Complete Archives
May 2008
Depression and Finances: Socioeconomic Status
Posted on May 16, 2008 by Him
First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their support and warm comments regarding my newly diagnosed depression. I'm still learning much about it and how to effectively treat it, and welcome your stories and comments. My psychiatrist gave me...
Depression is Expensive, Denial Much More So
Posted on May 14, 2008 by Him
I'm depressed. There, I said it. Not just depressed like in a bad mood or someone just kicked my puppy, but actually clinically depressed. This has actually been a recurrent theme in my life, and I suspect that it's also...
Hi-fives for Financial Stability!
Posted on May 02, 2008 by Him
In the mornings as Her and I get ready for work, we listen to NPR's Morning Edition. This morning host Steve Inskeep was segueing into a commercial break, and said something along these lines: "Next up, there's a new class...
April 2008
We're Cutting Back on Weekend Trips
Posted on April 28, 2008 by Her
In the past we have enjoyed taking weekend trips to visit friends, attend weddings, go hiking, etc. But with the increases in gas and food expenses lately, coupled with wedding expenses, these weekend trips are going to be among our...
MoneySmart Week in Chicago (and Michigan)
Posted on April 18, 2008 by Him
The other day I was at the library paying an overdue book fine (hey, it was cheaper than buying the book) and I noticed a bookmark with my favorite Benjamin on it (Franklin, duh). On it was information for MoneySmart...
SmartyPig $50 Giveaway Winner!
Posted on April 14, 2008 by Him
We have a winner in for our $50 SmartyPig giftcard giveaway: Congratulations to beatrice, who is currently saving for her honeymoon, just like us!...
SmartyPig Removes Check Fee; Giveaway Reminder
Posted on April 14, 2008 by Him
Big news for SmartyPig this weekend - they removed their $25 check fee, and in the future will only have the option to have your money directly deposited into your account. Do you want a $50 giftcard to jumpstart a...
Job Security?
Posted on April 10, 2008 by Him
In the news as of late are talks of a recession, whether we're in one, and what that means. One of the more common benchmarks that I see is lob losses. As our economy worsens, there is less money available...
SmartyPig Mini-Review and $50 Giftcard Giveaway
Posted on April 08, 2008 by Him
<Homer Simpson> SmartyPig SmartyPig Does whatever a SmartyPig does </Homer Simpson> If you're a regular reader of personal finance blogs, you've probably heard of SmartyPig, a new online social savings service. There have been a plethora of posts that review...
A Night With Vocalo
Posted on April 04, 2008 by Him
Photo: me; everyone loves Make Love, Not Debt! Last night we had the awesome opportunity to be on the local content sharing, social networking radio station here in Chicago, Vocalo (pronounced "Vocal-o"), on 89.5 FM. We're featured on the...
Thank Goodness for Personal Finance Software (But We Still Need to Be More Organized)
Posted on April 02, 2008 by Him
We've said in the past that we're users of Microsoft Money to manage our day-to-day personal finances. We love how it receives automatic updates for most of our accounts' activities. We use it to keep track of where our money...
Spring Clean Your Finances
Posted on April 02, 2008 by Her
It's spring, and time to do some spring cleaning of your finances. We do almost all our personal finance tasks in our home office, so for us this means spring cleaning the office. Ours is currently a wintery mess of...
March 2008
Real Money, Real Investments - Giving $20,000 to First Graders
Posted on March 31, 2008 by Him
When I was 6 years old, I had many things to worry about. How would I avoid being picked last in kickball? How would I avoid being caught in a game of "tag"? What did I bring to lunch that...
Giveaway Winnars!
Posted on March 27, 2008 by Him
Our H&R Block Taxcut Premium Online + E-File giveaway ended on Wednesday night. Here are the randomly chosen winners chosen via random.org: Congratulations Sarah and Angie! I've emailed you the information for redeeming the prize. Happy taxes! ...
Giveaway Reminder: TaxCut Premium Online + E-file
Posted on March 26, 2008 by Him
Just a reminder: we're giving away 2 keycodes for TaxCut Premium Online + E-file, but you need to enter by 9 pm CDT TONIGHT. We'll pick and announce the winners tomorrow. Head on over to the contest and enter to...
Stretching the Life of my Laptop
Posted on March 25, 2008 by Him
When I completed my undergraduate degree I was rewarded with the gift of a laptop through a joint effort from my parents and my brother. It was the perfect gift for me at that time since I was headed into...
Want a Discount on Auto Insurance? Get Engaged!
Posted on March 24, 2008 by Her
I've written before about how much i love our auto insurance company, Country Companies. Now I can add another reason to my list: an engaged couple's discount! A while ago, I notified our agent that we were engaged. She said...
Free TaxCut Online Premium + E-file!
Posted on March 21, 2008 by Him
We've been talking about taxes a lot here at Make Love, Not Debt. Refunds, payments, sales tax, oh my! H&R Block has generously donated 2 keycodes for TaxCut Online Premium + E-file. With this, you'll get what you need for...
Chicago's Sales Tax is Going to Get Ridiculous
Posted on March 19, 2008 by Him
10.25% 10.25% 10.25% That's the amount of sales tax that will be applied to purchases made in the city of Chicago in November. What's that mean for us? Well, I'm definitely going to try to NOT make any large purchases...
Financial Boredom/Apathy
Posted on March 14, 2008 by Him
If you haven't noticed, it's been a little quiet at Make Love, Not Debt headquarters. The reason: we've hit a financial lull. Compared to our finances 2 years ago, things are going pretty swimmingly around here. And that's a problem....
Miscellaneous Tax Stuff, Update
Posted on March 10, 2008 by Him
At the beginning of February, I had a bunch of tax stuff on my mind. Here's an update to all that madness. 1. I went ahead and ran all the numbers for my taxes - and I still was slated...
An Interview with UR Chicago Magazine
Posted on March 07, 2008 by Him
UR Chicago is a free monthly magazine (can't beat the price, natch) covering regional and national lifestyles and entertainment; it keeps readers informed about the latest trends in nightlife, music, theater, art, film, dining, fashion and more in Chicago and...
Brides Beware: Renting Can Cost As Much As Buying
Posted on March 05, 2008 by Her
When planning a wedding, caterers will often encourage the couple to rent many of the necessary items such as plates, glassware, linens, etc (when the venue does not already provide them). They typically rent those items from a third-party rental...
I'm Back, and Inspired!
Posted on March 03, 2008 by Her
I haven't posted in a while. It's not because I was too busy or anything. I've just been rather uninspired about personal finance, and I didn't want to write a half-hearted post. But why was I uninspired? When we first...
February 2008
"Free" Magazine Subscriptions?!?
Posted on February 21, 2008 by Him
A few months ago both Her and I started receiving issues of Complex Magazine (whose tagline is "Buy.Collect.Obsess" - ugh); for some reason that has now dwindled to only me receiving them. I've actually read a bunch of articles, but...
How We Budget, Part 3: The Analog $1,000 Countdown
Posted on February 15, 2008 by Him
Our last two posts have shown you how we manage our money in our various accounts and how we manage our cash flow. Today, we're going to explain how we deal with our non-fixed expenses. If the other two posts...
Carnival of Valentine's Day Personal Finance Bloggers' Posts
Posted on February 14, 2008 by Him
Every year, Her and I make stuff for each other for Valentine's Day. In years past, our homemade crafts have been very hit-or-miss in their final successfulness, but all very hilarious and heartfelt. It is one of the traditions that...
How We Budget, Part 2: Monthly Cash Flow
Posted on February 13, 2008 by Him
Yesterday we laid out the flow of our money per month when it comes to accounts. But how do we allocate those funds once we get them? In order to showcase my expert Powerpoint skills, I've created another diagram to...
How We Budget, Part 1: Account Flow
Posted on February 12, 2008 by Him
This month the Money Blog Network is hosting a group writing project with the theme of budgets. We've had a few posts in waiting to go on this very topic for a while now, so we thought this was the...
Free (More Expensive) vs. Not Free (Less Expensive)
Posted on February 11, 2008 by Him
This year we've resolved to be a little more organized in life. These days much of our lives is on our computer, whether it be financial data, photos, music, or old emails. In the last 10 or so years we've...
Awesome Advice; Roundup, 2-7-08
Posted on February 07, 2008 by Him
Wow, you guys are awesome. The response to yesterday's post floored both Her and me. We had a good time reading though everything. We'll take all of your comments into account while as we figure out a plan for dealing...
Give Us Advice On How To Help Her Out With My Mom
Posted on February 06, 2008 by Him
Another day, another post about dealing with my mom. While my mom's antics are quite bearable for me, it is mainly because I've been dealing with her all of my life. Her, on the other hand, has only had a...
