It's heating up outside but we're in a competition with three other couples to see who can go the longest without turning on their a/c! It's already reached 101 degrees outside in the past week and our thermostat said it got to 88 degrees inside the house yesterday! It's definitely been toasty. Chris and I love trying to save energy by using our a/c as little as possible in the winter and summer and by turning down our hot water heater. Saving energy = saving the earth AND dollars. Win/win! Last year we made it to June 5 before turning... Read more →

There are many approaches to managing joint finances. You can keep your money completely separate, merge it completely, or be somewhere in the middle. We fall in that "somewhere in the middle" category. We've also found that it helps us to have separate accounts for separate purposes. We have the following bank accounts and retirement accounts: 3 total checking accounts: 1 joint checking account: all of our joint monthly bills are automatically debited from this account. This includes our mortgage, utility bills, groceries, gym membership, and cell phone bill. 2 separate personal checking accounts: Chris and I each have a... Read more →

I frequently see art prints that I like on Etsy and around the web-o-sphere and I think, "Oh, I should get that and frame it. It would like great in our house." But I never do! I end up being indecisive about where we'd put it or I decide that I should just save the money. But art is a great thing to spend (some) money on and the things I'm usually looking at are less than $50 so it wouldn't break the bank. I think it's definitely worth buying some of these things so that we can have more... Read more →

One of my goals for 2011 is to save $10,000 so that I can buy a new (to me) car. And I have to admit I have a bad case of Prius envy. Each one I pass during my commute to and from work seems to taunt me with its zippy design and earth friendly aura. Darn you Prius! Currently I have ~$4,500 in savings for a car and I have a $250 "car payment" built into my monthly savings. (Check out my monthly budget here.) So I think I could afford to buy a used Prius and take on... Read more →