This post over at Aloysa’s Kitchen Sink got some attention as an Editor’s Pick in the Carnival of Personal Finance a few weeks ago. The post explained five reasons to stop being frugal and get a life. Strong words, for sure, but does the reasoning stand up to scrutiny? Let’s check them out. (Her words … Read more
I attended a wonderful holiday party this weekend. It was in a beautifully-decorated house. The food was abundant and delicious. The desserts were scrumptious. The family hosting the party was kind and gracious. I had never met them before that night. Nor any of the guests. The only person I knew there was another musician. … Read more
Easy: Plan A can go away without notice. J Money of Budgets Are Sexy was relieved of his Plan A. He was fired from his ~$70k/year job with basically no notice. The good news is that he was going to give his two weeks’ notice the next day. How’s that for timing? He had been … Read more
I like McDonald’s. It’s not a staple in my diet, but in a pinch it serves a predictable meal that tastes pretty good at a reasonable price. I also have fond memories of it from childhood. We didn’t go there often (maybe once every few months), but we usually made it there for lunch on … Read more
J. Money, a.k.a. Budgets Are Sexy, posted a rather saddening story which took the form of a comment from one of his readers, Joe. I invite you to check it out, but here’s the gist of it: Joe is a healthy guy in his twenties, who just dug himself out of debt. Six months later, … Read more
After you get to know someone for a while, you usually discover something that they do reasonably well — well enough that you say, “Wow! I didn’t know you could do that.” That level of proficiency doesn’t come without a fair amount of dedicated practice. They may or may not be at expert level, but it’s certainly … Read more
The end-of-year holidays are festive for most people: attending parties, decorating, giving gifts, listening to music, visiting family, eating a bit too much. At work it sometimes means announcement of raises or year-end bonuses when there’s profit to be shared. People may be entering the new year with a fatter wallet and a bigger paycheck. … Read more
My daughter isn’t quite old enough to start reading my blog yet, so I can let you in on a little secret. My wife and I just ordered a bunch of stuff online from The Disney Store for Christmas and her birthday. She’s really into princesses. 🙂 Anyway, after my wife picked out the items, … Read more