What are /r/FIREyFemmes' favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

For me, it's a bit cheesey but after reading the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, I truly felt that my life was changed. In total, I have tidied up my place twice, the first time only my clothes and the 2nd time, doing my entire apartment. Each time, I've felt a perspective change after. The biggest thing beyond tidying your house was how that book forces to confront your past decisions and change the way you make new ones. I try to do things that "spark joy" for me and this goes beyond shopping or spending money. Speaking of shopping, after you tidy, you are much more careful about buying new things, how you're spending your money and what you're bringing home. Once I finished my tidying festival, as Marie calls it, I was able to shift my focus on to more important things like FIRE and doing thigns in my life that sparked joy.

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

It's putting me on a path that may not align with the RE of FIRE, but is slowly stepping me towards things I enjoy. Do I really enjoy being a hardware engineer in industry? No. Can I use the tenets of FIRE to manage my money to allow for a more flexible and enriching life? Yes! And I'm mid-plan on executing that change which was crafted d during the 12 weeks of working through this book.

EDIT: I also did the Marie Kondo tidying during this stage so that helped too!

It stands for 'You Need A Budget'. It's one of the more common budgeting apps. It costs a bit, but in my opinion is well worth it. It's a zero-based budgeting system, which is basically a digital version of the envelope system. All the money we make in November goes 'To Be Budgeted'. Then we set up the budget for December using all of November's money - down to 0 - allocating for needs, wants, and savings.

We were already a month ahead on the budget, but it starts with you where you are - money comes in and you allocate it, eventually allocating it further and further out until you're a month ahead. It makes things super easy, and it's super easy to keep up with. They have a ton of helpful articles and such, too.

https://www.youneedabudget.com/

I live in a HCOL city and my workplace’s culture is to wear trendy/professional outfits. This is a difficult combo to have and keep up with in your personal closet, so I do the Rent the Runway unlimited option. I love the variety of styles available, and there’s a ton of useful reviews that help me pick the correct size. Since there’s a flagship store in my city, I can get a quick turnaround - about 16 items a month, so the cost per item is pretty low. This service came in particularly helpful last year when I had 7 weddings to attend...

I have pretty bad rosacea (type 1 and 2, lucky me). It drives me nuts because when my skin is acting up people mistake me for being much younger and less experienced than I am. So I do the Korean skin care routine and have some special cleansers, but I still only spend about $200 a year on this. Side note, I’m a big fan of the Cosrx pimple patches, they are so cheap but significantly reduce my rosacea pustules overnight.

I spend about $300 a year on shoes, and get my hair cut maybe twice or three times a year. My stylist does appointments in her home which cost less than the salon, plus I can hang out with her cat!

Here's a book by a woman who became FI in the 90s, in Hamilton, from humble beginnings:

https://www.amazon.ca/Stop-Working-Start-Living-Retired/dp/1550224840

Would you be interested in dresses + blazers? I started wearing them a few years ago and found it's 10x easier than trying to pick out an outfit in the morning.

A while ago I needed some nicer clothes - I'm still working on revamping my wardrobe - and decided to look at Amazon to see if they had anything nice.

I saw this and thought, "Fuck it, I'm going full Claire Underwood." I picked up about 10 more dresses in styles like these - they all look great with a nice blazer or jacket, and they're easy to business up with stud earrings and a nice watch.

I threw out their belts and replaced them with very nice, good quality leather belts and that made them look even nicer/more expensive.

When you search for these and more pop up to browse, they're all pictured as sexy and bodycon, but if you look at customer reviews sometimes there are 30+ women who have reviewed and submitted pictures. All of them were the same quality I've experienced with more expensive mall brands and I've washed them on gentle and hung them up to dry and they've been great.

Are you interested in coding? That's a high paying job and you can work from home. Getting into it is a little hard. If you want to try to see if it's something you like, you can try out this website:

https://www.freecodecamp.org/

People who completed that curriculum got jobs from it (not everyone, but I've seen some). If you like it and you want a job fast, you should consider a coding bootcamp. It's an intense three months, but you'll learn much faster than you would on your own, unless you're a super motivated person.

Just a note that being a minority in the field, it will be harder for you to find a job, but definitely doable. Feel free to DM me if you decide to go this route.

