Tag: couple

Experiences, Lifestyle, Mini Retirement

Date Day June 2026: Basketball, Longboard, and Luhv’s Vegan Bistro

Corie Muldoon

Went on a date with my hubby this week and it was a blast! We carved out some quality time: an afternoon on our day off together. And the plan was simple: get out of the house, grab some food, and simply enjoy each other. But where?!

The night before, I checked out the area around Luhv’s (our new favorite vegan spot) on google maps and noticed a green area. I zoom in and it’s a park with basketball nets and a walking path! So I came up with the idea to pump up our old basketball, bring out the longboards and see if the park was a hit before heading over to Luhv’s for lunch.

It was a beautiful, sunny Wednesday afternoon in summer. A perfect day to run some baskets, rip the longboard, chill by the water with a joint. After that we scooted over to Luhv’s for a nice ($50 yeee!) sit down meal . I even used my gut instincts to pre-select what we were gonna order and it was all a hit!

All in all, I’m so grateful to be able to slow down and embrace these date days. For us, the park was a throw in since we never did that before and really didn’t know how it’d go. But I felt optimistic and something I haven’t in a long time: excited to shoot hoops with my bestfriend.

I love you Joey D! And I love our life together (:

Let’s keep on stepping xo

PS – even if it rained, or the food sucked, etc we still would have laughed and loved and that’s truly what’s important: embracing and focusing on happiness and love no matter the circumstances.

General, Relationships

Reevaluate Life Prompts for Personal Growth: Couples Edition

Corie Muldoon

Ever feel like you and your partner are running on autopilot? When life gets busy, it’s easy to lose sight of your growth as a couple.

Joe and I set aside time once a year for a life check-in using thoughtful prompts. These prompts are meant to help us discover blind spots, celebrate progress, and realign our priorities together.

Thoughtful prompts aren’t just questions, they’re conversation starters. Try some out during your next quiet evening together and see what insights emerge.

Reevaluate Life Prompts

Below are some example questions:

  1. Looking at our current path: our jobs, our living situation, and how we spend our time – what parts feel really aligned with who we are and what we want? What parts might need tweaking to better match our values or goals?

  2. When we feel most content and ‘in flow’ together in our daily life, what exactly are we doing? Are we creating enough space for those moments, or should we reorganize some things to have more of what makes us thrive?

  3. What’s one thing we each feel a little nervous or uncertain about in our current plans? It could be something small or big – and then let’s brainstorm how we could address that uncertainty together.

These prompts aren’t meant to be answered once and forgotten. Keep responses in a shared google doc and revisit them every few months to see how you’ve grown. Jot down notes, write out any needed fixes, assign action items, keep on growing.

What’s beautiful about this practice is that there are no wrong answers. There’s only opportunities to understand each other more deeply and create a more intentional future together.

Remember, the goal isn’t to have perfect responses but to create space for honest conversation about what matters most.

Quick Tips for Success

  • Set aside distractions

  • Approach each prompt with curiosity rather than judgment

  • Be open to what you discover about yourselves as individuals and as partners

✨ Getting 1% better, together ✨

Featured Series, Productivity, Relationships

Couple Goals: How to Set and Achieve Dreams Together

Corie Muldoon

Want to know the secret to making dreams come true as a couple? It’s not just about having shared goals – it’s about having a system to achieve them together. Let me share the framework my partner and I use to turn our biggest dreams into daily actions.

Start with the Dream Session

First, grab your partner and some paper. Set aside 30 minutes of uninterrupted time (we do this over coffee on weekend mornings). Each of you writes down your big dreams. Everything from traveling the world to buying a house to starting a family.

Share your lists with each other. Look for:

  • Dreams you both share
  • Ways your individual dreams could support each other
  • Any conflicts that need discussion

Turn Dreams into Goals

Pick one shared dream to focus on first. Using the Goal-Strategy-Tactics framework, break it down together:

The Goal: Make it specific and measurable. Instead of “travel more,” try “take a 3-week road trip in 2025.”

The Strategy: What are the main approaches you’ll take? For that road trip:

  • Save $5000 for the trip
  • Research and plan the itinerary
  • Book camping spot at state park 14 nights

Daily Tactics: Here’s where partnership really shines. Divide specific daily actions between you based on your strengths:

Partner 1:

  • Put $200-500 into travel fund monthly
  • Research and plan itinerary
  • Plan to buy any gear needed
  • Get car serviced at mechanic

Partner 2:

  • Review itinerary, add notes
  • Create camping checklist
  • Track travel fund progress
  • Clean car out / prep car

Make It Stick

The key to achieving couple goals is building them into your daily life together:

  1. Weekly Check-ins: Schedule a regular time to review progress
  2. Celebrate Small Wins: Halfway to our savings goal? High-five! First draft of itinerary done? Yay!
  3. Adjust Together: If something’s not working, brainstorm new tactics as a team

Beyond Travel: This Works for Any Goal

This framework works for all kinds of couple goals:

  • Fitness: Train for a 5K together
  • Financial: Save for a house down payment
  • Personal Growth: Start a side business
  • Lifestyle: Create a healthier home

The magic happens when you combine clear goals, shared strategies, and individual daily actions that play to each person’s strengths.

Your Turn

Ready to start? Grab your partner and try this:

  1. Schedule your dream session
  2. Pick one goal to focus on first
  3. Break it down into strategies
  4. Assign daily tactics that excite each of you
  5. Set your first weekly check-in

Remember, the journey toward your goals is just as important as reaching them. It’s about growing together and supporting each other’s dreams along the way.

What goal will you and your partner tackle first!?

Featured Series, Finance, Relationships

Building Better Finances Together: A Couple’s Guide

Corie Muldoon

Talking about money with your partner can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be.

After years of learning (sometimes the hard way), I’ve discovered that building strong finances as a couple requires open communication.

It also involves creating shared systems that work for both of you.

Here are our tried-and-true tips for creating financial harmony in your relationship:

1. The Weekly Money Date

Schedule a regular 30-minute chat about finances. Keep it light – we do ours over Sunday coffee. Review your spending, celebrate wins, and tackle any concerns early. This prevents stress from building up and keeps you both in sync.

2. Create a Shared Vision

Before diving into budgets, talk about your dreams. What do you want to build together? A home? Travel adventures? Early retirement? Understanding each other’s financial goals makes daily money decisions easier and more meaningful.

3. Divide and Conquer (But Stay Connected)

Play to your strengths. In our relationship, I handle rental income and expense tracking while my partner manages our personal account. The key? We both stay informed about the full picture through our weekly check-ins.

4. Set Up Your Success System

Create a simple shared system:

  • Use a joint spreadsheet for tracking income & expenses

  • Use a shared credit card for easy expense tracking, pay card off weekly

  • Agree on a percentage % of income to move into joint savings account for taxes and investments

  • Share login access to all important accounts

  • Touch base before making big purchases. Do we need it or do we want it? The goal is to make more than we’re spending each week.

  • Set up automatic payments to investment accounts

5. Celebrate Progress Together

Track your joint financial wins, no matter how small. We touch base on our wins at our weekly meeting. From paying off a credit card to maxing out a Roth IRA account. It keeps the money journey positive and motivating.

6. Have Each Other’s Backs

Sometimes life throws curveballs. Create an emergency fund together and discuss how you’ll handle unexpected expenses before they happen. This creates security and trust in your financial partnership.

Remember, building better finances as a couple isn’t about having identical money styles. It’s about creating a system that works for both of you.

Start with one of these tips this week and build from there. Your relationship (and your wallet) will thank you.

Comment your favorite money tips below!