A hundred years ago, we thought technological advances would mean we would work less. Instead, we are working more than ever. There is not much of a blueprint for early retirement. I want to help demystify what early retirement might look like. So I recently sent out an email to ask for reader questions. Thank you for everybody who submitted theirs! Here are my 17 answers to your burning questions about early retirement.
How Much I Spent Living in Amsterdam This Summer
Summer appears to be rocketing by at light speed. Here in Amsterdam we had a mild summer, with a few nice weeks of sun but still a lot of rain. I packed July and August full of activities, including a vacation to Croatia, Pride Week, dog and cat sitting, kayaking the canals, hosting guests at […]
Lockdown These Expenses – April 2020
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 […]
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.
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 […]
Wait, I Only Spent $255 Last Month? – July 2019 Expense Report
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: […]
Adventures Abroad, Birthdays, and Other May 2019 Expenses
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 […]
Harry Potter Trivia and Other January 2019 Expenses
I kicked off the New Year falling asleep to Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (it was good, I was just tired!) Then I headed back to work for business as usual. Between lots of work, we took advantage of every weekend at home. Note: there may be affiliate links in this post, which means I receive a […]
December 2018 Expense Report
December Reflections I was home alone for most of December while Mr. Mechanic flew to various residency interviews. This meant a lot of time watching movies he would never want to watch (what do you mean no British Bake Off or The Good Place for a week?!), scarfing down Trader Joe’s Lasagna (family size? Let’s […]
September 2018 Expense Report
I didn’t spend too much time at home this month. I converted from hourly to salary at my new job so I flew down to California to go to orientation. I flew out early in order to take advantage of the weekend and crashed at a family’s place in San Francisco.