‘Tis the season to be… I know. Christmastime is over and there’s probably nary a carol left stuck in your head. Until now. You’re welcome. While there’s a good chance this next season is all about being grumbly over the gray weather as we all wait for spring, I’m actually using it as time to … [Read more…]
Alright, alright. With Thanksgiving time nearly upon us, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much money Americans spend on turkey time each year. About $165, with nearly $68 of that going to travel. In my mind, this number is the problem with averages. If you are flying your family across the country, you’re spending … [Read more…]
I am frugal? I am frugal. When I was unsure of myself when I was little, my dad would always comment, “Are you asking me or are you telling me?” I’ve become much more clear on a lot of things since then. I do love the Cubs. I did work hard and get everything done … [Read more…]
Peanut butter and jelly. I eat it every day for lunch. After a recent interview on the FIRE Drill Podcast, that seemed to be the sound bite that stood out to most people. I could practically hear people’s sighs laiden with pity. Rather than write an ode about that the deliciousness of that simple sandwich … [Read more…]
School’s out for summer! To-do lists are shorter. Days are longer. And I’m actually sticking to my word and not teaching summer school. While that certainly makes room for relaxation, summer is also the perfect time for us to make some new money moves. Here’s our plan:
The calendar invite notification chirped. There it sat in my mailbox. A 9:00 am meeting appointment for three days from now with my boss. No subject. No agenda. No explanation. Despite having just completed my summative evaluation where I earned the highest rankings, I automatically assumed I was about to be fired or transferred or … [Read more…]
It started with a box of Weebles. A coworker of mine loaded up a small Amazon box with a few dozen pear-shaped plastic creatures. My name was scrawled on the box in permanent marker. At first I thought it was to keep Weeble thieves away. What I realize now, though, was that it was a … [Read more…]
As of late, frugality has come under fire. I should know. I took one of the shots. Recently, though, I have also seen other personal finance writers throw some jabs at frugality. They pulled no punches. A lot of it was ugly, and it was downright incorrect in some instances, which leads me to wonder … [Read more…]
Kids are expensive. I’m going down swinging. But how expensive they are does have some variability. In fact, when it comes to caring for an infant, we have found that we can fit him into our regular budget. This excludes the cost of childcare, of course. Hence why I’m still swinging. But looking back on … [Read more…]
