Actually, STILL no ~ even all in, every last expense, I'm only at about $2000/year in costs.

Ok, sure. I'll do it as a total write-off (meaning I can't resell one part to recoup any money).

Ummm... *digs through spreadsheet*, our 2nd vehicle (my primary) has cost no more than $400 per year in insurance and registration for the past 6 years. That's less than the rental fees would be if I rented something each time I needed my truck.

Same here (Walmart, about $3, comes with a match and shrink-wrapped), we use them all the time for over-night kayak trips. Doesn't matter if they get dunked because of the wrap, and they even have little "legs" to hold it up off whatever surface. They do a great job of cooking premade hamburgers, kabobs, thinner…

As with everything in life, there are exceptions. But it's Generally true that those who eat like a King for breakfast, a Prince for lunch and a Pauper for dinner will feel better/have more energy during the "productive" hours of the day and tend towards a more fit/healthy body.

It's just what priorities people place highest. We willingly gave up the trappings of "traditional middle class" (we bought our house for $65k, both our cars Together only cost $21k, and those are a 1997 truck and a 2001 car that we've owned for over a decade, we don't have pay TV, smartphones or any other…

Makes no difference in the social aspect. Mostly what we do is order 1 dinner between the wife and myself, and split it. Heck, there are still leftovers from some places (just not as hungry when you've been feeding well all day). We haven't changed What we eat (much, try to limit the sugary stuff after lunch), just…

And fourth: there's an annoying trend towards obesity in the USA, eating like a King at breakfast is actually one of the easiest ways to help the body get fuel to start the day off right (better focus in school/at work, get the metabolism running correctly/fully, etc...) and if followed up with a good lunch there's…

Life's too short not to enjoy it. My wife and I could easily be making 400% more money that we make right now, but have decided that life experiences trump money. So we live on $30k/year (as in, that's our baseline costs for home, cars, insurance, food, upkeep, retirement, etc...) and work enough for that and so we…

Or it could have just been an exercise in giving up something for the simple reason that it's giving up something and learning about yourself. Which is what *I* took away. Kinda like Lent for Catholics.

9 hours is my "number" and I'm an agry monster that No one likes to deal with (including myself) if I get less than that.

Oh good grief.. giving up Coffee is giving up Coffee... not caffeine. Just because YOUR expectations aren't met by his real world experiences isn't his fault. That's like blaming Subway for having alarming amounts of sodium in their food just because you "expect" that it's a healthy meal.

"Vegetarian", ahh.. I know this word, I grew up on an Indian Reservation out in Wyoming. That's the word for "poor hunter". :D

Vote: Garmin Nuvi

Vote: Any PND (standalone GPS) ~ I only know Garmin, but suspect that any brand is better than the most expensive phone/plan.

A house is a liability.

I'm just over the boarder in GA and there's no way we'd leave windows open. We did that while renovating the house before moving in for about 2 weeks and the paint would take hours upon hours to dry, mold formed on surfaces all over the place and the carpet (only in for 2 days with open windows) was damp enough to…

Bought my first in 2006, upgraded in 2007 (18~19 months) then kept that phone until 2013. Only Finally had to toss in the towel because it was just physically falling apart ~ best phone I've ever used (Motorola W385), now have a 2007-built but new Motorola Z6c world-edition phone.

Except, ya know, not spending $2500 every 2 years (cost of device + cheapest service). My $270 over the same time frame ($10/month and $30 phone) is still too much for how little I use the dang thing.

I'm an older phart (39), started doing BBSes in '86 and hooked up through a college where my mom worked for the first time in 1991.