Passionately Managing Life

Financial Freedom is something that we hear a lot as adults. Getting free from any type of debt whether it be credit card debt, student loan debt, anything that we owe to someone else. Once you become parents a lot of people want to bestow a sense of financial freedom or at least a strong financial foundation for their children. But with lack of education or poor money habits some parents don't know how to do just that. A little piece of advice from Dana Martin College. 1. BREATHE It is not a sprint it is a marathon and learning about money takes time effort and habit forming. 2. EVALUATE YOUR CURRENT FINANCIAL STATE Be clear on where you stand financially. It could be a very pretty picture or a ugly sight, but knowing where you stand gives you the best foundation so that you know where you need to go from there. 3. PUT TOGETHER A COLLEGE MONEY PLAN For all of my parents that want to send their kids to college put together a college money plan. Learn about savings options. Le...

It's funny how the encourager has a hard time finding someone to encourage them. There is probably a quote attributed to the sense of the "savior needing saving" but I can't find it or don't feel like looking because I'm tired. Each part of the year has its own ebbs and flows, ups and downs  but winter is particularly rough for me. You see all my life I have relished in the fact that I love the summertime. I love the heat, humidity, sun, exposed skin, sweat, everything attributed to being in the warmer months of the year. Especially with being in a temperate climate (East Coast USA) I enjoy the fact that we get months of relief from the cold harsh winter. It also helps that my birthday is in July! This has always had an effect on me mentally though. I remember in my younger years just being sad when it was cold out or when it would get darker earlier that would have such a profound effect on me. A natural homebody, I would stay indoors if I did not have to be ...

Our story We bought a house in February 2017. It was our forever home. For 5 years we sacrificed, saved, built and fixed credit. When we were ready to buy we searched for 6 months. 6 months! We found the perfect house for our family. Great neighborhood, the right amount of space, a porch for me, a man-cave for the Mr, plenty of space for the girls. It was perfect for us. It is an older home so some remodeling was necessary but it was so worth it in our eyes. Settlement was February 22nd and it was one of the happiest days of our lives. We took the girls to our new home, had them run through and choose their rooms. We took so many pictures! We were just ecstatic to finally have something that was ours. We knew that there were some issues we wanted fixed within the home so we started our search for a contractor. We vetted four or five different companies and settled on one that could do the majority of the work that was needed. This company started strongly but lost employee's and m...

I was 18 years old, brand new on the campus of Temple University. It was a new world for me. Though I was still dependent I was going into a largely independent world. I didn't really have much of a care in the world at that time, but I did know that college cost money and money that my family didn't necessarily have to spend. I felt the need to take some financial responsibility. I started working at the age of 14. I worked through all my years in high school and into the summer after graduation. Since I was a local college student (I'm from Philly and Temple is in my town) I decided to secure employment somewhere in the city while I attended college. I lived on campus and worked not one but two jobs during my first year in school. I always had a strong work ethic and enjoyed the chase of getting a job. Interviewing, writing a resume, filling out an application, doing everything I needed to do to prove that I was the right employee for the job. Working was something that c...

I believe in putting in work for what you want. Always have and probably always will. Not many things in this life are given to you. At least that's the case for most people. When it comes to a college education many parents feel like they have to take the entire burden of the cost unto their own shoulders. Some students also feel like they shouldn't have to worry about how college will be paid for. The fact of the matter is a college education is a choice. Unlike primary and secondary school it is not required for a student to complete this level of education. Within our American society, however it is still a much desired choice. My belief in working for what you want sees no difference when trying to fund a college education. If a student wants a college education they should put forth some effort toward securing the finances for it. Of course the way to do that can vary depending on family circumstances, so here are a few ways for students to take a front seat in finding mo...