Why Pocket Changed is NOT Your Typical Personal Finance Blog
Let me get something off my chest. Pocket Changed is NOT your typical personal finance blog.
Could it be considered both personal and financial in nature? Sure. I purposely write directly to certain kinds of people and I do talk about money. But, to label it strictly as a personal finance website brings assumptions that I need like a hole in my head.
This goes for the PR companies emailing me press releases, credit card companies looking to place text link ads on my about page, and websites looking to get their national debt infographics published.
While I can certainly take a lot of blame for placing Pocket Changed in that niche initially (through both the naming of the site and content in the early days), this site is anything but your typical run-of-the-mill, coupon clipping, latte limiting, lifestyle crushing, theory repeating personal finance ho-hum.
Pocket Changed is for solopreneurs, bloggers, aspiring cubicle renegades and anyone looking to make a living doing what they are passionate about. It is for people who like to get shit done, not for people that make excuses.
Let's go over the five commandments of Pocket Changed.
(Note: keep reading till the end of the post for a special announcement about the first Pocket Changed manifesto coming out next week.)
1. Thou shalt not teach you how to set a budget.
You want the world's easiest budget? Here it is: Spend less than you earn and save for retirement. That is all you need to do.
Any more complications beyond this will just make you less likely to follow a plan. Spend a weekend figuring out your long-term goals, automate your finances, and they will take care of themselves.
2. Thou shalt not tell you cut back on things you enjoy.
I'll be the first person to tell you that it is impossible not to spend money on things you care about. For example, my wife loves giving presents. She will search for the perfect gift, wrapping paper, tissue paper, and card until she finds the exact present to give. Does it cost more to do this? Of course. But the joy both she and the person receiving the gift get out of it are well worth the money spent.
If you love that morning cup of coffee and it is one of the few things that gets you through your monotonous workday then by all means, get it everyday. I'm not going to tell you no. Heck, I spend thousands of dollars every year on electronics because they are a huge part of what I enjoy doing. I would be a huge phony if I expected you to limit spending money on what you enjoy.
3. Thou shalt not publish articles written by credit card companies or banks.
Every single essay on Pocket Changed is (and forever will be) written by a real human being for other real human beings. I'm not sourcing articles from mega corporations looking to subliminally get you to click over to their new free credit report software that actually ends up costing $10/month.
When you see a guest post written by someone on Pocket Changed it is always from someone that I know and trust personally. Their stories are real and are shared to help you realize that your wildest dreams truly are achievable when you put in the work to get there.
4. Thou shalt not advertise anything that doesn't fully represent what we are all about.
I recommend very few things. The reason is twofold. First, there is a lot of garbage out there. If I come across something that is a waste of time I won't even mention it on this site.
Second, instead of overwhelming you with options I am giving you the absolute best resources that I've either used myself or know the creator personally. I'm not going to recommend you things that don't work.
5. Thou shalt not preach the theories of frugality.
Everyone already knows what being frugal means. Yes, there is a difference being frugal and being cheap, but once you understand that, there is nothing further to learn.
The ability to continually practice frugality and instead use that extra money for things you care about comes from self-control, not from a blog post that list 101 ways to save money at the grocery store.