It’s Memorial Day in the United States, a national holiday to commemorate those who died in military service to our country. Many Americans also view Memorial Day as a sort of unofficial “beginning of summer”. It’s a time to enjoy the company of family and friends. I’m taking off the entire weekend as a rare holiday from blogging. In theory, I’ll be helping Kris with a garage sale (we’re both in purge mode after the divorce), I’ll see the Portland Timber play Vancouver tonight (RCTID!), will BBQ with friends tomorrow, and then will do nothing but relax on Monday. And maybe have a Spanish lesson.

To get you by until Tuesday, here are some articles from the Get Rich Slowly archives, articles that are special to me. They’re about two important people in my life, but people who are no longer with me — my father and my best friend.

• Financial Advice from My Father (When I Was Nineteen)
• The Entrepreneurial Spirit, a Tribute to My Father
• Money Blueprints: What Our Parents Taught Us About Money
• A Brief Conversation About Money
• The Razor’s Edge: Lessons in True Wealth

That last article is, by far, the most important article in the history of Get Rich Slowly. Seriously. It changed everything. And not just here, but in the rest of my life as well.

Have fun, be safe, and I’ll see you on Tuesday.

From time to time, I get queries from reporters asking me to comment on particular personal finance topics. I do my best to help these folks, especially when they ask something interesting.

Recently, Katie from CNBC dropped me a line with a question that actually stumped me: For which things should people be willing to spend extra money? Here’s an edited version of her e-mail:

I’m working on a piece for our personal finance section and was wondering if you would be available to answer a few questions. The article is about 10 items that consumers should sell out the extra money on.

For this post, I’m not just focused on items that will save a few pennies. I’m focused more on the items that are worth the extra bucks because the quality/use a consumer will get out of it is worth it (but items that will save big bucks would be great also!). For example, consumers will probably want to spring for a high quality suit that they can wear for a long time vs. buying a less expensive one that will unravel the next week.

I was hoping you could offer maybe four suggestions for items/experiences that are worth spending money on and explain why you think that.

It was tough for me to come up with any one-size-fits-all answers to this question. Your answer will depend on your priorities. If you like to cook, for instance, then quality cookware and cutlery are well worth the money. But if you don’t ever spend time in the kitchen, these things are a waste of money. If fitness is important to you, then spending money on gear and events and trainers is an excellent investment. If you don’t use the stuff, it’s money down the tubes.

But as for general items that anyone could feel comfortable spending money on? Well, that’s a little more difficult to discuss.

I guess that I would argue food is one area where consumers shouldn’t cut back. Too many people do and it takes a toll on their health. Yes, buying fresh fruits and vegetables is more expensive, but the nutrition is so much better than convenience foods found in the freezer section of the grocery store.

Actually, I don’t think people should scrimp on anything related to health, whether that’s food or exercise or health insurance. No, you shouldn’t pay for things you won’t use, but if you are going to use it, then there’s nothing wrong with an expensive gym membership.

Also, I think people should be willing to spend on education. I don’t just mean college — although that’s definitely important (college grads get paid far more, on average, than those who don’t go) — but also community ed courses and seminars and so on. Any personal development is a good investment, if you ask me. But only if you act on the things you learn. Just going to a bunch of seminars won’t make you a better person. You have to put the things you learn into practice.

Katie’s article was published on Wednesday and you can read it here: 10 ways to save money by spending more Reading it, I thought about the things I choose to spend on.

What do you think? First, what are you willing to pay extra for? Second, do you think there are certain general items for which all of us should be willing to spend extra? And is it ever really fair to say that you can save money by spending more?

It’s been a l-o-n-g time since I posted a batch of links. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’ve been so wrapped up in my personal life lately. Speaking of which: What am I actually doing nowadays, anyhow? I’ve been kind of quiet about that, haven’t I?

Well, I’ve been focusing on the things that I most enjoy. That means learning Spanish, of course. I’m now eleven months into this project. I continue to take 4-1/2 hours of private lessons every week. I’ve also been volunteering in a second-grade dual-language classroom, and I’m volunteering to teach English to a native Spanish speaker. (I meet with her between two and four hours each week.) Plus, I do lots of other little things to accelerate the learning process. I love learning the language and believe I’m a solid intermediate speaker now. My lessons are becoming increasingly esoteric. And yesterday I found myself thinking in Spanish without any reason to be doing so! Love it!

Meanwhile, I’m still focusing on fitness. This month, I’ve been to my Crossfit gym in Portland every single day. (And my body aches because of it!) I’m also writing tons, helping to plan this year’s World Domination Summit, spending lots of time with friends, and, yes it’s true, I’ve begun dating.

I have a good life.

But this isn’t my personal blog. This is my finance blog, and you come here to learn about money. To that end, here are some articles I’ve been collecting from around the web.

To begin, I liked this recent question at Ask Metafilter: What’s like a Brooks Brothers shirt, only cheaper? As you know, most of my wardrobe is based on clothing from Costco and thrift stores. That’s begun to change with time (hello, REI and Icebreaker!), but I’m still trying to figure out how to dress like an adult — frugally. This thread was useful for me.

