With Memorial Day serving as the unofficial kickoff of summer and today’s temperature starting in the low 50s and nearing 90 by the end of the day, I figure now is as good a time as any to start this. But what exactly am I starting? My plan is to chronicle the summer spending that … [Read more…]
My default setting is programmed to shop. It’s truly an instinct and impulse. I spend a lot of time guarding against it, but I want to acknowledge something very important. Critical even. I. Buy. Things. It doesn’t get said enough. Not like that anyway. No, I don’t mean the excessive line spacing, either. Whenever people … [Read more…]
I opened a Vanguard account almost five years ago. Somehow, I managed to land $0.07 in the settlement money market fund. I still don’t know how I did it, and just the other week, it disappeared. April Fools! It is April 1st, but that’s actually the god’s honest truth. My initial instinct was to figure … [Read more…]
I hate my mortgage. How’s that for today’s installment of Truths That Surprise No One? No amount of rationalizations have ever made my mortgage seem palatable. I know our interest rate is low. I know we bought at a great time. I know that my money could be working harder for me in the market. … [Read more…]
“When did I decide I was actually never going to work out?” I said that to my husband today. I looked him square in the eye because I was hoping he knew the answer. I didn’t when I asked him. I still don’t. Of course, I could give the standard troupe about parenthood. But here’s … [Read more…]
If have the Discover It Card, there’s a good chance you’re smiling. It’s a good credit card all of the time. It’s an especially great credit card this quarter. How else can you get 5% cashback on groceries? To take full advantage of the perks of this card and to fill up our Christmas fund, … [Read more…]
I did not do a no-spend January. I was perfectly upfront about that. I started the year knowing exactly one thing: I would spend money in January. I did, however, commit to tracking my spending even more diligently neurotically than I normally do. A month passed. I reviewed my notebook. And what to my wondering … [Read more…]
‘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…]
It started with a beverage. Of course it did. No, I’m not talking about an actual latte. Truth be told, I don’t drink coffee of any kind. Not even the kind that comes with a heaping of high fructose corn syrup and a caramel swirl. This was a Diet Coke. I had some time to … [Read more…]
“He looks like Buster Brown.” This statement is equal parts puzzling and entertaining when you don’t know who Buster Brown is. That’s the camp I fell into before today. I could tell my mom was dismayed over my son’s new haircut based solely on her delivery. The deadpan look. The hand on her hip. The … [Read more…]