Hello, friends! Happy Tuesday! A long time ago, I asked if you all would be interested in an occasional money series on Em for Marvelous. Turns out you were interested (as was I), but nothing ever happened. And that’s pretty sad to me, because I LOVE talking about all aspects of money management, and financial literacy, especially amongst young people, is a huge passion of mine and John’s.

So, better late than never, right? I thought we’d try a once-a-week series for the length of January (since so many people put financial goals on their New Year’s lists!), then slim down to maybe a once a month post until I run out of things to say or y’all get bored. I have lots of ideas for future posts, but please let me know in the comments if there’s something in particular you’d like me to cover!

To begin, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about our money story, so you can see where I’m coming from and decide for yourself whether or not you’d like to take my advice :) I think there’s a lot of power in taking a hard look at your money past, and really thinking about your ideal money future, so I’d encourage you to do the same after you read this! Here goes!

I can remember writing out an allowance savings plan for Breyer horses when I was in fourth grade. I started saving for my wedding my freshman year of college. (Don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone.) I opened an IRA the following year. Though I was and always have been a saver and a planner, I didn’t become passionate about personal finance until John did.

Lover of ponies and planning from a young age (I’m on the right)

Like me, he was definitely hardwired with more than your usual dose of responsibility at a young age, but was not overly concerned about money management. We both started our college careers with a decent amount of savings in the bank (for seventeen-year-olds), but by the time spring semester rolled around, John was scraping the bottom of the barrel. This is mostly my fault (though indirectly), as most of it disappeared through monthly fresh flower deliveries (we attended schools ten hours apart at the time), plane tickets for visits, and food and entertainment during said visits. The rest can best be explained by living in a city for the first time — the general expense of dining out, etc. — and the lack of a job to replace the outflow.

Visiting John in DC spring 2006!

So when the last few weeks of the semester rolled around, his accounts had pretty much run dry, to the point where he needed a cash infusion from his parents to continue eating for the last few weeks. Even though this might not seem like much of a reckoning, it left scars that now run quite deep in John’s psyche. Because he loves his parents, respects them so much, and is so grateful for everything they’ve done for him, he HATED imposing on them in that way, especially when they were already generously funding his schooling. This experience, combined with his world-altering discovery of and subsequent love for economics freshman year, put him on a firm path toward personal financial excellence, and gave him a huge passion for helping others to become financially fit, as well. I was (and still am!) happy to be along for the ride!

We both held part-time jobs for the rest of college, followed individual written budgets, and finished in good financial shape, with savings in the bank and (small) IRAs and investment accounts in our names. I had a few student loans, but thankfully they were not as serious as many of my peers’. The wedding savings account was coming along nicely :)

Then, I decided to take a job in North Carolina with a very uncertain salary situation. We moved basically sight unseen the summer after we graduated. Thankfully, my salary became regular and decent fairly quickly, but for a year and a half, we were a one-income household while John searched for a job. Even though we lived frugally, this ate away at much of both of our savings.

Once John started working (in October 2010, in the financial sector), our financial burden lessened substantially, and we were able to really concentrate for the first time on our financial goals. We initially focused on saving for our wedding, and ultimately contributed 20% of the total cost (September 2012). At the same time, we squirreled money away in our emergency fund until we finished funding it in January 2012. All the while, we paid down our three student loans and two car loans, paying off the first of the five in December 2012. At the same time, we’ve been vigorously putting money away into our down payment fund, and are now at our minimum goal. Throughout, we’ve stayed on track with a written budget, and stayed focused by working toward tithing and giving to other organizations and causes close to our heart.

Whew! That’s a lot to let loose in one post (and you know I was chomping at the bit throughout to add explanations and even more detail!!). I’ll be back next week with some more thoughts on our overall money philosophy, but in the meantime, I’d love to know: would you consider yourself, at heart, a spender or a saver? And, is there anything in particular you’d like me to cover in future posts? Budgeting? Retirement savings? Debt? Investing in general? Let me know!

I genuinely consider this post a warning as much as a recommendation. As in, if you’ve saved your pennies and have enough socked away in your “home decor” fund, hop on this ASAP! And if not, stay far, far away from the Target Home aisles for the next few weeks.

Y’all, I almost couldn’t believe my eyeballs when I walked into Target a few days ago. In my humble opinion, their spring collection from the “Threshold” line is AMAZING. Modern and cozy, colorful and clean — it’s like the best interior design blogs tumbled right into their aisles. A few of my favorites:

Yep, already snagged that pillow. It’s almost an exact replica of this one from Caitlin Wilson Textiles (though more of an orange-y coral than a pink coral in person), but for $25 instead of $60 (and in her case, that’s only for the cover!!). I adore her prints and still hope to snag this one one day, but for now, I will happily take the Target version! Unsurprisingly, these pillows (there’s also a B&W version) seem to have been so popular that they are no longer online, but it would definitely be worth checking your local store.

Interestingly, the item I found most covetable is not listed online anywhere. It’s that amazing coral-with-piping x-bench above, priced at — wait for it — $60. YEOW. I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame, but have thus far resisted.

