Happy Halloween everyone! Since I have a 3.5 year old at home, we will be out trick or treating tonight. Of course, it’s supposed to be rainy and not too warm, but that’s pretty much a right of passage for trick or treating in the Pacific Northwest. Most of my early memories of Halloweens are soggy ones where we made sure to have plenty of layers under our costumes, and tonight shouldn’t disappoint there.

I will be dressing up in a full costume this year as well apparently, since the little guy saw me in the onesie I’ll be wearing Saturday night at Cents Positive and decided I was to go trick or treating as a dragon. The good news is the onesie is nice and warm so it’s just the perfect costume for this area (though not waterproof).

Speaking of Cents Positive, that’s this weekend and I am SO excited to be going. What could be better than meeting up with friends and getting to talk about money? Some I’ve met before and am so ready to see them in person again, and some I’ve just gotten to know so well online that I feel like I already know them like “real life” friends.

If there was ever any question whether there was a need for a women’s only financial independence retreat, I’d say that question has been answered. Cents Positive sold out months ago, and any last minute cancellations have been immediately backfilled by women wanting to attend. I haven’t even been yet, and I know that Tanja is on to something here.

This will be the first time I’m away from the kiddo for more than one night in a row though, and while I’m really excited to be heading out to the conference, I’m going to miss him a ton and have been thinking about that part quite a bit. He will have a great time with daddy on their own adventure while I’m gone, but it still feels like a big deal to be taking the trip. The first girls weekend since he was born though, and I’ll be staying with some of my favorites. Plus, traveling by myself feels like the height of luxury since becoming a mom.

Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays – Week 6

1. Hubby Didn’t Get a Promotion (…did the world end?) The Frugal Gene

To be honest, I wish more people would consider promotions and career advancement with more thought than is usually given to them before always saying yes. Of course, this is something that can only be considered once you are on solid financial footing, but within the financial independence, retire early community, I especially feel that this should be a question more often.

If the goal is ultimately financial independence and the option of early retirement, there comes a point where the next promotion might not be necessary (or even wanted). It’s a balance though, because not all companies will accept anything but the “fast track,” which feels pretty unfortunate to me.

2. Why I Pursue FIRE Instead Of Other Options A Purple Life

Time and time again, I’ve wondered why some people just put their head down and push through years of a job they really don’t enjoy in order to finally reach that elusive FIRE number. I loved this explanation of why by Purple, and I can understand now why she’s making that choice. It’s so important to challenge our assumptions, and this post did exactly that for me. While I’m not in the same situation, I think she’s making the best decision for her life, and it’s a plan she’s put quite a lot of time and thought into.

3. Beware! Financial Independence Is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be! Money Scrap

After sharing Purple’s post, here is one written by Caroline that feels very much like something I could have written myself. While I am absolutely pursuing financial independence and am making plenty of decisions that will get us there faster than business as usual, I’m also making plenty that mean the path will be longer for us (by years) than it absolutely could be.

In this post, Caroline digs deep into the reasons why financial independence alone isn’t all its purported to be, but that doesn’t mean it is any less important – just that there are other factors to consider as well.

I hope you enjoy the posts this week as much as I did. I read a ton of content and it was hard to narrow down my favorites. I’m looking forward to sharing some new ones with you again next week!

As always, if you’re looking for a categorized list of self identified women writing and speaking about personal finance, here is my comprehensive guide to the Women of the Finance Independence Community.