As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up on a farm - an environment where one learns that it’s best not to get too attached to an animal of any species. Steers become steak, hogs become bacon, and pet-like critters such dogs and cats wander off or get into vicious fights with opossums and raccoons. That’s […]
I mentioned last week that a friend is allowing her bridesmaids to select their own dresses for her August wedding. There are 7 or 8 little black dresses hanging in my spare bedroom, but I don’t love any of them. Two of them are ok - I’m keeping at least one for work, but I’ll […]
I reconciled my checking accounts this morning, a process which entails categorizing all of my expenses. While I’m spending less and saving more than I was this time last year, I have been spending more on entertainment (quite a bit more) than I did in March.
I typically associate seasonal spending with the holidays, but I looked […]
I am cheap (frugal?) about some of the strangest things. I haven’t wanted to pay for DSL because there are so many places (restaurants, coffee shops, parks) in my town where an enterprising blogger can get wi-fi for free. I was pretty resigned to the fact that I needed to leave the house if I […]
The first three months of 2008 have been kind to me. Things started out rough in January, but in mid-March I received my annual bonus as well as a nice little tax refund, so on the whole, this quarter has been a good one. Since the end of the year I have fully funded my […]
About a month ago I signed up for the beta version of Quizzle, Quicken Loans’ free financial aggregator that provides users a snapshot of their personal financial situation, including home value. Quicken Loans is providing consumer access to Quizzle free of charge as a way to become the “top-of-mind” mortgage lender and capture additional mortgage […]
I don’t balance my bank accounts in the traditional sense - and I don’t follow a strict budget. I realize this flies in the face of most financial advice, but it works for me. Instead, I pay myself first (direct deposit into my ING savings account), and access each one of my checking accounts online […]
Tonight’s the big night - this evening my partner and I will sit down and go through our 2007 expenses and create our first budget ever. I’m looking forward to having a plan for 2008.
I am excited and anxious about our first joint financial planning session. We’ve talked a lot about money, income, and spending, […]
One of the things my fiancé and I are going to do in 2008 is start funding an irregular bills account. I first read about this strategy at Chief Family Officer and I think it’s pretty darn brilliant, especially since my honey and I have a history of charging things like new tires.
So, what […]
In my previous post I did an armchair analysis on the psychology of my spending. I blamed everyone from my parents to society for my fiscal irresponsibility - and then received a thought-provoking comment from Becky, a reader coming from a similar background. As a result of circumstances much like mine, Becky is more frugal and […]