Miscellaneous Tax Stuff
Posted on February 05, 2008 by Him
No cohesiveness in this post, just tax stuff that's been on my mind... 1. It's the beginning of February, and all of our W-2's, 1099's, and other weirdly numbered tax documents are in. Right now they're sitting in a pile...
Keeping Up With The Joneses: Mom's Ring Finger
Posted on February 01, 2008 by Him
Ah, my crazy mama. I may have posted about her a few times before. One commenter even said she enjoyed my mom's antics. Here's another one for your enjoyment. A few years ago after both of her sons were engaged,...
January 2008
Mint's Having A Contest; Mini Roundup 1-24-08
Posted on January 31, 2008 by Him
Mint is having a contest - the winner gets $5,000 and a free credit counseling session. Mint is another one of those new-fangled online financial management programs, one we haven't checked out. All you have to do to enter the...
More Useless Financial Banter From Us
Posted on January 30, 2008 by Him
Last week we had the great opportunity to be interviewed by Katie from the Geezeo blog. For those who don't know, Geezeo is a completely web-based finance manager, once known as DebtFolio. We actually did a review of DebtFolio when...
On Renting, Part 2: Our Future
Posted on January 29, 2008 by Him
Hey, you'll need to read the previous post to figure out what's going on here! Yes, we're strongly in favor of moving away from Chicago in 2 years. I love Chicago, but I've been here all my life. I want...
On Renting, Part 1: Our History
Posted on January 28, 2008 by Him
I should have seen this coming: after Friday's post about how we got an amazing deal to rent our place for a few more years, we inevitably received the obligatory "renterz drool, homeowners rule!" comment. I apologize, personal finance blogosphere,...
Unbelievable Rent Increase
Posted on January 25, 2008 by Him
When Her and I first most to Chicago, it took us a little while to find an apartment that would accommodate us and not have any weird holes in strange locations. We didn't enlist the services of any of the...
Roundup, Booking Our Honeymoon Edition
Posted on January 24, 2008 by Him
I find it a little odd that there are people who don't believe that credit card rewards can actually be redeemed. The first time I've run into that thinking is through a few comments on this blog. Well, Her and...
How To Afford Anything - Personal Finance Lessons From Ken Rockwell
Posted on January 23, 2008 by Him
If you're a camera buff, especially a Nikon camera buff, you've probably heard of Ken Rockwell. He provides reviews of camera stuff I want. His style of writing is similar to personal finance type gurus - you take it or...
An Open Letter To The Financial Market
Posted on January 22, 2008 by Him
Dear Markets, We've heard that you're having a rough time. We can't imagine how it feels to have rates slashed, but it doesn't seem to be making you better. Hang in there! We just wanted to let you know that...
When Does Borrowing Become Mooching?
Posted on January 21, 2008 by Him
Back when I was a kid, borrowing Nintendo games from friends was an accepted practice. One would usually set a limit to how many days the game could be lent out for; those who went past the deadline were usually...
Tip Top Tax?
Posted on January 18, 2008 by Her
Several wedding vendors have sent us cost estimates that include the tip, then tax the entire amount (including the tip). Is it normal/legal for them to tax the tip? Someone who knows the answer, please let me know!...
Weekly Roundup, Expensive Parking Edition
Posted on January 17, 2008 by Him
Living in a big city with big city prices has definitely warped my sense of money. For example, when did paying $16 for parking downtown for the day become "cheap"? I guess when there's other places charging $25+, I guess...
Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Hazardous To Your Budget
Posted on January 16, 2008 by Him
It's again cold as hell here in Chicago, so we've decided that baking would be a good way to warm up both our bellies and the house. We better check out our bank account balance if we bake chocolate chip...
That's One Less Thing We're Paying For
Posted on January 15, 2008 by Him
Wedding planning + volunteering + extra work duties + social life = Busy We're having a hard time finding a good 2 hour window where we can watch movies. Sorry Netflix, but we had to cancel you. Maybe we'll cross...
Stupid Mistake: Missed Travel Insurance Deadline
Posted on January 14, 2008 by Her
I just discovered we made a stupid mistake. We missed the deadline to apply for travel insurance. WE are planning to spend a few days of our honeymoon in Turkey, a country that has seen a recent surge in terrorist...
Unexpected Wedding Bonus
Posted on January 11, 2008 by Him
The place where we're having our reception has a list of 15 caterers or so authorized to serve food there. Since we've had an extended engagement, we've had the chance to speak with all of them. They range in price...
Credit Cards In The Cold, Weekly Roundup
Posted on January 10, 2008 by Him
The weather in Chicago has been pretty crazy. Last week, we went from temperatures in the single digits (with biting wind chills) to 60F+ days. Of course, I chose one of the super cold ass days to leave my credit...
A Friend Comes Up To You And Asks...
Posted on January 09, 2008 by Him
photo: -Mandie- "Hey, can I borrow $______?" How much do you give without a second thought? One dollar? 5 dollars? 10 dollars? 20 dollars? Your answers are appreciated....
Ten Financial Considerations For Newlyweds
Posted on January 08, 2008 by Him
Somehow sometime during this long engagement of ours I was signed up to receive the "Groom's News" in my email inbox a few times a week. Along with cheerfully telling my how many days until the upcoming wedding and trying...
Economic Incentive NOT To Hit Snooze
Posted on January 07, 2008 by Him
photo: DHDesign There was a time in my life when I NEVER hit the snooze button. It was always alarm, get up. Then I met Her. The snooze button suddenly became a viable option when there is a lovely,...
Our 2007 Goals Status, Part 6: Did We Reach Our Net Worth Goal?
Posted on January 04, 2008 by Him
This is the final part of our retrospective look at our 2007 goals. Here's part 1 (Roth IRAs), part 2 (Student Loans), part 3 (credit cards), part 4 (joint retirement portfolio), and part 5 (have more fun). The answer to...
Happy 2nd Birthday, Make Love, Not Debt (With Roundup Included!)
Posted on January 03, 2008 by Him
photo: LensENVY On January 1, Make Love, Not Debt had its 2nd blogoversary! I really can't believe that this project took off the way that it did. I couldn't have done it without all of you, the readers and...
December 2007 Net Worth
Posted on January 02, 2008 by Him
In 2008, we're going to update our net worth every quarter. Here's the update for the last three months of 2007. September 2007 December 2007 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$41,303.44 -$32,059.99 22.3% Assets Cash $21,470.97 $29,024.39 35.1% His SIMPLE...
December 2007
Our 2007 Goals Status, Part 5: Have More Fun With Our Money
Posted on December 28, 2007 by Him
This is part 5 of our retrospective look at our 2007 goals. Here's part 1 (Roth IRAs), part 2 (Student Loans), part 3 (credit cards), and part 4 (joint retirement portfolio). Looking back at our goals, it seems like we've...
Hotel Concierge Service: Above And Beyond
Posted on December 27, 2007 by Him
About 10 times a year I travel for my job. Sometimes the work that I do is quite easy, and I have more time to relax and do some sightseeing, or even make a vacation out of it. Other times...
Our 2007 Goals Status, Part 4: Develop The Joint Retirement Portfolio
Posted on December 26, 2007 by Him
This is part 4 of our retrospective look at our 2007 goals. Here's part 1 (Roth IRAs), part 2 (Student Loans), and part 3 (credit cards). This year we sought out to develop the foundation for our joint retirement portfolio....
Merry Christmas!
Posted on December 24, 2007 by Him
photo: Sherlock77 (James) Dear Santa, Can you please magically make our student loan balance disappear? We promise to be extra nice this year. Love, Him & Her...
Planning the Joint Retirement Portfolio: December 2007 Update
Posted on December 21, 2007 by Him
This is part 5 of our Planning the Joint Retirement Portfolio series. See what we went out to do here, how we got our magic number (part 1), assessed our portfolio back then (part 2), the big picture of our...
Managing Our Debt - A Review Of How We Live With A Large Debt Burden
Posted on December 19, 2007 by Him
photo: iandavid Over at The Digerati Life, Silicon Valley Blogger muses about handling large debt loads. Her examples include two bloggers who have large amounts of debt: the always controversial Casey Serin and a newer blogger Debt Kid. She...
How The Rising Cost of Gold Affected Us
Posted on December 17, 2007 by Him
photo: CaroWallis1 Last year around this time, Her and I went to the place where I purchased her engagement ring to shop for my wedding band. We ended up both liking a simple yet classic, plain, polished wedding band....
Site Maintenance; Comments Closed For A Few Days; Mini-Roundup
Posted on December 13, 2007 by Him
photo: granth Make Love, Not Debt will be moving to a new, improved host over the weekend. Comments will be closed until everything is working over at the new host. In the meantime, read these posts: English Major posts...
Lack of Time = Crappy Christmas Presents?
Posted on December 12, 2007 by Him
With all of the commitments that I have this holiday season, from long hours at work to doing long homework assignments for school to volunteering, I've come to the realization that Christmas is rapidly approaching. Usually by this time of...
