the tools you need to be set free
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 […]
Here are 5 crazy things I did to save like crazy in my twenties.
June was the month of uprooting, as we packed and hefted and drove and ended our lease—and July followed quickly after, which I now dub the month of homelessness. The Apartment Situation If you recall from last month, I was sleeping on a pad in our empty apartment, living out of my suitcase. The reason: […]
A detailed breakdown of how I spend $1,600 a month in Portland, OR
Originally posted on : November 1, 2018 Occupation: Software Engineer Age: 25 Location: Portland, OR Monthly Expenses Rent: $930 Living: ~$570 401(k): Maxed out HSA: Max out on Jan 1 Roth IRA: Max out on Jan 1 Dear Money Diaries… Day One – Sunday: 9:30am – In the morning we had a nice breakfast and a coffee at Mr. Mechanic’s family’s house outside of Portland […]
June was the month of uprooting. Mr. Mechanic is headed across the country for his first year of residency and I am going with him. We moved most of our stuff to storage, packing what we could into our little white Rav4. Mr. Mechanic drove cross-country, arriving in New York later that week. He has […]
The month of May heralded summer and anticipation for our next chapter. We jetted off to Colombia early in the month. For a week we had an adventure-packed trip, and then I flew home. I have to manage my vacation days given the upcoming move, but lucky Mr. Mechanic had more time off so he […]
South America has been on our minds for a while. I have wanted to go ever since I stumbled across a little shop in Spain run by a Colombian man, who sold me the most delicious fried ball of food that I have ever eaten. My partner likewise had it on his list of intriguing […]
Last year, I wrote about our attempt at meal planning and lately have been wondering if it has decreased our grocery bill as I had hoped. At the time of writing that post, my total came to $130 a month on average. Now, I spend just $108 a month on groceries. First I checked if restaurant […]