Blogging and Micropayments

~ kristin green ~ Leave a comment

I discovered something in the past few days that made me wonder if I am actually timing things right or if my social media algorithm is reading my mind. At this point, I think it’s 50/50.

Due to being stuck inside for the past few days because Pittsburgh has been among the many locations inundated with Canadian forest fire smoke, I watched television and doomscrolled more than usual. My eyes are paying the price but that’s a story for another day. For now, ibuprofin is my friend. As for the television part, if you’re not watching Silo on Apple, you are missing out! I’m not typically a sci-fi fan but this show is fantastic! Multi-dimensional characters, unexpected plot twists, betrayals – this show has it all. I was trying to binge watch shows so I could cancel Apple but I fear my plan has backfired.

Social media was filled with Mens World Cup, politics, Jimothy, AI, and other random bits and pieces. HOWEVER, I saw two things being discussed at length that took me by surprise: the resurgence of blogging and the trend of making social media interaction based micropayments towards debt. Obviously, I resurrected this blog a few weeks ago and I was surprised to hear that others are getting back into it, too! The general consensus seemed to be that people are tired of putting their work on social media sites that could choose to cancel your account at any moment (TT, IG, and Substack seem to be the most discussed). The other reason makes this GenX, retired English teacher’s heart sing – a return to written content as opposed to video. Love this!! I believe I stumbled into this topic: I don’t think it was algorithm-driven.

I do think the debt micropayments topic was due to an IG rabbit hole I happily hopped down. I have long been hooked on the concepts of minimalism, frugality, and using money wisely. There is one huge caveat to that: I have two homes. I live frugally in my daily life so that I can afford to own my house in NY (8 more years on the mortgage) and rent my apartment in Pittsburgh (11 years and counting). It’s not a standard way of life but I love it. 35 years ago, I was a single mom on welfare so suffice it to say, I’ve come a long way! More on that in the future…

The elimination of debt by making micropayments suits my short attention span and my desire to be free of anything holding me down. A micropayment is a daily or weekly payment towards a mortgage, car loan, credit card debt, and/or college debt. Many of the people online right now are using their social media engagement to determine how much money they pay daily towards debt. For example, they’ll calculate 1/4 of a penny for every like/comment/follow/save of the previous day’s post. They also sometimes add donations (they must have their Venmo in their bio, I haven’t looked). I have made a point of having very little social media footprint and have no desire to build a large platform. I wrote something during 2020 that went somewhat viral and I have no desire to repeat that experience. I cannot imagine what life is like for the people who have huge followings and millions of views and comments. Once was enough for me.

I do however like a challenge and a goal. Here are the rules I’ve made for my own micropayment adventure:

  1. Round up every purchase to the nearest dollar. That amount goes towards debt.
  2. Every time someone gives me a book, $1 goes towards debt.
  3. Every time I have an alcoholic drink, $2 goes towards debt.
  4. For every spam call I receive, 50 cents goes towards debt.
  5. Every time I complete a full no-spend week, $25 goes towards debt.
  6. Every time I get free food or drink, $1 per item goes towards debt.

Add to that any profits from my Etsy, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Poshmark shops, any collection of loose change, and an anticipated retroactive check in the next few months will all go towards debt as well. Could I just go ahead and make a small payment every day or every week without the above list? Of course but what I like and appreciate about the way I’m doing it is that this forces me to keep it top of mind. I need that or else I’ll be attracted by the next shiny idea and forget all about it. I am also making the regular monthly payment, higher than the minimum.

So that’s where I stand these days. Those are among the things taking up brain space. Watching baseball and Silo. Creating items for my shops. Doing all of that while outside enjoying the summer (except when there’s horrible air quality.) I don’t anticipate anyone will see this but I love to write so I’ll keep going. If someone does happen to find me, are there any ways you would gamify your own savings journey? Let me know!