Our 2007 Goals Status, Part 3: Pay Off Credit Card Debt By November 2007
Posted on December 10, 2007 by Him
This is part 3 of our retrospective look at our 2007 goals. Here's part 1 and part 2. When we first started this blog, we had $18,054.88 in credit card debt. A year later, in January 2007, we reduced it...
Our 2007 Goals Status, Part 2: Increase Student Loan Payments
Posted on December 07, 2007 by Him
This is part 2 of our retrospection on our 2007 goals. See part 1 here. The second goal that I'm going to discuss today is putting extra money towards student loans. Her's student loans come in two flavors: private and...
Our 2007 Goals Status, Part 1: Contribute 50% to Roth IRAs
Posted on December 05, 2007 by Him
About a year ago we made some financial goals for ourselves. Since 2007 is coming to a rapid close, I thought we'd look at those goals and see how we did, and how we made it happen. I'm going to...
Hidden Educational Costs
Posted on December 03, 2007 by Him
photo: powerbooktrance I'm currently taking some classes in order to obtain a certification that will help me in my current job and in my career. Due to the specialty of the field that I'm in, this program is not...
November 2007
Get Your Latte Factor On At The ING Direct Cafe
Posted on November 28, 2007 by Him
In October, Bird and Bills had a post about the ING Direct Cafe. I commented that I had been to the one in Chicago and would write a post about it. About 6 weeks later, I'm finally getting around to...
Black Friday Shopping: Frugal And Charitable
Posted on November 26, 2007 by Him
photo: LarimdaME Yes, this past Black Friday we added to the masses of people who got up before the sun and trekked to our neighborhood department store for consumer goods. We weren't as hardcore as Boston Gal, but we...
Questions On Talking About Money And Relationships, Answered (Part 2)
Posted on November 21, 2007 by Him
Today we bring you the second half of our reader questions for Sheila Heen, communcations expert responsible for much of the content on Have the Talk America. I wish I could bring her along on negotiations with wedding caterers, but...
Questions On Talking About Money And Relationships, Answered (Part 1)
Posted on November 20, 2007 by Him
Last week, we asked if you had questions about how to approach the topic of talking with your loved one about a particularly difficult money situation. Sheila Heen, communications expert responsible for much of content of Have the Talk America,...
Last Chance - Ask How To Bring Up A Tough Money Situation
Posted on November 14, 2007 by Him
Just a reminder: Do you have a tough money/relationship question you need to ask someone, but don't know how to bring it up, or what to say? Leave a question for communications expert, Sheila Heen (bio), by MIDNIGHT TONIGHT....
"On Paper" Divorce for Financial Reasons
Posted on November 12, 2007 by Her
photo: How I Met Your Mother website Last week on How I Met Your Mother, Lily and Marshall considered getting a divorce "on paper" for financial reasons. Lily had bad credit, so she proposed that Marshall divorce her so...
How Much Do You Tell Your Parents?
Posted on November 09, 2007 by Him
I love blogging about my mom. Really. She gives me so much to talk about. My dad doesn't speak much, and he's not crazy, so I don't write much about him. Ever since I've been more or less financially independent...
Want Advice On How To Bring Up A Tough Money Conversation?
Posted on November 07, 2007 by Him
"Listen, we have to talk..." At one point in your life, you have heard these words, and you know that it's never the start of anything pleasant. Maybe they were being said to you, maybe you heard them coming...
My Parents Keep Up With The Joneses
Posted on November 05, 2007 by Him
photo: bunchofpants When I was growing up, my parents were always pretty good with money. After all, they did pay for two of their son's college educations, not a small feat for first generation immigrants. Since my parents became...
Anyone Use Microsoft Money Plus (2008)?
Posted on November 02, 2007 by Him
photo: ifranz We've been using Microsoft Money quite diligently for the last six months and have been pleased so far by what it has to offer. So this week we "upgraded" our copy of Microsoft Money 2005 to the...
Finances and Relationships: Dropping the Debt Bomb?
Posted on November 01, 2007 by Him
photo: agiel Her and I met early on during our collegiate careers when we both had little debt, student loan or otherwise. To us, racking up debt was a normal part of college life, so it didn't bother either...
October 2007
Procrastination Saved Us Money This Halloween?
Posted on October 31, 2007 by Him
photo: patterened For at least a few weeks now, Her and I have known about a Halloween event that we're going to. For weeks now, Her and I have known that wearing a costume to a party on Halloween...
How to Get a $1,600 Hotel Room for $10
Posted on October 30, 2007 by Him
photo: Goldwin Guenther 1. Research and develop time machine 2. Go back in time to Chicago in 1947 3. Stay in the penthouse suite of the Palmer House Hilton for $10 and SAVE THE RECEIPT 4. Get back in...
Are Varietal-Specific Wine Glasses Worth It?
Posted on October 29, 2007 by Her
photo: slack12 We have an expensive hobby - wine. We have spent a lot of money on fine wines, sometimes bringing back a bottle as a souvenir from a trip. But so far, we haven't invested in any expensive...
Reimbursed Vacation
Posted on October 25, 2007 by Him
photo: Davide Schiano Since Her and I graduated from college, we've never taken a "real" vacation together...something about paying off debt got in the way. We could never justify spending a lot of money to take a nice real...
The Cost of Playing Soccer
Posted on October 22, 2007 by Him
photo: Albirecks I first played soccer when I was just 6 years old; I continued to play regularly until high school, when the lure of girls and money from my part-time job seemed more important. I didn't start playing...
Wearing Disposable Contact Lenses Too Long: Cheap or Frugal?
Posted on October 17, 2007 by Him
photo: .imelda I have been nearsighted at least since I was in the third grade; thus I've had glasses at the early age of 9 years old. That pretty much disqualified me from becoming one of the cool kids....
Making the Most of My HSA Dollars
Posted on October 15, 2007 by Him
photo: double dose Through my employer, I currently have a high-deductible healthcare plan (HDHP) coupled with a health savings account (HSA). These accounts are like flexible spending accounts (FSAs) in that pretax dollars can be used for a variety...
Mandatory Meal Planning (Damn You Freezer)
Posted on October 12, 2007 by Him
photo: Esther17 About a month and a half ago our refrigerator didn't work so well, but we thought we saved it. Not so much. This past weekend we went out of town to visit some friends, only to return...
Financial Doldrums
Posted on October 09, 2007 by Him
photo: atconc Wow. Two weeks without a post. In internet time, that's equivalent to being dead for a few hundred years. The above picture nicely represents how much extra time has gone towards finances. In the last two weeks...
September 2007
Restaurant Credit Card Roulette
Posted on September 25, 2007 by Him
photo: s e l v i n The scene: You and a few friends are eating at a nice restaurant. After everyone is finished with their meal, the bill comes as usual. Everyone then proceeds to throw their credit...
Wedding Budget Tips From Caterers
Posted on September 21, 2007 by Her
photo: churl In the last year we have met with many caterers during our wedding planning. Each of them had some cost-saving tips to offer us. I thought it would be fun to compile them and pass them on....
Handling Work Expenditures
Posted on September 19, 2007 by Him
photo: Jim Frazier Money Under 30 just wrote an article on how he handled work expenses, along with great tips on how you can do the same. The article had me thinking about the evolution of how I handle...
The Cost of Laundry Service: Was It Worth It?
Posted on September 17, 2007 by Him
photo: Melissa Gupta We blogged a few weeks ago about how busy we were with guests, with our modest apartment being occupied for 11 days in a row. During the time leading up to the arrival of our first...
Another Raise: How Bitersweet It Is
Posted on September 14, 2007 by Him
This past month marks the third year I will have been working for my company; it also marks the date of my annual salary adjustment. When I opened up my pay stub I was pleased to note that my salary...
Keeping Up With the Joneses' Husbands
Posted on September 12, 2007 by Him
During the last year, our company has employed a lot of new people to keep up with work. Three of these employees are relatively newly married early 30-somethings who are married to men with (presumably) high paying jobs: lawyer, doctor,...
Damn You, Washing Machine!
Posted on September 05, 2007 by Him
One fine day in the summer... Her: Hey, have you seen my iPod? Him: No, why? Her: It's missing. I thought I left it in my workout shorts...but we just did laundry... Him: (uh-oh) Her: Wait, you DID check the...
Make Love, Not Debt, Version 3.0
Posted on September 03, 2007 by Him
So yeah, we redesigned. Do you like it? Is there anything that's broken? Does it look funny in your browser? Suggestions? Comments?...
August 2007 Net Worth - Summer Totals
Posted on September 03, 2007 by Him
May 2007 September 2007 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$59,594.76 -$41,303.44 21.6% TOTAL CHANGE FROM JAN 2006 +59,832.48 TOTAL CHANGE IN 2007 (Goal of +$32,000) +$29,487.50 Assets Savings $9,846.07 $21,470.97 118% His SIMPLE IRA $8,205.01 $8,637.33 5.3%...
