Groceries & MealsFreezer meals for the weeks I work long shifts
When I'm at the pharmacy until 9, nobody wants to cook. Six freezer meals I make on a Sunday and what a batch costs.
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Groceries & Meals
The House FundMoving our savings to a high-yield account: what the interest is worth
Our savings earned almost nothing at the bank in town. What moving it to an online bank paid us in the first year, in actual dollars.
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Bills & BudgetThe subscription audit: $61 a month we forgot we were paying
Two streaming services, a cloud storage plan, a fitness app I opened twice. What we canceled, what we kept and what it adds up to.
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Small-Town LivingOur dog Moose and what a big hound costs in a year
Food, the vet, flea and tick meds, a fence repair and one sock surgery we avoided. A year of Moose in real numbers.
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InsuranceLiability limits explained by someone who had to look them up
Missouri's minimum is 25/50/25. What those numbers mean, why we carry more and what the higher limits cost us per month.
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Extra IncomePicking up overtime: what an extra shift really nets
Time and a half sounds great until the paycheck shows up. What Tyler's overtime month actually added after taxes.
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Bills & BudgetA $198 electric bill in an all-electric duplex, and what we changed
Heat pump, electric water heater, electric stove and a hot Missouri July. The small fixes that brought August's bill down.
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The House FundWhy our emergency fund and house fund live in separate accounts
One account for the truck and the dog, one for the house. Why we stopped keeping both in a single pile and how much goes to each.
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Groceries & MealsA Fourth of July cookout for twelve on $85
Burgers, brats, a huge pan of beans, Debbie's potato salad and a cooler of ice. What we bought, what people brought and what was left.
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Small-Town LivingA weekend camping at Long Branch State Park for $46
Ten minutes from home, a tent from Tyler's teenage years and a hound who would not stop howling at raccoons. The whole weekend in dollars.
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