One thing I’ve always appreciated is how open Wes and I have been about money. We didn’t always follow the conventional path — we merged our finances years ago and have sometimes faced criticism for it — but openness has served us well. We make a point to communicate clearly about money. I’ve seen many … Read more

Looking back on the previous year is always enjoyable. Seeing an entire year laid out helps me remember what I accomplished, what I missed, and what I want to change. Here is my 2018 year in review. 2018 was busy — in the best possible way. One of the biggest changes that made the year … Read more

It’s that time of the month again: my monthly income report. I publish these reports to track progress, learn from past months, and stay accountable to my business goals. This series started as an “extra income” report while I still worked a full-time job before October 2013. Back then I only reported income earned outside … Read more

Hello! Today I’m sharing a personal debt story from Samantha about how she paid off dental student loans. Enjoy! Hi — I’m Samantha. I graduated from dental school at 26 with more than $575,000 in student debt. That number may sound shocking, but it reflects the typical and rising cost of dental education. Becoming a … Read more

Some people believe confidence is an innate trait you’re born with and cannot learn. I used to feel the same way. While I’m not completely fearless (public speaking still terrifies me), I’ve grown into a fairly confident person, and that confidence has helped me in many areas of life. Odd to say, perhaps, but I’m … Read more

Are you looking to earn extra income while living in a rural area? Many people ask: what rural side hustles are realistic when you don’t live near a big population center? Whether you live on a farm, in a small town, or off the grid, there are plenty of practical and profitable side gigs that … Read more

Time and time again I encounter tragic stories—or GoFundMe campaigns—because someone didn’t have life insurance. Their death leaves a family with mounting bills, little or no savings, and an uncertain future. Note: Before you leave this page thinking life insurance is unaffordable, many people can find coverage for around $25 a month. Affordable options do … Read more

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend and enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve decided to combine my Saturday and Monday life updates into one post — I figure most of you don’t need two separate updates every week. It was a fairly quiet weekend for us, especially since W was sick the … Read more

Learning how to start a successful blog is a challenging task — if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Still, one of the best decisions I ever made was learning how to start a blog. Blogging changed my life, and it’s funny to think I didn’t even know what blogs were before I … Read more

Welcome to the June business report, where I share how I made money online while traveling full-time last month. Below I provide an update on the business, highlights from the month, and plans for growth. If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might wonder why I publish a monthly business report. This began … Read more