We recently returned from our big overseas trip of the year and I was amazed by the growing scale of ‘Duty Free Shopping’ in the Tel Aviv airport we returned from. In the enormous, circular airport concourse – big enough to hold a World Cup football game, it would seem – there were some of the biggest ‘Duty Free’ stores I had ever seen. They … Continue reading Duty Free Shopping Deals?
One of the most delightful cities we’ve visited in the last 10 years is York, England. Most Americans never set foot too far out of London or Edinburgh when they visit the UK, but multi-layered historical York is a treasure not to be missed. We stayed there for three days on an autumn trip last year. Here are SEVEN great things to see in & … Continue reading FIRE Travel – Delightful York, England
We had the pleasure to go to the Paul Simon concert last month when his tour came through our city. We like to go to concerts and have gone out to a lot more since we stopped working two years ago. It’s amazing how many acts are touring now a days. Like many musicians of his era, this tour was themed as Simon’s “Farewell Tour”. … Continue reading Still Working After All These Years?
A common question I get in early retirement is “what do you do all day?” or “what is your daily schedule?” People wonder how much of regular routine I have – especially what time I get up. I have to admit that after two years on this FIRE lifestyle adventure, I still really haven’t developed much of a daily routine. SLEEP SCHEDULE – I try … Continue reading Daily Schedule in Early Retirement?
You would think the last thing an early retiree might need is time saving technology. After all, if I don’t have the time to get things done, who would? That said, I’ve recently fallen in love with the convenience of restaurant ordering apps. I’ve always had one for ordering pizza, but in the last week, I’ve added four more to my phone: Five Guys, Chipotle, … Continue reading Speedy Service or Expensive Convenience?
How far should you go to save $1,000? How about almost twice that amount? For us, the answer is at least 2,130 miles, or 30.5 hours of driving. That’s how far my son and I are currently going to pick up the SUV that I bought. We live in Minnesota, and yesterday we drove through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and into Asheville, North Carolina. … Continue reading How Far Would You Go To Save $1,000?
Since we are coming up on the end of June – the mid-point of the calendar year – that makes it a good time to look at market performance and see how our portfolio is performing so far in 2018. In short, it has cooled off significantly from last year, although that’s to be expected given the blazing returns posted in 2017 when the S&P … Continue reading Mid-Year Market Musings
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
We went to dinner at a local taco fast food place recently and they had me sign for my credit card on an iPad – the kind that many small businesses use nowadays. Prior to signing however, there was a screen where you could select a tip amount to add to the bill – $0, 10%, 15%, 20%, or more. The counter-service employee pretends to … Continue reading Are We Becoming A Nation Of Beggars?
My friend Russ posted this profound and entertaining mock graduation speech on LinkedIn last week. I hadn’t seen it before – although it has appeared it many popular forms over the last twenty years. Originally a Chicago Tribune column by Mary Schmich from June 1, 1997, the advice to new graduates quickly became a sensation. First shared virally through email, the column was made into … Continue reading Graduation & Life Advice “Wear Sunscreen”
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