This post is from staff writer Kristin Wong. I’ve been saving up for a big purchase, so I’ve seriously tightened my budget. Staying within my own strict boundaries has been frustrating. When I get frustrated, I call my mom. Recently, I vented about my finances to her.

Introduction These 3 exercises that I am sharing with you today get to the core of low confidence and low self-esteem. Unlike other superficial techniques, they increase your confidence in a deep and lasting way. As you might expect, these ways are not a "magic bullet", but will require some work and persistence to see results.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day. This Wednesday: 7 tips for making other people feel smart and insightful. We all want to get along well with other people, and one way to do this is to help people feel good about themselves. If you make a person feel smart and insightful, that person will enjoy your company.

It’s a decision that people make over and over again in their lives. Are we playing this scenario to win? Or are we playing this scenario not to lose? Let’s be clear what I’m talking about here. Playing to win means taking some calculated risk in order to achieve greater rewards. It often means doing things outside of your comfort zone and really challenging yourself.

In one of my recent posts, I wrote about the importance of focus on achieving a successful life and also laid down a few tips to improve your focus.However, developing focus is not an easy task.It is not something you can achieve overnight.It calls for a set of actions that you follow regularly.Here are six more tips that can help you strengthen your focus and in turn, help you achieve your goals.

Materials: Molger Benches. 5/16 dowel pins and drill bit. Clamps and shims. Laser level. Description: My closet drastically needed a make-over and I couldn't afford the expensive closet systems. My closet is 4 1/2 feet by 9 feet with clothes rods on each end.

We want your stories, your wisdom, your light. This is our first round of submissions for the inaugural issue of DANIELLE Magazine, debuting in September. This magazine-meets-journal will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen or read. High-minded, full-hearted, gorgeous — both in PRINT and digital! We’re looking for writing and visual brilliance. Words, art, imagery.

Materials: Klubbo side table, Fjellse bed slats, stain, polyacrylic, screws, spray paint Description: I found a Klubbo side table in the garbage and the same evening I stumbled across the wooden bed slats from a Fjellse. I started by measuring my wood so I have about a 3/4" overhang and I cut the wood (using my husbands mitre saw all by myself for the first time ever!).

All Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy! Whenever I sit down to have some fruit or vegetables, my first thought is often, “I bet these nutritious foods would taste better if they were thinly cut and curly.” Because, let’s all be honest with ourselves, curly foods just taste better.

2012 Uncluttered gift ideas for Mother’s DayMother’s Day is this weekend (May 13) and although flowers and plants are usually an appreciated and safe gift, you may be thinking outside the (flower) box this year.

Materials: TOGA place mats (7), small nails (42), hammer (1) Description: Use 4 TOGA place mats vertically and nail them to the wall about ¾ above the top of your mattress. Use small enough nails that will fit in the holes for the threads. Use 3 more TOGA place mats horizontally on the top of the four mats that are already nailed to the wall.

It’s the first truly nice day of spring here in central Iowa, so what do I do? I spend virtually the entire day outside, from not too long after dawn until sunset. It felt wonderful – except for the sunburn.

Every freelancer needs a website, no matter your specialty. A website gives you a way to provide information to interested parties that are searching for your services online. However, a website launch can be both expensive and time-consuming, which is why some freelancers shy away from it.

Materials: Mandal bed, Capita legs 11 & 21 cm, Galant extention & shelf, two 2x4-Expedit, two 1x5-Expedit, two Vika Kaj, 100cm Linnmon Tabletop, Expedit desk mounting Description: Last year I moved to Berlin to start my masters degree. I found a wonderful flat mate that I totally wanted to live with. Only weak point: the room for rent was only ~10m².

This post is by staff writer Honey Smith. There are many personal finance books out there, useful to people in all stages of personal finance. I have a lot to learn before reaching financial independence, and the editorial elves thought it would be useful if I shared some of what I learn with you. So for the foreseeable future, I will be reviewing one PF-related book per month.