I like to bike. My wife Nora likes to thrift shop. Our son Grey likes to embarrass his parents. Put all that together and you have the perfect formula for me to make a little pocket money. Got it? Stick with me. Thrill of the Thrift A couple months ago, Nora came home from Value […]
A Really Old Babysitting Check And a Missed Opportunity
My teenage daughter the other day: “Dad, just out of curiosity, how long is a check typically good for?” I groan. “How old is it?” “Ummmm, like, over a year.” “What?!? How much is it for?” “Thirty bucks, it’s no big deal,” she says. No big deal? Who is this daughter of mine? When I […]
For My 16-Year-Old Daughter, 8 Lessons on Finding That First Real Job
Pippa is a junior in high school so naturally she is thinking about colleges…and majors…and jobs. She’s a confident girl, but utterly lost about what jobs or career to pursue. That’s not unusual at her age, but I think she thinks it is. The girl in her class who has always known she wants to […]
Having a Baby is the Worst Possible Financial Decision You Can Make
Want to know the worst possible financial decision you could make? Have a baby. Want to know the best decision Nora and I made? To have a baby. Or two. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (not sure why it’s their job to tally such things, but never mind that), the cost of raising […]
4 Terrible and 1 Great Idea for Student Scholarship Application Essays
I’m an amateur expert in judging scholarship application essays. I’m an active member (and frequent judge) of a professional association that gives $7,000 in scholarships to college students, and I also read a lot of Nora’s student scholarship essays to give students some informal feedback. You might remember that Nora works in a school. With […]
Down to 3 Euros on an Irish Island
We were down to 3 Euros. A 1 Euro and a 2 Euro coin. We had plenty more vacation-reserved money in the bank, but we were a sea away from an ATM. We were on Inishbofin – a small lightly-inhabited island off the west coast of Ireland. Not that there was much to buy, anyway. […]
We’ve Sunk over a Quarter Million Dollars on School Tuition With College Still to Come
Growing up in the country outside Baltimore in the 1970s and ’80s, there wasn’t much thought about where you went to school. You went to the local public school. That’s where my older brothers and sister and I went (I’m the youngest of 4). Until one fateful parent-teacher conference. My parents were already growing frustrated […]
Oil Changes And Other DIY – Is It Worth It?
I used to change the oil in my car. I didn’t enjoy it per se, but I got a certain satisfaction from the accomplishment, and I felt like I was saving money. Until I ran the numbers. Here’s the breakdown on a home oil change: On the other hand, Jiffy Lube’s “Signature Service” Oil Change […]
8 Lessons from Two Sweaty Years of Being a Badminton Dad
I tell people I’m the Richard Williams of the badminton world, with a few little 🙂 differences: I got started later. Richard started teaching tennis to Venus and sister Serena when they were 4 years old. I started with Pippa in 2015, when she was 14. I’m a little less serious. Pippa will never travel […]
Top 3 Things I’ve Learned from the Passenger’s Seat As My Teenager Learns to Drive
Pippa recently got her driver’s learners permit. You might remember that she turned 16 in January. I’m not sure what it’s like in other states, but in Maryland, they’ll give a learner’s permit to just about anyone, as long as you’re old enough and have OK vision. Oh, and you have to answer a bunch […]