the money tools you need to be set free
For the first few weeks of April, Mr. Mechanic is working a night shift. He comes home just as I wake up, falling into bed after a 14-hour shift. I work quietly in another room as he sleeps, and when I log off, he’s already in his scrubs, popping in to kiss me goodbye before […]
March is usually the harbinger of spring, but this year the world got a wakeup call as it ushered in a new disease instead. Yet if we rewind to the beginning of the month, we only had a faint inkling of what would come. First Week: Portland, OR and Santa Barbara, CA In fact, March […]
I’m so curious to see what a month of (mostly) solitude did to my spending in the month of February.
Wow, I just realized that I completely forgot to write up my expense report for January. I had to wrack my brain a bit to remember what we did! Mr. Mechanic had a rotation in surgery which meant that I didn’t see him much. I didn’t see much at all, really, as it started getting […]
It’s the time of the year for reflection, and looking back on my expenses for the year reminds me of all of the adventures I’ve had. This year I said goodbye to friends and family in Portland, Oregon and moved with Mr. Mechanic to upstate New York. Note: some links in this article are affiliate […]
This month was perhaps one of my favorites of the year. We Adopted a Cat In October, we started fostering a kitten. I wrote about the experience in November, and December 16th was the date we had to decide whether to keep him or let him go up for adoption. We ended up adopting MechaniCat […]
Early winter is teasing us with short bursts of snow. I was pleasantly surprised when it melted away, as I had imagined that we would have to hunker down for the rest of the season. We spent most of November trying out a lot of recipes. I’ll share our November recipes and also my expenses […]
I mentioned in last month’s expense report that I am determined to enjoy this season—and let me tell you, I enjoyed the hell out of it this month. We kicked off the month by taking a road trip to Burlington, Vermont. Trading driving shifts, we arrived on Thursday, very ready for a three-day weekend. The […]
The leaves are beginning to turn—little bright flags waggling in the wind. Most people love the fall; it’s a time of just enough chill to don a jacket and sweater and get a little cozy. Not me. Winter Is Coming (But Enjoy Autumn Anyway) I have always disliked the fall because it meant winter was […]
In August, we moved in. Furnishing Our New Home If you recall, I was uprooted for the last couple of months because of a housing snafu. Two months after our expected move-in date we finally got the e-mail that our place was ready. We only brought one car-load worth of stuff, which meant we had […]