Earn, Save, and Live Joyfully.
My poor google reader is clogged with starred articles I hope to read, but never seem to get around to. I tried to highlight a few of my favorites, but believe me there are still hundreds of unread posts still swimming around in there… Here are a few favorites I managed to read this afternoon: … Read more
We considered refinancing our home loans quite a few times over the last few years. We refinanced both of our properties in 2009, but rates continued to fall to historical lows between now and then. We went back and forth about paying extra principal or refinancing a couple of times. Finally as the rates continued … Read more
I started writing this blog for myself. Over the years it’s become my journal. A way to write down my thoughts and share them with anyone wiling to read my words. I feel unbelievably blessed to live in an age where I can type words into a computer and have other people instantly read and … Read more
My 35th birthday is right around the corner and I feel happier than ever before. I’ve always been a very serious, driven and competitive person and I’m sad to say that happiness didn’t seem to match my personality type much in my younger years. In fact, though I recall many moments of happiness I don’t … Read more
The past few months have been filled with unexpected expenses. First we had trouble with the car, then extensive work was required to repair cracked pipes that left our house smelling of sewage, the pipework left huge holes in our walls so then there were costs for repair work and now on top of everything … Read more
It’s official… 10 years and 2 months from now my husband and I should be mortgage free. We recently refinanced our beach home from a 15 year fixed mortgage at 4.5% to a 10 year fixed at 3.5% (Note: interest rates on second homes are typically higher than on primary residences.) In the next month … Read more
In the state of Maryland you can no longer start kindergarten if you do not turn 5 years old before September 1st. That means any child born in September, October, November or December will not start kindergarten until they are nearly six years old. I understand the need to ensure that children are capable of … Read more
I really enjoyed clearing my head in last week’s Random Thoughts on this Rainy Afternoon and thought I’d perform a similar brain dump. Here it goes… I currently rank fourth in the Cutting-Edge Banking Technology category of the PF Olympics. Thanks to all of you who previous voted! If you haven’t voted yet you can do so by clicking … Read more
Ten years ago I began a gift journal. At it’s very core the journal includes every item I’ve received over the past decade. I write down the name of the person who provided the gift and the item I received. I started the journal for two reasons. First, it was an excellent way to keep … Read more
I want to thank all of you who provided comments on my previous post about my son’s inability to sleep through the night. My husband and I decided that we were definitely responding to his whimpers a bit too quickly. I still rock and nurse him to sleep, but I make sure he’s ever so … Read more