August 2007
Payroll Error In My Favor
Posted on August 31, 2007 by Her
I got overpaid on my latest paycheck by several hundred dollars. When we had guests at our house this month I took off some days without pay because I had run out of vacation days. I filled out my time...
The Wonders of Appliance Maintenance
Posted on August 29, 2007 by Him
Last night Her and I were jonesing for some dessert that we'd share (yes, share, as Her is on Weight Watchers and I'm going to run the half-marathon). When Her opened up the freezer, she noticed some ice cream drippage...
Got A Wedding Registry? Get $50
Posted on August 28, 2007 by Her
Cuisinart is currently offering a $50 wedding registry promotion. If you register for a Cuisinart stand mixer at select retailers, you can earn a $25 rebate. If someone actually purchases it for you, you can get another $25. More information...
Good Weather For Renting
Posted on August 27, 2007 by Her
Lately lots of our friends have been buying houses, and we've been feeling left out. But this week Chicago has been deluged with severe weather, and suddenly the only thing we're missing out on is damaged property. The friends with...
Guests, Guests, and More Guests
Posted on August 23, 2007 by Him
We've just had company over for the last 11 days, hence the lack of timely posts. Mind you it wasn't all the same people - somewhere in our budget there was room for a revolving door that family and friends...
Bad Time to Rebalance Our Retirement Portfolio?
Posted on August 16, 2007 by Him
One of our goals this year was to "come up with a retirement action plan that includes correct asset allocation, periodic re-balancing, and a re-assessing how much we're socking away." We've gotten pretty far with that, as we've written a...
Restaurant Whoops
Posted on August 13, 2007 by Him
Has this scenario ever happened to you? You're on your way home from visiting family that's about 4 hours away, and you want to get something relatively inexpensive to eat. Maybe something like Applebee's but not a chain. You're not...
Paying For Weight Loss is Paying Off
Posted on August 08, 2007 by Her
This year I spent about $150 to join Weight Watchers, and that has helped me to lose about 10 pounds in 6 weeks. I know, I know, losing weight is just about eating less and exercising more. But previously, I...
The Cost of The Half-Marathon
Posted on August 01, 2007 by Him
This summer our posting has been pretty low-key due to all of our extracurricular activities. I've personally been occupied with training for an upcoming half-marathon. Little did I know of the associated costs with training for a 13-mile jaunt. While...
July 2007
Financially Savvy Wedding Gifts
Posted on July 30, 2007 by Her
Do you know a bride and groom who are financially savvy (or who could use some help in this area)? If so, then the Chicago Tribune has some great wedding gift suggestions. Instead of a stock pot, how about blue...
Can You Find Work In A Smaller City?
Posted on July 24, 2007 by Him
...oh right, we still have a blog. That we need to write stuff in. Yeah. Anyway, one of the main reasons we haven't written is that we're both pretty busy with our jobs. While we both put in some long...
Frugal Festival Weekend
Posted on July 16, 2007 by Him
This past weekend we were at a pretty rockin' music festival, and we managed to do everything on the cheap. Our total net spending on for the festival, food, and drinks totaled $50 for the two of us. Considering that...
Expensive Taste And My Job
Posted on July 10, 2007 by Him
Yesterday Jim put up a post on how he developed an expensive taste for bottled water because of his work environment. I can definitely relate - when this blog still had that new blog smell I wrote a post detailing...
The Summer Concert Festival Circuit, For Free or Profit
Posted on July 09, 2007 by Him
Last year, we gleefully paid about $500 for tickets to three summer music festivals in Chicago. Fortunately for us, we struck early this year and purchased the early release tickets to all of the festivals, limiting our total to just...
Good Morning Cleveland!
Posted on July 03, 2007 by Him
If you were up this morning at 5:15AM in Cleveland and listening to WERE 1300 AM, you heard us on the radio! We were honored to be interviewed by Dawnette Lounds - Culp on the radio show "Your Family Issues."...
June 2007
Downtown Hotel Room Blocks for Wedding Guests Cost a Fortune
Posted on June 29, 2007 by Her
This week I set out to try to arrange a hotel room block for our out-of-town wedding guests. I called many of the nicer hotels in downtown Chicago to ask for information and was shocked by the answers I got....
What We Sacrificed to Get Out of Credit Card Debt
Posted on June 28, 2007 by Her
Getting out of debt requires sacrificing the lifestyle you have become accustomed to. It's not easy, and some people find that they are their own worst enemy when it comes to making sacrifices. It's that lifestyle that got you into...
My New Credit Limit Scares the Bejeezus Out of Me
Posted on June 26, 2007 by Her
Today I got a notice from one of my credit card companies that they have raised my credit limit to over $16,000. This is the first time I have had a credit limit cross the five-figure line. We currently carry...
Weddings: I Do = I Debt?
Posted on June 25, 2007 by Her
I took an online survey this week for engaged brides. Question 54 asks how you intend to pay for your wedding. Most of the options involved taking on debt in one way or another. The first option on the list,...
"How Much Home Can You Afford?" Calculators Scare the Bejeezus Outta Me
Posted on June 22, 2007 by Him
Between friends and coworkers, I'd say that 80% of the people I know are now homeowners, with many of them buying their first home in the last year or so. Admittedly, I've felt out of the loop. In the past,...
The VIP Drinks at Da Club
Posted on June 19, 2007 by Him
A few weeks ago a friend of ours had a birthday celebration at a club in downtown Chicago. Neither Her or I are of the clubbing type (and that includes baby seals) so we begrudgingly went. Lucky for us, there...
Peace Out, (Revolving) Credit Card Debt
Posted on June 18, 2007 by Him
This weekend we hit a major milestone - we've paid off all of our revolving credit card debt! Not only that, but we accelerated our payoff schedule a few months earlier than our goal of November 2007. From this day...
When A Friend Has Become A MLM Robot
Posted on June 14, 2007 by Her
What do you do when a good friend gets sucked into a multi-level marketing scheme (MLM), more commonly known as pyramid schemes? Over the past year one of my closest friends has displayed increasingly bizarre behaviors that are totally unlike...
The $125 Load of Laundry
Posted on June 11, 2007 by Him
A couple of months ago we discussed whether or not it was worth it to have our laundry send out versus doing it ourselves. Fear not, loyal readers (or first timers, I guess); we have not succumbed to the temptation...
Finances and Romance Don't Mix
Posted on June 07, 2007 by Him
I'm sure you've seen this commercial for Chase bank. To sum up, a young woman gets her first paycheck, then immediately runs out to open her first checking account, of course at Chase. For some reason the scene cuts to...
May 2007 Net Worth
Posted on June 04, 2007 by Him
April 2007 May 2007 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$59,903.97 -$59,594.76 0.5% TOTAL CHANGE FROM JAN 2006 +$41,538.16 TOTAL CHANGE IN 2007 (Goal of +$32,000) +$11,193.18 Assets Savings $9,459.42 $9,846.07 4.1% His SIMPLE IRA $7,759.60 $8,205.01 5.7%...
Planning the Joint Retirement Portfolio: Slicing Up The Allocation Pie
Posted on June 01, 2007 by Him
This is part 4 of our planning the joint portfolio series. To see how we got here, read this intro post, then read part 1: The Magic Number, part 2: Currently, It's A Mess, and finally part 3: Large Scale...
May 2007
Getting Drunk Or Oil Changes For Cheap (Or Free)
Posted on May 28, 2007 by Him
This past weekend I went to lunch with a friend of mine from way back in the day. Although I haven't seen this guy in quite a while, when we do get together it usually results in a crazy night...
Roundup: What PFBloggers Think About Giving Back
Posted on May 25, 2007 by Him
We usually don't do roundup posts here, but many in the pfblogosphere have commented on my post "'Raise your children to rely on them.' - Asian Culture And Finances". Here's some linkage to those who have posted something in response...
SIMPLE IRA, Meet Vanguard
Posted on May 22, 2007 by Him
I've written in the past about my dissatisfaction with my SIMPLE IRA plan administrator. In the past few months I decided to move my hard earned dollars elsewhere. And by elsewhere I mean Vanguard. As I stated before, our plan...
Mother's Day: The Aftermath
Posted on May 17, 2007 by Him
Sort of a grim title, huh? To make a long story short, everything went fine. We spent a whopping $50 on flowers, a card, some chocolates, and a home cooked brunch for four. Her made some blueberry pancakes and sausages...
What Is It Like to Be You?
Posted on May 17, 2007 by Her
Him and I now make a combined income of (just barely) over six figures. This is far more than we've ever made before. At this new income level, life has become easier. We are able to make large payments toward...
