This is a bit of a different post compared to what I usually write, but I think there’s a subset of readers that might find this post interesting. Financial independence has always been about getting back more control of our lives. And when you think about it, bikes might be one of the first things […]
My Story
Looking At Our Daycare Costs (And Why We Send Our Son To Daycare)
At the end of each year, my son’s daycare sends us a PDF that details how much tuition we paid. It’s a helpful bit of information to have. My family is fortunate to be in a position where we don’t have to budget to meet our financial goals, so we’re always admittedly unclear about how […]
My 2021 Credit Card And Bank Bonus Recap
At the start of each year, I like to do a post recapping all of the credit card points and bank bonuses I earned in the previous year. Both topics can be intimidating to new readers – I know that’s how I felt when I started getting into this world. But once you figure it […]
I Was A Victim Of Bank Fraud – Here’s What Happened
A few months ago, I woke up to a strange transaction in my checking account – a $3,000 withdrawal from my Ally checking account to a bank account I have with a fintech company called Douugh. I didn’t realize it yet, but I was about to become – or perhaps more accurately, I was – […]
Lifestyle Inflation Is Okay – Just Let It Happen On Your Terms
Lifestyle inflation is what happens when you earn more money, and in turn, spend more money. It’s a natural part of life, but one that is often viewed as a negative to wealth building. And it’s true. If your income grows, but you spend all of it, you’ll never be able to build wealth. In […]
The Parallels Between College Life And Financial Independence
I’m not financially independent, so I can’t say what financial independence really feels like. But what I do know is that the things that made me happy in school are pretty similar to the things that I want out of financial independence. Here are a few things that come to mind.
The Things We Choose
I recently moved into a new house, about 5 miles from where I used to live. The move is a massive lifestyle upgrade for me and my family, but even with our increased lifestyle costs, we should still be able to meet our financial goals. Life can happen obviously, but we have a history of […]
The Fluctuating And Gameable Net Worth Number
In the financial independence community, net worth means everything – or if not everything, it means a lot. When I started this blog five years ago, I actually went into it intending to regularly track and share my net worth each quarter. I ended up writing two quarterly net worth posts before I ultimately shelved […]
Looking Back At My Basic 10-Year Plan (5 Years Later)
About five years ago, when I was in a very different place and just starting on my money journey, I wrote a post about what my money plans were for the next 10 years. I called the post Our Basic 10 Year Plan (And What Might Trip Us Up). I had a general outline of what I thought my life might look like, but as you can tell by the title of my post, I was also cognizant that things could change. After all, life is too fluid and unpredictable to really know what the future will hold.Â
Screw Getting Picked – Pick Yourself Instead
Too often, we wait for people to pick us. But screw that. In this world, you should always pick yourself. If you don’t, no one else will.