In addition to lighting, rugs! Get a colorful outdoor rug for your balcony and a washable rug for your kitchen. They really make an apartment cozy.

I also find filling walls really makes an apartment personalized, in addition to being a great use of space. Hang your bike, skis, etc. if you have them. Check out antique shops for vintage signs, ads, magazine covers, or records to hang. Make a photo & poster collage. I have a travel collage where I framed pictures, maps, currencies and hung some national park posters with this inexpensive hanger frame. Don't love Amazon but they are great for getting cheap frames in any size and style.

Since you have a balcony, the end of summer is a great time to buy used patio furniture on Craigslist!

Nah, you don't "ride the float". :) We let the charges post to a statement, then pay that statement too. :)

It's all semantics, but this is where I got the term/definition: https://www.youneedabudget.com/are-you-riding-the-credit-card-float/

Because all the transactions you're making are fully funded by money in your checking account, you're good.

I'm actually considering breaking my rule of not "riding the float" for the house downpayment. It all depends on the amount that is needed for the downpayment (which we won't know until we get the exact closing date), and also when the closing date happens.

Essentially, I may be able to avoid withdrawing Roth IRA contributions entirely, if I "float" myself money that's earmarked for the credit card payment, but not due until about a month later. Only in this isolated instance would I ever consider "riding the float" again. I used to do it all the time before I got on the FIRE wagon and took control of my budget. :)

You’re 22 so this likely doesn’t impact you but it might impact someone else - there are income limits to the Roth IRA so if you (or, you and your spouse) make too much, the Roth IRA is off limits to you.

https://www.schwab.com/ira/roth-ira/contribution-limits

I don't use Schwab funds, but in my Vanguard account, I go for a mix of Vanguard total market index funds and international index funds, whether they're ETFs or Mutual Funds. This way, it's passive investing, has low expense ratios, and is commission-free.

It looks like you can do the same with funds like SWTSX (Schwab's equivalent to VTSAX). Motley Fool has five funds in a list here. Note that the expense ratios are outdated since Schwab reduced a bunch of the fees recently.

https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Ron_Lieber_The_Opposite_of_Spoiled?id=AQAAAADKxxfHzM

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607744082/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_5F56Fb1YF5VQA

These two books are good resources

You're welcome! I meant to give you a link yesterday, here it is: https://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-Smooth-Finish-Remover-Tweezers/dp/B00IOVOFB2

​

Don't be scared off by the low reviews on Amazon, I think most people don't actually learn how to use it. I watched a couple videos on Youtube to learn how to use it and have had no issues. I also use it to clean up where my eyebrows try to grow into my hairline, then pluck where I need precision.

Congrats!! I'm at 91 and don't think I'm going to make 100. I'm currently 25% of the way through a 550 page book and I need to get it finished before it's due at the library.

Do you have Amazon Prime? They released the Dark Corners collection of short stories for Halloween. A few were good, 2 I hated, but they were fast reads

My recommendation is a little different in attitude than most I'm seeing here. When I think goddess, the feeling that comes to mind is effortlessness- trial and strife is puny mortal stuff. A book that has been deeply influential for me is Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal. It's a cook book, or a cooking book, but it's much less a collection of recipes than it is a philosophy of food and the daily act of cooking. It's a poetic ode to the practice of loving and using food simply and well- the "economy" part of the tagline is true, but rather than being preachy she makes using up potato peels and beet tops feel like spinning straw to gold.

I hear you!!!! I work from home full-time. Losing the commute and the office stress, the cost of office clothes, the hassle of lunch packing or costs of eating out, trading ‘getting ready for work’ in the morning for ‘gym time and a quick rinse’ - all of that reduced my ‘hours’ at work by at least 15/wk, which in turn increased my ‘real’ hourly wage substantially.

Your Money or Your Life, the book, has an excellent section about calculating that: all the hours you spend doing things for work that you wouldn’t get added to your weekly hours. Then all the costs for work you wouldn’t have get deducted from your take home pay. You use those adjusted numbers to calculate your ‘real’ hourly wage and use THAT number to calculate expenses. It’s eye-opening.