Bachelorette Party Expense
Posted on May 11, 2007 by Her
My friend is getting married and I've been invited to her bachelorette party. Her $135 (without hotel) to $250 (including hotel) per person bachelorette party. Plus I am expected to bring a gift. Says so right on the invitation. Is...
(Un)Happy Mother's Day
Posted on May 10, 2007 by Him
Two days ago I wrote about the Asian cultural phenomenon of giving back to your parents. As I stated in that post, I don't mind giving back during special occasions in the form of nice meals at restaurants or nice...
Technical Difficulties
Posted on May 09, 2007 by Him
Some of the functionality of our site went down yesterday. If you've tried to leave a comment for us in the last 24 hours or so and couldn't, please try and comment again. We really like comments. They're just like...
Raise your children to rely on them - Asian Culture And Finances
Posted on May 08, 2007 by Him
I grew up as the child of two Asian immigrants (I'm not giving up my actual ethnicity for the sake of some anonymity). My parents came to America over 30 years ago, and have been naturalized citizens for a long...
Reader Question: Merging Finances?
Posted on May 07, 2007 by Him
Reader D writes to us with this question: Here's my question, and I apologize if it's long. My boyfriend and I have recently made the decision to move in together and this, of course, requires a certain amount of financial...
April 2007 Net Worth - Slightly Drunk Edition
Posted on May 04, 2007 by Him
Working overtime stresses us both out. So we went to the dive bar about 47 steps away from our front door. We saw an old man...an old very drunk and very fat man...spectacularly fall the way only a fat and...
OMG Spend So Much Moneyz We Don't Post
Posted on May 03, 2007 by Him
We've been quiet. Reasons: (Unpaid) overtime. Work travel. Petting cats. Digesting meat from Fogo de Chao. Actual content ETA: soon....
April 2007
Crying Over Spilled Meat
Posted on April 24, 2007 by Her
So last week we took Him's parents out to dinner at Fogo de Chao, a brazilian cowboy meat emporium. None of us had ever been there before, but the concept is almost like a table-side buffet. Waiters in costume bring...
Our Five Obsessions
Posted on April 18, 2007 by Her
English Major recently tagged us to participate in the current latest and greatest meme going around: 5 Things We're Obsessed With. Without further ado... Three obsessions from Him: Andrew Bird. Do you know anyone who can play violin, glockenspiel, guitar,...
Stay Classy, Jacksonville
Posted on April 17, 2007 by Him
"I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal." - Ron Burgundy Last Sunday we were featured in the The Florida Times-Union, a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida. Much thanks to Alison Trinidad for giving...
Listen to No One...I Mean Everyone...I Mean...
Posted on April 13, 2007 by Him
Many read personal finance blogs in hopes of learning about a juicy financial tidbit that will help skyrocket them to their dreams. In order to avoid any potential lawsuits, these blogs prominently display a disclaimer telling their readers that the...
Allowances; Morale Raised
Posted on April 10, 2007 by Her
We got allowance raises this month! Our original allowance amount was $75 each, twice a month. We have received this amount for the last two years. We talked it over and decided to raise this to $100 each in response...
Upromise is Now Helping to Pay my Student Loan
Posted on April 09, 2007 by Her
Upromise has recently partnered with Sallie Mae, a big student loan company who I happen to have most of my student loans with. I have also had a Upromise account for over a year. The result of the partnership is...
March 2007 Net Worth
Posted on April 05, 2007 by Him
February 2007 March 2007 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$64,178.27 -$60,964.42 5.0% TOTAL CHANGE FROM JAN 2006 +$40,168.5 TOTAL CHANGE IN 2007 (Goal of +$32,000) +$9,823.52 Assets Savings $13,109.32 $12,326.02 -6.0% His SIMPLE IRA $7,009.68 $7,298.81...
March Madness Rate of Return
Posted on April 04, 2007 by Him
With the Florida Gator's win over the Ohio State Buckeyes last Monday, I managed to claim a share of the third place prize of my office pool. That amounted to $15 - a 3-fold return of my original investment of...
Budgeting, Or How We Managed Not To Kill Each Other
Posted on April 02, 2007 by Him
So we did it. We sat down this weekend and with the help of Microsoft Money 2005 we created a budget. And we're alive. Both of us. With all of our fingers and toes. We've been tracking our expenses for...
March 2007
Cheese Graters and the Force
Posted on March 29, 2007 by Him
Yesterday's post by Her garnered some good discussion, and there are a few details that I'd also like to address. This whole issue is not about a cheese grater or a vase, or any ONE particular item. Admittedly, I'm not...
Money Discussions Still Uncomfortable
Posted on March 28, 2007 by Her
I can tell when something is bothering Him. Him gets all quiet and skulky, and last week Him had been skulky for over a week. Uh-oh. I finally pried out the problem: Money and Us. Yikes. Turns out I have...
Should We Diversify Brokerages?
Posted on March 26, 2007 by Him
Our retirement holdings will soon be with three different brokerage companies. Her's 401(k) is stuck with who manages it for her company, but the Roth IRAs can all be moved from one brokerage to another. The question is, why would...
This (Frugal?) American Life
Posted on March 22, 2007 by Him
We've previously discussed how much we love the NPR/Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ) show This American Life. If you like the show and haven't been living under a rock you know that the televison version of the show will be premiering...
Oh Nos! Not The B-Word!
Posted on March 21, 2007 by Him
Over a year ago, figuring out where our money went was an easy task. Since we weren't making as much and we had considerably more debt, we budgeted using the Force. The Force? Wha? Budgeting using The Force is more...
Decorate Your Wedding Car for Under $8
Posted on March 19, 2007 by Her
There are lots of companies that sell "wedding car decorating kits" for upwards of $50. Save your money and do it yourself. Here's how. What you need: (18) tin cans (saved from soup etc.) lids removed, rinsed (6) 9'-0" spools...
Tell Your (Bad) Experiences With Credit Cards, Be Famous
Posted on March 16, 2007 by Him
We received an email request from a guy who we've worked with before. Read it and participate, you'll be FAMOUS...or NOTORIOUS. I'm reaching out to you today in hopes that you can help me contact other people who have wrestled...
February 2007 Net Worth
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Him
January 2007 February 2007 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$66,274.27 -$64,178.27 3.2% TOTAL CHANGE FROM JAN 2006 +$36,954.65 TOTAL CHANGE IN 2007 (Goal of +$32,000) +$6,609.67 Assets Savings $9,387.56 $13,109.32 38.0% His SIMPLE IRA $6,670.08 $7,009.68...
Drinks On Us, Flights On You
Posted on March 09, 2007 by Him
Ever since we've received the Citibank AAdvantage card, we've been thinking of all of the possible ways that we could maximize our mileage. Thus I present to you this case study: Happy hour. The last few weekends, my co-workers and...
Finances and Dating: First Date(s) Expenses?
Posted on March 07, 2007 by Him
Personal finances bloggers loooove to say that having a significant other doesn't have to be expensive. I'd argue that maintaining a relationship doesn't cost a lot of money, but getting a relationship to that stage can be pretty costly. Her...
Help A Reader Out - 60 Years Old, No Retirement Funds
Posted on March 06, 2007 by Him
Reader Danny left this comment and emailed us (3 times, no less) with this question (edited for clarity): I wonder if any news magazines or newspapers have reported on another trend: older people who have no retirement funds, no big...
Wedding Vendor to Us: "Cool Kids Don't Stick to Budgets!"
Posted on March 05, 2007 by Her
This week a wedding vendor told us to be like the cool kids and forget about a wedding budget. Here's how it went down (approximately). Her: Dear Vendor, how much do you charge? Vendor: MILLIONS of dollars, plus your KIDNEYS!!!...
February 2007
All Quiet On The Financial Front
Posted on February 28, 2007 by Him
Things are quiet. Very quiet. Since we've paid off the majority of our credit cards, we are only getting two credit card statements a month. By the end of the year we'll only receive one. Our Saturday morning "pay the...
Save Money on Your Wedding (Without Looking Cheap)
Posted on February 26, 2007 by Her
We've been planning our wedding for over a year now and have found lots of ways to make an inexpensive wedding look expensive. Here are some tips: Buy Secondhand Buying secondhand items is always cheaper than buying them new, and...
NPR Highlights Debt Blogs
Posted on February 23, 2007 by Him
Our love for NPR, especially Chicago Public Radio, knows no bounds. We've attended a taping of Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me!, and we're going to the This American Life live show next week. Every morning I wake up to NPR's...
We're Still Using Credit Cards, But Not Adding To Our Debt
Posted on February 21, 2007 by Him
Last month, we paid off all of our non 0% credit card debt. We're currently on track to pay off the rest of the credit card debt, which is at 0%, by the end of the year. So we thought...
Hello Hello NYT Readers
Posted on February 17, 2007 by Him
Today we've been featured in the New York Times in the article Debtors Search for Discipline via Blogs. Like, yay us. Before you leave, please subscribe to our rss feed, or hit our homepage and subscribe to our blog via...
