Post-Christmas Spending Analysis

Christmas 2020 was barely more than a week ago, but I’ve already laid the groundwork for Christmas 2021. I haven’t done anything like start stuffing away money or anything, although that’s not a bad idea. I’m doing a post-holiday analysis of my spending so I’m better prepared for next year. Why Look Back? Many people have a gift spending budget, many do not. This year, my wife and I didn’t have a hard budget. In fact, if asked I couldn’t even tell you with any precision how much we spent on Christmas gifts. What I can tell you is there’s […] Read more »

Pandemic Spending: We’re Still Mindful Of Our Spending

With many businesses closed or operating in a limited capacity and large social events not allowed our spending habits have certainly changed. While we may be spending less in some capacities, there are still temptations to spend needlessly and waste money. Here are four things I’ve resisted temptation and refrained from buying: Leaf Blower After mowing the lawn grass clippings are left on the driveway and our cement patio. A leaf blower would make cleanup easy. But a good old fashioned broom works too. Or, I could just let the wind take care of it over the course of the […] Read more »

Admission: I Consciously Spend Money On Stuff I Don’t Need

I waste my money buying things I don’t need. It’s not by accident, or an occasional bad decision. I actively seek out doing so. Searching For Something To Buy I came to this realization as I was at Walmart over the weekend. After gathering the grocery items I needed, I began walking to the sporting goods section on the other side of the store to check for new things I could add to my home gym. This has been customary for me since gyms closed as part of the COVID9-19 pandemic. In the beginning, it made sense. The home gym […] Read more »

4 Things I Gladly Pay For

I love saving money, and I love doing projects myself. I definitely love saving money by doing projects myself. But, I do recognize there’s a line at which the money I could pay someone to do a task for me is absolutely worth the cost. Here are four things I gladly pay someone to do for me: Yard Thatching As the snow cover melts in early spring, it reveals my matted down lawn. It needs to be raked to remove the dead clippings from the previous season allowing the live grass to get sunlight and thrive. Raking my lawn would […] Read more »

COVID-19 Spending: It’s Time To Re-evaluate Your Budget

Changes occur in life which require a person to re-evaluate and re-do their budget. Events like a wage increase, life changes such as getting married or having a child, or a global pandemic. With businesses being limited to curbside sales or being completely closed and many states being under a stay at home order a look at the budget is a great idea because your spending habits have changed. Personal Care With barbers and salons closed, people are going without haircuts, hair coloring, manicures, pedicures, massages and many other personal care services. Entertainment Almost all sources of entertainment are also […] Read more »

Impulse Buying: Beware Now More Than Ever

Impulse buying is a threat to budgets everywhere, even under normal conditions. Even more so with the current conditions with COVID-19. People are panic buying some products fearing a shortage is imminent. In other cases some products are actually hard to find because of an increased demand. Whatever the case may be, now is the time for extra awareness regarding the dangers of impulse buying. I’m looking for larger sized weight plates for my home gym. I have smaller sized plates used to make dumbbells, but I need heavier ones for exercises like bench press and squats. Due to the […] Read more »

Stick To Your Holiday Spending Budget By Using A Prepaid Credit Card

Halloween is over, and we’ve entered the month of November which means the holiday shopping season has officially started. We’ll see countless reminders to avoid overspending and/or going into debt buying gifts. This is great advice, but easier said than done. Prepaid Credit Card Advantages A prepaid credit card loaded with the amount of your holiday budget can help you follow this advice. Here is a list of some of the ways using a prepaid credit card can help keep your holiday spending in check as well as a few advantages it has over other payment methods: No Forgotten Purchases: […] Read more »

My New Strategy If I HAVE To Go Out To Eat

My usual dining out methodology failed me. It failed me so badly that it left me with a significant bill, a lack of satisfaction, and wondering if I needed to alter my strategy. Dinner Failure I went out for dinner recently after an important event. I’m a great cook, so my usual dining out philosophy is to order either something I’ve never tried before, or  don’t normally make at home. After a quick scan of the menu, I decided on the twin lobster tails. I love seafood, and don’t have lobster often. My wife went with a ribeye steak, and […] Read more »

5 Things I Don’t Mind Spending Money On

Achieving your ultimate financial goals requires you to be selective in how you spend your hard earned money. Being a wasteful or frivolous spender leaves less money in your pocket to put towards eventual financial freedom. But being wise with your money doesn’t mean living in a cardboard box and subsisting on bread and water – it simply means executing selective spending. Spend your hard earned cash on things that matter to you. Here’s a list of 5 things I don’t mind pulling my wallet out for: Expensive Groceries USDA Prime rated steak, lobster tail, crab legs and beef tenderloin […] Read more »

5 Things You Should NEVER Order At A Restaruant

It’s not a secret that I view most dining out as a complete waste of money. It’s not that I’m totally against eating at a restaurant, sometimes the ebb and flow of life is made easier by having someone else cook for you. Other times it’s done as a celebration of a special event. But many times it’s done out of poor meal planning, or laziness. On top of that, people pay astronomical prices for things they could easily make at home cheaper, faster, and better. Here’s a list of things that when ordered are like nails on a chalk […] Read more »

Perception Will Make You Broke

  One of the biggest reasons people overspend is because they worry what other people think about the possessions a person may or may not have as well as the perceived quality of what a person does own. Or maybe they simply believe they are a better person if they have nicer things.  Many people believe their value as a person is measured by what car they drive, the size of their home or the name on the tag of their clothing.  Unfortunately, that perception will do nothing for you but make you broke. My son was giving my wife […] Read more »

Amazon Makes The Online Return Process Easy and Worry Free

Doing most of my Christmas shopping online was unbelievably convenient, but there was always one thing about the process that worried me. What would happen if something had to be returned? My mind would instantly create a scenario in which it was nightmarish, hard process which would take months to get my money returned. Fortunately, the process was simple and I got my money credited quicker than I would have imagined. I ordered from Amazon a ski jacket my son had picked out, as he wanted to go skiing with his friends. When the coat arrived it didn’t fit right. […] Read more »

The Case Of The Smelly Hotel Room, and 4 Steps to Resolve Any Issue

My wife is well known for ensuring that she gets what she pays for. When something doesn’t meet her standards, or someone doesn’t deliver as promised, she makes sure that compensation is received. I’ve heard her utter the phrase, “How are you going to make this right?” infinite times. We’ve received discounts off our bill at restaurants and hotels, or sometimes even a gift card for a future visit. Most of the time it’s for a minor inconvenience such as: Paying extra for a hotel room with a view, but the view is unspectacular Food cooked incorrectly Bad service Not […] Read more »

A Lawn Mower is NOT A Status Symbol

I was almost done mowing my lawn when I felt something pop loose, after which the handle of the mower was no longer attached to the frame on the left side. I shut off the mower and looked around on the ground, finding the metal peg that held the two pieces together. The peg on the opposite side was immovable, but the one that fell out had worn down enough such that it no longer fit snugly in the hole. Using a screw driver with a very long shaft, I hobbled along well enough to finish the lawn. I knew […] Read more »