Working at my first job out of college I didn’t have any money, and I didn’t know how to cook. So every day for lunch I’d bring cheap microwavable dinners – linguini with clams – and eat in the break room.

But as my career progressed and I made more money I started going out for lunch. Every day I’d drive 15 miles round trip to eat from a table covered with white paper. And pay $12 to do it.

That’s what I’d call lifestyle inflation. It’s when your spending goes up as your income goes...

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By Chris Reining / 31 Comments

For over a decade, Steve Jobs, the billionaire co-founder of Apple, wore the same thing every day: a black turtleneck, Levi’s jeans, and New Balance sneakers.

Picking up the mantle, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wears a gray T-shirt every day and President Obama picks between a solid navy or charcoal suit. During an interview with Vanity Fair he said, “I’m trying to pare down decisions […] because I have too many other decisions to...

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By Chris Reining / 26 Comments

In the Everyday Dollar Diaries series, real people wrote down what they spent over the course of a week, and then I published the results anonymously. It’s been really popular, because all of us want to take a peek at how others spend.

But the purpose of the series isn’t to be a passive voyeur, it’s to challenge yourself to keep your own diary for one week, because knowing what’s happening with your money is the first step to get control over your finances.

Many of you will immediately see the benefits, and will want to continue...

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By Chris Reining / 17 Comments

The year was 2001, I was 21-years-old, with one semester of college left. I wasn’t taking school very serious anymore, so me and my roommate we were going through cases of Natural Light beer every week. While I was having fun celebrating the last days of fraternity life, I was also looking forward to the next stage of my life – a nine to five job I had accepted in Madison, Wisconsin.

After graduation I made the move from Illinois, settling into a run-down...

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By Chris Reining / 41 Comments

Last week I went out on a school night. I almost didn’t because it was 10:30 at night and I hadn’t left my house yet and my bedtime was in 30 minutes. But I got the motivation to put on my Converse and head over to where Zion I, a skilled hip hop group from Oakland, California, were going to play.

After the show my buddy and I decided to have a nightcap. It was 1:00 in...

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By Chris Reining / 2 Comments