:D

[aoi_tsuki1]

My oldest brother and his wife are going to reproduce. They are approximately the best potential parents in existence.

Meanwhile, now that we're both working, I'm having some problems getting used to having enough money (hi, #s 4 and 2! And possibly 5, though separating cause/effect with my incredible pickiness is difficult). Having more than a

Comments

[drjmaxwell]

Take your money and hide it. I recommend opening an online savings account at www.ally.com or www.ingdirect.com.

It's amazing how your standards will change over time. Eventually you'll be like, "Less than $1000? Oh God!"

Reading the cracked article, #5, holy shit #3 describes the trajectory of Christmas over my entire life, and #2 (mint.com FTW) for me.

[aoi_tsuki1]

Done and done! Thanks. I'd heard of them before, but never sat down and considered the merits of a place that might just offer 0.80% APY instead of 0.01% from dumb ol' Chase. *shall stash away small bits every week and watch it add up*

I've still got the same Xmas habits, though. And yeah, Mint is pretty neat. I've been playing with it a lot recently.

[drjmaxwell]

Another trick, if you have the discipline, is to take the maximum on those subsidized Stafford loans that charge 0% until you're out of school six months. Shove them into a high yield savings account. Pocket the interest you earn, and pay them back in full when you graduate. The discipline comes from not touching the principal.

Or in my case, I used the stash I built up in my ING account in grad school to make the down payment on my house. Mortgage rates were 5%. The student loan rates (at the time) were 4%, so I basically rolled part of my house into my student loan balance for a 1% win.

The life-changing moment for personal finances is when you graduate and get your first real job. If you can hold the increase in your standard of living to less than your increase in income, you win forever. If you suddenly start making $40k, live like you make $30k.

[queeney]

YAY MONEY.

I've read that article before, and I'm waiting for me to be gainfully employed before I completely accept it. I certainly think every single one will apply to me (soon plz) later on. (Not to mention my taste in food is certainly ruined and I'm a relentless penny-pincher is already obvious)