The first quarter of 2017 went out with a bang. Or a boom. Or maybe a thud. Instead of sharing how much our net worth soared (we don’t track it) or how much our investments made (I mostly try not to look), I want to share another kind of truth with you. Sometimes you will … [Read more…]
Could you come up with an extra $500 in an emergency? What about $5000? The statistics about Americans’ inability to cover emergency expenses are sobering, so it’s not surprising that posts calling for emergency funds are everywhere. Peace of mind for the win. And with all the emergency fund hoopla, there’s even been some debate … [Read more…]
How much do you spend on a phone each month? As of last month, we spent $170 a month on two phones. And we’d been doing so for years. After a fair amount of hemming and hawing mixed in with waiting out the duration of our contracts, we decided to put a stop to the … [Read more…]
When I write posts about how approximately 50% of our budget is dedicated to savings–and extra debt repayment–I want to take a victory lap around the table and send myself all sorts of celebratory GIFs. Truth be told, sometimes I do. But based on the number crunching that we’ve been doing lately, it seems the … [Read more…]
Why do you save? This question is spotlighted enough in the personal finance world that if I asked it in a room, I’m sure I’d see arms waving everywhere. For a rainy day, a downpayment, early retirement, any type of retirement. Pick a goal, slap it on your savings account. But what if I asked … [Read more…]
The second month of my pregnancy was, hands down, the most spendy month of my frugal life. While I don’t think it was quite on par with my 200-pairs of-shoes existence, it was exorbitant by every other month, especially when it came to our grocery bill. Of course, I understood that when there was a … [Read more…]
I talk about spending seven dollars on breakfast for the month, and everyone wants to know my secret. Oatmeal. Oatmeal is my secret. And our lunches are so cheap. You know why? Because we make them and because we’ve worked really hard at reducing our expenses. I realize that I’ve talked a lot about what our … [Read more…]
What’s the opposite of frugal? Me, if our 2017 budget is any indication. While I’ve never shared an exact breakdown of our monthly budget, I have hinted at it here and here. And since our budget for January will match all the other months, it’s pretty easy to run the numbers for the year. We’re … [Read more…]
December is a lot of things for a lot of people. For me? Well, it’s mostly a race to finish A Christmas Carol before winter break begins. The Dickens classic is part of the curriculum so I’m up to my eyeballs in ghosts, chains, and mince pies. While the iconic antihero Ebenezer Scrooge is typically … [Read more…]
There’s something about the last month of the year. For all it’s magic, December always passes by in a blur. Still, as I looked through our numbers for November and thought about the month ahead, I realized that we’re making progress. And two little tweaks I made a few months back have been paying off … [Read more…]