There are so many great books on this list already that I will have to order from the library!

I know it's nuts considering why we're all here, but I just read Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez last week, and I'm considering putting some of the strategies into practice.

I think The Second Shift by Arlie Russell Hochschild offers tremendous opportunity for discussion of family roles and household and for looking critically at one's own life - but it can be a bit traumatic (my mom was not able to finish it because she found it too disturbing.) I read it last year with my work book club.

I am looking forward to reading Sheryl Sandberg's books and might finally get around to it if I knew I would have people to discuss with!

This is only peripherally related to finances, but I'd highly recommend "Predictably Irrational". It's a book on behavioral economics, but it's great way to become more self-aware of what we do and our habits.

I used to coupon but stopped when our local grocery stores stopped doubling coupons. It was a lifeline when I was cobbling together part-time jobs and had a miniscule grocery budget. I continued doing some of the CVS deals but now I find that I don't have the time to keep up that. Additionally we tend to shop more at the Chinese supermarket, Costco and farmer's market these days. The Slickdeals forum was helpful when I was doing the coupon game.

​

https://www.freecodecamp.org/

Go to this site and try out the responsive web design course. By the time you realize that you aren’t getting what everything from here, you will also be smart enough to know what to google.

You're right.

Specifically:

• Your contributions - withdraw anytime penalty free
• Your earnings, less than 5 years, up to 10k on qualified purchases penalty free (but taxable)
• Your earnings, over 5 years, up to 10k on qualified purchases penalty free (and not taxable)

https://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/investing/retirement_and_planning/understanding_iras/roth_ira/withdrawal_rules

Settlers of Catan is a fun one. Doesn't have the building over time element, nor the simplicity of pictionary, but it's my favorite board game ever!

Been playing online with friends since April on colonist.io

Makes sense! Having them in the car with me got me home more than once if the snow started falling while I was at work, so they were totally worth it in that respect. I bought them after hoofing it a quarter mile home, uphill, in the snow, on Christmas Eve...

The ones I had weren't too bad to put on - very similar to this style on Amazon. You had to make 3 connections on each tire - one behind the tire at the bottom, and two connections up top. It meant that you didn't have to move the car at all when putting them on, although you had to move the car a few feet when you were taking them off. You need some strength to put the big rubber band thing on in the middle, but nothing I couldn't handle. It took me maybe 5-10 minutes to put them on the two front tires, and faster to take them off. Kneeling and dealing with semi-fiddly connections in the cold and were a pain. I usually needed some sort of hook thing (I usually used my snow brush/scraper stick) to pull the chains around the bottom of the tire.

For other reasons, I ended up trading in my Mazda 3 and buying a Subaru (I needed ground clearance and the ability to handle mud and awful pothole dirt roads), but my little Mazda got me through at least 2 winters with the chains!

Are you in the US? A note from your doctor saying you need a standing desk provided to y ok ur boss nor HR the company will provide you with one.

I built my own wooden platform. Then used a (Dual Monitor Mount, Full Motion Monitor Arm Stand) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072J1CSCD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sd1IBbGC8Z28Q]. The anti-fatigue mat is a must have.

Check out The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle. Time IN the market beats timing the market. Practice DCA'ing every month and chill. 😎 Stocks are ON SALE right now. Buy all you can and be thankful you are getting to invest so heavily while the market is down. You may also like to check out r/Bogleheads

good question! This article mentions Gamers Outreach, Charity Nerds, and AbleGamers as well as returning to Nintendo or Best Buy to recycle. Lifehacker also suggests libraries or family shelters.

My friend is looking into design coaching with Best Practicer and another software engineer friend has had a positive experience as a coach with them.

https://www.notion.so/bestpracticer/Careers-at-BestPracticer-e1e050eba2d84946abfebc9ae4966e6f

You can overcome imposter syndrome if you know how your mind works. BEING ME BEING FREE explains everything with simple words and pictures. Change your thinking, change your life! Learn more here.

Having an acid tongue and being a people-pleaser aren't genetic conditions you were born with, they are both responses within your power to control. Both are likely coping mechanisms that you picked up at some point in response to bad situations, and while they might have worked for you in the past, clearly neither is serving you anymore.

