All Entries

I went to my dermatologist yesterday for my annual full skin exam (to screen for skin cancer). Everything was fine. But  he looked at my scar from the Mohs surgery I had a year and a half ago, and it has clearly not healed well. Very lumpy. He recommended an injection to help smooth it. I had to check first with my insurance company to see if they covered the procedure. They do, or at least they pay 80%. I figured it's worth it to try -- after all, it's on my face! So I made...
[ Read More ]

With great pleasure I can share that I paid the last bit owing on my CitiBank personal loan today.  This was the 20k loan I took right before "retiring" from El Dorado County.  It helped me to cover expenses and make ends meet while I was getting settled.  And now it is history.  Yay!
I have recently received a raise which was certainly welcome.  I am now earning $20 per hour, which isn't so bad for this area.
I completed my 2024 income tax returns over...
[ Read More ]

The tariffs imposed by our Idiot-in-Chief go into effect Tuesday in what he foresees as "America's Golden Age."
 It could be more painful than that. Remember, rising prices won't likely be seen immediately, due to existing inventory, except for non-durable goods like food. We get an awful lot of food from Mexico. And I do worry about opportunistic and unethical price gouging by those seeking to take advantage.
I recently started thinking about stockpiling a few things like...
[ Read More ]

It seems like it is continous on groceries...But guess that is a given since we tend to eat.
Anyway, before Christmas it seemed like there were a few decent deals so we could stock up on a few things. Between the coupon savings, the sale prices, and the receipt apps, I'm hoping to save money. 
On social media different folks post about writing companies and asking for coupons. I've done so in the past so I decided to tackle that as well. I think of the ten companies I wrote,...
[ Read More ]

I've been chipping away at putting money in the emergency fund and I realized that I forgot about the money that I keep in the credit union at home for easy access in case of an emergency that happens that I don't have time to wait for money in the online bank to get here.  That savings account also has any overage on money I save for other stuff throughout the year.
For instance I put $75 a month into savings for the garbage bill, which only comes every 2 months, not monthly. ...
[ Read More ]

My raise for the year was $1.02 per hour or $2,121.60 annually. My TSP contribution increased $500 and I'm increasing my contribution to my FSA by $700. That is $1,200 for the year before taxes. I don't see where I can contribute or save more at this time. My savings & checking account are at their lowest point and I'm hoping to build them back up, but I also have a lot of fun planned for the year. Expensive fun, too. I took one trip to Maryland last month when my sister...
[ Read More ]

First net worth for 2025! How did I fare? Pretty good! Despite the panic posts I kept seeing, I didn't pay too close attention. I ended up a significant amount for the month when the dust settled. 
TSP $1,321,757
IRA $381,285
Brokerage $9,221
Sub-total of Investments $1,712,263
Savings $14,99
Sub-total cash assets $1,727,262
House Equity $139,000
January 2025 Net Worth $1,866,262
December 2024 Net Worth $1,805,796
Monthly Gain Loss $60,465
Checking $2,065
Car $11,000
[ Read More ]

Decided not to post my spending amounts anymore, not that I am spending differently and want to hide it! I just think it will be more meaningful for me to discuss what happened during the month.
Of course it was a crazy month, and just the beginning of a crazy four years, that I don't know how I will endure.
My biggest expenditure was on car insurance, the irony being that I am not driving. However, my son and grandson are using the car and it must be insured. No, I am not going...
[ Read More ]

Quick recap: 2024 was the first full year of my journey into retirement.
I just filed my taxes for 2024, and without earned income, all that is left is me living off of and filing my dividend interest... right?
While I was aware of basic stuff like dividend interest tax brackets, and qualified vs unqualified dividends, etc. the bottom line is I would not certain of what exactly is my tax burden will be until I actually file it, which again was today.
Much to my pleasant surprise,...
[ Read More ]

I can’t believe we’re already a month into the year. January was eventful for us.
A good friend invited me some time ago to meet her and her husband at their time share in Los Cabos, Mexico for a week. On some years they have two units instead of one. January was the week. I took DS4 with me and it was fabulous. A luxurious place and though food cost just as much as home, since we weren’t paying for lodging, it was a great deal for us. We got massages, went whale...
[ Read More ]

Our retirement regained about what it lost last month, so a good month. We're still at CoastFIRE with an $86K surplus. Since I have our calculations assuming me retiring at 65, so for fun I played with how many years I could shave off that. According to the calculator I could retire at 63 and still be at Coast right now!



