December Finances 2020: “Tires, Gifts, and Budget Busting”

December Finances 2020: “Tires, Gifts, and Budget Busting”

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December finances…we ended up spending more than we have in quite a while last month. It’s always annoying to see our expenses fly through the roof after doing well for a period, but this is life, I tell myself. I’d like to think our budget-busting was for good reason. Our home refinance went through and relinquished the January mortgage payment, and they ended up loaning too much to pay off the old escrow account. So a check for $2,000 was…

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Cash and Pleasant Beams of Sunshine

Cash and Pleasant Beams of Sunshine

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My money consists mostly of tiny black illuminated numbers on a computer screen and a plastic card I wave around in exchange for goods. Sometimes I’ll get a letter in the mail and my money numbers will be printed on an official piece of paper, but these balance numbers will be old and inaccurate. It’s far better to use a computer or phone to interact with my money. It’s phantom money after all. It shoots around the world at the…

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Thank You, 2020. Now Kick Rocks!

Thank You, 2020. Now Kick Rocks!

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It’s been a long time since I can remember a year where I’ve experienced so much while doing so little. I always thought an abundance of choices in life was what gave us the most room to grow and define ourselves. Yet, this year, this 2020, it’s the lack of everything that has defined me. The lack of travel, the lack of drinking, the lack of visiting friends, the lack of work. The lack of choice has irrevocably altered my…

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The Art of Hitting the Snooze Button

The Art of Hitting the Snooze Button

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I wake up twice every morning. The first time I wake up is at 4 am. This is the time I like to wake up. My alarm is set to this time. If I can will myself out of bed at 4 am, I’ll have time to meditate and sit at my kitchen table to slowly drink my morning coffee, maybe even get in some reading or writing before heading out. The second time I wake up is at 4:30…

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November 2020 Finances: “Cash Flow and Stock Picking”

November 2020 Finances: “Cash Flow and Stock Picking”

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In November, we reduced our after-tax auto investments into Vanguard by 80%. While it stung a bit to reduce these investments, seeing my Wells Fargo checking account fill back up felt even better. Mrs. Disengaged especially likes the “cash cushion” and I’m a happy wife happy life subscriber. Now that we’ve eased the cash burden from some of our fall escapades, we will reengage our typical weekly investment amount starting this first week of December. Not to mention a bit…

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Flipping Coins

Flipping Coins

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The construction industry is unique in that we purposefully and dutifully work ourselves out of a job as fast as we can. That’s the goal. When a job is complete, the project team disperses across the company and new teams are formed. This constant churning allows me to become somewhat accustomed to change, not that the same nervous feeling ever goes away when it’s time to walk into a new office and meet my new team. I just know the…

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Black Friday, Singles Day, and the Start of the Consumer Run

Black Friday, Singles Day, and the Start of the Consumer Run

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Winter and Thanksgiving are upon us. It’s a spendy time of the year for the entire world. Black Friday on this side of the world, and Singles Day in the most populous country in the world. In the Bay Area, daily highs this time a year hang out around the 50’s and 60’s with lows in the 40’s to ’30s. More than cold enough for this Californian to warrant the use of my fireplace. Usually, winter holidays mean getting together…

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Saving More In A High Cost of Living Area

Saving More In A High Cost of Living Area

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I live 42 miles from downtown San Francisco where I’ve worked for the vast majority of my career. My commute on average is 3 hours a day. 1 hour in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. This equates to 32.5 days of commuting a year. I believe I’m being as efficient as possible with my money by choosing to live in a “cheaper” suburb, but is commuting to work really the most optimal way to live in a high…

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October 2020 Finances: “Routine Maintenance”

October 2020 Finances: “Routine Maintenance”

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For the first time since we’ve made a concerted effort to pursue Financial Independence, we have to temporarily reduce our after-tax investment purchases of VTSAX this November. An RV road trip vacation in September and our 10 year marriage anniversary weekend in Yosemite in October, sucked out all the buffer we had in our checking and saving accounts—and actually left us chasing our credit card balance in October. Not good. Minimal cash in my bank means more market exposure, but…

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The Problem With Living For The Future

The Problem With Living For The Future

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The hope that tomorrow will be better than today is the greatest motivator of all time. And for the most part, if we plan and strategize, this Living For The Future works out. If we work hard and sacrifice a little today: saving money, eating healthy, buying stocks, teaching our kids to behave, obeying the law; tomorrow will be better for us. Just about everything we do, individually and as a society, is based on some reward we hope to…

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