Thinking About Commitment? Maybe This Prospectus Can Make You Reconsider
Posted on February 14, 2007 by Him
Are you tired of boring serious relationships that are in your current love portfolio? Are you looking for in a commitment to invest in? Are you sure that is the right investment for you? Maybe you want to grow your...
Relationships and Finances, Reader Submission: JP's Story
Posted on February 12, 2007 by Him
This is a part of our continuing series on reader submissions on relationships and finances. If you would like to share your story on relationships and finances, please see this post Without further ado, here's JP's story. Okay, I will...
Planning the Joint Retirement Portfolio: Large Scale Allocation
Posted on February 09, 2007 by Him
This is part 3 of our planning the joint portfolio series. To see how we got here, read this intro post, then read part 1: The Magic Number and part 2: Currently, It's A Mess. Lately we've both been pretty...
This Valentine's Day, Save Money By Taking Your Loved One To A Castle
Posted on February 07, 2007 by Him
...a White Castle. Ever since I was a kid, around this time of year White Castle would plead with passers-by on its marquee to make reservations for Valentine's Day before it was too late. Yes, reservations at White Castle. For...
January 2007 Net Worth - Two Negatives Make A Positive
Posted on February 05, 2007 by Him
December 2006 January 2007 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$70,787.94 -$66,274.27 6.4% TOTAL CHANGE FROM JAN 2006 +$32,341.12 32.8% Assets Savings $15,330.33 $9,387.56 -38.8% His SIMPLE IRA $5,851.56 $6,670.08 14.0% His Roth IRA $6,470.53 $6,455.70 -0.2% His HSA...
Slaying The Evil Blog Comment Eater
Posted on February 02, 2007 by Him
If you've tried to leave a comment here in the last few days and it was met with some weird error page, we heartily apologize. I had to give my blog software a mighty HADOUKEN to fix things. So please,...
Our Peers Aren't Doing So Bad
Posted on February 01, 2007 by Him
I have a ton of websites that are currently in my feedreader, but only a few that I visit daily. Of them, the Chicago-based Gaper's Block (origin of the name) is surely one of my favorites. The site is well-designed,...
January 2007
One Year Of Make Love, Not Debt - A Look Back
Posted on January 30, 2007 by Him
The above chart shows our financial standings over the past year. Here's how did end of 2006 in terms of net worth compared to the beginning: January 2006 December 2006 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$98,615.39 -$70,787.94 28.2%...
SIMPLE IRA - Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Posted on January 24, 2007 by Him
There have been numerous times on this blog that I have expressed dissatisfaction towards the investment options that are currently offered for my SIMPLE IRA plan. A few weeks ago I incorrectly stated that I could only invest in loaded...
Divided Household - Working Out A Serious Problem
Posted on January 23, 2007 by Him
When I first met Her, we both used the 1040-EZ form to do our taxes. We didn't make a lot of money, so that was the easy way. Then we started to make a little more money. Taxes were becoming...computerized....
Financial Milestone Reached! My Bad Debt Ratio Is Under 15%
Posted on January 22, 2007 by Her
When I first added up all my debt in 2005, my Bad Debt Ratio was over 86%. Today it is 14.88%, slipping under the recommended maximum of 15% for the first time ever! What is a Bad Debt Ratio? This...
20/20 - How We Stayed Home To Watch This Crap
Posted on January 20, 2007 by Him
If you're looking for a real review of the 20/20 show (read the 4 parts of it here, here, here, aaaand here) then maybe you should read Boston Gal's, or No Limit Ladies, or Blogging Away Debt, or Frugal Law...
I Love My Friends. Their Names? The Joneses.
Posted on January 19, 2007 by Him
Last weekend, we attended a house warming party for a friend of ours. They just bought a large condo in an up-and-coming neighborhood, and a week later he bought a 52-inch flat screen TV. At the party they were serving...
Planning the Joint Retirement Portfolio: Currently, It's A Mess
Posted on January 16, 2007 by Him
For those of you keeping track (and who isn't?), this is the second step of our Planning the Joint Portfolio series. Here's step 1 if you missed it. A few weekends ago we went through the process of writing down...
Building Your Own Home? A Financial Overview
Posted on January 15, 2007 by Her
Somehow, I ended up with a copy of Timber Home Living Magazine on the train ride home from work. They had a well-written overview of financial considerations for people planning on building a custom home of any kind (not just...
We Tell SmartMoney Readers Our Debt Secrets
Posted on January 12, 2007 by Him
A few weeks ago, Lisa Scherzer, an editor of SmartMoney magazine, emailed us (and JLP and Tricia, too): I'm interested in talking to people who are, or have ever been, in a situation where they've been at odds with their...
Morningstar.com's Investing Classroom ROCKS!
Posted on January 11, 2007 by Her
Think you know it all about investing? Think you know nothing? Either way, morningstar.com's Investing Classroom is a fun way to learn something new. They offer 172 e-courses on Stocks, Funds, Bonds, and Portfolios. Read a 10-minute summary then take...
Reader Question: Does "Good" Debt Equal "Good" Interest?
Posted on January 10, 2007 by Her
Reader A asks, Some kinds of debt are good I heard.. like the interest we pay on mortgages and student loans. Is this true? Are you better off paying as you go on these so you get some deductions at...
Rich People Plan For Three Generations...
Posted on January 09, 2007 by Her
Rich people plan for three generations; poor people plan for Saturday. This great quote from Money Monk via Single Ma got me thinking today. We have no children yet, but we are probably going to have to care for my...
Five Finger Discount Not Good for 401K's
Posted on January 08, 2007 by Her
Hacking thefts from 401K accounts are on the rise, according to Bob Sullivan at msnbc (In An Instant, Retirement Savings Vanish). Yikes! Here's how to make sure nobody gets a five-finger discount on your hard-earned savings by hacking into...
I'm Not Buying It This Week - Day 1
Posted on January 07, 2007 by Her
This week, "I'm not buying it." This means I will not buy anything for a week. I started today and already it is a change. We went to Border's today and I just enjoyed looking at different books and not...
Financially, I'm Below Average
Posted on January 05, 2007 by Her
The median net worth for my age is $2,125. We're $70,000 short. My credit score of 725 gets a letter grade of C, and is higher than only 31% of households in the US. We seem to be parading through...
2007 Financial Goals: We're On Our Way!
Posted on January 04, 2007 by Her
With some difficulty, we've already made progress on our 2007 financial goals. One goal is to fund one of our Roth IRA's 100% for 2007. Tonight we selected my Roth IRA (Him also has one), since I have very little...
Fund of Funds - Your Thoughts?
Posted on January 03, 2007 by Him
Ah, the fund of funds. I was introduced to this gem of an investment when I was eligible for my SIMPLE IRA at my job. What is it? It is exactly what it says it is, a mutual fund that...
FICO VantageScore and the Mortgage Catch-22
Posted on January 02, 2007 by Her
EDIT: Original title referenced my FICO score, when I actually meant to reference my VantageScore. VantageSCore and FICO are not related, and each uses a unique formula to calculate a score. FICO does not consider the lack of a mortgage...
December 2006 Net Worth - Happy New Year, Happy Birthday To Us
Posted on January 01, 2007 by Him
It is hard to believe that we posted for the first time a year ago. This year we're not hungover (much), and we actually spent our New Year's Eve in our apartment with each other, bypassing much more expensive options....
December 2006
Looking Ahead - Our Financial Goals for 2007
Posted on December 29, 2006 by Him
Yes, it's that time of the year again - goal setting time! While 2006 was an okay year for us financially, we're hoping to make 2007 even better. Here's what we plan to set out to accomplish: 1. Increase our...
Planning the Joint Retirement Portfolio: The Magic Number
Posted on December 28, 2006 by Him
Earlier this month, I had posted about moving forward with a plan to have one retirement portfolio to rule them all. We're slowly going through all of the steps, and learning a ton along the way. Since Her just had...
Five Things, Happy Holidays!
Posted on December 22, 2006 by Her
The nice people at We're in Debt has tagged us to tell you five things about us that you don't know. Without further ado, I'll go first: 1. I really, really like snow pants. However I do not own any....
How Low Does It Go?
Posted on December 19, 2006 by Him
Earlier in October we had some cold weather, and Her wrote about the things we do to keep ourselves warm in the winter. Since then we've been pretty lucky and have a mild winter here in Chicago. After we put...
REIT 'Em and Weep
Posted on December 18, 2006 by Her
I purchased 6 shares of Prologis (PLD) Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) on 10/15/2003 for $36.89 per share. Today it is worth $62.18 per share. This is an increase of over 68%! I first learned about REITs during a real...
