One of my big goals for 2020 is to declutter my entire house.  I'm talking everything.  Every cabinet, closet, and drawer.  I've lived in my house for almost nine years, and I've managed to fill up a lot of space.  When you don't have to get rid of things to make room for other things, it becomes way too easy to just stash things away, only to forget they exist.  Making matters worse, I've lived alone for a chunk of that time since my roommate … [Read more...]

Have you ever looked at someone and thought "I can't believe they spent their money on that." Maybe that is an expensive car or a fancy vacation.  Maybe you know someone who drives a junker of a car but has a very pricey bike (I can name a few friends like this). Do you look at them like they're crazy for spending their money this way?  What is this kind of spending about, anyway? It's about personal value We all have things that hold value … [Read more...]

Lifestyle creep happens when you start making more money and instead of saving that extra money, you increase your spending in other areas.  Maybe you start eating out more, or you subscribe to a new streaming service.  Basically, things that were once luxuries are now a regular part of your budget. But lifestyle creep doesn't always happen when you've increased your income.  Maybe you've reduced your expenses elsewhere.  Perhaps you've paid … [Read more...]

A few years ago, a professional organizer from Japan named Marie Kondo wrote a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  I read the book and implemented some of her methods in my life. then moved on. However, with the release of the Netflix special featuring Marie Kondo, the KonMari method is experiencing a resurgence.  I have only watched the first few episodes, but it made me think: how can KonMari save me money? What is … [Read more...]

This past week, a neighbor's home caught fire, and while it wasn't a total loss, there was quite a bit of damage done to their home.  They will be out of the house for quite some time while repairs are being made, and one of the things they have to do is figure out what items were all lost in the fire.  While I haven't talked to them about the subject specifically (it would be rude to be this nosy), I do hope they have a home inventory. What is … [Read more...]