Published in Money IQ·Jul 17, 2018Should You Put That Purchase on a Credit Card?As you approach a register in a store or checkout page on a website, it’s natural to take out your credit card as a default form of…Credit Cards5 min readCredit Cards5 min read
Published in The Billfold·Aug 2, 2017My Last $100: Too Darn Hot EditionMaking financial decisions based on air conditioning and comfort. — Summers in New York are always full of sweltering humidity and the smell of trash melting in the rays of the sun, but something about this year seems especially brutal. In an effort to make the most of the efforts of our window A/C unit, we’ve quartered off our living…Summer5 min readSummer5 min read
Published in The Billfold·Jul 26, 2017Halfway and Half-Assed: Loyalty Cards I Have NeglectedI have six Hale & Hearty cards at the bottoms of old purses. — A few months ago, as a ritual to keep in touch, a good friend and I started meeting regularly for lunch. The first time we rendezvoused, we met at a deli in Korea Town because it was close to the office where we had once been coworkers. (Erin also likes…Loyalty6 min readLoyalty6 min read
Published in The Billfold·Jul 13, 2017What We Buy When We’re DrinkingAnd regret when we’re sober. — One night, about five years ago, I came home late from a closing shift at the bookstore to find my roommate asleep on the couch. …Drinking5 min readDrinking5 min read
Published in The Billfold·Jun 23, 2017The Year of Free FlightsFlying standby on a friend’s benefits. — When my friend Erika asked me if I wanted to be on her flight benefits, I felt like I had won the broke 20-something lottery. Erika and I had become friends picking up part-time shifts at Barnes & Noble while both of us were finishing our last year at NYU…Travel7 min readTravel7 min read
Published in The Billfold·Jun 5, 2017The Cost of Keeping a Well-Stocked HouseSomeone has to buy the toilet paper—and decide how many rolls they can afford. — When I was a kid, one of my favorite parts of birthdays and holidays was getting access to my mother’s gift wrap supply. She kept it in a large Tupperware storage bin under her bed, an inconspicuous-looking container that, when opened, was bursting with everything gift-related. There were two shallow…Home5 min readHome5 min read
Published in The Billfold·May 19, 2017When Your Biggest Financial Gambles Are Your Best Life Decisions“Don’t bet what you can’t afford to lose,” my dad told me. But I did anyway. — The first time I gambled with my own money was when my dad asked me if I wanted to play 21 blackjack. I eagerly agreed; back then my allowance was maybe 50 cents a week, so I wasn’t exactly rolling in dough, but the prospect of increasing the small stockpile…Education6 min readEducation6 min read
Published in The Billfold·May 11, 2017Adventures in PoshmarkingHow an app designed to help you sell clothes slowly convinces you to buy them. — When my boyfriend’s friend’s fiancée extended to us our first invite on a couple’s vacation, I had to respectfully decline. It wasn’t even anything terribly exciting — just a few days at Asbury Park, a whole hour-and-a-half drive from our Brooklyn apartment. “I’d say we’d be interested but we’re a…Fashion8 min readFashion8 min read
Published in The Billfold·Apr 18, 2017In Search of an Affordable HairstylistMust understand Asian hair. — Whenever I move to a new location in NYC—whether to a new apartment or a new job—my first order of business post-move is always to take a lay of the land. I like to find where my closest bank is, what grocery options I have, where to find the best…Hair6 min readHair6 min read
Published in The Billfold·Mar 28, 2017The Delivery Dilemma: Comparing Online Grocery Delivery Services in NYCFreshDirect, Peapod, and Amazon Fresh. — When I moved into a studio apartment on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, my first time living roommate-free, the only imperfect thing about the arrangement was that it was a five-story walk-up (well, that and the wall between me and my neighbor was so thin that I could hear…Food7 min readFood7 min read