Plans for the Future

~ kristin green ~ Leave a comment

I mentioned in my first post that I have an Etsy shop and a Teachers Pay Teachers shop. I create digital, downloadable, printable games (for Etsy) and school activities (for TpT). I’ll be adding a second Etsy shop soon with print on demand items. I have no clue how to monetize a blog and, honestly, I don’t feel like learning how to do that, but I will post my games and activities here. I make things I enjoy. I don’t do much trend-spotting, SEO, or keyword searches. I make what I like. Hopefully there are other people out there with the same taste. One of my games was an Etsy best seller at one point so I have hope.

I still have a very anti-school brain so it might be a while before I get back to creating for my TpT shop, however, there are some pretty cool things available there.

Mainly, I enjoy creating things. I enjoy design. I strive to make life more whimsical and fun for people. That’s something we all need more of. Making games is something that makes sitting at a computer not feel like a burden. I DO NOT USE AI! More on my stance on that in the future. For now let’s just say I’m not a fan. At all.

I will be posting four new games in the next few days and I’m excited to see how they land. If there’s anyone out there who would like to take a look at my Etsy shop, see what I make, and give me some topics I could use for future games, please do!

I do have an ulterior motive for doing this. I want a beach house! There’s no way I’ll ever be able to afford one – all the homes in the beach town where I have always gone are $1,000,000 and up. Barring a lottery win (which I never play), that’ll never happen for me, that’s for sure. But I am a frugal MF’er and I’ll pinch every penny to get what I want. I have found some off-season rentals that I could do if I could just bring in a little more income. So that’s my new goal. I’m writing it down to put it out into the universe. I did find a legit $100 bill last week so maybe it’s working?! I’m going to be brainstorming other ways to bring in extra income as well; I’ll be putting that out to all my local friends tomorrow night. Wish me luck and follow along for the journey!!

Starting Over…again

~ kristin green ~ Leave a comment

When I began this blog several years ago, I imagined it as a place where I could help new teachers with the myriad situations that they would face every day. Not the lesson planning or the other things they were supposed to learn in college but the unexpected events that you can’t imagine until you are in them.

I taught 10th-12th grade English in Room 110 for thirty years. I presumed that my experience and knowledge could help the teachers who would eventually take my place. What I found quickly though was that once the school day was over, I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It took almost 25 years but I eventually learned what boundaries were. No more email 24 hours a day, very little grading and prepping all weekend long, instead filling my personal time with rest and fun. Looking at a computer screen and digging deep into my memories for often sad and traumatic events was no longer something I could do. So, the blog just sat here.

Those thirty years ended on January 30, 2026, when I closed that classroom door for the last time. Yes, it’s somewhat unusual to retire mid year but anyone who knows me knows I’ve never followed path most traveled. When I was in high school, I had a beloved teacher retire on his 55th birthday. He walked right out of that building as a gift to himself. I thought that was the coolest thing and for years, decades even, I aspired to do that. But I had to reach the thirty year mark for the better retirement package so I had to hang in there three more years. Since then, I’ve moved, endured a frigid winter, and am now clearer of mind, less stressed. and seeing things through a clearer lens.

My life is far from ordinary and I’d like to write about it. Conversationally, in a group of people, I am quiet but am an excellent listener. People think I’m shy but I’m not. At this point in my life, I am enjoying not having to lead and control every conversation. I also happen to be surrounded by people who all love the sound of their own voices. My large group of friends is full of main characters (or so they think). It’s bizarre. The arrogance and self-importance is, for me, laughable. So I sit back, watch, and listen to people who, the more they talk, the less intelligent they sound. I thought my eye rolls would stop once I wasn’t with teenagers every day but the opposite has proven true. Maybe I’m being a bit harsh; everyone is allowed an opinion and a life full of stories to tell. And like I said, I’m a good, polite, curious listener. Sometimes I just wish someone would let me talk and listen to me with the same courtesy.

There’s a good chance no one will ever read this but me and that’s ok. I’m going to tell my stories. I’m going to give advice to new teachers, I’m going to showcase the things I make (I have both an Etsy shop and a Teachers Pay Teachers shop). If you happen to have found me and you like reading the random life stories of someone was expected to follow the traditional A-B-C path in life but didn’t, say hi! I’ll try to be more consistent this time around.