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I can't lie and say I don't like spending money, I really do. It's funny.  I still have the saving muscle. It's innate.  It's next to impossible to turn off.  But I like spending money.  The problem?  How much guilt I still feel when I do.  My DH?  No guilt.  He doesn't know what anything costs and just goes along for the ride.  Huh, we sure are staying at nice hotels.  We sure buy nice food for the house. Hmmm my beer is always...
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Hummingbird Hills has become pickle palace! Our two cucumber plants have gone wild and besides eating them now, I have made sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, and sweet relish. My pantry is filling up and hopefully there is enough to share during the holidays with family. 
DH and I have already had serious talks about the garden for next year. We started a compost pile, but it won't be ready for when we tear up the garden and pull the plants. We don't...
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After a couple of really terrible jobs (many broken employment laws, measly pay, etc.)...  DL(20) landed a real job at the end of last summer.  It was a teacher's aide type job (I think his job title is 'recreational aide') and the interview sounded far more difficult than any job interview I have ever had.  What!?  But he's a smart and articulate kid.  That won't get you a job at McDonalds (fast food was literally only hiring 1 out of every 6 that came...
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I listened to Nick Maggiuli on Afford Anything with Paula Pant https://affordanything.com/629-nick-maggiulli-the-wealth-ladder-has-six-rungs-and-most-people-never-climb-past-four/
I read the book as well from the library.  It was very interesting.  The levels?
1 - $0-10k
2 - $10-100k
3 $100k - $1m
4 $1m-10M
5 $10m-$100m
6 $100m+ 
His point is most people never get beyond level 4.  And the advice changes as you go along.  The bottom 2 levels how...
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MM(22) will end the summer with about $15,000, as I expected.
I am advising him to keep $10,000 set aside for a car replacement.
I presume that $5,000 will cover his expenses this next school year.  I just looked it up and he spent $3,500 the past 12 months. Considering that he has a car now (for the last 8 months or so), I will just round up to $4,000.  Realistically he will spend $4,000 this last school year.  But for planning purposes we can round up and add...
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I confirmed rent numbers with MM(22).  Did some rough math and I think rent will just zero out earmarked college funds.  Crazy how that works out.  I am probably getting way too much credit for 'planning ahead'.  We obviously have a tendency to plan ahead and erred on the side of not touching 'money saved for college' for as long as possible.  But...  that we will have just enough 'college' funds to cover Year 5.  That is very random. 
I...
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Selling a property can be stressful enough without watching your profits disappear into unnecessary expenses. Between agent fees, legal costs, and last-minute repairs, it’s easy to overspend — but being smart and frugal doesn’t have to mean cutting corners.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to keep costs low during a house sale while still attracting the best possible offer.

1. Choose the Right Selling Strategy
One of the fastest ways to eat into your...
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This "friend" who I've written about before is currently on a vacation with her boyfriend right now.  The original plan was to spend two weeks in a nice hotel somewhere, sightsee, and eat expensive foods that looks like it comes out of Instagram.
However, she doesn't have the money for this.  Crazy enough, but neither does her boyfriend.  So, what to do?  Well one idea was to turn to me.  Why, I don't know.  She's used to other guys paying for her,...
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My bonus is scheduled to hit on Friday. I transferred $500 from a savings account and paid towards my student loan, trying to beat the interest game. It annoys me that it takes Nelnet days to process my payment while I’m incurring interest and yet no time for them to tack on their daily interest. 
This was about a $33k-$35k student loan (2013) which had balloon to almost $90k in 2020, never missed a payment but due to my income I was on the IDR plan. 7 years and my...
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Finally we are debt free like many of you on here. I can't believe we are finally here and with money in the bank as well.
I have a years worth of
car expenses
dog expenses
insurances
Also have $4k in ice acct
will continue to add to these each month as well as our other accounts
Now to continue to add to our home deposit each month so we can buy a home!!
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Lots of changes this week that are making the kitchen area look finished, at least from the waist up.
The cabinet trim is installed on the upper cabinets.
The hood is installed and it works great.
The contractor was able to modify the cabinet doors above the oven stack but they now need to be painted because one corner got a little banged up. He has them sanded and ready to paint. He has a paint that should be the color of the cabinets but the reality won’t be known until...
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I was doing well avoiding poison ivy rash until early August. I vaguely remember something barely brushing up against my forearm, and I remember even better scrubbing the area with Dawn dish soap, which I'd read was just as effective as specially formulated products like Tec-nu in preventing the rash. But it didn't work. I also have it on the top of one foot, which really puzzles me since I always wear socks and boots. Anyway, neither spot looks like it's spreading at all.
I heard...
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Warning: Political rant ahead (but is money-related).
When people debate about politics and the economy, I often find that some people have misguided views about what's really going on.  In a way, this is understandable because even the "Big Beautiful Bill" that recently got signed into law can be difficult to make heads or tails out of it.  That's why I appreciate channels like MonkeyExplains on YouTube, who just put out a video trying to explain the BBB in a way that...
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So it's started.  In June we went on a week road trip and visited a bunch of schools.  Yes I have a kid who just finished freshman year and is about to start sophomore year.  I have a kid who "thought" they knew what they wanted and what school and what career field.  Came out of this trip completely 180.  Now she's thinking maybe a school where she doesn't have to declare and get admitted to a major would be great.  It might be fun to explore. ...
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I’m late with this update. This week the walls and stubborn ceiling spots were painted. The baseboards were removed to prepare for the floor tile to come. But the significant eye-candy part was the backsplash. The kitchen backsplash is done. In the area around the stove, the backsplash goes all the way to the top of the wall. It’s the same charcoal grey glass backsplash that we used in the kitchen corner #1 project. I still love it. The tiling took a long time though...
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My DK1 passed her driving test on Monday.  She can't officially get her license until she turns 16 in January but still it's a big deal and accomplishment.  It is a bit unreal that time has gone by so quickly.  A year ago she started freshman year and she'll be a sophomore.  She will be driving to school in January.  Our insurance is going to go through the roof.
Another consideration is I wanted to wait until the end of 2025 and potentially buy another...
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So there is this woman I am sort of friends with who has a handicapped child, and her son really needs a wheelchair.  This child is still in single digits in age, but what they need isn't just any ordinary wheelchair, but one that is specially-built for children.
While there are cheaper options available, the one they really want and should get would cost $700 USD.  This is one of those specialized "strollers" that are built to high quality standards, and will allow...
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So, very recently I was actually toying with the idea of getting a very part-time job, just for a little pocket money. I retired in the spring of 2023 and by all accounts I will be perfectly fine, financially, but I can't help feeling a little stressed by constantly rising prices on just about everything, and it makes me feel a little insecure.
Every time I use a calculator, and also, Dido from this site tells me this, I will have about $7,000 a month in income for the rest of...
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Consolidating my last two student loans was the smartest move I’ve made. Even with a slightly higher interest rate, one streamlined payment lets me see real progress. My current balance is $22,546.10 (a $200 payment is still pending), and my first required payment isn’t due until December 2026. If I stay consistent, I’m praying the balance will be zero by this time next year.
I originally borrowed about $35,000, but years of capitalization—and a low income...
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I made an error in my plans. I have to give a year notice so I guess it's "one more year" .   It could be worse and I will be okay.  Just returned from 24 day road trip, it was wonderful but I've got to get ready for work. 
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