Since 1999 the Honeybee and I have used our trusty Excel spreadsheet to steadfastly track how we use every dollar earned that is not siphoned off by federal and state taxes, or automatic retirement contributions. Over the years, this disciplined ...
Continue reading A Look Back at 12 Years of Spending Data: My 2011 State of the Household Report
My Ketchup Taste-Test: Upset! Guess Which Brand Topped Heinz
Ketchup is the most popular condiment in the United States, and if you ask one hundred people what their favorite brand is, ninety-nine will usually say Heinz. As for the other guy, he'll simply say he doesn't like ketchup, period. It's true.
Then ...
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How Being Absentminded Resulted In A $2750 Year-End Windfall
At least I'm calling it a windfall. Let me explain.
You see, if I leave a twenty dollar bill in a winter jacket only to rediscover it after it has been hanging in the closet for nine months, that's a windfall.
Now I can hear a lot of you out ...
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My Daughter’s Halloween Take for 2010
In case anybody is interested, here is Nina's Halloween take this year.
I had her itemize everything in her bag when she got home Sunday night. Isn't that terrible?
Actually, she didn't mind at all. She happily put this together for me in no ...
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Why Marriage Makes It So Hard to Control Remodeling Costs. (Well, Kinda Sorta.)
As I've previously mentioned, the Penzo household is in the middle of a long-awaited home renovation project with a reliable contractor.
Originally, it was supposed to be a fairly modest kitchen renovation that involved replacing our porcelain ...
Continue reading Why Marriage Makes It So Hard to Control Remodeling Costs. (Well, Kinda Sorta.)
The Great Debate: Do Kids Really Need Their Own Cell Phone?
Last week I shared the story about my $1055 cell phone bill, courtesy of my teenage son. The article seemed to, um, resonate with a lot readers, not only here but at MSN where it was also featured as a guest post, and on Digg, where at last count it ...
Continue reading The Great Debate: Do Kids Really Need Their Own Cell Phone?
My Store-Brand vs. Name-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment #3
Okay. If you are a regular reader here you know the drill by now, so feel free to skip to the juicy parts!
Are name-brand groceries really worth the extra cost when alternative cheaper store-brand groceries are available? More specifically, when ...
Continue reading My Store-Brand vs. Name-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment #3
Dear Diary: A Night at the Oscars with Me and the Honeybee
The other night the Honeybee and I sat down and watched the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, and I have to say it was the most entertaining show I've seen since Billy Crystal was hosting.
Naturally, we recorded the event to avoid all the ...
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Retirement Savings: Why My Kids Shouldn’t Plan on Receiving an Inheritance From Me
I know. A lot of you wish you could retire now, looking for reasons to retire early.
However, before that can become reality, it's important to understand our magic number; that magic number, of course, is the amount of money we'll need to have ...
Continue reading Retirement Savings: Why My Kids Shouldn’t Plan on Receiving an Inheritance From Me
Evaluating The Costs of a Longer Commute: When It’s Better to Just Suck It Up
As many of you know, I live in Southern California; cars are king here. Most of us who live in Los Angeles can't even spell "public transportation."
That's why it was big news when I found out my employer was moving 21 miles down the road, ...
Continue reading Evaluating The Costs of a Longer Commute: When It’s Better to Just Suck It Up
Valentine’s Day Giveaway: What’s the Biggest Money Argument You’ve Ever Had?
The Honeybee and I are extremely compatible in almost every way, right on down to when it comes to our philosophy on money and how we handle the household finances.
I understand though that, for upwards of 80 percent of couples, money can be a ...
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Inflation 101: Why Avatar Isn’t the Biggest Movie of All Time (And What Movie Is)
This past week, the technologically ground-breaking 3-D movie Avatar was hailed across the globe as the new king of the box office world, "topping" Titanic's box office take by grossing over $1.859 billion worldwide.
According to the media, this ...
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My 2009 State of the Household Financial Report
Our "household Constitution" requires the Honeybee, who is the family's household CFO, to deliver the family financial report every January to yours truly, the household CEO.
For years, the Honeybee has painstakingly tracked and recorded our ...
Continue reading My 2009 State of the Household Financial Report
Buying Glasses? 3 Facts Your Eye Doctor Doesn’t Want You to Know.
Oops, my bad. This is a guest post from some guy who wasn't who he said he was and was trying to make a few bucks off of an affiliate link. Still, I can attest to the information within this post as being accurate, as I too buy my glasses and conta ...
Continue reading Buying Glasses? 3 Facts Your Eye Doctor Doesn’t Want You to Know.
2009 Drive-By Movie Retrospective: Or How I Earn $4/Month Blogging (And You Can Too!)
Me: Well, Honeybee, thanks to Netflix you and I have watched a lot of movies from the comfort of our living room.
The Honeybee: I've got a question for you, Mr.Financial Genius: Is Netflix paying us for yet another one of your blatant plugs for ...
Continue reading 2009 Drive-By Movie Retrospective: Or How I Earn $4/Month Blogging (And You Can Too!)
Talkin’ Turkey: Evaluating My Thanksgiving Dinner Scorecard
This year Thanksgiving dinner is at my house. We'll be serving dinner for 16 people including my sister and her family, my mom and dad and the Honeybee's folks.
You know, since he came out to visit a few weeks ago, my father-in-law Tony has taken ...
Continue reading Talkin’ Turkey: Evaluating My Thanksgiving Dinner Scorecard
My Store-Brand vs. Name-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment
One of the great never-ending debates in the world of personal finance is whether or not name-brand groceries are really worth the extra cost when alternative cheaper store-brand groceries are available. Furthermore, when it comes to edible products, ...
Continue reading My Store-Brand vs. Name-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment
Is LifeLock and Its $1 Million Guarantee A Sham?
By now, most everybody has heard or seen the ubiquitous ads by LifeLock where its founder and chief executive officer, Todd Davis, intimates the impenetrable fortress-like quality of his identity theft protection service by brazenly giving out his ...
Continue reading Is LifeLock and Its $1 Million Guarantee A Sham?
How Much Would You Pay to Save Your Pet’s Life?
A friend of mine recently told me a sad story that I wanted to share with you.
About five years ago, he drove his dog to a dog park across town for their usual Saturday morning romp. Unfortunately, on that particular fateful morning, when he ...
Continue reading How Much Would You Pay to Save Your Pet’s Life?
Evaluating the Cost of Extreme Frugality
Earlier this month one of my favorite personal finance bloggers, Bret Frohlich, wrote a terrific piece where he declared war on frugality and explained why frugality doesn't always pay.
In fact, Bret's post got me thinking about those who choose ...
Continue reading Evaluating the Cost of Extreme Frugality
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