They also haven’t put their cake stands online — super reasonably priced, in awesome colors like coral and taupe, and with the prettiest scalloped edges. If you, like me, are a cake stand -aholic, they’re definitely worth a look.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you :)

So. Y’all know a thing or two about me. BUT, did you know that I LOVE The Bachelor?

(And by The Bachelor, I mean both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Love them equally. I draw the line at Bachelor Pad – have never watched it and never intend to. For purposes of this post, we will refer to both shows as The Bachelor from here on out. Also, I would like you all to know that The Bachelor is an anomaly in my TV watching habits. I do not watch any other dating show, and I have no interest in doing so in the future.)

Yes, indeed, I love The Bachelor. Let’s take a brief walk down memory lane, shall we? (It looks a lot like that suspiciously wet-looking path leading into the mansion.) The first season I can remember watching was Trista’s, in 2003. I also watched season three (in 2003) with Andrew Firestone and Jen Schefft, and the season in 2006 with Travis and Sarah. Next up for me was Andy and Tessa in 2007, and from there, I’ve diligently watched every season: Brad, DeAnna, Matt, Jason, Jillian, Jake, Ali, Brad again, Ashley, Ben, and Emily. Whew!

To clear a few things up, do I think everything that happens on these shows is real? No, of course not. Do I think half of the contestants are ridiculous and mildly insane? Yes, of course. Do I really like some of the contestants and root for them? Yes, of course. Do I truly believe that the couple at the end will make it long term? Depends on the season :)

So yes, there is a bit of a hopeless romantic inside me, but that’s not really why I love the show. I do love that it’s simply fun to watch, and there’s something comforting in the fact that it’s a variation on the same theme every time. I do enjoy watching the narratives and relationships as they unfold, but when it comes down to it, what I really love about this show is the off-screen relationships, not the onscreen ones.

Jen Huang via Snippet & Ink

You see, over the last six years, I have somehow convinced almost every member of my family, and most of my friends, to watch this show. It might sound crazy, but watching this show in tandem helps keep us all close. Text messages fly back and forth during every episode, Facebook messages and emails dissecting individual plot lines are sent, and news articles about past contestants are forwarded in the “off season.”

And yes, John watches with me. He would admit openly to you that he is a fan, and he actually has a HIGHLY developed ability to choose the eventual winner from the first episode (which he’s very proud of). My mom and younger sister have been tuned in for about as long as me. Two of my best friends from home have been watching since DeAnna’s season and Trista’s season, respectively, and we frequently schedule Bachelor dessert parties whenever we’re together and it’s in season. John and I convinced our best friend in college to start watching with us during Jason’s season, and she’s been hooked ever since. One of John’s sisters has been watching intensely since crazy Jake’s season (her boyfriend is now a fan as well), and the other, since Brad’s second go-round (her husband also watches). You see? It’s not so much the show, but what we’ve built around it. I have so many good memories related to this show that really have nothing to do with it at all.

All this to say, I’ll be watching tonight when Sean’s season premiers, and so will most of my peeps. In fact, the Thomas children and spouses are actually holding a formal draft for this season. Take that, fantasy football! In case any of you are interested in the details, here’s how it will work:

(1) We’ll have three teams of couples.

1 point per rose until you leave the country
2 points per rose when out of the country
3 points for the rose that brings you to the hometown date (and subsequent roses except for the winning rose)
6 points for the winning rose

YESSSSS.

Let’s hear it: Do you love The Bachelor, too? If so, please tell me 1) what season you started watching, and 2) who your favorite bachelor, bachelorette, couple, or contestant is. I’ll go first. I actually really like Brad. I like Jason a lot, and I like Molly, too (didn’t at the time). I REALLY liked both Ali and Roberto, I was so glad Ashley picked JP (Ashley herself was kind of eh), and I still really like Emily. Your turn!

P.S. Last night was the premier of Downton Abbey! Love that show, too :)

Sheesh, y’all are probably sick of my goals by now! (I hope not, because I’ve got lots more where this came from!) Well, they’ll actually go back to being more “behind the scenes” for awhile, as I work on what I’ve set out for January, but I promise I’ll be back in February to report on my progress and set out some new ones. I firmly believe that writing goals down is essential to sticking to them, so here we go!

This month, I will:
— Find something to turn into a prayer journal around the house, or buy something new if necessary (for Daily Goals)
— Complete list of power foods and post (for Daily Goals)
— Schedule visit with my Dad’s mom (for no. 10)
— Make 2012 contribution to my IRA (for no. 18)
— Brainstorm get together and dinner party plans for 2013 and commit to months for each (for nos. 41, 78, 82)
— Decide on the next biography I’ll read and obtain it (for no. 61)
— Conceptualize, make, photograph, and list one entirely new product in my shop (for no. 72)
— Upload first Friends of Em banner (for no. 73)
— Wear my updo at least one more time (for no. 93)
— Submit our wedding announcement (for no. 97)

You can see all of my 101 in 1001 goals here and my 2013 daily goals here. Now, off to schedule each of these in my planner! If you’d like to share your goals for January, I’d love for you to either list them in the comments or leave a link, and I promise I’ll check them out!