Reader Question: Financial Transparency for Couples, Part 5
Posted on December 15, 2006 by Her
This post is part of our week-long series on Creating Financial Transparency for Couples. 5. There’s no unified financial plan. Jay cuts right to the heart of the problem when he says, "It makes it very difficult to plan our...
Reader Question: Financial Transparency for Couples, Part 4
Posted on December 14, 2006 by Her
This post is part of our week-long series on Creating Financial Transparency for Couples. 4. No dedicated time exists for talking about finances. Jay and his wife haven’t been able to set up a routine time to talk about finances....
Reader Question: Financial Transparency for Couples, Part 3
Posted on December 13, 2006 by Her
This post is part of our week-long series on Creating Financial Transparency for Couples. 3. There are two different spending styles at odds. Jay says that his wife perceives his attention to her finances as evidence that she is a...
Reader Question: Financial Transparency for Couples, Part 2
Posted on December 12, 2006 by Her
This post is part of our week-long series on Creating Financial Transparency for Couples. 2. There are unclear privacy boundaries. Jay believes that he has a right to see his wife’s financial statements. Jay’s wife believes that she has a...
Reader Question: Financial Transparency for Couples, Part 1
Posted on December 11, 2006 by Her
Reader Jay has a problem: …One problem my wife and I have is that there is limited financial visibility into her accounts. She does everything on paper and in check registers. I do everything on-line and have a spreadsheet on...
November 2006 Net Worth
Posted on December 11, 2006 by Him
October 2006 November 2006 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$76,811.85 -$74,995.01 2.4% TOTAL CHANGE FROM JAN 2006 +$23,620.38 24.0% Assets Savings $11,734.31 $11,744.45 ...
Site Maintenance, New Features
Posted on December 10, 2006 by Him
I've been doing some work on the site this weekend, so if you've been poking around the site today and you've noticed weird things going on, that may be the reason why. If you're navigating around the site and you...
Planning the Joint Retirement Portfolio
Posted on December 08, 2006 by Him
A few months ago, Her posted about the idea we had of investing into our retirement accounts as if it were one retirement portfolio. Great idea, right? Let's pool our retirement money and fix our allocation and goals as one....
Leave Money Behind or Die Broke?
Posted on December 06, 2006 by Him
Her and I have a year end goal to reassess our retirement portfolios, including making goals, determining asset allocation, and rebalancing. In order to get a head start at this process, I've been tinkering with some online calculators that try...
Money is Key to Long Life
Posted on December 04, 2006 by Her
Can cash add years to your life? Insurance companies think so. I recently had a casual conversation with a life insurance "insider" - an insurance businessman who has been at his company for about 30 years. He told me that...
Non-Corporate Christmas
Posted on December 01, 2006 by Him
Last year I set out do do what I thought was impossible: buy all of my Christmas presents at locally owned businesses in Chicago. Fortunately, local culture blog Gaper's Block showed me the way: they published a 2005 holiday shopping...
November 2006
Spontaneity, Surprises and the Joint Account
Posted on November 30, 2006 by Him
Yes, the holidays have descended upon us, meaning the purchasing of gifts. This is probably the one time of the year that Her and I like to get something expensive special for each other. But when you share an account,...
Future Outlook: Some Random Thoughts
Posted on November 29, 2006 by Him
A few months ago, Her posted that we'd be free of credit card debt in 24 months. That was almost five months ago, so that would mean we have 19 months to go to pay off our credit card debt...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted on November 23, 2006 by Him
We're currently traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, and will resume posting sometime next week. We are extremely blessed and thankful for everything we have. Have a great Thanksgiving!...
Relationships and Finances, Reader Submission: JC's Story
Posted on November 20, 2006 by Him
Reader JC sends in her story of her and her husband's trials with money: When my now-husband and I met, we were both at a turning point in our financial lives. After several years living in one of the most...
Our Bank Gave Us A Pie!
Posted on November 16, 2006 by Her
Something extraordinary happened today: our bank gave us a pie! No strings attached, no rebates to fill out, no tricks just treats! Last year we opened an account at Meadows Credit Union when they offered a $120 bonus. They were...
Relationships and Finances, Reader Submission: Nicole's Story
Posted on November 15, 2006 by Him
When we announced our first call for entries a few months ago, Nicole sent in her story of how she and her husband deal with finances: For the first year of our marriage my husband handled everything. I didn't even...
Debtfolio Alpha: Debt Management 2.0 - First Look
Posted on November 13, 2006 by Him
A few weeks ago we got an email from Peter Glyman, co-founder of Debtfolio.com, asking us to check out his new service. The Millionaire Artist already posted about it, and not only that, she actually met the co-founders! Since...
K-Fed on Bling as an Investment
Posted on November 10, 2006 by Her
Forget traditional investment vehicles such as stocks and marrying Britney Spears. In an interview with Salon last week, K-Fed explained how he's investing in bling. Salon: The watch you're wearing is worth more money than I've made in the last...
Holy Crap That's Us!
Posted on November 08, 2006 by Him
Hilarious. EDIT: Yes, the language is cleaned up. No, the people on the referred-to post aren't really us. Seriously....
Call for Relationship and Finances Posts - Again
Posted on November 08, 2006 by Him
A few months ago, we had a call for entries for posts by bloggers, financial or otherwise, on the topic of relationships and finances. That project was sidetracked a little, but we're hoping to revive it. The point of the...
October '06 Net Worth
Posted on November 06, 2006 by Him
September 2006 October 2006 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$79,013.54 -$76,811.85 2.8% TOTAL CHANGE FROM JAN 2006 +$21,803.54 21.4% Assets Savings $11,288.69 $11,734.31 3.9% Cash* $550.00 $550.00 0.0% His SIMPLE IRA $4,824.39 $5,353.93 11.0% His Roth IRA $6,374.96...
DIY Computer Saves a Lot of Money
Posted on November 03, 2006 by Him
Warning: This post has much geek speak. Those who are offended or more likely, bored, can look away. Our computer at home is dying. Lately we've been getting spontaneous reboots, freezing, and general slowing down. It has trouble with more...
Car Maintenance = Free Airfare
Posted on November 01, 2006 by Him
This past weekend we went out to the 'burbs for dinner with some of Her's family. Shortly after pulling out of their driveway, we heard thwump thwump thwump thwump thwump coming from the back of the car. I got out...
October 2006
The Cost of Clean Clothes
Posted on October 30, 2006 by Him
Laundry, like finances, is often one of those things that I wish would just take care of itself. While I love our apartment, it doesn't have a washer/dryer in it, nor does our building have a community laundry room. That...
Battlestar Galactica > Retirement Plans
Posted on October 26, 2006 by Him
A few weeks ago I was out having a few drinks with few coworkers during happy hour. One of my coworkers (CW1) noted that in a few weeks he will have been at the company for six months. Another coworker...
Finances and Dating: Coupons
Posted on October 24, 2006 by Him
Since we're engaged, I will never be able experience dating as an adult in a big city. Many bloggers talk about the financial dynamic that they have between them and a long-term significant other. But what about the bloggers who...
We Know Many Disapprove
Posted on October 20, 2006 by Him
Many across the tubes of teh interwebs disapprove of our money management. But NOBODY disapproves like disapproving rabbits. Like OMG, they do not approve. (via Cute Overload) Enjoy your weekend, everyone....
Bonus Whoring: A Critical Review
Posted on October 19, 2006 by Her
As consumers, we are constantly bombarded with enticing bonuses/gifts/rewards for joining/opening/using a product or service. We've completed several of these offers with varying degrees of success. Here's how the cookies crumbled. What we did: Opened an unnecessary checking account What...
Warning: Danger Ahead
Posted on October 18, 2006 by Her
A lot of our readers want to know how I got so deep in debt. Didn't I see the warning signs? Couldn't I see there was a problem before we had a net worth of nearly negative $100,000? Unfortunately, it's...
We're Not on Crack: Our Net Worth Formula Examined
Posted on October 17, 2006 by Her
Lots of our readers want to know more about the formula we use to calculate our net worth. Since our readers have been posting these questions for months now, perhaps it's time to fully answer them! Why do you include...
Carnival of Personal Finance Seventy
Posted on October 16, 2006 by Him
Hello everyone, and welcome to the 70th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance. We'd like to especially welcome first time visitors to Make Love, Not Debt. Please take the time to look around and read some of our posts....
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
Posted on October 12, 2006 by Her
But you can stay warm for less! The cold weather is finally upon us, but last winter we tried lots of ways to cut our heating costs after getting hit with a huge heating bill early in the season. Here...
Should We Even Have Our Retirement Accounts?
Posted on October 09, 2006 by Him
If you've looked at any of our net worth statements, you've seen that we have four retirement accounts between the two of us. Only two of these accounts, the employee sponsored ones, are actively being funded right now. If you...
I Don't Look Like A Million Bucks
Posted on October 07, 2006 by Her
A few days ago I went for a walk. I saw a beautiful home that was hosting an open house. The price tag was right around $1 million, so I was curious to see the inside. I went in. The...
