Living for today - Planning for Tomorrow
My brother in law and I had a good conversation about money today while we were all visiting at my mom’s house. For those few readers that have been reading ELYM for awhile, you’ll remember that my mom and dad had a massive fire at their house back in December and then my father passed away two weeks later (from a heart attack). Anyway, my
I’ve often found myself trying to decide whether to buy a cheap item that might not last very long or spend a little more and get what I perceive to be better quality. I can’t tell you how many things I’ve purchased over the years that were at the bottom of the price/quality scale. Some of those items have quickly found themselves in the garbage can
I remember back when I was 18 years old. I was convinced I wanted to buy a nice car that required a car loan. The only problem with my idea was that I was 18 and had no credit (and really shouldn’t have been buying a car at the time). Since I knew no reputable bank would give me a loan for a car unless
Lately, as my job has been really stressful and I’m frankly not all that happy with it, I’ve been thinking about throwing in the towel and moving out to the lake house once it’s done. (My wife would love to do this) In a sense, we’d be checking out of the rat race we are in to find new opportunities and a slower pace. Of
It’s already been a very busy spring and summer for us here. We’ve got lots of things going on although the lake house is definitely taking most of our time. Our net worth has continued increasing at a relatively good pace. While I’m not posting too many specifics anymore I still like to list some of the more general percentages. Overall annual increase: 33% Month
We’ve had a relatively quiet couple months when it comes to spending money. Yeah, we went to Disneyland but that was generously covered by my aunt. Basically, our lake house project has been at a standstill while other priorities were addressed. (namely, getting my mother’s house rebuilt from the fire). Anyway, I’m heading out to start some work on it tomorrow. I plan to spend
Here’s a really neat poster that shows our government budget. You can click “shift” to zoom in and also use the drop down to choose a particular agency. I actually wouldn’t mind having one of these posters, although I’m probably too cheap to spend $28.95 on it.
I have to tell you right up front. The following article makes me sick. I am so tired of the American way of measuring the success of a special day based on how much money is spent on it. I’ve long since been disgusted with the mass hemmorhaging of money during the Christmas season. I think we’ve long since lost sight of the true meaning
Thanks to Nickel for pointing out that Maxed Out has been released on DVD. This is the next movie I’m watching. Here is the trailer for the movie: Here is a 10 minute interview with James Scurlock (Creator of Maxed Out):
Wouldn’t you know it. I stick my neck out a bit and buy this second home. Further, I sink every nickel I’m making in to finishing the place. Then drama starts at work. I’ve been with my company for 6 years and was able to ride out post 9/11 while thousands and thousands of people got laid off. I’ve always been a high performer and shouldn’t have