For those of you that would love to have a Snuggie for Christmas but just don’t feel like parting with the $13, I’ve got a hot tip for you: Take any old fleece robe that you have in your closet and put in on backwards. Presto! It’s a homemade Snuggie. Happy Thanksgiving!
Ahhh, The Season of Buying STUFF Has Arrived
As the holiday season begins, I find myself feeling very thankful for a number of things. First off, I’m very, very thankful for my wonderful wife and amazing daughter. I’m also thankful that we have a roof over our heads, food on our table, and jobs to keep us humming along. I think this season feels much more real in terms of truly understanding what
Nicolas Cage Should Read Personal Finance Blogs
I’ve been lightly following Nicolas Cage’s money problems over the last few months. It’s always a little bit surprising to see someone who has clearly made many millions over his lifetime deal with such large financial problems that he’s forced to sell many of his assets. When you look at the assets that he has acquired, it starts to become pretty clear why he’s in
ELYM Update – Swine Flu Edition
I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I’ve been very busy at work making sure that I keep my spot on the competitive “large institution” roster. There has been a ton going on at work and it’s only going to get crazier as we end the year. On the home front things are smelling rather porkish. We knew it was only a matter of
Our Frugal Friends use a Mac
I was talking to a frugal friend of ours a couple days ago and the subject turned to computers. I was shocked to learn that they had a Mac in their house as opposed to a PC. The reason I was shocked was because this family is VERY frugal. They live in a very modest house, carry no debt and minimize their spending more than
They Don’t Call it “Personal” Finance for Nothing
I had a fascinating conversation with a friend of mine today. Okay, maybe not fascinating but I always enjoy talking to others about personal finances and this friend of mine, who we’ll call “Billâ€, is never shy when it comes to sharing his financial situation. Between he and his wife I’d estimate that they make about $175,000 a year. You’d think that would mean they
Are You a Millionaire or a Debtonaire?
Sorry for the lack of posts over the last week or so. I just got back from a business trip in Southern California. I spent a week down there working 11 hour days locked up in a conference room. The days were long but rewarding. As it happened, the conference room we were using all week was the executive board room. I’m far from an
The Neverending Battle of Leaking Money
These days it seems like everything costs “Just $10 a month”. You can have a subscription to just about anything these days. While $10 a month doesn’t seem like much, over time it really adds up. When you add up all the little costs each month and then multiply that times 12, it can be significant. I don’t think a lot of people realize how
Our Frugal Friend is Happy and Very Wealthy But is it Balanced?
Over the last couple of years we’ve developed a friendship with an older man that owns a number of homes out near our lake house. He is retired and lives off of rental income from approximately 15-20 rental homes he owns. Fred still owns every house he’s ever purchased. The majority of these rentals are in Seattle and most are in lower income neighborhoods where
Considering a Snow Bird Investment Property
Most of the time I feel fortunate to live in the Seattle area in the Pacific Northwest. The one time that I don’t appreciate the Seattle area is during the drab months of winter and early Spring. This year seems to have been particularly dark, rainy and gloomy. I was hoping that my quick trip to Las Vegas would feed my body’s need for sun