We took a dip this month, with taking more out of savings than we put in and removing the same as we put into vacation, making this month a wash for that account. This month in Savings we saved our normal $500, but…we got our credit card bill with the $2,500 balance for the new…
Painted Cabinets: 1 Year Later
It has been nearly a year since I painted our cabinets. I was excited to give the kitchen a much needed update, but I was worried about the durability of painted cabinets. I did extensive research before I started the painting process, and I ended up using Benjamin Advance paint. This paint is EXPENSIVE. I…
Homeschool: New Year, New Problems
We started back to our regular homeschool schedule a few weeks ago. It’s been an adjustment for everyone in our house. I am trying to find a good balance, while still effectively meeting everyone’s needs. I am taking it one day at time, trying not to loose my mind. My 1st grade daughter is in…
Working Toward Retirement – September
It’s been another great month in our retirement investments. My work 401k rate of return is currently at 34%, my Vanguard is currently at 43%, and Christy’s Betterment account is at 44%. But how long will the good times last? Christy recently read a Market Watch opinion piece on the roaring ’20s and it’s similarities…
Saving for the future – September
This month in Savings, we had to pay out $3,875 toward our new roof. They allowed $2,500 to be put on a credit card, so we did that and will pay that out of Savings when our bill comes. We are still above $20,000, but not for long. That $6,375 for the roof really hurt….
Closet Doors: Tying Up Loose Ends
Our house was a disaster when we purchased it. We have fixed problems in EVERY SINGLE ROOM. It is never ending. Fortunately, I love a good DIY project. But with so many problems vying for our attention, sometimes a project falls through the cracks. A perfect example of this are the closet doors in our…
Cover up your wood! Fire wood, that is.
Years ago, we had to have a large tree taken down. Two actually. Just not at the same time. When we had the first one cut down, I told the tree service to leave the trunk and all the large branches. I was gonna cut me some fire wood. I ran up to my local…
Rejoining the Homeschool World
The 2020/2021 school year was not very exciting for my children. Most of our homeschool activities were cancelled due to the pandemic. It made for an underwhelming experience. We tried to make the most of it, but it wasn’t our best year. Fortunately, most of the activities in our area are resuming this fall. We…
Working Toward Retirement – August
We didn’t have as much of a gain in my work 401k as we did last month, but it’s still a gain. And our rate of return for the fiscal year is currently at 29%. Our growth on our Roth IRAs is more than double what it was last month, so that’s a good thing….
Reupholstering Our Dining Room Chairs
We bought our dining room set about 10 years ago. I instantly fell in love with the table, but I was bummed that the chairs were upholstered. I knew that the vinyl would eventually break down, and that I would have the daunting task of reupholstering our dining room chairs. We had a good run…