Blog

Blog

Musings on personal finance and more. Not written with AI since 2012.

How financial stability (might have) led me to become vegetarian

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For much of my life, I was a dedicated “whatever-ivore”. I ate meat, because I ate everything. I wasn’t one of those people who ate bugs and the like, but it was part of my identity that restricting my food … Read More … Read More

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How your decisions change when you have more money

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In New York City, you can take a helicopter to the airport. It runs about $200, and takes you five minutes. There are a few different ways you can respond to this particular factoid. For many/most people: “That is absolutely … Read More … Read More

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Your feelings when you learn about other people’s financial decisions

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There is a risk when you share specific financial numbers: other people may feel either envy or disdain. Some people will see a budget of $40 a day for food for two people and say, “Must be nice. That’s how … Read More … Read More

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Real numbers: Budgeting for a weekend away

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Repeat after me: track or you will fail. It doesn’t matter if it’s money, or fitness, or watering your plants, if there is something you want to accomplish and it takes more than a single step to get there, you … Read More … Read More

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Why you waste energy trying to save on things that don’t matter

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Have you ever spent five minutes in the grocery store trying to decide between the organic and non-organic item? Have you ever stood outside of Starbucks asking yourself if you could rationalize spending money on a coffee? Have you ever … Read More … Read More

The weirdness of checks

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I was recently in a food hall, one of those ones compiled by a real estate development company to give the illusion of a grass-roots, DIY, small-business-friendly establishment. Anyway, one of the more “hip” stalls had a sign by the … Read More … Read More

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The bridge: What you need when you retire early

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One of my life’s goals is to become financially independent. This means that I won’t need to rely on work to earn an income. (Yeah, it would be nice if we as a society could move to something approximating universal … Read More … Read More

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Book review: Everyday Millionaires

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I review the book “Everyday Millionaires” by Chris Hogan and its fundamental question: can anyone truly become a millionaire? The word “millionaire” has a lot of emotional meaning. It carries the weight of financial success, even if it doesn’t necessarily … Read More

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What happens when you don’t track your spending on vacation

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I love traveling. I love seeing new places, or even old places with a new eye. And vacations, those limited periods of time when we uproot our normal routines, are most often when we experience travel. While vacations are salutary, … Read More … Read More

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When to create a savings bucket

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A bucket is my term for a savings account, used for either one-time or ongoing purchases. It’s certainly not a standard financial term. I don’t see it used much on personal finance sites. But the analogy should be clear enough. … Read More … Read More

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