Buying large quantities of liquid (cleaning supplies, motor oil, cooking oil) or any bulky items (TP, paper towels, diapers) is likely going to cost more on Amazon. Major retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, etc, have better developed supply chains to get those sorts of product into their stores. You are the supply chain…

Around my second or third annual raise, I realized that I was better off splitting the money with myself. I started giving my 401K annual raises until it was maxed out. Now I’m converting my traditional 401K contributions to Roth 401K contributions to effectively allow myself to save more money while staying under the…

Why does it matter that 1.9% is below inflation? I understand that it will be “cheaper” to pay the loan a year from now than it will today because a dollar a year from now is worth less than a dollar today. However, on a personal finance level, that is only true if your wages keep pace with inflation. If your wages…

So, my concern is on how to make those “conservative” 3% gains. I don’t see much between CD rates and returns in the market. The CD rates are far too conservative, and the market is too volatile for me to park short term money in (money may need within 5 years). I suppose if you have $20K in cash saved because you’ve…

When I hit 33-34, I slowed down on my drinking considerably. I also stop drinking several hours before we leave and switch to water. It really helps the next day not be so crappy. I got tired of losing the entire next day to a hangover. I only get two days a week... I don’t want to lay around feeling lousy. These days…

Kristin- Did your company offer a Roth 401K option? Especially for people early in their career (not making much money), a Roth 401K is a great option. You pay the taxes up front, which is painful, but your money grows tax free and you pay no taxes when you use it in retirement. It is like saving $100 bills under your…

Getting started is definitely the most important step. However, I would contend that the next, very small step is simply picking a broad market index fund. The fees tend to be very low, and after accounting for fees, index funds beat most actively managed funds. I’m not an investment guru, but I do know that keeping…

Agreed... I cannot stand HamNo’s ability to combine arrogance and superiority while making himself out to be the champion of the people. But I can’t help but read his articles, more to get myself stirred up. Then, on a rare occasion, he says something I agree with and I have to sit back and take stock of my life for a…

Ever read the sequel to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? It is called The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. It is literally a restaurant at the end of time, operating right before the universe destroys itself. The best part is that anyone can afford to go... All you need to do is deposit a penny in some…

I found that with Chase Sapphire Preferred. They tout that you can use the rewards to help pay for purchases made through their reward store. They mainly focus on travel-related purchases, such as airfare or hotel bookings. They even give you a 1.25% bonus on reward redemption for travel related purchases. So, if you…

Who is registering the other 93% of the Lanoses?!?

Everything you described formed a picture in my mind of a person with money who is practical (in some aspects). He drives a cheap, fuel efficient car for work... makes sense to me. If you have a nice car or two, why put the miles on them? However, it doesn’t make sense to have a cheap economy daily driver if you are…

All responsible drivers... all responsible chef’s knife owners... all responsible chainsaw owners...

Your child is 10 times more likely to die in a house with a swimming pool than a gun... will you also forbid your child from going to a house with a swimming pool?

You have to do what works for your schedule. If they need to be up at 6 because everyone needs to be out the door at 7 to get the kids to school/daycare/latchkey and the adults to work, then that is what you have to do.

When I learn a friend is a Vet or meet a Vet, I generally say something to the effect of “Thank you for your service to our country.”. I’ll pass along my thanks on Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day if I happen to run into a friend or an acquaintance who is a Vet. I hope this isn’t annoying... I learned to stop asking…

Many stars for you! After living in Singapore for a year, I value the freedoms in America even more. The freedom not to vote if you so choose (or are lazy) is something that Singaporeans don’t enjoy. Singapore has a mandatory national service program for young men, which makes me think about a Heinlein-esque society…

I went to one of the Comcast locations in my city to return my equipment ahead of my family’s move to Singapore. We had to wait about 5 minutes to talk to someone, and the return process took maybe 5 or 10 minutes. My wife waited in the car. I remember the gentlemen I worked with being exceptionally pleasant. He had…

I think if you spend $50K+ on a vehicle, you have every right to be upset with this software failure. They have lost climate control as well as audio with the navigation failure. I imagine the reverse camera also failed. Granted these are things that you can live without, but when you’ve paid for the features, you…

Everyone needs to strike their own balance with lifestyle creep as their income expands. But the key is to remember that as your spending expands with your lifestyle, your retirement savings also needs to increase. An average person will need ~70% of their pre-retirement income in retirement. When you stop working…