Assets
 
 
 


NT's UK pensions:
 
 
 


AV1: 26,511 pounds
$33,139
 
 


SW: 37,117 pounds
$46,396
 
 


AV2:...
[ Read More ]

Things are getting tougher, rising prices, job losses, and growing frustration, and we're only one month into the year. I don't like the direction things are heading, but this is our reality.
 
I'm tying up a few loose ends and will share a financial update soon. Overall, January went well, I avoided new debt while paying down existing balances.
About 18% of my income went to debt (mostly student loans, mortgage, and credit cards), 17% to savings, and the rest covered...
[ Read More ]

Like most I have seen on tv how all the "illegal" immigrants are being rounded up and now there are no "white" people going to pick all the fruits/vegetables....so just wondering what is going to happen to all the prices of your food it will either cost more for white people to pick or it wont get picked and drop to the ground and rot...so it looks like it is going to go up in price...I have also seen online a lot of building sites (mostly houses) that no longer have workers as...
[ Read More ]

Over the last several years (probably decades by now), my personal finance journey has inevitably led me to many websites, news articles, talking heads, TV and radio shows, podcasts and more.  They all proclaim to have the solution to your personal finance challenges, whether it be getting out of debt, budgeting, saving for retirement, etc.  
Early on I started listening to Dave Ramsey on a regular basis.  His advice was practical, easy to understand and seemed...
[ Read More ]

The end of January is nearing and it's been what I'd call a typical winter for the Midwest, at least as it used to be: cold and snowy. We had some measurable snow and lots of cold temperatures. Previous years we had warmer temperatures so having a "cold spell" has been different. But I remember growing up to lots of snow and cold, so maybe we are reverting back to what it had been. The nice thing is we have had quite a bit of sunshine. A lot of times we have little to no sun and...
[ Read More ]

Hi
I have mentioned this before but I don't want my itin number anymore it's just for tax purposes and honestly it would cost us more in taxes but I just don't want to deal with them anymore...so can I just get fill out a form or write them a letter and he can just do it by himself even though we are married?? I just can't find any info and trying to get a hold of them is so hard...I usually get passed around then the phone call hangs up and I'm on a cell phone so gets expensive..if...
[ Read More ]

I let my BJs membership lapse this past fall because it's hard to justify paying the $60 membership as a single person. Then I got something from them in the mail offering me an annual membership for $25, which is what I paid the last 2 years. So I went for it. Just a day or two later, I got a postcard from them offering an even sweeter deal: a $20 membership and $20 back after spendng $60.
It was too late for the better deal, but I decided to nicely ask them if they would still...
[ Read More ]

Everyone always tells me we spend a lot of money on food...and we do around $1200pm for the 3 of us, this also is the stock we replenish on shelves with sales etc, we are trying to reduce that.
I recently had a sensitivity test done and it covers food/metals/animals etc....and pretty much had to take out 2/3 of my diet which restricted me a lot and it covered dyes in foods etc as well...which was a real eye opener for me...such as dairy, some vegetables etc...it mentioned jams...
[ Read More ]

Hi
Well someone put on here about a website where you could punch in your numbers and see if you owe or get a refund...does anyone know what website that was..I can't for the life of me find it on here...Thankyou in advance
[ Read More ]

I went shopping yesterday at ChefStore, which is a restaurant supply store and I can get some really great deals there.  Not everything, so I have to watch it, but most things.  You buy in bulk for most stuff, but they do have a few things that are in smaller quantities.  They are just more expensive.
Here is what I bought:
30 pounds of navel oranges $22.98
1 pound loaf of Muenster cheese $4.29
3 pounds of grated parmesan $20.97
15 pounds of Russet potatoes...
[ Read More ]