For $49 a month, I get to workout, 'me time,' and free childcare — it's the best deal I've ever found

Tech Insider : Business
Women legs running on treadmill at the fitness gym.

Sorrasak Jar Tinyo/Getty Images

My kids are 14 and 15, and they're over trick-or-treating. I'm not.

Tech Insider : Business
The author's two kids dressed as Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper on Halloween in 2016.
The author didn't realize how much she'd miss going trick-or-treating with her kids.

Courtesy of Kristina Wright

My mom and I live across the world from each other. We connect by traveling together to bucket-list places every year.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The writer and her mom posing in Edinburgh.
caption - edinburgh

Anna Dodd

After my double mastectomy, I turned my side hustle into a full-time business. We did $60,000 in one month.

Tech Insider : Business
Bette Bentley holding a box of Skimpies against a pink background.
Bette Bentley went all-in on Skimpies from her hospital bed after her double mastectomy.

Skimpies

I'm a millionaire and had a rift with a family member over a $1,000 loan. It wasn't about the money.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy
Joy Slabaugh
Joy Slabaugh works as a financial therapist. Even with her expertise, lending money to family members can be difficult, she says.

Joanna Kulesza for BI

When one of my relatives asked for a $1,000 loan, I felt two emotions immediately: guilt and dread.

Legoland nailed Halloween for kids. It was the budget-friendly trip my family needed.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Woman at Legoland New York
The author visited Legoland New York during their Halloween event.

Courtesy of the author

I share a $4,000 New York City apartment with 2 friends. My room has no windows, but I love my living situation.

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Travel
Sheldon Skoboloff and his two roommates
The author (left) loves living with his two roommates in New York City.

Courtesy of Sheldon Skoboloff

I've been married to my husband for a decade. I wasn't prepared as a new military wife for how long he'd be gone.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Family posing for photo
The author has been with her husband for 10 years and is used to spending time apart.

Courtesy of the author

I was a young mom and thought mom friends were overrated. Then, I made one.

Tech Insider : Business
The author with her son as an infant at the beach.
The author was 26 when she had her son and didn't have any other mom friends at first.

Courtesy of Ashley Archambault

I was the first person in my friend group to have kids. At first, I was lonely, but then they started asking me for advice.

Tech Insider : Business
A mother holds her baby in her arms.

d3sign/Getty Images

Subscribe to Essay