If you’ve read part of my story on this blog, you probably know that I like used cars, hate debt, and absolutely love to travel. To me, these three items all build on each other. For instance, ever since we got married, my wife and I have always paid for our used cars with cash. This has helped us to get rid of all of our consumer debt and most of our mortgage debt. It has also allowed us to travel more than we would have if we were in a lot of debt. This has created a perpetuating cycle. Buying used cars helps us to get out of debt.…
-
-
A Simple Way to do Disney World for Less
One of the things that I love the most about travel is that incredible moments can occur. On our trip this past summer to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, I kayaked to an undiscovered island, walked down a deserted beach with my family, was surprised with a cake for my 40th birthday, and completed a strenuous workout running up and down a long hill. Each of these was a moment that I will remember forever. Another cool thing at Beaver Island was just watching the sun go down! Of course, along with the incredible moments that occur, we are also faced with some lows. On the same trip, we woke…
-
You’ve Already Done the Toughest Part
They say that saving your first $100,000 is the toughest. Or saving your first $1,000,000. Or your first $10,000,000. Or any other impossibly large number of dollars that wealthy people like to talk about. I completely agree with them. Personally, my wife and I have a net worth between $100,000 and $1,000,000, so I would say something stupid like “Saving our first $100,000 was the toughest. Each additional $100,000 wasn’t as bad!” Although what I just said is completely true, it doesn’t help people who aren’t in my situation. Maybe it doesn’t help you if you are living paycheck to paycheck or if you are in huge amounts of debt…
-
The 10% Solution
When many people are looking to make a change in their lives, they often make a huge change. Some people go from a completely sedentary life to working out for one hour each day. Others may vow to cut their spending budget in half as they try to get out of debt. Still other people may quit their jobs as they try to gain control of their crazy schedule. We often go all in when we try to make a change in our lives. And honestly, this can be a good thing! Sometimes the best way to make a change is to make a big change. However, we don’t always…
-
You Can Actually Save Money Shopping Online with Ebates
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that we’ve been inundated with ways to make money. Also, I’ve noticed that everyone says that these are easy ways to make money. Complete surveys while you are watching TV! Start a side business in your spare time! Sign up for this website and you can become rich! Everyone seems to have something that they are trying to market! Of course, I am guilty of this too with some of my recommendations. I think that credit cards can be great for their travel hacking possibilities, that Capital One 360 is a good place to stash your emergency fund, and that Fidelity and Vanguard are…
-
4 Non-Sophisticated Things That You Should Do With Money
There are many sophisticated things that we could do with our money. We could: Create a CD ladder for money that we want to save. Use tax-loss harvesting to save on taxes when we invest. Convert our IRA to a Roth IRA by using a backdoor Roth conversion. Each of these sophisticated financial techniques could save us anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars throughout our lives. Because they are so valuable, I definitely encourage you to become educated about each of them and see if you can use them either now or in the future. While each of these are very valuable techniques to save money, they…
-
Christmas is Coming?
"Twas the night before Christmas …" Well ... not quite ... but as I look around at all of the beautiful decorations in stores and on houses and see the first snow here in Michigan, I know that "Winter is Coming" and Christmas is almost here.
-
How to Buy a Car Using Craigslist
I don’t think of myself as old, but maybe I am because I remember classified ads. You may know of this antiquated way to sell goods and services too. You may even remember browsing through them in the Sunday paper while looking for a used car or an antique table. Like me, you may still browse through them from time to time, although you never really buy anything.
