"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
Life
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
Would You Accept a Car as a Gift? Asking for a Friend …
Hypothetically, let’s say you know a guy who owns a 2010 Prius. The car is mechanically reliable, fully paid off, and lightly used. Then one day, this hypothetical guy gets a phone call from his wife’s parents ... They want to buy him and their daughter a new car, free and clear, as a gift. This gift car would be larger than the Prius, have more modern and awesome features,
Is Brewing Your Own Beer Cheaper Than Buying? Yes, After 261 Beers!
I'd like to introduce you to Jeffery, my kegerator… I built Jeffery back in 2014. He cost about $1,500 in parts to make and is the cornerstone of my homebrew operation. I’ve been brewing my own beer, cider, and hard seltzer for about 7 years now, and while I still like sampling local craft beer and buying the odd case from the store, most of what I drink these days is
Merry Christmas! 10 Original Santa Jokes for You 😱 🎅🎄🤶
(Warning: We never said these jokes were any good...) How did Santa do on his performance review? ---> He absolutely sleighed it! And did the elves finish all their work projects on time? ---> Yep, they wrapped them all up quite nicely! What about the reindeer, they must be exhausted... ---> Yeah, they’ve been hoofing it all year. Did all the
Living a Stealth Wealth Lifestyle
A few years ago, I went into my local bank branch to do a wire transfer. I wrote my name on the check-in sheet and helped myself to a free cup of coffee in the waiting area. After a few minutes, a well-groomed young fellow in a suit and tie came over to greet me. As he reached to shake my hand, I noticed his eyes looking me up and down, studying my old t-shirt, dirty jeans,
