One of my goals at 40 was to become more involved in causes I believe in. With today's political climate and where we live (metro DC area) this is something I plan to invest more effort in. I don't need to wait until early retirement to make my voice heard. I'm participating in my first march today - …
Raising an Agnostic
Digressing from money stuff today..... Our family is not a member of a church *gasp*. Often times when we share this fact (after being prompted by the obligatory 'what church do you go to?') there is a look of sympathy and judgement from the asker. The way I might look at someone physically or emotionally …
Why Retire Early?
I've talked to more than a few folks who want nothing less than to retire. They are desperately clinging to the last gasps of their career and "easy money" (despite having the age and likely resources to retire). When I tell them I will be retiring as soon as I can afford to there are …
Where we are Failing… A Confession
Foodstuffs, the gastronomical delights that surround us in our land of plenty - how fortunate we are! I thought, 'hey I budget a pretty astronomical $1,000 per month on groceries and restaurants for our family of three. Maybe, I can reel that in a bit.' It sounds like a lot, but we eat a lot …
The Cost and Worth of Music Education
Miss Moe has been a violist for five years and will continue for at least three more. She is fortunate enough to have a robust musical program in her school. Her choice, the viola, is an interesting one. Violists rarely have solos and are typically assigned the harmony of a piece. With Miss Moe's enthusiasm for …
A Day Alone | Dress Rehearsal
It wasn't really a dress rehearsal, an unexpected day off can't really be used to challenge all of your ideals of how you may spend your time when left to your own devices. When we exit stage left into our early retirement we won't have a house in suburbia, teenager responsibilities, and largely we'll be …
The Coast Guard Experience
At 18, I took my little plucky, know-it-all, wanderlust self over to the closest recruiter and, with little to no thought, signed the dotted line to ship off three short months later. While many of my classmates were heading off to university, I just wasn't ready to sit through another four years of school. I …
