This article is the sixth of a thirteen-part series that explores the core tenets of Get Rich Slowly.
Last winter, Kris and I re-financed our mortgage. In one fell swoop, we trimmed our monthly payments for principal and interest from $1386.60 to $1137.69, boosting our cash flow by $248.91 per month.
If we had consumer debt, that’s $248.91 per month we have could used for our debt snowball. It’s $248.91 per month we could stick in our retirement accounts, or to put into savings accounts for our trip to France next year — or to pursue other hobbies and interests. Really, it’s $248.91 we could use for anything we wanted. (As it happens, we chose to use that money to accelerate our mortgage payments.)
Note: Sierra Black gave us a guest post on this subject in September when she described how she and her husband are sweating the big stuff. They made a big change that saved them [...]

This is a guest post from Sierra Black, a long-time GRS reader and the author of ChildWild, a blog where she writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale. Previously at Get Rich Slowly, Black told us about sweating the big stuff.
Buying in bulk is great, right? You get the things you want and need, and pay less for them. As an added bonus, you don’t have to shop as often (at least, this is a bonus for me, since I hate shopping).
Because I hate shopping and love discounts, I buy most everything in bulk: toilet paper, frozen foods, light bulbs, even toys. But bulk buying has its risks too, and after years of practicing it, I’m learning to see them.
For me, the three key dangers in bulk buying are:
Making a bad investment in a good product that you need or love. I love a particular brand of gel pen, [...]

As important as I believe National Save for Retirement Week is, I have to confess that after four days (five, if you count Sunday), I’m bored of it. My short attention span has dwindled. (Imagine the difficulties I’m having as I try to concentrate on writing a book for three months solid!)
Instead, I want to shift gears for a moment and talk about a subject with immediate real-life implications: the dangers of perfection.
Good vs. perfect
While doing research for my book (Your Money: The Missing Manual), I re-read The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. The Paradox of Choice is about how we think that choice will make us happy — but it doesn’t. In fact, too much choice just might turn you into a basket case, especially if you’re a certain type of person.
Schwartz describes his research into two groups of people, Maximizers and Satisficers:

Maximizers are those who only accept the best. Every time they [...]

This article is by GRS staff writer Adam Baker. In addition to his work at Get Rich Slowly, Baker blogs over at Man Vs. Debt, where he compiles the most famous and inspiring quotes on debt. This article is a part of National Save for Retirement Week, and a sort of follow-up to yesterday’s post about the choice between retirement or a down payment.
Whether you should halt your retirement contributions in order to focus debt is one of the most heavily debated dilemmas in personal finance.
Unlike “spend less than you earn” or “track every penny you spend“, there’s no cookie-cutter answer to this question. Variables such as age, career, risk tolerance, and even personality type make each individual situation unique.
You’ll never win a race against high-interest debt
Regardless of your personal situation, there are very few circumstances where high-interest debt should not be the top priority. What’s high interest? Well, that’s another fun question to debate. For the purpose of [...]

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. It’s also a part of National Save for Retirement Week
A few weeks ago, J.D. asked me to consider writing a post on retirement for National Save for Retirement Week. As it was intended, National Save for Retirement Week made me reflect on the state of my and my husband’s retirement accounts.
Currently, our retirement savings are a tad pitiful. I have a 403(b) through my employer, who contributes to my account whether or not I do. After five years of employment, I’ll be eligible for a match. I also have a Roth IRA, though I stopped automatic contributions when we buckled down to pay off the credit cards and the auto loan. My husband doesn’t have a Roth IRA or 401(k), as it’s not offered through his employer.
Retirement is important to us, but we decided to defer significant saving for retirement until we were out of debt and [...]

On Thursday, I featured a guest post from Free Money Finance that proved to be surprisingly controversial. His five steps to six figures in seven years offered solid common-sense career advice for those looking to boost their incomes. Many readers disliked the post. (Though they didn’t hate it as much as FMF’s previous guest article.)
Though I don’t share all of your complaints, I do think some of you made an excellent point: Just as money is more about mind than it is about math, so too a rewarding career is more about personal fulfillment than it is about raking in big bucks. I agree that I’d rather work at a low-paying job that I loved than make $100,000 a year at a job I hated. I’d rather be happy than rich.
In response to FMF’s post on Thursday, Mike wrote to share his predicament. He’s hoping GRS readers can help him decide what to do:

I feel [...]