Most Financially Ethically Dubious Act?
Posted on October 06, 2006 by Him
Over at Get Rich Slowly there is a great debate over the ethics of frugality - with topics such as "free" wi-fi, or is is wrong to bring food into a movie theater. For the record, I have only "borrowed"...
September Net Worth
Posted on October 03, 2006 by Him
It has only been 21 days since the last time we've done this, but I thought that maybe I can actually get back to keeping track of our net worth on a regular schedule... July-August 2006 September 2006 %...
Saved My Watch, Saved Some Money
Posted on October 02, 2006 by Him
A few years ago my parents became empty nesters - then decided to embark on a European vacation to celebrate. During their travels they stopped at the home of Swatch in Switzerland, and bought me a watch. When they gave...
September 2006
Financial Fatigue
Posted on September 29, 2006 by Him
We're paying off our credit card debt aggressively, snowballing $600.00 on top of minimum payments. We're paying more than the minimum on student loans. We don't go out for dinner or drinks as much. We have one car that we...
It Pays To [Save Your] Discover [Advertisements]!
Posted on September 25, 2006 by Her
A few months ago I received a promotion from Discover Card: By signing up for automatic payment of my cell phone bill with my Discover Card, I would receive a $30 cash back bonus. I carefully read the promotion, signed...
Where To Live? Urban vs. Sub(urban)
Posted on September 22, 2006 by Him
(buy the shirt!) On my last post, both Gigi and Chitowngirl both suggested that we look for housing in the suburbs of Chicago. Their prevailing reason is, of course, the lower cost of housing. But the square footage of...
Is It Feasible For Us To Put Down 20% For A Home?
Posted on September 19, 2006 by Him
The home ownership bug has hit me as of late. This is a dangerous thing, apparently, as many hours of my day are spent looking at housing calculators, reading up about different types of mortgages, and most procastinating-ly, looking at...
In This Case, It Is Better To Buy Than Rent
Posted on September 15, 2006 by Him
Imagine this: 42 years ago, you lease a state-of-the-art rotary phone. For a reasonable $29.10 a month. And you still have that phone. If you're the probably sweet-82-year-old-grannie-down-the-street Ester Strogen, then you don't have to imagine. The total cost of...
8 Year Old's Billable Rate: $25/hour
Posted on September 15, 2006 by Him
When I was little, I loved playing Nintendo. In fact, that's all I pretty much did. I was so good at some games kids would call me to help them get through a level of a game. Weirdly enough, a...
Save Receipts, Save Money!
Posted on September 14, 2006 by Her
Start saving your receipts, and you could save some serious cash! I never used to save receipts, but for the last year we have saved every single receipt – and saved over $125. Here are ways that saving receipts can...
Follow up: Raise and Taxes
Posted on September 13, 2006 by Him
Last week I wrote about my awesome raises that I was fortunate enough to receive this year, and how I hadn't adjusted my withholding accordingly. This weekend, I played around with the IRS Withholding calculator, and plugged in the numbers...
July-August Net Worth
Posted on September 12, 2006 by Him
Oops, we didn't do a net worth post in August. Whoopie doo. Here are the numbers for the last two months: June 2006 July-August 2006 % Change TOTAL NET WORTH -$84,918.71 -$81,480.59 4.1% Assets Savings $9,821.97 $10,718.58 9.1% Cash*...
A Day of Silence In Memory
Posted on September 11, 2006 by Her
Out of respect for the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, we will not be posting today. Please join us in remembering those who lost their lives....
Promotion and a Raise!
Posted on September 08, 2006 by Him
A few weeks ago I was promoted! There were a hints dropped by my supervisor, as well as rumors from the higher-ups at my company. Hey, when you work at a small company of 30 people, word tends to travel...
Debt Collection: A New Perspective
Posted on September 07, 2006 by Her
Can you imagine owning a business where your customer's aren’t paying, your bills are piling up, and you're terrified you will either lose your customers or go bankrupt? This is the other side of the debt collection industry, and it's...
Inspiration for Student Loan Repayment
Posted on September 06, 2006 by Her
Sometimes I meet people who are so financially savvy and responsible that they inspire me. I recently met a co-worker whose story can be an inspiration to anyone struggling with the burden of student loan debt. This woman is in...
I Bought My Wedding Gown (Under Budget!)
Posted on September 05, 2006 by Her
I bought my wedding gown! I went to the Filene's Basement Running of the Brides Sale and found my gown for $249 - far less than the original $1,000 price tag! We've been using the wedding budget calculator at www.theknot.com...
Rock the Filene's Basement "Running of the Brides" Sale
Posted on September 01, 2006 by Her
I went to the Running of the Brides Sale at Filene's Basement and was really surprised. The sale was completely different than I had anticipated, and I have some tips for making the sale work for you. 1. Don't be...
August 2006
Hipster Finances
Posted on August 30, 2006 by Him
I'll admit - I somewhat subscribe to the hipster culture. My favorite places to be in Chicago are Empty Bottle, The Metro, Double Door. I listen to bands you've never heard of: Mates of State, Headlights, Bloc Party, Ted...
Lose your Chase Credit/Debt Card After Business Hours? You'll Have to Wait Until Morning to Cancel
Posted on August 29, 2006 by Him
Last Friday we went out to dinner with a few friends from out of town. When we were waiting for our table I decided to run to the ATM and grab some cash to make things easier when the bill...
Her Career Is Going To Be The End Of Us!!! OMG We Should Like, Break Up!!!
Posted on August 23, 2006 by Him
After I read this Forbes article, I was seriously thinking that maybe I should call off the marriage. Maybe this guy is right: career women are BAD. Since I've read this article, I had trouble sleeping last night, dreaming that...
Less Debt Equals More Time, Happiness
Posted on August 22, 2006 by Him
When Her and I first moved in together, we would get tons of mail. Credit card offers, store catalogs, and oh yeah, bills bills bills. We'd open up everything, shred the crap, and put the bills next to the computer...
Lose Weight, Save Money!
Posted on August 21, 2006 by Her
About a month ago we decided to go on a health kick to lose weight and improve our appearances. For our weight loss plan, we are using free software to track calories, resulting in a plan of good old fashioned...
Friday Food - 24 courses, $175
Posted on August 18, 2006 by Him
Food is funny. We all have to eat to survive, for nourishment, for that oh-so-great feeling of a full stomach. Some deem food and eating as a trivial necessity, in the same category of light bulbs or putting gas in...
Welcome My Yahoo! Visitors
Posted on August 18, 2006 by Him
Considering this is the second time we've been featured at Yahoo!, we think that someone really likes us there. First as a Yahoo! Pick, and now we've been featured on today's My Yahoo! Inside My Yahoo!. I mean, what's not...
What To Do With Credit Cards With No Balances?
Posted on August 17, 2006 by Him
This past weekend we hit a milestone: we paid off the balance that was transferred to the 0% balance transfer card a few months back. Now I only have one credit card with a balance on it, and that'll get...
College: Who Pays? Who Cares?
Posted on August 16, 2006 by Her
In deciding who should pay for college, there are two opinions: Either you believe the child should pay for school, or you believe the parents should. Most of the personal finance discussions I've seen on the topic have degenerated into...
Help Rescue Animals in Beirut
Posted on August 10, 2006 by Her
In emergency evacuations, animals are often left behind to fend for themselves. It happened during hurricane Katrina, and it's happening again right now with the war in Beirut. But one organization, Beiruit for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA), is...
Increase Life Insurance After Engagement?
Posted on August 10, 2006 by Him
With all of the engagements going around, there has probably been a lot of talk between couples about finances. There's a lot to talk about: joint checking and savings accounts, who pays the bills, how much can someone spend on...
Yes, We're Alive
Posted on August 08, 2006 by Him
We are still recovering from a pretty rockin' Lollapalooza weekend. Three days of music is pretty much all we could have handled. Yes, it was a pretty expensive weekend. Beers at $5 each, along with some expensive festival food made...
Plasma Screen TVs are the New Diamonds
Posted on August 02, 2006 by Him
I wonder if Tiffany's has a blue box big enough to wrap a 60" plasma screen TV. They may need boxes that big pretty soon, as a recent study found that 3 out of 4 women would prefer a plasma...
Greetings to UK Visitors
Posted on August 01, 2006 by Him
Today we've been featured on "The Click" in today's UK Times Online. We'd like to thank whoever graciously nominated us to be featured! If we weren't anonymous, we'd send you some cookies or something; but since we are, we're just...
July 2006
Metrosexual Expenses - Shaving Edition
Posted on July 31, 2006 by Him
Over the past few months I've read a few things about the process of shaving. One of the places to have such a trivial debate was in the online humor magazine, McSweeney's. They recommend: Shaving without sha