Have you ever looked back and thought, “If I didn’t make that dumb-ass financial mistake years ago, I would have had XXX more money right now!! What was I thinking!?” 🤦♂️ I came to a similar realization recently… If I’d never left my sales job a few years ago, there’s a fair chance my wife and I would have reached FI this year. 🤯 Crazy!
Life
Money Lessons Learned While Traveling Around the World
I asked our tour guide, “What’s the difference between people in the South and people in the North?” My wife and I were traveling through Vietnam on a small boat somewhere in the Meekong Delta. Our tour guide was a young local guy, raised in Northern Vietnam but moved to the South because he liked the people and lifestyle there better. I’ll never forget his answer to my
We Buried Treasure in the Australian Outback 7 Years Ago
Happy Friday, everyone! Today’s story isn’t really about personal finance ... But, it does involve finding hidden treasure! 💎👑💍!! And it could also be a cheap-ish adventure of a lifetime that you can plan for your kids! (Or in my case -- future kids!) The story starts about 30 years ago, back when my friend was ~10 years old… The Backstory ... My
I found 3 cents on the ground. Woohoo!
I ran into the store the other day to grab some propane for camping ... sadly, they were all sold out. BUT … on the way out of the store I noticed 3 shiny new pennies on the ground! Woohoo! I love finding free money!! It’s not every day that you leave the store with more money than what you walked in with. When I got back to the car, my wife was wondering why I had no
The Unknown Monk
"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize
There’s no such thing as a free cruise… Or is there?
About 10 years ago, my wife ran into the room and yelled, “Babe! I won a free cruise! All we need to do is take a phone survey and we get to go on a free cruise!” Bless my wife. She’s gullible. It’s one of her many adorable qualities (and also probably the reason she married a fool like me.) I hated to burst her bubble, but I said something like … “There’s no such thing
Top 5 Regrets of the Dying and Adjusting Life Accordingly
Two or three years ago I stumbled across an article that changed my life. Maybe you’ve seen it or read the book; it’s called The Top Five Regrets of The Dying, by Bonnie Ware. Bonnie was a caregiver for many years, who looked after terminally ill patients. She spent a lot of one-on-one time with dying people and helped them deal with emotions, reflections, and making peace
$11.20 to Fly to Hawaii and Other Vacation Hacks
Happy Aloha Friday, everyone! Earlier this month my wife and I got back from a 10 day Hawaii trip, and I’m just sitting down to tally up all the travel expenses. This being a personal finance blog and all, I thought I’d share the numbers and costs. It’s not like we’re extreme frugal travelers or anything, but we’re also not big spenders. We found a few ways to cut corners
Volunteering Sucks. But It’s Also Kind of Awesome.
Happy Friday, lovely people! Today I’m going to talk to you about volunteering and how awesome it is. And by awesome, I really mean ... Inconvenient, thankless, frustrating, gritty, and a total pain in the ass! (But then somehow if you grit through all of this, that’s when the awesome and wickedly satisfying bits come in 😀.) I’ve been volunteering for
How I Went Mining and Made My Wife’s Unique Engagement Ring (The Best $1,390 I’ve Ever Spent)
Inside: See how one guy used a bit of creativity and elbow grease to create a one-of-a-kind Montana sapphire engagement ring. Last year we did a post about engagement rings and held a few competitions for the cheapest ring, the most expensive, the oldest ring, and funny marriage proposal stories! (winners were announced here) I also promised to share the story about my
