The Frugal Siblings

I am an engineer to my core. There is nothing I enjoy more than taking things apart to really understand how they work. The real icing on the cake is when I can improving on something after taking it apart. For a while now I have treated my finances the same way. I have even gone so far as to consider canceling Netflix (something that would quite possibly cause my wife to divorce me). Doing the math $12/month really has zero impact on my finances. Choosing to not go out for lunch with a friend will save you $10 but really the joy you get from the lunch is worth much more than that. Where these decisions really matter are when you get into the high dollar items. Choosing to not optimize on taxes, your house, or your car can really set you back. In spite of that I have made the decision to make certain financial “mistakes”. The first and most major financial “mistake” I choose to make is to keep my cabin. Our cabin is a place were my family can relax and truly unwind. Cell serv...

Starting something new is exciting. It’s easy to get lost in taking action and seeing quick results. What happens when you start feeling burnt out? You can get tired of being a saver, not spending on perceived desires or always thinking about the monetary cost behind things. It can be very hard to stay the course. Other things like lack of family support or family fatigue can make a person feel burnt out. Some simple actions can help prevent burn out and get us through these times of struggle. 1) Set intermediate levels of goals My husband is a list man. Every weekend he creates a chore list and gets satisfaction of crossing off his accomplishments. Then at the end of the weekend, he can judge his weekend by what is left of the list or that he was able to complete on it. You may set a savings rate goal, or 10 year plan but those things take time and several steps. Make sure you celebrate small wins as well. Write things down as well so you can see what you have accomplished....

For this weeks post check out ESI Money where I did an  interview . Enjoy

I recently listened to the classic book, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. The book was originally published in 1922 in German. The story follows Siddhartha and his lifelong spiritual journey and self discovery. This story is full of perspective on love, learning, life's journey and discovery. It’s one of those books you can read ten times and seem to take away something new from it each time. When reflecting back on the book, there are several lessons that can be connected to one's financial journey in pursuit of independence. Family blessings Siddhartha came from a very loving family and was well respected in his community growing up. His dad was very wise and spiritual. He had great dreams of Siddhartha growing up to be a strong community leader. However, as a young teen, Siddhartha felt while he had learned many great lessons from his dad and community, there was more out in the world that he could only learn from experience. He told his dad that he would be leaving and se...