When I was 18, I moved away from home to go away for college. There was a local school I could have gone to, but I was young and rebellious and couldn't wait to get out of the house. I ended up renting an apartment with my two best friends, ordering pizza way too often … Continue reading My “my first credit card” story
True costs of home ownership
So while agonizing over my spreadsheets this weekend and praying that we get a decent offer on the house when it hits the market, I calculated the amount that we actually spend on house-related costs on a monthly basis. Since our rent will be a fixed, all-inclusive amount, I wanted to see how much money … Continue reading True costs of home ownership
The right comparisons
I know someone who is seriously in debt, to the tune of at least 6 figures. I won't get into details since it's not my story, but she has been very open about it. She hates the fact of the debt, but has gotten so used to it that she also doesn't seem to want … Continue reading The right comparisons
Ignoring sunk cost
As I'm going through everything in my house and determining what's worth keeping, I'm building a pile of stuff to get rid of that gets higher by the day. Most of it was at one point in my life a planned purchase that I thought about for a while and really wanted, and some of … Continue reading Ignoring sunk cost
Decision time
So I'm about to do something that feels completely contrary to FIRE goals and Mr Money Mustache and everything else I've read about how to save money. When we sell our house, we're probably going to *gasp* use a realtor. I know that Comfree.com exists, and many other sites like it. I know that I'm … Continue reading Decision time
Four months in…
So I've been tracking all of our expenses and accounts and everything else for four months now. 2017 was a great year for the two of us. Both my husband and I received promotions that came with significant raises; we found out that our house could be worth a lot more than we thought it … Continue reading Four months in…
On being ruthless
"Here. It can go in the 'trash' pile." "Really?" *Nod* "Yes! Finally!" The item in question was an ornamental miniature version of a Greek statue. It had been given to my husband by his grandmother when he was a child, and he had been carting it around ever since. We've gone through three moves together, … Continue reading On being ruthless