July is the month of the Summer movie blockbuster and we’re off to our third movie premiere weekend in the last month. I went to the F1 Movie in June on opening weekend, saw Superman two weeks ago, and are now going to the Fantastic Four. Still, like most Americans, we are no where near the number of movie theater visits we were making before … Continue reading Movie Theaters Return?
We’ve been trying to sell our rental townhouse for the last 3+ months with no avail. The housing market, which is now being called “the worst in decades” – has dropped precipitously under the weight of high prices, high interest rates, and low wage growth. In the last 3+ months, we’ve dropped our price three times, re-carpeted, and re-painted the unit – but nothing seemed … Continue reading Free At Last …
I continue to be a bit obsessed with learning about air conditioning, since our central air unit went out in our vacation place in Florida last week. We’re back home in Minnesota now, and have had a few hot days here, too. Our air conditioning is happily chugging along, set at about 72° – day and night. I know people who keep it much warmer … Continue reading Air Conditioning & Energy Costs
The country is in peak summer right now and I’ve never been more thankful for central air conditioning. Except … when it’s not working. I spent the last 4 days at our condo in the Sunshine State and it was HOT & STEAMY. How hot? This was Thursday & Friday … mid 90° temperatures with humidity taking the “feels like” to 120° …! On tropical … Continue reading Peak Summer & Air Conditioning
I’m down in steamy Florida right now, spending the weekend at our vacation place down here. Like most newer developments in Florida, there are a fair number of golf carts on the road, but I don’t think we’re going to invest in one. First, our town of Celebration isn’t really a “retirement village”. There are a decent number of retirees, but the demographics of … Continue reading Golf Carting Around …
I recently saw an interesting thread that discussed “How Can You Tell Someone Is Rich?” That is, what are the signs that someone has money, even if you just met them? It caught my attention because high on the list was “they retired from work in their 40s”. Here are some of the responses that people said suggest someone is rich … In general, these … Continue reading Signs Someone is Rich …
Happy Independence Day Weekend! We’ll be up at my brother’s lake place this weekend, so I thought I’d shoot out an early post before the festivities begin. While we’re out enjoying brats on the grill, boats on the water, and fireworks in the sky, our Congress will be wrestling with getting a reconciled budget passed in Washington DC. I’m sure the fact that it is … Continue reading Happy InDEBTpendence Day …
I had a chance to visit a former MegaCorp colleague at his company’s snazzy HQ in downtown Minneapolis today. He works at the Midwest’s favorite protein snack company, Jack Link’s. What an amazing workplace! Attached to the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves arena, Target Center, the company’s offices are in the middle of Minneapolis. Architecturally designed in 2018, the beautiful space feels like a high-end hotel lounge … Continue reading Workplaces Transformed
We’re a couple weeks into Glorious Summer and I’m already feeling worn out! It’s been a busy week with friends, family, lunches, sports, and other activities. It’s Friday morning and I just told my wife that I’m taking the day off. Before we get into the business of the weekend (with very nice looking weather), it’s time to take a break! I used to keep … Continue reading Need My Day Off …
When I started this blog back in 2015, the concept of FIRE – Financially Independent & Retired Early – was relatively new. Over a decade later, perhaps the bloom is off the flame. Someone recently asked AI ChatGPT to “roast the FIRE movement” and the perceptions are pretty cutting. Since AI basically scrapes data from across the internet and presents it back in an organized … Continue reading Bloom Is Off The FIRE Flame?
MrFireStation 