May 2021 Household Expenses
May felt much like a blur, as I’m at a loss right now for any notable events that occurred. I’ve started refinishing my kitchen cabinets. We bought our return tickets from Portugal and an Airbnb. I’m very much in my grind at work, if it can be called a grind. More like a routine. I…
Unicorns and Keynesian Economics
My youngest daughter is four and still a bit scared of the dark, so she likes to keep a stuffed unicorn named Corny Corny with her when it’s time for bed. It’s a big round tie-dye pillow like blob with a unicorn horn and two stiched on happy eyes (see featured image). Corny Corny gives…
Coffee Chats: How We Maintain a 50% Savings Rate
Once a month or so my wife and I have a money meeting. We jokingly call this meeting our monthly “Coffee Chat”. These clandestine meetings take place in the morning and under the noses of our sleeping daughters. On any given Saturday morning, we’ll make our way downstairs, cat burglar-like, to the kitchen to plot…
April 2021 Household Expenses
We are hovering around our average monthly spending of 6K a month. Which I think is pretty good for a family of 4 in the hella expensive Bay Area. traffic Despite what the media has been saying about the San Francisco slash Silicon Valley exodus, the freeways are now packed again to pre-covid levels. The…
The Perfect Career Length
A few weekends ago I spent some time with my good friend and his family. We drove up to a nearby lake in the Sierra for the day and grilled up food, made a fire for our kids to cook up s’mores, and enjoyed the brilliant scenery that is a mountain lake nestled amongst towering…
Impatient Induced Frugality
We went this past weekend to buy a fire pit for our backyard. After browsing online through Amazon to get an idea of pricing and styles, we thought it might be nice to see a few in real life. So we went to Lowe’s where we found a decent one, albeit one we hadn’t previously…
On the Essence of Maps and Red Bull Vodka
The smell of a Red Bull always takes me back to Dubai. It’s not a pleasant aroma in any way for me. It’s more like a warm and comforting lamp that lights up and gives definition to a darkened and hazy blur of memories from my youth. It conjures up flashes of burning hot nights…
March 2021 Household Finances: “Deadlines and Bicycles”
March felt a little like a down hill leg of a race for me and the family. Time is moving faster. I can feel it. I got into cycling at the beginning of the month, and it manifested itself into my wife and I purchasing entry level road bikes at a decent price at the…
The Year That Never Happened
A few days ago, the unpleasant anniversary of San Francisco’s shelter in place order ominously came and went like a slow drifting summer fog across the bay. I’d forgotten the exact date, March 16th, if you’ll forgive me. I would have been perfectly fine to keep on with my life without that unneeded bit knowledge,…
Are Your 401k Fees Worth The Tax Savings?
Now that we’re in the thick of tax season, I figured it might be nice to have a post related to tax savings; specifically what we pay in 401k fees vs the tax saving benefits. I just paid my federal and state taxes and I’m getting ready to pay my property taxes. Part of my…