My family was always thrifty. My winter coats came off the rack of the local Goodwill, my shoes never cost more than $10, and any time I wanted new clothing as a teenager my mother took me to the thrift store (to my horror). As a teenager, I hated it. I wanted the hottest fashions, […]
How Much I Spent in a Month Of Solitude – February 2020 Expenses
I’m so curious to see what a month of (mostly) solitude did to my spending in the month of February.
How I Spent Just $15,000 Last Year
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 […]
11 Gift Ideas For Someone Who Just Adopted A Cat
As recent adopters, we kept finding things we wanted to buy for our cat. We put each thing on our holiday wishlist, and I thought I would share the result with you. Each of these 11 items are things I would buy myself, but if they mysteriously ended up under a Christmas tree, I wouldn’t complain!
The Sunday Sharies: Volume 13
Sunday Scaries (n): The Sunday evening dread that creeps in when anticipating work in the morning. Shut down Sunday Scaries with this series: Sunday Sharies! These are the articles, links, and content I’ve read this week that I think are worth sharing. Finance Articles I Have No Gift to Bring Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum: […]
Could I Still Retire Early With A Lower Salary?
It’s no secret that earning more money makes it easier to save.
I’ll be straight with you– as a software engineer, I bring home a solid income. But what if something were to happen?
Craft Brew Carousing and Other October 2019 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 […]
I Am Not A Generous Person (and The Case Against A Donor Advised Fund)
My sister is extremely generous. As a kid, she delighted in pretending to take the family’s orders one-by-one, then carefully carrying out miscellaneous items from the kitchen meant to represent our hamburgers (me), filet mignon (dad), and lobster a la carte (mom). Every gift she gives is carefully considered and tailored to the recipient. Once, […]
How I Live On $1,614 a Month In Portland
A detailed breakdown of how I spend $1,600 a month in Portland, OR
Moving Across the Country and Other June 2019 Expenses
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 […]