Category: Lifestyle
The One Monthly Expense That Makes You A Chump
Up until five years ago, Mr. Groovy and I were the ultimate chumps. We rented a storage unit. We could not fit the entirety of our stuff into a 2,000 square foot home with an attic and a two car garage. No, we paid $60+ a month for the luxury of a temperature controlled 10…
We’re Doomed: My Liberal Friend Bought a McMansion
Last year I went to Dallas on business and had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend from college. Tim, a fellow Long Island boy, had recently got a promotion and transferred to Dallas so he and his girlfriend could be closer to her aging parents. I hadn’t seen Tim in at least…
The Real Culture War
Up until I was 40 years old (I’m 55 now), I floundered financially. I wasn’t a basket case. I was able to pay my bills. But I was using debt to live beyond my means and acquire the superficial symbols of success—a car, a condo, a host of electronic equipment, and a bunch of credit…
A Sweet Transvestite’s Guide to Personal Finance
In the late 1970s, young people in New York used to go to movie theaters at midnight with newspapers and water guns. Yes, that sounds bizarre. But it’s true. What’s even more bizarre is that many of these young people would be dressed up like the two bon vivants pictured below. I never understood The…
The 10 Things You Need to Do Daily to Become Financially Independent
Anyone familiar with this blog knows that I’m fond of saying, “your habits are your destiny.” And ever since I read the book, The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande, I’m fond of checklists. So for this post, I’d like to combine these two beloved things—an adage and a tool—and gear them toward personal finance. In…