People-pleasing can can be a facet of co-dependency and there are lots of resources out there to learn to spot these behaviors and replace them with something healthier. I know people like the book Codependent No More as a resource for changing.

here is a good explanation. Depending on your income level, on assets you hold longer than 1 year you can avoid some taxes long term by leveraging the lower tax rate.

I got a "Goplus Superfit" (disclaimer: it arrived with a bit of cosmetic damage on the top/side of the unit, but is perfectly functional, and feels sturdy even at top speed): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FFHBG22/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The belt is a bit short/narrow, but I guess a tiny footprint is to be expected for a treadmill that weighs 75 lbs. I'm pretty short myself, so I don't mind it, but it might be annoying to someone with a longer stride. The bright side to this is that it's very portable, and even has some little wheels on the top to roll it from room to room.

Haha, to be honest there are still some times that I'll leave a tea bag in. If you haven't already tried this, a tea mug is convenient for loose leaf tea. I like the convenience of not having to dirty two items (tea pot + mug). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HEFCA92/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_dl_SNJDZFAHCPQWC7MKP238

It's amazing, brings the water up to preset temps, my kettle's presets are for white tea, green tea, black tea, oolong, and herbal. It's so convenient.

I can't seem to find the one I have, but if you drink tea and also make pour overs you may enjoy this one as it has a setting for coffee as well and it has a gooseneck: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T1CH2HH/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_VTH1JM1E2YJK7Y4WTP5E

The Japanese version Is amazing. These are meant to be used everyday for a month. It’s a nice treat.

HADA LABO Koi-Gokujyun 3D Perfect Mask, 14.2 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SB69TES/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_EH659Y6ZQMVK7QNQ0K0Z

Yep yep. I got an older version of this electric tea kettle (not sure if same brand but it looks identical) and I didn't think I would use it so much but I use it every day. It's superb, because a lot of my cooking and baking needs water at a specific temperature. I couldn't recommend it more.

I don’t know what a cupping spoon is but looking it up now! Got an electric tea kettle recently and it’s a game changer. Can’t believe we used to microwave individual cups of water all day. It’s also very pretty. tea kettle

I did a boot camp and your ability to succeed really depends on whether you like to code and learn in your spare time. I always recommend people start with some free coding online.

https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/ is a great starter resource.

Also I second the recommendations to look at program/project management in tech-- lots of those jobs pay over $100k. You will make the most money at what you are good at, so think about that first.

> if you cant deduct, then its just like a roth, but its not a roth so your growth will still be taxed, right?

Not exactly. The growth in both accounts don't get taxed until they're realized, aka you pull out the money. In a Roth, the growth will be taxed if you're taking it out before 59.5, but this is something that's popular with FIRE people. Keep the contributions for 5 years, and pull out the money, paying taxes on the growth.

I found this link that might help with some of your confusion, but if not, ask away :)

https://www.fool.com/retirement/iras/step-3-roth-vs-traditional-ira.aspx

A Schwab PCRA[0] is not a fund, it's basically tying your 403b to a brokerage account, letting you then buy whatever you want pretty much. It's generally available for a small yearly fee from your 403B provider(like Nationwide, Mass Mutual, etc).

0: https://www.schwab.com/pcra

Revlon makes a great brush dryer. It’s no air wrap but I’m a huge fan: REVLON One-Step Hair Dryer And Volumizer Hot Air Brush, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LSUQSB0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4D7Z25KHAMQQKP5QJXGH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Limited-time deal: Instant Vortex Plus 6 Quart Air Fryer, Customizable Smart Cooking Programs, Digital Touchscreen and Large Non-Stick Air Fryer Basket, Stainless Steel https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07VHFMZHJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_dl_DW8STGD1FE6130ECV2JK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

It has dual zones so you can cook at two different temperatures and times at once. The inserts are more deep than wide if that matters for how you use your air fryer. They basically recommend shaking it midway through to prevent sticking. It’s done an awesome job at chicken fingers and French fries and the non-stick interior is easier to clean than the metal racks we had in our first air fryer.

