How I'm Turning An "Irresponsible" Decision Into A Practical One

February 2, 2026

Hello and welcome to The Financial Diet's weekly newsletter! We'll be in your inbox every Monday sharing our best tips to keep your money, career, and life in order.

Before we get into today’s newsletter, we want to flag an important upcoming workshop, How To Financially Prepare For An AI-Driven Future, happening Tuesday, February 18th at 6:30pm ET—especially important if the current job market has you feeling unsettled. With AI disruption, layoffs, and contract work reshaping how people earn, many are trying to figure out what to do right now with their money—whether to keep investing, hold more cash, or pause big decisions altogether. In this workshop, Chelsea and licensed financial advisor Kellen Thayer (of Advisor.com) will walk you through how to adjust your investing and financial plan when income is uneven or uncertain, without taking on unnecessary risk or sitting on the sidelines out of fear. The focus is on practical strategies that help you keep building wealth, protect yourself during job transitions, and stay on track for long-term stability even if a “steady paycheck” is no longer the norm. Click here to register!

And, as always, make sure to read through the entire newsletter so you don't miss anything! Thank you for being a part of this special little corner of our community!

❤️ TFD

By Alexa Claire Brooks Major, TFD Content & Production Manager

Have you ever looked around your home, neighborhood, or city and felt that it was all a little too familiar? That the glittering excitement of novelty was drip, drip, dripping through your fingers? I’ve been feeling this way lately. Well, who am I kidding? I’ve been feeling it for a little more than three years now — and I’m finally doing something about it. But first, some backstory:

I’ve called Washington, D.C. home since 2017. It’s where I attended college, experienced my first friendship breakup, lived through a pandemic, had a near death experience (yep, you read that right), paid my first ever bill (and many more thereafter, ugh), experienced financial prosperity and homelessness, went on my first date, and so much more. It’s the city that made me feel safe enough to start exploring who I am and how I want to show up. It’s the place that helped me back up each time I was knocked down. It nursed my wounds and brought me flowers more times than I can count. 

After college, I found the apartment of my dreams on Facebook Marketplace. For $1106/mo, I had a primary bedroom, walk-in closet, ensuite bathroom, and a living room in my bedroom. In an incredible neighborhood to boot! I walked two blocks every Sunday to take advantage of the Dupont Circle farmer’s market, became a regular at our local indie coffee shop, Dupont Coffee Collective, and danced the night away more than once at Twelve After Twelve (ifykyk). It felt especially like a dream come true because of where I’d found myself in life: I’d just gone no-contact with certain members of my family, my job had turned toxic, and I felt like I couldn’t catch a break. Finding this place felt like a light at the end of the tunnel.

2222 Q ST NW, my safe place. The angel numbers alone should tell you how magical this place was meant to be for me — and it was. I hosted elaborate gatherings for friends and strangers alike. I took full advantage of the living room in my bedroom by investing in an extra fancy blow-up bed so my besties always knew that if they needed a staycation, they could come to mine and be comfortable. Soon enough, my place became a safe space for them too–my chosen family. They’d often come over just to cry (the girls and boys), eat some dessert (I always keep a fresh chocolate cake ready), have some tea, and laugh their pain away. I’m so grateful for 2222.

And yet, I’ve been feeling the pull to wander for about two years. My beloved Washington, D.C. apartment, the one I’d longed for as a place to call my own; my familiar, comfortable nest had become suffocating. I stopped putting myself out there. I stopped exploring. I figured that I’d been here for so long, I already know the city, so what else is there? I started realizing that the stability I’d longed for had festered into stagnation. I wasn’t depressed, but I was just… Tired? Deflated? Low energy? Bored? Scared? Disappointed? I don’t know. I still don’t. Looking back on it now, that is, the point at which these feelings were at their peak, I think one of the strong contributors was financial trauma. 

Around the time I’d started to feel disenchanted with the city, I also got a parasite that lost me ~40lbs. I could barely eat more than an apple and a low acidic coffee each day. While this wreaked havoc on my physical and mental health, it also slowly poisoned my relationship with my finances. On the surface, everything looked financially great. My grocery bill was a tenth of what it was. I would literally find myself thinking, “Food is a depreciating asset. Why would I buy something that’s gone the next day? Especially since it’s obvious I can’t eat a lot anyway.” My lack of energy also contributed to less money spent on activities and entertainment. My billing statements made it clear as day: being sick like this is stellar for my wallet! I was finally reaching some of my money goals — despite not having a consistent income at the time. Don’t even get me started on the body dysmorphia! 

I’d successfully brainwashed myself into believing that if my wallet’s good, then everything’s good. My illness laid the perfect foundation for a maladaptive relationship to money that, to this day, I’m still combatting. It took me a while to figure out that never spending any money was simply not the answer.

I couldn’t stretch for fear of touching the confines of my trauma and anxiety-constructed birdcage. For fear of realizing just how little space I actually had. For fear of realizing that this life I’d built with so much vigor — with determination to prove that I could do it on my own — was holding me back. I’d outgrown it. And, what’s worse, I’d started hiding behind how pretty it was, See how big my place is? How fun the décor looks? Don’t you want this, too?

Now, the universe is making the decision for me. A commercial real estate company is buying my apartment building. 

Thankfully, my neighbors and I have another 9 months before having to move but, why prolong the inevitable? Just rip the band-aid off. I’d been dragging my feet about finally “escaping” because I’d convinced myself it was too expensive, financially and mentally. I told myself I was doing the practical and responsible thing by staying put. But fuck that. I can be practical and responsible and still make a capital-s Scary decision that is right for me. As devastating as it is for this to not be wholly my choice, I am choosing to view my glass as half full, rather than empty. I’m not being forced out of my home. I’m being given an opportunity to build a new one. 

