Practical traction after a hard hit—field notes and tools for rebuilding without performative positivity
Hey there, Ledgewalkers. This is Day Six of using the tools in real life. Not discussing them as abstract ideas. Not pretending they are magical solutions. Actually taking them out of the toolbox, applying them to the day in front of me, and seeing what happens. Over the last few days, I have been dealing … Continue reading Day Six: The Practice of Trying Again
Using the Money Triage tool when there is little room for error Hey there, Ledgewalkers. How are you doing today? This should be Day Five of using the tools. I took yesterday off from dealing with things, so this is not the fifth consecutive day. That is okay. The point of using these tools is … Continue reading Day Five: The Budget Is Done, Even If It Isn’t Pretty
Hello again, my dear Ledgewalkers. This is Day Three of actually using the tools instead of simply writing about them. Today did not go according to plan. I had intended to sit down and start working through my personal budget. I need to identify what bills are coming out, which days they are due, which … Continue reading Day 3: The budget has to include Sleep
Note: This is not financial advice. It is a low-shame triage tool for getting the facts out of your head and onto paper when money stress is accelerating the collapse. Reader’s moment: it is 2 a.m., and your brain has turned every bill, every missed date, every unknown balance, and every future disaster into one … Continue reading Bills are data Not a Verdict
There is a mistake people make when they talk about the Great Depression. They speak as if it began with one event. The stock market crashed, and then everything fell apart. That is the simple version. It is also the dangerous version. The Great Depression did not begin with one bad day on Wall Street. … Continue reading Before the Fall: What the Road to the Great Depression Can Teach Us Now
As I’m sitting here getting ready for work, this popped into my head. A few months before my contract was terminated, my local area manager came to me after I requested an increase in budget. Over three years, wage costs had increased by about $2.10 per man-hour. His response was blunt: “Your problem is that … Continue reading The Warning Light I Shouldn’t Have Ignored
Standing on the Ledge 