The warning signs grew more obvious over the course of last summer. But I still thought I’d survive the impending funding cuts that my IT project was facing. By the time fall arrived, I had already dodged a few rounds of layoffs. But it wasn’t much longer before my number was up and I was…
Viewing category: Family
Financial Pitfalls Of Suburban Life
Six years ago, we moved to the suburbs from a one-bedroom condo in a densely populated and walkable area. We wanted more space, risk-free parking, better schools, a yard for kids to play in, and a friendly neighborhood. We got all of those things. But moving to the suburbs came with a bunch of financial…
My Employer Just Liberated Me From My Job! Now What?
In the intro to a recently published blog post, I mentioned that there’s been some turbulence at my nine-to-five workplace. Funding was tight, but it looked as though I’d survive any downsizing. Well, things got worse. My project was hit hard, and the surrounding projects were hit even harder. I found out two weeks ago…
Step Off The Damn Treadmill
The financial firm UBS publishes a quarterly report called Investor Watch that analyzes investor behavior. One of these reports has remained on my mind since publication in 2015. The report is called When is enough… enough – Why the wealthy can’t get off the treadmill. The premise is that more than half (52%) of millionaires surveyed…
How To Live On One Income – 10 Things We Did To Make It Work
We sometimes see friends on Facebook asking about local daycare facilities or looking for a nanny to watch their kids while they work. It must be stressful to find high-quality affordable daycare. We’ve never had to deal with child care because we started thinking about how to live on one income before we were engaged,…
Higher Salary vs. Better Benefits
What is a more important consideration — higher salary vs. better benefits? As someone who has experienced the best of both options, I compare two below. 14 years with one company is a long time in today’s employment market. My tenure was never been about loyalty or career advancement, and it certainly didn’t earn me…
Broke, Unemployed, and Living With My Parents
I moved in with my parents when I was 27. The football wallpaper in my bedroom was gone and the bed was bigger. But it was still the room I slept in for the first 18 years of my life. While most of my friends were married and starting high-salary jobs after years of graduate…
How Our Family of 5 Flew Cross-Country for Free
Mrs. RBD’s brother proposed to his long-time girlfriend in 2016. Shortly after the jubilant celebration, my one-track mind started thinking How much is this wedding going to cost me? The answer: A lot. Other people’s weddings can be expensive, travel required or not. As a couple, traveling for a wedding is a nice getaway. As a…
The Lifelong Burden of Material Objects
I saw a tweet recently that read like a blunt kick in the butt. “The Vast Majority of Baseball Cards are Worthless” The tweet came from a Twitter handle and blog called Unusual Investments. The blog post was inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal article about a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card going up…
The Productivity Paradox Of Parenthood
We have three kids under age five. People cringe when I say that. Faced with the huge responsibility of raising children, you’d think that parents would be completely unproductive outside of parenting. Instead, many Moms and Dads consider themselves more productive after having a few kids. It’s kind of a productivity paradox for parenting. When I meet…
How Our Family is Saving for College
Saving for college is no easy task. If parents decide to pay for their kids’ undergrad education, it’s potentially a 22-year commitment from birth until graduation. Yet, saving for college is often a minor component of an overall financial plan. Not in our family. For our three kids to each attend four years of in-state…
The Retire Before Dad Story
At age 27, I was broke, unemployed, and living at home with my parents. Not surprisingly, I was single too. Sounds depressing, right? Not so. I had recently returned from an epic 14-month backpacking trip to Asia and Latin America, spending just $10,000 on the entire journey, then completed a three-month, 8,000-mile road trip throughout the U.S and…
8 Reasons Why I Won’t Retire at 40
Later this month I turn the big 4-0. The day after, I’ll grab my messenger bag and commute back into the office. If things go according to my plan, the road to retirement will continue another 15 years. I will not retire at 40, though it’s a nice round number. It’s most notably “the hill”,…
Cutting The Cord – A Year Without Cable TV
Our family decided that cutting the cord on cable TV was right for us. After a full year, here’s how it’s going. Read my post about saying bye bye to cable TV by clicking here. Overall, we have no regrets about our decision. We miss a few things like the DVR, certain sporting events, and…