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First of all, welcome to WellHeeledBlog.com! I hope you will stay a while and look around.

Well-Heeled Blog: Savvy Living Through Personal Finance – is a blog written by a twentysomething on the path to build a solid financial foundation for tomorrow but enjoy life today. By understanding how money works – how to spend it, save it, invest it, and protect it, I think everyone can achieve a well-informed and intelligent financial life, which in turn benefits one’s personal life. Hence, personal finance.

According to dictionary.reference.com,

sav-vy

[sav-ee]

1. verb: to know; understand.

2. noun: also, sav⋅vi⋅ness. practical understanding; shrewdness or intelligence; common sense: a candidate who seemed to have no political savvy.

3. adjective: shrewdly informed; experienced and well-informed; canny.

In that spirit, I write about everyday money topics such as selecting the right credit card for me, my view on money and relationships, how to minimize fixed expenses, why I love driving an old car, my financial goals, and the costs of maintaining my Argentine tango hobby (which includes really expensive shoes).

Although I consider myself well-informed on the area of personal finance, I don’t pretend to be an expert. That’s why I also host Question and Answer sessions from money experts. Please check out this excellent series on relationships and finances from noted personal finance advocate Manisha Thakor.

If you’d like goodies, from time to time I offer giveaways or contests to my readers. To date, I have given away gift cards, books, and skincare products (see Reader Specials for details).

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If you have suggestions or comments on this blog, or would just like to say “hi”, please drop me a line or tweet me @wellheeledblog. I’d love to hear from you!

If you are curious about some of my past posts, please check out my Featured Posts slider at the top of the page or some of the links below:

Things I pontificate about ’cause it’s my blog!

Is it okay to say carpe diem and take on debt to travel? I probably wouldn’t, but I am trying to build a You Only Live Once fund for all my big-ticket travel dreams. If you’re broke but still want to see the world, you can find ways to live, study, or visit another country for free.

Despite lots of existential college angst due to my liberal arts degree, I decided not to go to law school. One of my favorite shows is Sex and the City, and here are the lessons I’ve learned from Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. Who says TV can’t be educational?

I also decided not to live at home after graduation, even though that would’ve saved me money. Now I’m financially independent in all the big things (rent, loans, etc.) but I’m still not a girl, not yet a woman…

Not to mention the 20s are a weird time… I feel like an in-betweener. How do you decide when life would be, well, normal life, and when it should be an adventure?

I’ve gotten better about not spending money on clothes or shoes (and learning to buy the shoemaker instead). But I will ALWAYS make room in my budget for books. I am also hopelessly in love with Argentine tango, and will do everything  necessary to fund my obsession hobby. But it’s so hard to put your passion on a budget!

This is one of my favorite short stories of all time. Oh, and I also spend money on my hair, but apparently my hair budget is quite in line with many other girls. Of course, now that the economy has gone down the tubes, I’ve lost that spending feelin’. If my house was burning down, I’d grab this and run.

Curious about what other people’s food budget is? Well, you can take a peek here. If you’re looking for good book recommendations, here you go! While you’re reading, why not kick back with some nice homemade cupcakes? Or, if you prefer something healthier, how about a poached egg?

If you are curious about who some of my readers are, look here. And if you are a lurker, why not comment & de-lurk? It’s fun, I promise. And if reading about my financial life leaves you thirsting for more, check out the 20-something money stories published on this site.

Oh, and did I mention I love the tango?