Evolving Personal Finance » Archive
What Do You Consider a Good Salary?
I went to a career-type workshop this week and the guest speaker was a man who had earned a PhD in engineering and an MBA within the last few years and is now working in the private sector. It was a great talk because he was able to compare for us the daily life of a person working in several different types of private sector jobs that are typical for PhDs to transition into (start-ups, … Read entire article »
Filed under: income
Have You Ever Canceled a Flight?
Last week one of my relatives told me that he was considering canceling a flight within 12 hours before take-off – a flight that had been purchased only a week or two before. I know that this relative has bought and canceled flights several times in the past as his whims change – and these flights are not purchased with credit card rewards but with real money. I was very surprised he was considering doing … Read entire article »
Filed under: travel
Weekly Update 23
Phew! We have had a busy week! We were in Chicago through Wednesday visiting friends and sight-seeing. I’ll put up a post about the expenses we incurred on that vacation as soon as I crunch the numbers and compare them with our estimates. We were so exhausted that instead of going into the city on our last day we just slept all day – now that’s a vacation! When we got back to Durham we had to … Read entire article »
Filed under: weekly update
One-Car Lifestyle Update
Kyle and I have been sharing one car for about four months now and I think it’s high time to give you an update in how that decision has impacted us. Financially, we’re not not-spending nearly as much money as we projected. Relationally, sharing a car has enhanced our marriage. Logistically, going down to one car hasn’t been much of a challenge, but at times it has caused stress. Financially I projected that we would not-spend a little less than … Read entire article »
Filed under: cars
Vacations: This or That?
This vacation has turned out a bit different than we had expected or what we usually experience. We’ve switched up some of our usual preferences and I’d like to hear from you where yours fall. Do you prefer: Hotels, couch-surfing, or something in-between like hostels or AirBnB? Driving or flying? Cabs or public transportation? Eating out or brown-bagging? The cheapest admission or the deluxe package? A package deal or a-la-carte? Overdressing or underdressing? Here are my answers, largely influenced by our experiences in the … Read entire article »
Filed under: choices
June 2012 Month in Review: Money
We had a very busy month with financially-related decisions to be made! Not all of them were made though – actually, none of them. We just spent a lot of time agonizing. We tried to plan the trip to Chicago that we’re on now and didn’t get very far. We’re probably going to decide on our activities day-by-day, though we have a general idea of what we want to do and what it will cost. We … Read entire article »
Filed under: month in review
Weekly Update 22
Kyle and I are in Chicago! We left on Friday and are returning home on Wednesday. I think posting will go as usual but I won’t be responsive to comments or commenting on other blogs until we get back. I have enjoyed reading all your comments, particularly on my thoughts on my “class,” and I’ll respond to them as soon as I find some time. We are unusually unprepared for this vacation because of all the car-repairing and apartment-hunting we’ve done in the last couple weeks, so we’re kind of flying by the seat of our pants day-by-day. I’ll share the trip with you more fully (including the $$, of course) a bit after we return. Posts I Liked Get Rich Slowly featured an audition piece that generated a lot of vehement comments that … Read entire article »
Filed under: weekly update
Does Your Class Match Your Income?
My thoughts today might turn out to be offensive to some of my readers. I don’t intend them that way and I don’t have any specific people in mind. I’m just reflecting on my own experiences, observations, stereotypes, and biases. And I haven’t done much research for this either, so it’s certainly possible that you’ll disagree with my assertions. In the process of looking for apartments, Kyle and I toured one complex that isn’t as nice … Read entire article »
Filed under: housing, personal, psychology
Average Clothes Spending and Pattern
Two weeks ago Marketplace did a short segment on clothes-buying habits and amounts from Elizabeth Cline’s book, Overdressed. I was surprised by what they reported so I’ll share their numbers and observations here along with how they compare to our buying patterns, as determined from Mint. Average Spending Level Americans spend an average of $1,100 per person on clothes each year. We spent way, way less than that on clothes and shoes in the last year – … Read entire article »
Searching for a New Home
A few weeks ago we received the alarming news that our leasing office is raising our rent from $1005 to $1065 per month. Five years ago, when Kyle first moved in, the rent was closer to $900 per month and last year, the increase was only $5 per month, so overall they have been moderate until this year. While we are extremely happy with our apartment and will attempt to negotiate this increase, we decided … Read entire article »
Filed under: housing
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