Still, I’m an eldest sister that was raised by a Virgo mother, so there’s only so much “frivolity” I can embrace without my 3 P’s: Proper Prior Planning. I’m investing in a managed experiment, not taking an impulsive leap of faith.

Though I’d had a Monarch Money account for a while at that point, I wasn’t as intentional with it as I could have been. This was the kick in the butt I needed. I started prepping for the move this past summer when a dear friend of mine reached out for a favor. She found an apartment closer to her NYC grad school but wouldn’t be able to move in yet without cancelling her current lease. She needed me to be her subletter so she could secure her spot on the new lease. Luckily, she was paying the rent so I wasn’t stuck paying both my DC rent and this one. With my apartment buyer getting one extension after the next, I was so stressed at this point and knew that I had to use this unexpected turn of luck to get serious about moving out. Monarch Money and I became best friends. I made a goal of $2000 saved by February 1, 2026 to support move out/in costs. The app’s spending analyzer and budget builder got me to that goal a whole month earlier than planned! (Email me at [email protected] if you’d like to learn about how I did this!)

To help matters, the apartment was so close to Central Park, had lovely neighbors that soon learned my name and I theirs, and my roommates were spectacular. We’d stay up late watching and discussing Pose and Couple’s Therapy with ice cream and pie. Even when things weren’t so grand (like, for example, getting my heart broken), I still felt invigorated…hopeful even. So, when one of the extra bedrooms opened up by the end of the summer and the roomies asked me if I’d take it, it was a done deal! I secured a subletter and am now, at the time of your reading this, making this place my new home.

I can’t tell you if this is a forever step. I certainly can’t tell you if it’s the smart one. But, what I can tell you is that it feels like the right one for now, especially since I know it won’t mean financial ruin. I get to give this a try. For once, I don’t feel like there’s any substantial harm in that. With the help of Monarch Money, my 3 P’s are set so, at base, I know the chance of this going badly is much slimmer. The privilege of a consistent income and some savings certainly help. How freeing! I get to try. I wouldn’t have dared to before. I wasn’t brave enough. I didn’t trust that I’d be able to figure it out if shit hit the fan. But I’ve survived a parasite, unemployment, homelessness, and an annoying little brother. I can do anything!!!

So, here I am, in Mamdani’s New York, just a girl figuring out her life and working to let herself do things that make her feel good — without breaking her budget!

If any of this feels familiar, here are the questions I sat with (maybe they can serve you too):

• Am I conflating “low spending” with “healthy spending”?

• What in my life can I point to as being for others (or IG!) vs. being for me?

• What desires have I been postponing because they feel “impactical”, “immature”, or “irresponsible”?

• Am I letting familiarity mute my curiosity?

• Am I listening to my intuition or doing what I think is expected of me?

FEBRUARY 18: As mentioned in the intro to this newsletter, we’re hosting a free workshop later this month! Join Chelsea & licensed financial advisor, Kellen Thayer for How To Financially Prepare For An AI Driven Future. As AI, layoffs, contract work, and an increasingly unstable job market have made the idea of a “steady paycheck” feel more fragile than ever. Many people are navigating real fear about being replaced, downsized, or forced into more volatile work—while still trying to build wealth, protect themselves, and eventually retire. This workshop will focus on how investing and financial planning should adapt when income feels uncertain or at risk—without resorting to extreme risk-taking, constant market timing, or freezing out of fear. The goal isn’t to predict the future of work, but to build a financial strategy that can hold up even as the system becomes more volatile. We’ll break down what traditional advice still works, what needs to change, and how to build real resilience into your financial plan so you can keep investing, growing wealth, and creating long-term stability—even in an unpredictable labor market. Take our short quiz to register!

Join Chelsea along with some very special guests for How To Take Political Action 101 (date will be confirmed soon!) — Scrolling social media can leave us feeling angry, frustrated, or powerless—but it doesn’t have to stop there. Our hosts will share expert insights on how to take meaningful political action without feeling overwhelmed. This workshop will show you how to channel your energy into tangible steps, from local and national engagement to effective communication and sustainable involvement. You’ll leave with a practical toolkit for turning concern into real-world impact. This workshop is designed for anyone who wants to move from frustration to action—whether you’re new to political engagement or looking for ways to be more organized and effective. Be the first to know when registration opens. Drop your email in this form so we can notify you directly!

We’re casting for a new 3-part YouTube interview series in partnership with our favorite budgeting app, Monarch Money — and we want to hear from you! If you make under $100k and are comfortable sharing your story on camera, SUBMIT YOUR INTEREST HERE (it only takes 7 minutes)! We are aiming to film this in February, with episodes airing in April.

The Society at TFD is our members-only community with access available on both YouTube and Patreon. Joining The Society is the best way to directly support TFD! The Society offers the exact same things on both platforms, so choose whichever one you prefer!

We offer 3 tier options:

The Society at TFD Lite: $2.99/month

• Monthly office hours with Chelsea to chat and get your personal questions answered

• Access to our monthly book club hosted by TFD Creative Director, Holly

• Illustrated tech backgrounds every month

• Access to Society Discord

The Society at TFD: $4.99/month — includes everything in the $2.99 tier plus:

• Monthly ad-free extended director's cut videos from Chelsea

• Exclusive members-only events and workshops

• Complete post archive (including exclusive members-only videos of Chelsea ranting on different topics)

The Society Premium: $9.99/month — includes everything from the previous tiers plus:

• Weekly newsletter from Chelsea

• Monthly multi-page workbook/guidebook on a different topic each month

• Members-only capsule podcasts