Being Frugal Sometimes Means Spending A Little To Avoid Spending A Lot

If I am going to spend a lot of money on something, I want to make sure it lasts and that I get my money's worth. I'll pay more for a higher quality product because buying a more expensive product once every ten years is cheaper in the long run than buying a new cheaper one every two or three years. Given this, it's no surprise that I'm also a big fan of preventative maintenance. I'm one of those people that always reads the owners manual. (Yeah,...

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Your Retirement Is A Bathtub

A little over a year ago, my wife and I decided to remodel our master bathroom. One of the things my wife wanted was a bigger bathtub. She’s rather tall and she couldn’t lay in the old tub without having to bend her legs and have her knees sticking out of the water. (Yeah, First World problem, I know.) We did some research and found a standalone tub that was big enough to allow her to stretch out her legs and remain submerged. The tub holds 65 gallons...

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Drowning In Debt? Start Here!

When you are drowning under an ocean of debt, it's easy to get discouraged. If the total amount you owe is in the four or five figure range, it can seem like you'll never be able to make it to the surface for a breath. Throwing an extra $10 or $20 towards your debt now and again just seems like an exercise in futility. Well, don't lose hope. The internet is full of stories of people in exactly your situation and who managed to swim their way out...

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Book Review: The Little Book Of Common Sense Investing

The Little Book Of Common Sense Investing is one of the more famous books written by Vanguard founder and former CEO John Bogle. If you know the name, you've got a good idea of what the book will be about - how low cost index fund investing consistently beats the pants off any other method of stock market investing in the long term. This should be obvious by now. Studies have been done confirming this. The greatest indicator of how well a mutual...

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Goal Update: End of February 2016

At the end of each month, I post an update of my goals, including a brief discussion of any notable events that might have occurred during the month. The latest month's figures can always be found under the Featured menu in the menu bar at the top of the blog. Last updated: End of February, 2016 Current value: $21,113 Change from last month: +$293 Percent of Goal:  19.42% Note that the funds in this account are invested in...

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