A while ago, I had the chance to return to my small hometown as a volunteer when I was asked by a local non-profit to spend a week teaching high school kids about money. I knew being in the classroom would be great, but I was really impacted by something far less expected… the hallways.

A while ago, I had the chance to return to my small hometown as a volunteer when I was asked by a local non-profit to spend a week teaching high school kids about money.

Many of you know that I don’t like bu*#!ting (I don’t even like to say the word budget). And it hasn’t been for lack of trying. In the past I’d get myself psyched up to do it, but it would always end up feeling like a big guilt trip that wasn’t all that effective.

One day last week, after watching the Dow drop over 500 points, I headed to a dinner party, where I was asked by several people to perform a party trick that I’m all too often requested; to get out my crystal ball.

As a child, I vividly remember the tupperware that my grandmother kept her Raisin Bran in. What seared the cereal container into my memory was the piece of paper she had taped to the front. On the paper was a list of dates going back to the Nixon administration where she had documented every time the contents had been refilled, along with the cost per ounce and which grocery store in town had the best price at each date.

I had an unfortunate incident at the gym last week that some of you might be familiar with. While I was doing my best hamster-on-a-wheel impression on the stair-climber, the football highlights showing on one of the TVs came as a welcome distraction from the fact that I hate doing cardio.