All Posts

66 posts

Bills & Budget

From 662 to the low 700s. What actually moved my score, what didn't do much, and how long the whole thing took.

The House Fund

Down payments, USDA rural loans, closing costs and why our credit card history mattered. Notes from an hour at a bank desk in town.

Groceries & Meals

No yard to dig up, a landlord who likes his grass. What we planted in five-gallon buckets, what it cost and what it produced by July.

Extra Income

Nine pieces, two flops and one table I should have kept. Every buy price, sale price and the real hourly rate.

$Raising our car insurance deductible: the math we did$ Insurance

Going from a $500 to a $1,000 collision deductible saves us about $16 a month. Why that only makes sense with money set aside.

Small-Town Living

The library, a basketball game in the high school gym, sledding, a chili supper. What we do in February when it's cold and money's tight.

Bills & Budget

A January cold snap, a heat pump running emergency heat, and the highest bill we've ever had. What we learned about winter in a small rental.

Extra Income

Mowing money is self-employment income. How we set aside 25%, what we tracked and what filing looked like. Not tax advice, just our year.

Groceries & Meals

Two weeks of cooking from what was already in the cupboard and freezer. What we spent, what we ate and the can of something we never opened.

$The rent went up $35: renewing our lease and doing the math on moving$ Bills & Budget

Mr. Dale's renewal letter came with a new number. Why we signed again instead of moving, and what moving would really have cost.