The New Year is a time of reflection for most people. We consider our successes and failures, and make plans for the future. Mr. Smith and I spent New Year’s Eve at home, because Tornado came down with the stomach flu (yes, another illness). I had already prepared a cannoli …
I heard today that Olive Garden in New York City is charging $400 a person on New Year’s Eve. Holiday parties can get expensive, but that is just ridiculous! We were invited to spend the evening with a few other families in our neighborhood. It will be a potluck style …
A belated Merry Christmas to everyone! We had a wonderful time celebrating the holiday with our family. I think we did a good job of balancing the fine line between being cheap and being frugal. This is quite an accomplishment with all of the pressure to spend, spend, spend this time …
This blog serves several purposes. First, it serves to document our journey to financial semi-independence. Secondly, it keeps us accountable to our goal to become debt free and build up assets to support our financial semi-independence. Finally, I had hoped to make some money with my writing. The blog certainly …
2015 will be ending very soon, but first, we have a chance to celebrate Christmas with our family and friends. For many, this time of year is stressful and rushed. Many of my coworkers ask about whether we’ve finished “our list.” It seems like the majority of people view the holiday …
I was injured in a car accident back in August. I chose not to write about it on this blog for a variety of reasons. However, my MRI results recently came back as showing a Tarlov cyst in my lower back and issues with several discs in my neck. As this …
Cyber Monday was just a few days ago, another “holiday” devoted to spending money on material possessions. I admit to scanning through some of the “great deals,” but the only ones that gave me pause were the video game systems. Mr. Smith wants one. He has always loved playing video games and …
It can be hard to convert loved ones to our new frugal ways. They are unable to truly adopt new priorities, without being ready to change their entire attitude regarding money. While we won’t be shopping, there is no talking down the rest of them. Black Friday and Cyber Monday, those “holidays” …
I haven’t posted a status update in a while, but it’s mostly because there is not too much to report. It’s not that we’ve stopped making progress; to the contrary, it seems like our financial state is improving every day. Persistence and small gains are the key to our continued progress.
My new hobby is crochet; I started with a baby blanket and have been hooked ever since. I’ve been working on a variety of gifts lately, but the thought has occurred to me that crochet could become my next side hustle. It would be perfect because I find it very …