I’ve been staring at the dirt circle in my backyard where our trampoline used to be for a couple of years now. I’ve been diligently killing anything that grew in the circle the entire time as the plan was to build a circular fire pit in that location. Finally, my wife and I decided this […]
Every year, the USDA updates the average cost of raising a child from birth to age 18. The latest figure is in line with recent years that you are likely to spend close to a quarter million dollars raising a child. Breaking down the latest average and the figure is actually $23,000 per year. Luckily, […]
Not all of us need a budget for cars. Not all of us need a budget for pets. Not all of us need a budget for haircuts even. But without a doubt, we all need a budget for clothing. We all know how to shrink our clothes, but what many of us don’t know how […]
Now that my son is 14 and getting ready for a driver’s permit, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about buying a car. (Yes, you read that right. In Idaho, you are eligible for a permit at 14 and a license at 15.) It’s a few years since I’ve bought a car; I tend to […]
I’ve never been one to budget every last cent, and I’ve never been on a spending diet. Most of the time, I’m content to make sure my goals are being met each month and then I spend whatever’s left. Lately, though, I’ve noticed my old habit of just buying something because I can is creeping […]
I’m an obsessive list maker. This obsession is usually an advantage because it helps me stay organized and remember things I need to do or buy. The sheer act of writing something down on a list helps me remember (since my memory is visually oriented) so that often I’m able to shop my list from […]
