Welcome to another week of the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays roundup. I started this series after months of debate because I wasn’t certain I wanted to up the ante and commit to publishing three posts a week. However, now that I’ve started sharing these posts, I’m so glad I started.
There are so many fabulous women writing about personal finance online, and yet there is still a perception that women aren’t good with money, don’t care about money, or don’t understand it on a granular level beyond perhaps knowing how to coupon and score a good shopping deal. These roundups are my way of doing a small part to change that perception. There are no shortage of women online doing their part to make it clear that they DO understand money, and these posts are meant to amplify that fact.
The hardest part of this post every week always is narrowing it down to my favorites, because there is just so much good content out there. If you’re ever interested in what else I’m reading, I share quite a few other posts on Twitter (and that’s also where I read most of the content to begin with these days).
Our Women’s Personal Finance Facebook group also has a sharing thread on Fridays, and that’s the place to read all the blog posts written by members over the previous week. If you’re looking for more articles written by women, that’s a great place to continue reading (plus we have plenty of great discussions on finances the rest of the week as well!).
If you don’t have the time or inclination to go searching down myriad posts, though, I will be continuing this series every week to showcase some of the best of the new content I read. If you ever read a post you think I absolutely need to consider for this roundup, please let me know! I am always open to reading new blogs (and posts of blogs I do know, because I miss some).
Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays – Week 53
1. Our Obsession with Financial Inspiration Porn, and Our Persistent Money Gap Bravely
“We’ve all seen the headlines splashed across our Twitter and Facebook pages: ‘How I Became a Millionaire in 10 Years’ or ‘How We Paid Off $220,000 in Three Years.‘
While meant to be inspiring and helpful, these articles are often just circle jerks for people with financial advantages.“
I so appreciate that Kara never pulls punches when it comes to talking about money. This idea of “inspiration porn” is one that’s been talked about some in my circle of personal finance bloggers – especially the financial feminist crowd – but it gets glossed over for the most part. Because, really, what sounds more exciting? Paying off $90,000 in eleven months, or finally paying off that last student loan after a slow, hard slog of fifteen years?
As inspiring as the first story can be on its face, it’s not usually that helpful for the average person. And it can be really disheartening when it feels like everyone can turn it around on a dime and you’re in it for the long haul. And then, of course, there’s the privilege discussion that then needs to be had. But it’s way easier to pretend it doesn’t when all you’re reading is the first story.
2. My $12 Vanity Trip and How I Bought Myself a Kid’s Toy A Dime Saved
It’s so easy to project our own feelings on to other people, and this is no less true when it comes to our children. This story is such a good reminder that so often we blow interactions well out of proportion when we keep repeating them in our own heads.
While this is easy to see when she’s talking about a story to do with her children, this is an excellent reminder for other situations as well. So often we’re sure we know what another person is thinking, when really they’ve moved on and haven’t given the encounter another thought.
3. The FIRE Movement’s Fatphobia Problem Owning The Stars
I was so dang happy that Elizabeth wrote this post as soon as I read the headline before even clicking to read. This topic is an insidious one, but one I’ve absolutely noticed pop up again and again. Finally, someone has taken this fallacy head on and walked through in detail why this is such a bad take. With links to studies and science. It’s fabulous.
Clearly, I’m not 100% happy with where my body is at right now. Losing weight is even on my list of goals for the year. And yes, some of that is absolutely vanity. But a lot of it is also to get myself back into better shape – both with the food I put in my body and the exercise I fit into my days. I’m heavier than I’d like to be, but I also know I eat better and am in better shape than many people smaller than I am. Weight, and body shape, are MUCH more complicated than personal finance, and it’s time we start talking that way.
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 Financial Independence Community.
Really great roundup this week, Angela. The internalization of certain messages in media wreaks havoc on our mental health. Kudos to these women in pointing it out and finding ways to grapple with their own internal conflicts. Keep at it.
Thank you Diana! And that is absolutely true.
i read ’em all. i usually do. #1: you can only write from the perspective of your own experience. i.e. we worked our butts off and got a lot done on middle class wages so that’s what i write about. #2: it sure sucks having to feel like our author. i used to talk with my neighbor mom a lot growing up. they were a young family in the 60’s and the dad had a pretty good blue collar job with a railroad. we were all sorta poor but nobody realized that because it was basically the whole community. it’s funny because their house i though was pretty nice but she would tell me about when they were starting out with their kids to not very often have enough to stop and have an ice cream cone. the contrast always stuck with me between what was a big deal then and the expectations of today, 50 years later. #3: you write some about health and fitness and so do i. we write from our own experiences and hopefully avoid pontificating about “i did this so you should be able to do the same.” the best i could ever say is that “improvement” or “better” on one’s own scale is a worthy goal. the reader decides what content to consume.
I think you have to write from your own experience with all of these. And writing about health and fitness is very, very different than what she’s talking about with that post.
These were all really good! It’s so easy to get caught up in the hype of paying everything off asap. I really want to buy a house, so I want to pay off all the things! Then I remember we don’t have tons of things to pay off, just four expensive things, haha. We live in a safe home (despite the insane neighbors below), pay a few hundred dollars less a month than all our neighbors with the same unit (we have amazing landlords), have incredible & incredibly affordable health insurance, am happy to pay more $$ for our excellent daycare than we do for rent, and are locking our budget in better each month (on month 2 of our official budget, ha!). In about two years when my husband is done with school, his income will increase a ton and we can make quicker progress in our student loans (the cars will be paid off by then–woo!), but it’s not going to be overnight for us. We have at least two years before that point, and then it’ll likely take us several more years to pay it all off. If we get it gone in 10 years, I’ll be thrilled, because I think most people in our situation are on a “debt forgiveness in 20 years” plan. The thought of being debt free makes me giddy, but I have to keep myself in check so I’m not disappointed too.
Unfortunately, the slow and steady doesn’t get the press because it’s real, hard work. No magic pill. And that childcare bill – at least it IS only temporary.
Loved it – thanks as always!
Thanks, friend! ❤️
Thank you for spotlighting these female fellow bloggers! Thanks to you, I am exposed to different perspectives and takes and even if I do not become a faithful reader of these blogs, my mind gets richer. And especially thank you for highlighting article 3: I am one of these people. I eat a super healthy diet and am quite active but the weight struggle has been a part of my life since I hit puberty. It’s constant, often mentally exhausting, to fight against your own body and genetics. You have grown on me with your realness and honesty, too bad you live too far, as I’d really like to meet you.
Thank you! And yeah, that third article needs to be shared again and again.
Who knows, maybe we will meet at a meet up someday 🙂