Triple Play Formula For Inflating Your Nest Egg

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Ben Franklin wrote, “A penny saved is a penny earned”. Quite true, but another perspective might be that “A dollar saved, takes you three steps toward financial independence”.

Why is that? Here’s how I count the three ways: First, a dollar saved is a dollar you can spend tomorrow; second, it is a dollar that will grow and give you more dollars in the future; and third, by not spending on things you don’t really need, you keep your lifestyle cost one dollar less in the future. That’s it – three dollars for every one saved.

The last point assumes that our future lifestyle has some relationship with what we spend today.   Retirement experts suggest that we plan for 70-80% of our pre-retirement expenses in retirement.  More if you want to splurge on Continue reading “Triple Play Formula For Inflating Your Nest Egg”

Thrifty Thursday – Best Times Of The Year To Travel

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I recently wrote about our travel plans in early retirement and the advantages of traveling off-season.  A friend of mine said that the three best times to travel were in January/February, May, and September.  This is when rates may be as much as 20-30% cheaper than the times when most people can fit in trips between work & school schedules.

I thought it was good advice and it certainly proves out when you look at this chart from yourfirstvisit.net which Continue reading “Thrifty Thursday – Best Times Of The Year To Travel”

Thrifty Thursday – Free e-Magazines To Check Out

Here’s a great deal I found out before leaving on our recent vacation: through our local library, I can download dozens of magazines to my tablet without any cost.   We were leaving for our recent cruise and I looked into downloading a book onto my iPad.  That’s unusual for me, as I am more often reading magazines and newspapers than full books.  Short attention … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Free e-Magazines To Check Out

Thrifty Thursday – Apple Watch Bands

I’m excited to have put in a pre-order for the new Apple Watch.  Mr.FireStation is a bit of a gadget-guy, but even so, at $399 it is about 4x what I have ever paid for a watch of any sort.  I know people who wear the luxury brand watches that cost thousands of dollars, but I’ve always resisted shelling out that kind of money.  Until … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Apple Watch Bands

Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley RIP

  It is with true sadness that I read that Dr. Thomas Stanley, co-author of the Millionaire Next Door, was killed recently in an unfortunate car accident.  Reuters wrote that “Stanley was killed Saturday afternoon when a car slammed into his vehicle near his home in Marietta, Georgia.” Stanley researched the lives of American “high net worth individuals” – millionaires – and found that they … Continue reading Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley RIP

Four Simple Words That Saved Us $$$ Thousands

I’m not sure when my wife and I started using the expression.  I imagine we were shopping at the mall and trying to decide whether or not to splurge on something that might or not prove useful.  It started pretty innocently I’m sure, but quickly became a trusted decision rule that has saved us thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars over the years. … Continue reading Four Simple Words That Saved Us $$$ Thousands

Thrifty Thursday – Amazon Prime

I am a HUGE fan of Amazon Prime.  If you aren’t yet familiar with this service, you should definitely check out what it has to offer.  We have been members for about two years and it has saved us a lot of money and truly transformed the way we shop here at the FireStation.  It is one click shopping at its best. Amazon prime has … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Amazon Prime

Thrifty Thursday – Life Insurance Independence

When I first got married, my oldest brother gave me the advice to “over insure” yourself. It doesn’t cost that much and makes sure you have a good night’s sleep knowing that if you don’t wake up, no one has been left in a vulnerable place. Since I’m the key breadwinner in our family, I’ve always taken that advice seriously – but no longer. Two … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Life Insurance Independence

Thrifty Thursday – Outrageous Fees

My son goes to a parochial high school and we recently got a notice to sign him up for the next school year. The website & billing service that the school uses has pages questions at the start of the year for us to fill out in addition to the basic student name, address, and grade level. The website also asks about billing preferences – … Continue reading Thrifty Thursday – Outrageous Fees