Saralovesyou

It forces you to dig into your emotions around money, which is such an influence in the control you do have and a source of conflict for couples.

When we were very tight on cash, we did envelope budgeting for a while—which helped. Now it’s just built in.

I’m definitely not qualified! I did a women and money class years ago with Ruth Hayden (who I imagine must be retired at this point). And my wife and I did the “for richer, not poorer” book for couples. There are absolutely cheesy parts, but we come from very different backgrounds and it helped tons

It was super arrogant of leadership to dig in and assume people couldn’t change. There are a couple things that were less expensive at Target that I would order again, but for the most part I just didn’t realize how much Costco would save us.

By the way—no matter how much or how little money you have, budgeting is something I advocate hard for. It helps you limit spending if you have a lot (savings + the ability to scale down lifestyle = freedom) and if you have very little you can see where things will be trouble.

Not everyone budgets like me and may not be able to articulate exact impact. We also saved ~70/mo on groceries without any changes to what we ate.

This is a lot of money!

Over 15 months the category most Target non-grocery purchases fell into has gone down by an average of $150/mo. That’s from Costco bulk buying (feels expensive, but is cheaper long term) and clearly doing less unnecessary spending.

The big mistake Target did was letting this go on long enough to become habit. Even when the boycott ends, I learned that we spent way too much on impulse purchases at Target. Knowing that (combined with the broader financial situation) our spending habits have changed long-term.

Daily reminder folks in Minnesota still need help.

Also daily gratitude to all the many people here helping their neighbors in whatever ways they can. (And to people from afar who are helping too.)

002: Pete Hegseth, Doug Wilson, and the God of War Listen to Reign of Error with Sarah Posner on RedCircle

I know I've plugged this incessantly this week, but if you haven't, you really should listen to my interview with @julieingersoll.bsky.social about Pete Hegseth's religion. Illuminates his obsession with maximum lethality as a religious imperative, and more -->

redcircle.com/shows/fbed71...

I didn’t realize I should be afraid when I go to my dentist. Next time I promise to clutch my bag close to me and dart my eyes all over out of fear.

“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.”

It’s too bad that administrations are rarely from academic backgrounds that read people like Freire and apply it to leadership.

This has 100% happened. The DOGE boys have an unmonitored, unsecured Signal chat where they make their plans and openly exchange data that are completely illegal for them to have viewed, let alone exfiltrated.

I am naturally impatient and a workaholic. It’s been a fraught transition to “what is balance, what is realistic” and my nature is like “balance is working all the time, duh.” I am embarrassed by the fact that I’d even try to work when in the ER or admitted to the hospital.

One of the worst things about disability is the utter randomness of your ability to function. I had plans today. My calendar was full. Then I was sick as hell for hours this morning. You become so unreliable, but it’s beyond your control and I have not made peace with it.

this is probably the least interested i’ve ever been in paying my federal income taxes, i tell you what.

Why...did CNN do this

Columbia releases report on ‘institutional failures’ enabling Hadden’s abuse nearly two and a half years after launch <i>This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</i>

I’m currently listening to “The Adults in the Room” podcast (in which major abuse problems are covered up at a high school), and then this story comes out today and it’s like—at what point do bosses and peers stop covering for serial abusers? (Content warning obviously)

It may make people mad, but it may not—as a much older person than you who’s managed people older and younger than me, mistakes are expected and should be seen as a lesson learned. (This is especially true for younger staff, but applies to everyone.)

Remember when he and the mayor were going on TV talking like they were all tough and people who didn’t know our city were all starry eyed about how great they were?

Big talkers.

My tween child asked me today when was the last time things weren’t awful politically.

It’s really rough to explain that there were times of progress and hope and there will be again.

We were literally chanting “we have hope” 😭

I’m wearing sandals. I’ve decided we’re done.

I can’t even make an Adam Ant joke about my lack of drinking and smoking at the doctor because everyone is so young now.

(For the young, the song goes “don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?”)

I know it’s not even funny, but I hate clinic visits and also god I’ve gotten old.

It’s probably why I really didn’t think anything of living in an apartment. When I watched Sesame Street, they all lived like us. Though when we eventually bought a house, it definitely felt enormous and was exciting.

This made me remember something else—if you look at old Sesame Street episodes (like 1980s), the people they have in them are very, very normal. Things have gotten increasingly stylized since the 1990s and it has given people a weird sense of normal.

(My mom loved Roseanne for the reason below)

Just made another call. It's voicemail most of the time. You can do it.

We definitely have income inequality problems, but there are so many grifters out there trying to encourage despair. When people stitch them or quote them with a list of what their family used to do I’m just like—your family was well off, my friend.

We were not poor. That was a totally normal way for a family to live. I did sports and dance lessons and whatever, but you have to budget and live within your means.

I thought Hard Rock Cafe must be so fancy because the kids who flew to warm places on airplanes came back with those shirts.

I’ll add to this, because the quoted nonsense is all over the internet and massive disinformation for young people or those who were actually well off and think they weren’t.

I grew up with only one parent working. Four of us lived in a 2br apartment. Vacation was driving to visit grandparents.

Minneapolis schools are still being targeted by 🧊