Recessions are like stubbed toes: they hurt.

It’s dark. You’ve woken up in the middle of the night to either use the bathroom, grab a midnight snack, or answer to your crying child.

The path to your objective is clear. You know where the doorframe is. You know roughly how many steps it will take to get to your destination. But like the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, you smack your toe on something.

The feeling of pain is immediate. You probably do a few things: cry out in pain. Then curse. Then maybe curse a bit more. Grab your toe. Question if it’s broken. Believe in this very moment that you are a failure and that no matter how adult you feel, you can’t even get this simple task right of walking unimpeded to your destination.

Then with time, that feeling of pain and self-doubt starts to go away. You get feeling back in your toe. Maybe you did break it. Maybe it’s just going to be a horrible bruise. In either case: you’ll live.

I quit my cushy, safe, government job.

My career has not developed in the way I initially imagined. Let me explain: I started out in the arts and the entire time I used to proudly declare: “I’m going to change things! I’m going to make this business more sustainable and accessible for everyone!”

That passion drove me to work in an arts centre below minimum wage just so I could attempt to network. It drove me to do an MBA. But when I got out of school, social mandate in my back pocket, ready to preach as if it were gospel, nobody cared.

Dear Saver: These are the Forces That Work Against You

Life is hard. Between keeping your financial head above water, living in the moment, and simultaneously saving for the future, there are so many variables you have to manage. Do you buy that thing because it’d be nice to have? Do you stay in a lesser hotel to save a few dollars on your trip? For that show you’re seeing, do you spurge on orchestra seats or resolve to the upper mezzanine?

We deal with these dilemmas every day, and if you’re a saver, you probably pretty good at balancing the pros and cons of your spending options.

But despite your best efforts, there are still forces that work against you. They work against you no matter what your resolve is. And frankly, these forces suck.

Things I Never Cheap Out On (Part 2)

Last week I talked about something very anti-frugal: the concept of purposely cheaping out on things as opposed to buying high-quality and potentially long-lasting things.

However, there are just some no-go things when it comes to spending money, where I will spend obscenely larger amount to get the highest quality I can. Some of these items are just basic common sense, whereas others you might think are a bit borderline – I’ll let you decide.