April 2020 was our first full month in quarantine, and our expenses reflect that! Outside of normal fixed expenses (mortgage, insurance, taxes, etc.) we spent only $833.03 on variable expenses which is quite low for us. These are wild times, and I’m making a lot of extra effort to see the beauty in the world… Continue reading A Random Month of Money: April 2020 Review and Expenses
You’ve seen the headlines. We are now seeing the highest levels of unemployment and market crashes since The Great Depression. One thing that gives me comfort is that, one way or another, society made it out of The Great Depression. No, the world wasn’t the same when it was over and it certainly won’t be… Continue reading Frugal Tips from The Great Depression
We have never lived in a time where the benefits of an emergency fund were more obvious. If you are one of the many people out there who don’t yet have one of these financial safety nets, fear not! With a little elbow grease, you’ll have your very own in no time. And, if you… Continue reading How to Build an Emergency Fund
After dwelling on last week’s roof leak for a few more days, I realized there’s more I want to say about reducing insurance coverage. There were also more reductions I could make! In general, I am mostly of the opinion that our insurance premiums exist to create jobs for actuaries and to keep insurance companies… Continue reading Reduce Your Insurance Coverage and Make Thousands
Confession, I am not handy. I do not come from a handy family. If it were not for Mr. Hippie the only construction tools I would own for home maintenance would be a single hammer and half a dozen pairs of scissors. The fact that I consider scissors a construction tool in the first place… Continue reading A Story of Home Maintenance
For most of us on the FIRE path, this journey is all about trying to have a better quality of life than we otherwise would. And part of having a high quality of life is building a spirit of resilience that can weather and withstand trauma. Due to the high impact COVID-19 is having on… Continue reading How to Be Mentally Strong
Well. It happened. The bear market that we’ve been saying was at our doorstep for years is finally here. The pandemic that scientists warned could cripple our society has come. While writing this I am on my fifth day of quarantine and the world outside is starting to feel a bit like a post apocalyptic… Continue reading When Disaster Strikes During Your FIRE Journey
Now that we are all in the midst of social isolating and hunkering down to avoid further spreading the coronavirus, you have probably wondered to yourself if your quarantine extends to the gym. The answer is yes! A recent study discovered that the virus can last on hard surfaces like steel or plastic for up… Continue reading Exercise in the Time of Corona
Back in 2014, Mr. Hippie and I made the bold choice to ditch one of our fully paid off vehicles so that we would only have only one car between us. We did this because we thought we would save a ton of money on transportation every year. One vehicle. In the United States. In… Continue reading How We Save Thousands on Transportation Every Year
A core premise of wealth accumulation is that you must save more than you make. And sure, that’s incredibly easy to say, but how many people actually do that? The answer is very few! We live in a society where consumerism is heavily encouraged every moment of every day. So what’s stopping you from taking… Continue reading The Transitive Power of Discipline