There's colonist.io which is an online Catan (and there is also online Catan). I know that doesn't really build over time but just an option. We have also been playing scattegories online :)

Not a course but I've heard about this resource on a few podcasts recently. I haven't read/listened to it myself but it could be worth checking out: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0997584785/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_D504JNMPDZYWS0VGW3YC

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594481709/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_7V3PGM7176NJ21HWFQMB I read this book "Perfect Madness, Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety" back in mid-2000's and I remember thinking why didn't this come out sooner so I could be prepared and know what I was getting into! Maybe a few things have changed since 2005, but probably not much (longer maternity leave?) It's an eye-opener and still relevant. Anyhoo, sending out much love and strength to all moms that have kids in school during the pandemic!

Please help me. I just found out about this: https://www.amazon.com/Bug-A-Salt-2-0-from-Skell-Inc/dp/B00STSZ77G on the homeowners subreddit, and I have got an itchy Amazon Buy Now finger. Talk me out of it!

I highly suggest earplugs. I am a light sleeper and noises from neighbors would drive me batty (even when not trying to sleep). I bought these from amazon and they have been a life saver Flents Quiet Please Ear Plugs (50 Pair) NRR 29 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4HB1C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_v5HUDbGV8X6DJ

I know how you feel. When you find a partner that earns less and you become breadwinner, there will be resources for how you navigate that. For example, Farnoosh Tarabi: https://www.amazon.com/When-She-Makes-More-Breadwinning/dp/1491503300

​

I, too, had a similar plan at 24 and found out my male co-workers made more than me with same level of education and work experience. Pissed. Me. Off. This fueled me to find a better job and keep moving across the country and negotiating for better pay. I worked hard and have a really good career. But my dating life didn't take off- one bad partner choice after another. Now in my thirties, I am focusing on my health/self-care and grateful for what I do have. I know my biological clock is ticking, but I am now at peace with it. If fate has me meet a good guy, he will come. Otherwise, I am going to be just fine in a fulfilling career, volunteering virtually as a mentor for local underprivileged kids, and facetiming family and friends during this pandemic. You also have this wonderful like-minded community. I hope you will take a step back with me about this feeling of a 'huge rush'. See how much control you have in working hard through school? you can do the same with your career. you got this!

I found a book at Dollar Tree called The Baby Cheapskate It's worth a read if you can find it at your library or something. It was published in 2012, so maybe take some stuff with a grain of salt. But it's pretty comprehensive, useful info!

It was actually really fast, like I think it was just a week and a half. I submitted sometime in late Sept.

There are plenty of fancy ones, but I started with a cheaper one and I like it. This is the one I bought according to my Amazon history, though idk why there aren't any reviews... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XZKHRJ7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

> Truth in advertising, I don’t really know how to work on cars. I might know a little more about it than the average lady because I drove clunkers for the first ten years of driving and I’ve had a lot of things go wrong with them. But I generally bring my cars into a mechanic for anything more than the most simple maintenance. The project car would mostly be fun because I could learn more without being worried about screwing up my daily driver ��
>
>https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Auto-Clinic-Glove-Guide/dp/1501144111
>
>I’ve been flirting with reading this book, mb we can do it for book club some month.

I probably know more than the average lady from being an information sponge and picking up troubleshooting tips from my bio dad (who worked on our clunkers when I was growing up) and from subsequent repairs on my cars...but the most I've done is replace a battery/bulb/wiper blades and do an oil change. Woooo, big time mechanic over here. ;)

​

I totally love your book club idea for that book, I would totally join for that one!

​

*vrooms off with obnoxious muffler and gigantic spoiler*

Yeah that's another thing I'm considering. If I stay within my current career trajectory, the power of the machine will still be relevant, but that's a big if. I might just go with this acer

I love Equality Illusion: The Truth about Women and Men Today by Kat Banyard.

The book discusses many studies to try and bring answers to questions like why do women have a harder time negotiating a raise (answer: a women who asks for a raise is seen as hard, vindictive, a "bitch"...), why are women more risk adverse (little boys are encouraged to take risks like not backing out of going on the tallest slide wile girls are told to mind their dress) or more patient (baby boys are picked up by their parents much faster than baby girls when they cry, two out of three times teachers will ask a boy to provide an answer to a question instead of a girl)...

It's my go-to book when I hear comments like "women are more X".