14
Jan
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 22 Comments
Several months ago we hit that frustratingly expensive time in a man’s hygenic cycle: it was time to buy razor blades. Ugh.
I’ve been using Gillette Fusion blades since they came out and the Mach 3s before that. Why? Because they sent me a free handle, unsolicited, when they first produced the dang things.
I think they came with one or two cartridges too. However, at $25 per refill package they had become a painful slice of the weekly budget. I was done. …continue reading
30
Dec
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 9 Comments
It is ironic that I was the one bolstered by my kids’ easy acceptance…
While I truly hope you all had as lovely a Christmas as I did, I cannot imagine that’s possible. My condolences.
It has been a stunningly wonderful holiday season. And not only was it all done with cash, we even paid down another thousand dollars of our debt.
At The Wife’s insistence we had a Christmas sinking fund and spent it on the kids; $100 each. That may not seem like much, but it was enough and generous grandparents from both sides of the aisle made for lots of love and plenty of presents to unwrap. …continue reading
13
Aug
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 6 Comments
[L]iving on a budget, on purpose, with spending limits and control over your impulses is not only mature, it saves you money
One of my favorite teachers in college was a creative genius. He taught us to shift our thinking, to “get out of the box” and be original. But he wasn’t the most pragmatic person when it came to the nuts and bolts of life.
This was a man who traded his car in and bought a new one because the headlight went out. I am not kidding.
Over the years The Wife and I have become a fairly competent man and woman. We do not balk at things like garbage disposals, international airport travel, or Los Angeles freeways. Table saws, sergers, and home electrical systems are old hat. …continue reading
4
May
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 6 Comments
At the end of the day goods and services of exceptional nature have exceptional value
An odd conversation sprung up last week that got me thinking about value versus miserness. The term “conversation” is probably incorrect as I stopped responding once I realized the other person was just out to pick a fight, but it made me question why I am so happy to pay for somethings and not for others.
All around us we are bombarded with very sophisticated marketing that gets us to spend our money — often times on things we could do well without. Sometimes, though, we seek out a service or goods that we want or need; i.e. something with intrinsic value to us and I am amazed when another person is simply unwilling to pay for it. The Entitlement Gene is evolving rapidly in our culture. …continue reading
25
Feb
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 3 Comments
A word I’ve heard a lot this week is “traction”. Man, do I want some! I had hoped the yard sale would provide it, but it proved to be more mentally important than a financial salvation.
Having a plan on paper feels good, but it’s hard to feel like we’re moving anywhere but backward right now
Our first goal is to save $1,000 for a baby emergency fund ($516 saved). Next is to pay off the $47k credit card debt.
Let me tell you: from this side of the field that looks like a long frickin road to me.
This evening I had the kids …continue reading
21
Feb
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 3 Comments
The quickest way we could think of to kick start the emergency fund was a garage sale and today was it!
Time for the safety-net that frees us up to chop the credit cards to little bits.
“What if the refrigerator goes out?”
“What if the car needs brakes?”
“What if …continue reading
Several months ago we hit that frustratingly expensive time in a man’s hygenic cycle: it was time to buy razor blades. Ugh.
