Evolving Personal Finance » choices
Do I Want a Camera or Subjects?
I’m “that person” in my group of friends – the one who always has a camera out, taking awkward candid photos. I estimate that I have tens of thousands of photos that I’ve taken with my two Canon point-and-shoots over the past 7 or 8 years. (But for all the flak my friends give me about annoyingly documenting everything, they frequently tell me how much they appreciate my efforts and several times have asked for … Read entire article »
Filed under: choices, spending, targeted savings
Rethinking Our Student Loan Repayment
I logged in to my Sallie Mae account recently – I check in on it 2-3 times per year just to make sure nothing has changed. My remaining loans are subsidized and in deferment so their balances should be completely static until I graduate and they come out of deferment. However, when I logged in this most recent time I noticed that the interest rate on three of my loans had dropped from 3.61% to … Read entire article »
Early Retirement Isn’t for Us
Before becoming immersed in the PF blogosphere, I never realized there was such a thing as truly early retirement. If you had said “early retirement” to me, I probably would have thought of retiring at 55 instead of 65. Similarly, I heard “financial independence” to mean independence from parents, not independence from work/active income! I just had no idea that anyone would want to stop their primary career/gainful employment in his 30s or 40s. Now I’m … Read entire article »
Filed under: choices
Attend Weddings But Don’t Go into Debt
Wedding season is upon us! I love marriage and I love attending weddings to spend time with and support our friends and family. That’s why I initially felt sympathy for Christopher Sledzik, the face that CNN put on its recent article on the rising cost of wedding attendance and the pressure friends and family feel to attend. Like Sledzik, we are also 27 and in the last three years have devoted all our vacation time … Read entire article »
Filed under: choices, credit cards, debt, marriage, savings, targeted savings, travel
Long-Distance Marriage: Meet the Couples
This is the first installment of our series on financially navigating a long-distance marriage. Please return on subsequent Wednesdays for the second, third, and fourth installments. Kyle and I are anticipating living apart next year for a year or so – he’ll start a postdoc in another city and I’ll finish up my PhD here in Durham. (For more details as to why, see my response to Lucas’s comment from last week.) Because I love thinking … Read entire article »
So Excited about Referrals!
Two people have used my referral link for Republic Wireless, which means if all goes well I’ll get a $38 credit to my account! You can tell what an advertising noob I am because I am way too excited about this. Like so excited that I had to write a post to deconstruct my feelings because they are totally weird. I don’t even know if the people who signed up with my link did so through … Read entire article »
Missteps on the Road to Value: Cell Phone Saga
Last summer, we were spending $99/month on one smartphone and one dumbphone and had a plan to upgrade to two smartphones while reducing expenses. However, through the winter we had hundreds of dollars of cell phone expenses in each month! This post covers: 1) What the heck happened!? and 2) How did we resolve it? If you’ve ever been frustrated or lied to by your cell carrier, you’ll want to add your story to ours! August I … Read entire article »
Filed under: choices
How to Tell If Your Means Are Just Not Enough
I write quite often on this blog about the virtue – nay, requirement – of living within your means. Even though I am earning a salary that many would consider laughable for my education and experience, I am determined not only to live within my means but give and save as well. I think everyone else should strive for this too – whatever your income, you shouldn’t be running up debt for your living expenses. However, … Read entire article »
Filed under: budgeting, choices, debt, frugality, grad school
How to Be an Exemplary Boomerang Kid
Last week I wrote about thoughtless boomerang kids, but not every young adult who lives with her parents post-college takes that not-so-grateful attitude. It is possible for the boomerang experience to be a positive one for both children and parents, but it takes preparation, intentionality, and consistent follow-through. (Of course, there are pockets within our society that have a social contract wherein it is expected that young adults will live with their parents until they get … Read entire article »
The Great Debate: 15-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgages
Another way to put the question is what is the better priority – paying off debt or building wealth? Do you pay attention to interest paid or cash flow? This debate can be perfectly summarized by two radio personalities/podcasters I listen to: Dave Ramsey vs. Ric Edelman. I like both of them in different ways but on the question of what kind of mortgage to get they are polar opposites. Ramsey permits the idea of a … Read entire article »
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