Women’s Personal Finance: Wednesday Roundup March 9, 2022

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Welcome to the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesday Roundup! We started this series back in 2018 on TreadLightlyRetireEarly.com to showcase the fabulous women in the online personal finance community who are talking about money online. Even now, there is 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 our way of doing a small part to change that perception. There is 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.

Why does it matter? Because representation matters. Because reading and hearing stories from those who (may or may not) look like us show us that yes, we too can figure out this money thing, that we too have important stories to tell. And that we too know quite a lot about money and are experts worth listening to.

Since Women’s Personal Finance has grown up to get its own website, it’s time to transition these roundups over here to the dedicated website. Same great content, new home!

Our Women’s Personal Finance Facebook group on Facebook 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, we will be continuing this series every week to showcase some of the best of the new content we read. If you ever read a post you think we absolutely need to consider for this roundup, please let us know! We are always open to reading new blogs and want to celebrate those newer voices as well as the more seasoned ones.

And with that, here is the best (in our opinion) content by women and nonbinary folks this past week. Let us know what you think in the comments! We love discussion.

Women’s Personal Finance Weekly Roundup #39 (Actually, 176)

1. Delayed Gratification vs Delayed Happiness – Are you Lying to Yourself? Money Flamingo

“If there is one skill you need in order to reach Financial Independence it is this one: delayed gratification. The FIRE community as a whole is very good at it. Maybe a little too good.

A certain level of self-control and is crucial on the path to FI. So is the ability to avoid instant gratification. However, delaying gratification can be a double-edged sword, especially if it is used as an excuse or a distraction.

Ask yourself: Are you practicing self-discipline to achieve your big goals or are you really just delaying happiness?”

2. The Responsibility of Hope Emily Guy Birken

“There is great comfort in resorting to gallows humor when you feel powerless, and joking in the face of potential awfulness is a skill we have collectively honed to a fine point.

But even though I’m a card-carrying member of this most sardonic of generations, I am far more of a Pollyanna “everything will work out” optimist than Daria, Max Headroom, or the lyrics “Oh well, whatever, never mind” that served as our rallying cry, could countenance.

At the risk of alienating my generational fellows, I’d argue that giving in to hopelessness, even if you’re able to be funny about it, is irresponsible. Hope is a form of power, and it’s in our best interests to wield that power. Not only does it feel better, but it will give us a better future.”

3. The Case Against Generosity Creative Money

“But here’s the thing: if I looked closely at my history — even before I was making good money — I have always made the mistake of giving more than I got back, even without money. And my codependency, my willingness to put other people before myself was simply amplified with more money. People thought I was being generous, and so did I. But it was a pattern of trying to get something from other people that I wasn’t giving to myself.

Many times people are looking for a certain feeling when they’re giving someone else money. They might be looking for reciprocity, gratitude, or some sort of satisfaction. But those good feelings can only be achieved when you’re giving from a place of prosperity. This doesn’t mean that you don’t get to feel prosperous until you’ve achieved total financial freedom; it means that you feel secure in the idea that you have the resources you need, and can funnel them according to your changing needs.”

BONUS – Don’t “Hey Girly” Me Mixed Up Money

“No, a protein shake alone isn’t going to be what makes you achieve the fitness goals you have. No, your hair probably won’t thicken because you use one shampoo bar over another. No, those essential oils aren’t as safe as hand sanitizer.

No, a vitamin that someone who isn’t a doctor sells you isn’t going to cure your auto immune disorder.

These products can be dangerous. For both physical and mental health. And the pressure that the sales reps apply to people who just want to be accepted because they haven’t yet fully learned to accept themselves is not okay in by books.”

Thanks For Supporting These Women Writers!

As always, if you’re looking for a categorized list of self identified women writing and speaking about personal finance, here is the comprehensive guide to the Women of the Financial Independence Community.

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