Earn, Save, and Live Joyfully.
When I was in college my best friend and roommate used to say, “I can’t wait to be a grandmother.” I always thought that was the strangest comment to come out of the mouth of an eighteen year old. I remember laughing and saying, “what about the forty years in between now and then?” After … Read more
If all goes well it looks like our beach house in NC might already be booked eleven weeks this summer. The ranges in weekly rental prices vary from $1,200 early and late in the summer to $2,275 during the peak weeks. Some summers have been better than others for the outer banks but this year … Read more
So after a year long trauma of medical events including a pulmonary embolism and surgery to remove my first, left rib. I have still not completely healed. In an attempt to get better I contacted an acupuncturist and made my first appointment. I have been to a cardiologist, a pulmonologist, a primary care physician, had … Read more
I’m about to find out how many women are out there reading this blog. I’ll be attending, (possibly throwing), a baby shower for a good friend of mine in the near future. I don’t have any children of my own, and despite working in day care centers for years, I have no idea what the … Read more
If you come across a $15,000 windfall or grow a 15k nest egg, what should you do with it? Savings accounts, emergency funds, IRAs, HSAs, and paying off debt are all options. So which one should you choose? Emergency Fund If you don’t have a sizable emergency fund, use the money to build one. $15,000 … Read more
About a year ago I was struck with a major medical illness. Since that time I have spent time in and out of doctors offices and hospitals. I have had more scans than I can possibly count, and had fairly significant surgery. Thankfully I have an unbelievable employer with unbelievable benefits. I have up to … Read more
Here is a list of questions to ask yourself when considering to pay off your mortgage early. (They have been gathered from a number of websites discussing this topic.) Do you have other debts? – Obviously you should pay off all credit card debts before attempting to pay off your mortgage. Do you have an … Read more
In July of 2005 my husband and I purchased a very cute, little, yellow, beach house in NC for $620,000. We bought the house because we love it. And if all goes well we’ll spend a good deal of our retirement there (we’re only in our 20s so that’s a long way off). If you … Read more
Isn’t it funny, how we stereotype people by the cars they drive. As a college student I drove my father’s rusty, old, Toyota camry station wagon to campus. I’d park it alongside the shiny BMWs and SUVs of fellow students. I used to hate driving that old bomb to campus. Thinking back I relish the … Read more
So I’ve been flipping through the pages of the Tightwad Gazette in the hopes of finding easy ways to save a little extra money each month. I have been known to do some pretty frugal things in my day. When I first got out of college I was often broke. (Not because I blew all … Read more