A few years ago, returning from a trip to Scotland, we found that we paid a substantial premium on some Scotch we bought there. Instead of getting a bargain for buying it at the distillery and bringing it all the way back to the US, we paid about 40% more the experience. So, on our recent cruise in the Caribbean, we decided we would to … Continue reading Booze Cruise Bargains?
We’re Sam’s Club members and just before Thanksgiving, I stopped in to quickly return something. I was glad I hadn’t bought anything that day, because the line to get OUT of the store was an incredible sixteen carts long. Both Sam’s and Costco require customers exiting to have their receipts checked by store employees by the door. I always felt that this practice was ineffective … Continue reading Warehouse Club Time Wasters & Lies
Are you saving enough? It’s the most basic of questions. Yet, I’m always so disappointed when I see an article showing how low the US savings rate is. A recent study by Fidelity showed that the average American is saving about 8.5% of their after-tax income – including the value of any employer matches. Even though 8.5% savings is far less than is typically suggested … Continue reading Savings Rates & Reaching FIRE
It’s been almost a year since I published this POST about shopping for our next SUV and our “7 rules” to maximize our purchase. Just today, I am finally signing the papers on our next set of wheels. After a few stops & starts, I finally got serious about finding our next SUV last month when we had a $2.8K breakdown. I had kept putting … Continue reading Car Shopping – Patience Pays
This past week, I had the chance to host a table at a ‘New Alumni Breakfast’ with 170 graduating seniors at the same high school I graduated from back in the 1980s. My son also graduated from there a couple years ago and I got asked to be involved in the Alumni Association when I stopped working. One of the ‘table questions’ the students were … Continue reading FIRE Advice for New Graduates
I’ve written several times about luxury cars being a guilty pleasure of ours. I’ve also written about my aversion to subscription-based payment schemes. So why am I so delighted with our monthly car wash subscription at the local gas station? Our monthly car wash subscription costs $30. That’s the equivalent of 2.7 ‘Works’ washes at our local station. $12 for each car wash seems ridiculously … Continue reading Taken To The Cleaners With Car Washes?
A friend of mine’s daughter got married last summer and I was shocked to hear that the wedding was costing $35,000. It turns out that is close to the average cost of a wedding in 2016 according to a website called, TheKnot.com. I don’t remember how much our wedding cost 28 years ago, but while it was a beautiful day, we certainly didn’t break the … Continue reading Financial Analysis: How Many Years of Work Does A Wedding Cost?
