Evolving Personal Finance

February 2014 Month in Review: Money

March 7th, 2014 | 16 Comments

This was one of those rare months where we were way over budget and were in the red at the end of the month. We had a crazy high power bill because of the unusually cold weather and we made a really stupid mistake that took a pretty penny to clean up. We came in under budget with our groceries, which almost never happens, but that doesn’t help us because we save the differential. The Everyday … Read entire article »

Filed under: month in review

It’s Nice When Money Can Fix Your Problems

March 5th, 2014 | 32 Comments

Kyle and I did something supremely boneheaded last month that cost us a pretty penny – yes, you will be reading about it on Friday in my monthly budget review. To lay the scene, every year Kyle and I share tickets to our university’s men’s basketball team’s home games with a group of students in Kyle’s program. We camp out together for 36 hours to enter a lottery to win season tickets and then we split … Read entire article »

Filed under: mistakes

What’s So Great About High Cost-of-Living Areas?

March 3rd, 2014 | 72 Comments

When I stepped out into the southern California sunshine on the first morning of our recent trip, I exclaimed to Kyle, “How are we not living here?!” I repeated this phrase multiple times throughout our long weekend in Los Angeles. All I wanted to do was spend time outside, which thankfully we were able to do for much of Friday and Saturday. The weather was beyond gorgeous, particularly warm and sunny for February, and a … Read entire article »

Filed under: choices, family, goals, housing, luxuries

Favorite Posts, Mentions, and Top Comments Weeks of 16 and 23 February 2014

March 2nd, 2014 | 2 Comments

Sorry for skipping out on this update last week! I was busier than I expected to be during our weekend trip to CA last week, even though I was waking up a couple hours before the rest of the household. To make up for it, this week’s post is for the last two weeks. You guys can help me out by checking out a website we launched this weekend. My project on internships and other experiences has advanced and my group now has a website up with testimonials from PhD students who have had career-advancing experiences (the testimonials are in a Prezi – it’s pretty cool if you’ve never seen this type of presentation). Would you please 1) visit the site, 2) leave honest feedback, and 3) submit a testimonial of … Read entire article »

Filed under: weekly update

Mini-Vacation Financials: Wedding in Los Angeles

February 28th, 2014 | 21 Comments

Kyle and I attended the wedding of a college friend in Los Angeles last weekend. We hadn’t been to LA, Kyle’s childhood home and where we attended college, in 10 months! 10 months! Earlier in grad school it seemed we were flying out there 2-3 times per year for weddings and holidays. But the first wave of weddings in our life seems to be over and we were with my family for last Christmas so … Read entire article »

Filed under: travel

The Danger of Side Hustle Income

February 26th, 2014 | 40 Comments

If you’ve spent any time in the PF blogosphere, you’ve picked up on our preoccupation with bringing in extra income through “side hustles.” Even Kyle and I, who aren’t allowed outside jobs, have found ourselves swept into this mania. I now refer to Kyle’s almost-volunteer super-part-time weekend job running the sound board during some services at our church as a side hustle. Certainly the bit of money we bring in through this blog can be … Read entire article »

Filed under: books, income, lifestyle creep, psychology

Moto X from Republic Wireless Review

February 24th, 2014 | 31 Comments

I received my Moto X over a month ago so I thought it was high time to tell you what I think of the hardware and to review Republic Wireless’s new service options. I signed up with Republic Wireless almost two years ago and got my first phone with them over a year ago, so I am very familiar with the service. Until last month, I used the Motorola Defy XT, but in January I upgraded … Read entire article »

Filed under: frugality

Blog Update January – February 2014

February 21st, 2014 | 8 Comments

This month I maintained the progress I made last month in terms of traffic, but the visitors were buoyed by the three posts I shared on my personal FB page. Apparently people in my life are very interested in effective frugal measures! FinCon14 early bird tickets went on sale this month and I BOUGHT MINE! (The financial details will be in next month’s report because I did it after February 15.) I’m committed to paying for … Read entire article »

Filed under: blogging, month in review

Financial Tweaks for Our New Year

February 19th, 2014 | 17 Comments

Kyle and I have been so busy with work in the past few months that we have really left our money management on autopilot. I haven’t even played with spending scenarios recently, as I love to do! But even without me looking for issues to tweak, three areas of our budget have popped up with some needed updates. Take-Home Pay Increase We noticed that the take-home pay we received at the end of in January was slightly … Read entire article »

Filed under: budgeting, food, savings, spending, targeted savings, taxes

Would You Fly with Spirit Airlines?

February 17th, 2014 | 30 Comments

Spirit Airlines is a discount airline that keeps its base prices low by providing only a ride from A to B and charging a la carte for every other service provided. Most of what I hear about Sprit Airlines in the media or in the blogosphere is that they are pulling a terrible bait-and-switch on their customers by luring them in with low base prices and then charging for all the services most airlines include … Read entire article »

Filed under: frugality, travel