Most articles about saving money talk about cutting out cable, or reducing your cell phone bill, or calling your insurance company to get a better rate. But are those things really enough to make a significant difference? Today, I want to talk about some things that most of us don’t even question, but that are […]
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A couple of weeks ago, my mother sent me, my aunt, and one of my cousins this article from USA Today: “Why your home is a worse investment than you think.” Right now, my mother is renting a house while she figures out where she wants to live next. Last August, she sold her two-story […]
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It’s tax time, and that means statements arriving in the mail for everything from interest income to student loan interest expenses. And yes, that means, for 9-to-5 employees, the arrival of the annual W-2, showing the wages we earned last year. In August, I turned 35. And this month, for the first time, my W-2 showed […]
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Before success frequently comes failure. Frequently, in fact, before success comes many failures, as in Edison’s oft-quoted 1,000 failed attempts at inventing the lightbulb. If you are anywhere on the journey of paying off debt, know that you learn from each and every mistake. Oddly, failing is good news – growing, and changing, requires failing […]
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This week, I can feel the saltwater drying on my skin every day after I head in from scuba diving. I can see the bottom from my perch on the tip of the bow, looking for fish (and sharks!) as we sail. We’re getting closer to the goal, and I’m starting to be able to feel it […]
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You’ve found yourself in the situation where you have enough in your retirement account to pay off your credit card balance. If that retirement account happens to be a 401(k), you may have the option to take a loan against the balance, instead of making a withdrawal. With a withdrawal, you’re going to owe taxes, […]
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One of my first conversations with Don this morning went like this: Don: Honey, I need a refrigerator in the shed. Me: Why? Don: Because I want to have cold drinks out there, so I need a fridge. Now, his shed/workshop is a 12 x 30′ shed with power, lights, and air conditioning. It’s also […]
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This post is inspired by Steve over at ThinkSaveRetire, whose post listing ways he “Won’t be a Dumbass” in 2018 just landed in my inbox. I don’t typically do New Year’s Resolutions either; while there are absolutely things I want to achieve each year, they’re rarely oriented around January 1st. So, let’s start with a retrospective […]
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Congratulations! You’ve decided to try out dog sitting as a side hustle to achieve your goals. Of course, we hope your goals include paying off debt and living the life of your dreams! Regardless of what your goals are, we’ve compiled a list of the things we wish we knew when we were first starting out with […]
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Last week, fresh from moving all weekend and thoroughly exhausted, I realized I had bought a ticket to see Denise Duffield-Thomas in Miami on Monday night. Now, Miami is a four-hour drive from our new house; never mind that I couldn’t find a towel to take a shower, or a plate to have breakfast…It’s amazing […]
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