The Start - A Bingo Card, a Pivot, and a Playlist
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 10
Well, here we go... It’s only taken a year of procrastinating and shying away from the thought of writing about myself and this 'new normal,' but we’re finally here. Gemini told me this first post needs to be the 'Manifesto of the Value Maximizer' to hook y'all in, but 'manifesto' sounded a little too intense for a Monday (and yes, it's not Monday).
However, I do want to map out the vibe of this space, acknowledge its current 'under construction' state, and highlight the chaos to come.
Above, you'll see an audio player—that might be a recording of this post or just my unfiltered thoughts at the moment. Either way, I wanted a personal connection beyond words on a page. I’m setting the tone with my own voice.
The Blueprint: What’s Coming
Future posts will hit the key pillars that keep my life afloat. You can expect:
The Reality: A weekly glimpse into my life called Making Cents of... where I’ll shed light on the chaos, the weekly spin playlist, and whatever other shenanigans are happening.
The Ledger: Deals and steals for Systems That Save.
The Itinerary: Travel hacks for those of us minding our money.
The Inventory: Meal planning and grocery scores via the Grocery Grind.
Mom Mode: All the feels of raising three boys in real-time.
The Inventory: Progress So Far
The "Vibe" Supplement: This week in spin will play into the "what were you like in the
90's trend" and tunes will be some hits from that era. Prep with a listen here.
Getting this up and running wasn’t as soul-crushing as expected. That’s not to say it’s been smooth—I’ve asked ChatGPT and Gemini a million and one questions just to locate click paths. But building this feels like a scrapbook of this moment in time: a creative outlet and, hopefully, a resource for you.
Publishing this post was actually an item on my Bingo Card (pictured below), a New Year's activity to challenge me to continue forward movement and of course, have some spreadsheets and checklists to track progress. Bare minimum, I get to tick that box! I also checked off my solo trip to the Azores in mid-March. While it wasn't my best 'case study' in travel hacking, I found the strength to do some hard things and still managed to score a few deals. I’ll be documenting that trip soon to show you exactly how I saved a few bucks. Most importantly, this site serves as an extension of the community that surrounds me. I hope to share just a bit of the insight, tips and tricks, and meaningful moments I've had along the journey and continue to experience daily.
The Toolbox: Coming Next
The next heavy lift will be highlighting the savings apps, sites, and extensions I utilize weekly—for grocery scores, trip planning, and daily endeavors with the boys— 'cause every cent matters. If you want to show a girl some love, use the referral codes to score some savings for yourself and start building your own Savings Toolbox.
I’ll continue to fine-tune this space and use your feedback to hone the site into its best version. For now, keep an eye out for the posts above. I’m still figuring this whole website thing out, so feel free to drop a line or submit a comment. I’ll address it as soon as I can!
No perfection, just progress. — Sam
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