“You live in a really small home, therefore you’re poor.” No, no, no: I live in a really small home and as a result, I’m not poor. In many parts of the minority world, shelter costs are the number one factor making or breaking financial well-being. A host of people are choosing to move into… Continue reading Are You Sure I’m Poor?
Over the last month, I’ve been newly able to notice rigid thinking in people beyond myself. That’s kinda funny to me… How did I not notice it before? The diagnostic manual talks about it, as do many books on brain quirks, but I’m only newly able to recognize it. (Secretly, I have my fingers crossed… Continue reading Is Rigid Thinking Keeping Me Poor?
Where I live, housing (rent or ownership) costs are among the highest in the world. Some of us feel compelled to live here anyway. In my case, it’s so that my son has access to various supports and services. When he ages out of those, we’ll likely move to a cheapo part of the world.… Continue reading Third Space: A Creative Solution to Housing Costs
My spending has seen extremes over the years. From $400 in a year when I had nothing except bottle returns (so lived outside and on strangers’ floors), to $4000/mo when I borrowed to save my son’s life, to $1300/mo when all was well and I got nicely frugal… In 2017, I spent $28k on the… Continue reading Year End Report: $28k
…we frugal, inventive parents have a moment of anxiety. “I got her too little stuff!” “This pile is way too tiny!” “What was I thinking, getting him so many books, free from the library’s used pile at that?” lol. Yep, this is par for the course. For many of us, swimming against the current of… Continue reading …and then right before Santa comes…
Jane is thinking about buying a detached house. A mortgage broker, four realtors, and her parents have explained to her that it’s an investment, as “house values always go up.” Do they? We might indeed be able to say that over the course of, say, 50 years, the value of land underneath a dwelling is… Continue reading Is A Home a Legitimate Investment?
It’s true for those hypercapable, disability-free folks too, but what makes me the most money, by far, is patience. A deep, quiet commitment to allowing the optimal process to complete. Four months for the bank to open that independent investing account. Six months for the college to process the grant application. A nine-hour drive, and… Continue reading Patience: The Million Dollar Trait
