As I related before, we jetted off to Europe for our summer vacation. It was so glorious that I totally forgot about my Citi Mastercard payment until we returned home and it was overdue. Since I charge practically everything to maximize my cash back rewards, I knew the penalty would be hefty. Sure enough. So I ran […]
How Our College First-Year is Balancing Costs And Income
Last time, I related how a college mom wanted to give her son $120 a month, and the strong responses it elicited. This time, as promised, I’m featuring the personal experience of our daughter Pippa, who is in her first year of college. Cut the Cord? Ever since Pippa left for college in August, her […]
Buying a First Car Without Succumbing to First Scam
Grey is a junior in high school. He recently earned his full driver’s license, and he wants his own car. So he spends evenings and weekends scanning Craigslist for just the right ride – one that balances cost and cool. The other day, he texted me this photo and ad: What’s not to like? A […]
A Mom Wants to Give Her College Son $120 a Month. There Was a Strong Response.
Want to start a firestorm? Drop this incendiary into the Facebook parent group for Pippa’s college: We want to give our son money each month to use for entertainment or eating off campus, etc. I guess something similar to a monthly stipend. I was thinking about $120/month since most of his meals will be on […]
Battling Food Waste – Why I Eat Every Grain of Rice on My Plate
We had a recent get together with friends at our house. It was a great time, but I was a little disappointed after everyone went home, and I found someone’s dinner plate in the kitchen: It was a buffet-style meal after all, and this was all the pasta that remained in the serving dish: What […]
Budapest & Croatia Made Our European Vacation Affordable
Want to vacation in Europe but don’t think you can afford it? Maybe you can. Our family vacations in Europe every couple of years, despite being solidly middle class. And without mortgaging the future. Here’s how. Shun Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam Big name European cities have Big price tags to match. You should still visit […]
On My Nightstand: Shoe Dog & When Helping Hurts
It’s summertime and I have a bit more time to read. There’s no school activities for the kids, and Nora is off school also, and frequently on the road, visiting people and places. Here’s what’s on my nightstand. None of these books are new, but I like each of them for different reasons. BTW, I […]
Our First College Tuition Bill – Decisions on 529 Withdrawals and Payment & Refund Plans
It happened. We received our first college tuition bill. You might remember that Pippa is going to College of Wooster in the fall. New student orientation begins on August 18! We aren’t newbies when it comes to paying for school tuition, but college takes it to a new level. This despite Pippa earning an awesome […]
What We Can Learn from Two Celebrity Job Applications
In March, Pippa and I flew to Portland, Oregon to visit Lewis & Clark College. She was in the homestretch of her college search. When she met up with her student host for a planned overnight, I wondered what to do. I love to cycle, but the nearest bike rental shop was four miles away […]
How a Small-Time Bet Went Right, Then Wrong
Sort of last minute, our long-time friend and neighbor Hannah invited us over for Saturday dinner. Heck yeah! Grey was at a friend’s house. I thought he would be dropped off in time, but when 6 pm rolled around, no sign of him. He had recently gotten a phone for his 16th birthday, so I […]
Is the Museum of the Bible Worth the Cost of Admission?
Nora and Grey shared the same spring break this year, so they made a trip to Maine to visit Fiona, Nora’s college roommate. That left Pippa and me at home. She had school and I had work, but we were determined to have fun in the off hours, so we wouldn’t get jealous of the […]
My Daughter Made a College Decision! Here Are 8 Things I’ve Learned
One year ago this month, I wrote about How We Have – and Haven’t – Saved Money on Our Daughter’s College Search. This is the second – and last – post on her college search – she has made a decision! Read on. It’s been an intense 2-year process that seems more like 5 years. […]
My 12 Best Beautiful/Ugly Pics of Baltimore
Switching things up a bit this week, I’m featuring some photos I’ve taken over the past couple years on my Baltimore bike rides. Related: 7 Reasons Why Cycling Is the Best Frugal Exercise There is nothing super significant about the shots. They just strike a cord for me, and together I think they capture the […]
7 Reasons Why Cycling Is the Best Frugal Exercise
I hate going to the gym. It’s boring and it feels like work. So I’m not going to do it, no matter how guilty I feel about not using a gym membership that I purchased just to make me feel guilty and force me to go to the gym. Running outdoors is equally boring. And, […]