Another question: How much will it cost to live to 100? If Smart Money is to be believed, you’ll need $3.5 million: $1.5 million for your first fifty years of life, and $2 million for your last fifty.

And another question: Will driving a Prius save you money? Not unless you own it a hell of a long time. If your goal is to save money, you’re better of walking, biking, or taking mass transit — or buying a cheap fuel-efficient car. (There are other reasons to own a Prius; personal economics isn’t one of them.)

Elsewhere, friend-of-the-blog Scott Dinsomre recently published a five-minute test designed to answer the question “Should I quit?” In his e-mail to me, Scott wrote:

This is a 3-minute yes/no test that calculates a score to help someone understand how healthy (or unhealthy) their work situation is, and whether they should quit. Depending on your score, you get access to a bunch of free tools to make the transition. My goal is for it to be a wakeup call and ideally something where people share and compare their score with friends and coworkers and create some real change.

Finally, another friend-of-the-blog, former staff writer Adam Baker, is in the midst of his next mad project. He’s producing a feature-length documentary film on complacency — what it is and how to overcome it. Here’s the trailer for “I’m Fine, Thanks”:

Adam and his crew are funding this project (in part) through a Kickstarter project. Not familiar with Kickstarter? It’s a “crowdfunding” website where average folks can contribute a few bucks to make big dreams come true. If you’d like to support Adam, go check out the “I’m Fine, Thanks” project page at Kickstarter.

This article is by staff writer April Dykman.

I’ve been a staff writer at Get Rich Slowly for three-and-a-half years and an editor for the last one-and-a-half. In fact, I was one of the first staff writers to come on board, along with Adam Baker of Man Vs. Debt.

But this will be one of my last articles as a staff writer. My last official day will be July 4.

From reader to writer
When J.D. first hinted about a contest for staff writers, his search was already underway. I thought the names were in and the deal was done.

But I loved Get Rich Slowly, and I was a long-time reader and active commenter. I also wanted to become a full-time freelance writer.

I took a chance and emailed him, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Yes, the names were in, but he was willing to add another.

Facing big fears
I told a few people about the staff writer tryouts, and while some were encouraging, others weren’t. “You’re writing your tryout articles for free?” said one part-time freelancer. “That’s never a good idea.”

I admit, I thought maybe it was foolish. There were some great writers in the running, some with blogs of their own. Although I had a lot of writing experience, I was inexperienced at writing for blogs or writing for websites at all, for that matter.

I also was terrified to put my writing out there in cyberspace. I was scared of what you guys would say in the comments — J.D. has a thick skin, but I most certainly did not!

Although I was nervous, I’d already thrown my name in the hat, and there was no way I could back out. I submitted these two articles, and waited in fear for the day they went live:

• Freedom from Mindless Spending
• How to Earn Free Plane Tickets and Cash Back by Shopping Online

Of course you know how it turned out. You, the readers, and J.D. welcomed me on staff.

Learning and growing
Over the past three years, I’ve written quite a few articles! Some were popular, some struck a nerve, and others just plain fell flat!

But let’s not dwell on the bloopers. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Renters Insurance: Peace of Mind for Ten Bucks a Month
• How to Stop Buying Clothes You Never Wear
• How to Lend Money to Friends (Without Ruining the Relationship)
• 10 Career Lessons from Julia Child
• Want to Save on Groceries? Cook like a Peasant
• Prepare for the Tax Preparer to Save Money

The more I wrote, the more I got to know all of you. I learned to read comments and accept criticism as part of the job. I also got constructive criticism that made me better and words of encouragement that made my day.

J.D’s feedback was invaluable. He made me a better writer and better able to connect with all of you. His trust in me to edit guest posts and manage staff writers gave me more confidence and widened my skill set. I’ve even emailed him for travel advice!

In addition, my freelance business started to grow. I got a couple of clients who found me on GRS, but more importantly, I had the courage to pursue freelancing as a full-time job. I didn’t really believe I could write full-time before working for GRS — part of me thought it wasn’t possible to earn a decent living as a writer.

But two years ago, I was able to quit my job.

Work-life balance
As it turns out, work life has been very good. In fact, a few weeks ago, I realized I was becoming a workaholic. This was definitely a new development, as I’ve always fiercely guarded my personal life from work intrusions.

But I was skipping out on piano lessons and time with friends. I’d eat dinner with my husband, but then pull out the laptop and work until the wee hours of morning.

I let work encroach on my personal life because I love what I’m doing so much that I don’t want to stop. Twice I even forgot to eat lunch! (I also write a food blog for fun, so forgetting to eat is kind of a big deal for me.)

While loving my work is great, I knew this wasn’t a lifestyle I could sustain. My mentor pointed out that this is what causes burnout.

It was a hard decision to leave. In fact, I made my husband press “send” on the email to J.D.! I couldn’t do it! But I need to step out of my comfort zone and focus on projects that challenge and scare me again.

Not exactly goodbye
Nevertheless, I’m so attached to this site and community that I couldn’t quite close the door completely. Although I’m no longer an editor and my last day on staff is July 4, I was given the okay to come back from time to time and write for GRS. And of course I’ll be among you as a reader!

So it’s a not-quite goodbye, and a very big thank-you. It’s been a privilege to write for you.