As I predicted in my last money date, I’m still waiting for my “new year” to get started, as I’m sort of puttering along figuring out what’s next after my October layoff. As I write that, though, I realize it’s been three months. Is that too much puttering?
To be fair, it’s sort of a putter-y time of year in general. It’s that part of winter in Wisconsin, post-holidays, sub-zero, when we all hunker down and start waiting for spring. I’m not carrying any holiday spending guilt, but I’ve been swept up in the blunt quiet of this season and slowed activities that involve spending. It’s hard to harness fresh-start energy when the world around me is at its most dead. (You might call it seasonal depression…)
And, of course, I’m extra weighed down this year by the addition of our fascist federal government going off the rails. I’m not burying my head in the sand, but I’m not doomscrolling, either. And I’m staying hopeful for the strength of our democracy. I joined my friend Carmen Lezeth recently on her podcast, All About The Joy - Carmen Lezeth , to share why I’m (honestly!) optimistic in this moment, and how rejecting budget culture can help us get through the financial uncertainty that awaits us for the remainder of this administration. Catch our conversation here.
Where I live, we’re in the darkest, coldest time of the year. And we no longer have decorative lights and roasted meats to get us through. But each day brings a little more light than the last, and we’re just reminding ourselves: Spring will come, as it does every year. Whether you need this message literally or metaphorically, take it in, and hold on — we can make it!
💡 Inspired by a Healthy Rich contributor, a money date is an exercise I crafted for You Don’t Need a Budget. Subscribers can follow along in a private space after the paywall, and I encourage you to steal my questions to guide your own reflections!
What’s the most joyful thing you did with money this week?
