A 20-Minute Money Meeting for People Who Hate Money Meetings
The kitchen-table check-in I use to catch the week’s surprises without turning every purchase into evidence.
A personal finance blog by Mark Reynolds
I used to think I needed a better budget.
Mostly, I needed a more honest one. I write about the money decisions that happen between paydays, when the car needs work, the grocery total makes you look twice, and real life ignores the spreadsheet.
I send new posts when they are ready, usually once or twice a week.
Latest from the blog
What I have been working through this week.
Posted July 30, 2026 · 9 min read
The things I write about
Most money problems start somewhere ordinary.
A bill, a grocery run, a job change, or a talk at the kitchen table.
01
Spending & Bills
Groceries, monthly bills, and the purchases I have second-guessed.
Read these posts 02Saving
The small buffers that have made bad weeks less expensive.
Read these posts 03Debt
Payoff plans, borrowing mistakes, and what the math leaves out.
Read these posts 04Work & Investing
Raises, uneven income, investing, and the long game.
Read these posts 05Family & Home
The awkward conversations where money meets everyday life.
Read these postsMore from the notebook
A few more things I have been thinking about.
Avalanche or Snowball? Put Both on the Same Spreadsheet
I ran both payoff methods on the same debts because the internet argument was not helping me make a decision.
The Grocery List That Starts With Your Fridge
The quick fridge check that finally stopped me from buying another jar of something we already had.
Your Emergency Fund Needs Three Floors, Not One Giant Goal
The three smaller savings targets I use instead of staring at one impossible number.
On my desk
Notes I am still working through
These are the half-finished spreadsheets and scribbled questions sitting next to my coffee.
- The Raise Rule: Decide Where the Money Goes Before PaydayWork & Investing · Still in the notebook
- The 12-Minute Sunday Money ResetSaving · Still in the notebook
- The Annual-Bill Calendar: Turn $1,860 of Surprises Into $155 a MonthSaving · Still in the notebook
Around the kitchen table
Tell me what happened at your house.
The comments I remember are rarely tidy success stories. They are the honest ones: what you tried, what went sideways, and what you would do differently. You can comment without making an account.
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