Among the financial tasks I never seem to get to dealing with is a fun one: spending gift cards that I’ve thoughtfully been given. I heard on the news the other day that half of Americans have unspent gift cards at home – averaging $116. I’m part of that group, although I would guess I have more $$$ tied up than the average. Many of … Continue reading Gift Card Procrastination
If you are like me, you have seen first-hand the struggle many businesses – especially restaurants – are having hiring enough employees right now. An acquaintance who owns a prestigious restaurant company in our metro area said they are so short-handed, they are running at only 50% capacity. As a result, I’ve been tipping extra since the pandemic began last year. I like restaurants and … Continue reading Eating Out & Tipping Trends
I am SO looking forward to watching the Summer Olympic Games over the next few weeks. I’m such an Olympic fanboy, I once told my boss I would work for free if we could explore a MegaCorp Olympic Sponsorship. He passed, and I quit. I’ve been retired 5 years now and this is only the third Olympics since my FIRE escape. Related: Four Years Is … Continue reading Summer Olympic Games
For someone that writes a personal finance blog and loves driving, you would think I would be more attuned to gasoline prices than I am. My wife can always tell you what the current gas prices are, but I seldom even notice how much I’ve paid to fill the tank. If you also haven’t been paying attention, gas prices are up almost a full dollar … Continue reading Concerned About Gas Prices Yet?
I spent a fair amount of time trying to decide what color Jeep that I should get last month. I looked online, posted a question in a couple Jeep forums, and talked to friends & family about what they liked best. I couldn’t initially decide between ‘Granite Grey’, ‘Sarge Green’, or ‘Snazzberry Red’ – the latter of which I finally went for. In the end, … Continue reading Which Vehicle Colors Are More Desirable?
I am so old, I can remember the day that Dow Jones Industrial Average permanently broke the milestone value of 1,000. It was in December 1982 – when I was still in high school. I was enough of a business & investing geek even then to recall reading about it in the newspaper. Now, with the DJIA pushing almost 35x that landmark, I’m astounded to … Continue reading Stock Market Volatility
Anyone that has tried to make a major purchase recently – a home, remodel, new vehicle, or electronic purchase – knows how tight supply is for everything after the pandemic. At the same time, investors are wringing their hands over rising inflation. With that in mind, I was surprised to see this JP Morgan chart on the US personal savings rate. People are doing a … Continue reading Sudden Savings Surprise
My son and I spent Independence Day weekend in the All-American city of Las Vegas. We are on our 30+ hour road trip from MN to California where he is going to work remotely for a few months. I love almost everything about Vegas except the gambling. I’ve never had the gambling bug, but we couldn’t miss the fun since we were in Sin City. … Continue reading What Are The Odds?
If all goes well, before I get to bed tomorrow night, I will be capping a long-time goal of mine: to visit all 50 states in the USA. I’m accompanying my son on a 30+ hour drive to California and swinging by Idaho on Friday to check the box on my last state. It will be a patriotic highlight of Independence Day weekend! 🇺🇸 Reaching … Continue reading 50 States Achieved
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