfriend got a text from a woman asking if she was the owner of a specific property. When she confirmed she was, the woman told her she had purchased their house due to unpaid property taxes, that she’d paid $1,800 for it, and that if they contacted the tax office and paid that amount…

Couple talking on couch

He Contributed Most of the Money in Their Shared Savings, Offered to Replace Whatever He Spent, and His Girlfriend Refused To Let Him Use It To Travel To Another Country To See His Dying Father

ByKristin Stones

His father is 75 and has been seriously ill for months, moving in and out of the hospital with a condition that has gotten significantly worse over the past two weeks. He also has heart problems on top of his current illness, and the family has reached the point where they don’t believe he has…

Older man looking slightly amused

Her Stepfather Kept Cashing $2,500 Monthly Trust Payments for Five Years After His Mother Died and His Wife Found Out After He Died With Nothing

ByKristin Stones

Her stepfather’s mother passed away five years ago, and at some point after that he appears to have simply never told TIAA she was gone. The trust she’d been receiving payments from should have terminated at her death, but the $2,500 monthly deposits kept coming anyway, landing in his personal bank account, not a joint…

Young woman sitting at her computer looking very worried

Her Sister Sent a One-Page Text Accounting for Their Mom’s $415,000 Estate and $100,000 of It Has No Documentation, No Invoices, and No Explanation

ByKristin Stones

Their mom died last August. There are three of them, all in their mid-forties, and their oldest sister was named successor trustee of their mom’s revocable living trust. She’d always had her act together, and when she said to let her handle the paperwork and she’d be in touch when it was done, it felt…