I originally came here today to write a rant about needing the serenity prayer because of people from work and at times because of family and personal relationships too. Instead I chose to take a deep breath and be grateful for all those people in my life.

Instead I’ll write about personal finances and my continued efforts to improve in this area. I went through a phase of spending money like there was no tomorrow. It took me to the best restaurants, fancy hotels, and opera houses and concert halls throughout the world. It was an amazing time, but a highly irresponsible one. Eventually it sent my finances crashing down until someone saved me. This person knows who they are and I want them to know that I will be eternally grateful for it and promise to honor that action by being responsible with my money from now on.

So now I find myself closely tracking my finances, working hard to repay my debts, and being far more scrutinizing of my purchases. In the last few months I’ve purchased a new Apple Watch and a new iPhone. In both cases I did so only after my previous ones were completely dead and both times I did not purchase the top of the line model. Instead I did a spreadsheet each time and compared pros and cons and made a very informed decision. Yes, I missed out on the latest and greatest, but I felt much more satisfied with my maturity and no buyers regret. Years ago I would buy the latest model of each every single year.

I may expand upon these at a later time, but for now I wanted to share the resources I use to educate myself and keep me on track.

• Dave Ramsey: his blog, his podcast, and all his books.
• WhiteBoard Finance (YouTube Channel)
• Mint.com (website to track your finances)