Blog

Blog

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

Travel hacking to get the whirlpool suite in a sold-out hotel

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  I like to play the travel hacking game. I suspect you likely do too, considering this post is one of the most frequently-viewed pages on this site. I play the game a bit differently from many other people though. … Read More … Read More

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The true stars of the Seattle to Portland bike ride

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  I took part in the Seattle to Portland bike ride this past weekend. The temptation right now is to talk about how you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. That no matter the obstacles, you can do … Read More … Read More

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In praise of dumbphones

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  I am one of the only people I know who doesn’t have a smartphone. I’m not bragging about this. I just have decided that at this point, it’s not something I want in my life. I’m not suggesting you … Read More … Read More

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On being remarkable (or World Domination Summit 2013)

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  How do we live a remarkable life in a conventional world? So goes the tagline and the refrain for the World Domination Summit, a curiously-named conference organized by Chris Guillebeau and located in my home town. … Read More

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A conversation about debt

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(My friend Saul of Hearts recently posted an article about his experiences with leveraging debt. As I thought it was an interesting take on a subject that I have some strong feelings about, we talked about me writing a response … Read More … Read More

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Why keeping a budget is just like getting a raise

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  I want you to keep track of what you earn and spend. But why? Is it a deep-seated need to assign homework? No way. Do I want you to become obsessed with your budget and spend hours and hours … Read More … Read More

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Why Charles Dickens’ Micawber was only half right

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  I will rarely quote Charles Dickens, but here’s a great quote from David Copperfield by the character Wilkins Micawber: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty … Read More … Read More

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Your work may not be original, but that’s not the point

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  For those who haven’t read the post about Ze Frank, go watch this video. Go ahead, I’ll wait. A terrible place between zero and one I confess I watched this video with a strange mixture of excitement, amazement, and … Read More … Read More

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Honorary Ex-Velleitier: Ze Frank

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  I don’t usually (well actually ever) embed YouTube videos, but I’m going to make an exception here. So please watch this, it’s only 181 seconds long: … Read More

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Assume you will return

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  I’ve been helping to plan some travels for someone else recently, a nice change for me given how often people talk about how they aren’t able to travel. We’re going through all the usual decisions, but knowing that there … Read More … Read More

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