I’ve had the great opportunity to interview Mrs. Money over at Ultimate Money Blog.  She works in the financial industry and has great and informative blog, make sure you subscribe to Ultimate Money so you don’t miss a thing!

And make sure you check out my answers over on her site!

What made you want to start your blog?

I’ve always had friends come to me for money advice and I thought starting a blog would be a good way to share my financial experiences with others.  My blog was initially started to share money saving tips with others and then evolved into me sharing a more in depth look at my personal money situation.  I think it’s been a great tool in holding me accountable for saving money and paying off debt.  Sometimes I’ll want to go out and spend money just for the sake of spending money, but then I realize I’m not “practicing what I preach” and choose to spend more carefully.

What first got you interested in personal finance?

Managing a bank branch allows me to meet and review many clients’ finances.  I’ve always loved talking about money and helping others figure out a plan for their future.  It’s always interesting to go to work each day because I don’t know who I will come in contact with; sometimes I’m opening up someone’s first checking account, and other times I’m opening up $250,000 certificates of deposit.  It never ceases to amaze me how unique and individual everyone’s money management skills are.

“Growing up, did your parents lead a frugal life?  How have their money decisions affected yours?”

One of my most vivid memories is my mom and me shopping for jeans at the thrift store.  I remember how I had to go through many, many pairs to find some that were perfect for me.  I loved doing that because I could get jeans that were already broken in and I could get a lot more pairs than I could if I got them at the store.  I credit my mom with implanting my love of thrift stores.

My mom was always a stay at home mom.  She canned a lot of things from the garden, shopped at tons of garage sales, hang things out on the clothesline, and picked many things out of the trash.  Yes, she’s that garbage picker!  My dad is a mechanical engineer and makes pretty good money, so it’s not like she led a frugal life out of absolute necessity.  My parents saved a lot of money, paid off their house quickly, and were able to finance three childrens’ college educations.  They’ve paid cash for all their cars.  I would definitely say they had a huge impact on the way I live my life now.  They are probably the biggest inspirations for me when it comes to making a money decision.  I am utterly thankful to them!

My biggest money regret… hmm.  In 2004 Mr. Money and I decided to quit our jobs working at an electronics franchise store in Colorado to move to the boonies to help run a miniature horse farm.  We didn’t have any health insurance, lost our benefits, and took a pay cut.  When it came time to us having taxes done, we ended up owing a ton of money because we had been contract labor!  The woman we had been working for didn’t tell us anything about this so we were blindsided.   As a result of working there, though, we decided that we needed to do something else with our lives, and moved to the Midwest for Mr. Money to attend culinary school. We’ve stayed here since, which is very bittersweet.  We miss Colorado!

I’ll have to say paying off about $30,000 worth of student loans in two years.  We’ve still got about $6,000 to go, but it feels so amazing to be rid of the rest of that!  I was worried we would never get out of debt to those darn student loans and be able to purchase our first home.

What are your favorite posts?

Don’t Pay Overdraft Fees Again
Unfrugal Habits
The Ultimate Laundry Detergent Recipe
Reusable Toilet Paper??
Alternative Housing: Living in an RV

pic by: ChristofferEngstrom

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