Our vacation to Australia has changed the way we eat. When we were in Australia we got to experience so much of our beautiful planet and see wildlife up close like never before. We snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, visited the rain forest, and spent the night on a free-range sheep farm. We ate local, ... Read more →
I heard an interesting discussion the other day. A couple is planning to get engaged, and they have agreed to choose the engagement ring together. They both have lucrative careers ahead of them, but are currently in school. The school tuition is being financed by their parents. They set a budget for the ring, and ... Read more →
So far our jobs have kept us pretty insulated from the ravages of the economy. I haven’t noticed much personally, other than what I’ve seen in the news reports. But this week I finally started seeing changes – big changes – on the street. Last weekend we went shopping for clothes and we both commented ... Read more →
When we were considering honeymoon destinations several years ago, Australia was a top contender…until we saw the price tag. Package deals for a 2-week vacation were around $20,000 (yes, twenty thousand!). Spending that much on a honeymoon was out of the question. We put the idea aside and chose a $6,000 Greece package instead. Last ... Read more →
We hit a pothole, and the pothole hit our wallets. This morning we were cruising down Lakeshore Drive when we struck a nefarious pothole. It wasn’t that wide, maybe only a foot or so, but it was also about a foot deep. We hit it while going about 40 mph. That instant I saw our ... Read more →
Tonight I stopped by our local Jewel grocery store and was surprised to see a posted notice that “Effective May, 2009, Jewel will no longer accept expired coupons.” Coupons have long been a major part of our strategy to reduce household expenses, and we have always used expired coupons (with the permission of the customer ... Read more →
When Him and I started our careers, we earned equal salaries ($40,000 each). It felt great! We were working our way up our respective ladders together as equals. I had read about marriages where one partner earns far more than the other, and honestly I was glad that we would never be like that. Or ... Read more →
Today at work I found out that my raise for this year is…zip. My company has been affected by the market downturn and there’s no telling how much work we’ll have in the near future. Right now my CFO wants to be cautious and not increase their fixed costs, so no raises for anyone. I’m ... Read more →
Two years ago I wrote a post called Cheap Sex where I talked about how I took advantage of store promotions to fill my birth control prescription and save money. Now we’re married, thinking about kids, and I figure it’s time for a cheap sex update! We’re in the process of switching to a new ... Read more →
Our bathroom drain has been clogged for about a year. We have been pouring gallons of Drain-o (and money) down the drain. I tried to remove the drain stopper (the little thingy that goes up and down) but couldn’t. Recently, the clog got so bad that it would take hours for the sink to drain. ... Read more →
Today we sat down and had a discussion we’ve been putting off for a while: family planning. We both want to have children, although we hadn’t sorted out the timing yet. We have already achieved many milestones that will help us prepare to be parents. We have completed our educations, have steady jobs with benefits ... Read more →
If you’re part of a group that’s planing to give a group gift this holiday season (a gift for a teacher, building manager, friend, etc), one way to maximize your gift is to tap your resources. Inquire among the group members to see who may have access to special discounts or preferred rates, and consider ... Read more →
We both currently have good jobs, but there have been some frightening indicators that these jobs may be in jeopardy in the future. We already have heard that similar firms to the ones where we work are not hiring right now, which means that if we were to lose our jobs, it would be very ... Read more →
Friday was an ominous day for us. On Friday, I learned that a company very similar to the one I work at had just laid off almost 150 employees. Rumors abound that this other firm may also be facing bankruptcy in the near future. This is a competitor firm that shares clients and markets with ... Read more →
I don’t know how I missed this, but last week the blog Jeune Marie (which means “newlywed” in French) featured Budget Week, and they had a lot of great posts with tips for weathering the recession in style, for everything from food and clothes to gifts and dating. In case you also missed it (were ... Read more →
Brrr! It’s cold outside and the American economy is freezing. But a new Yale University study might help us warm things up a bit. This study showed that simply holding a warm beverage in your hands can help you to think more positively of others. In fact, it can even help you feel that someone ... Read more →
This week I am broken-hearted because I learned that financial infidelity has struck my family. My brother is in the military and has spent the last few years deployed in very dangerous places. He has a wife and children, so he had prepared for the worst and left legal power of attorney documents for his ... Read more →
The economy is in a slump, and wedding attendance is seriously hurting. Traditionally, brides planned on 10% to 20% of their guests declining the invitation. Today that the average is more like 40% to 60%. It can be sad for a bride and groom not to have their friends and family in attendance, so what ... Read more →
Changing your name due to marriage is tedious, but you can limit your frustration by doing things in the correct order and bringing the proper documentation with you. Here are some things I have learned from the process this fall. Start at the City Clerk. You’ll need multiple official copies of your marriage certificate. You’ll ... Read more →
Due to my recent marriage and subsequent name change, I have spent the last several weeks calling financial institutions to change my name on my accounts. The new credit cards have been piling up in my mailbox and today I dedicated an hour to calling to activate all the new cards. Previously when I have ... Read more →