Debt Reduction

Net Worth Update 39: Cabin Fever

March 4, 2021 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

Every winter, I always go in excited for the first “real” snowfall of the year. It’s new, it’s different, it carries with it a bit of excitement… and it’s almost immediately enough to get me wishing for spring and warmer weather. That was February this year. Bitter cold temperatures rivaling any seen in the past 30 years and lingering snowfall canceled classes harkening back to March 2020. And we were the fortunate ones. But even while the world was freezing around us we tried to heat up our journey towards FI.

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Net Worth Update 21: Debt Eraser Edition

September 5, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

Between the start of school and two vacations, August was a whirlwind month. The moving and shaking also carried over into our finances. So what happened?

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Should I ReFi?

June 20, 2019 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

With interest rates so low, we have been considering refinancing our home. Since I am the proud owner of this nifty blog I thought it would be a great place to walk through the refinancing options and considerations and to show our thinking using our situation as a case study for others to compare to.

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Company Christmas Club: Is It Worth It?

December 20, 2018 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

An email circulated through my office the other day. It read: “Christmas Club contributions will be included on the next pay period.” The email then reminded everyone that enrollment into next year’s Christmas Club had just opened up.

It got me to thinking… is the Christmas Club worth it?

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Our Money Missteps: The Lost Decade

October 11, 2018 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

Pawel Janiak

As a personal finance blogger, specifically an advocate of the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement, you might assume that the Heartland on FIRE family has a spotless past when it comes to money decisions. You might think we’ve rarely, if ever, paid interest on credit cards, purchased only used cars, and made flawless house purchasing decisions. I mean, if you look at our net worth progress, we are in better shape than many (most?) families in their early- to mid thirties.

You would be sorely mistaken

In this post, I am going to air out our dirty money laundry. To come clean, as it were. To demonstrate how, even after stacking poor decision on top of poor decision (FOR OVER A DECADE!!) you can still find yourself on the path to FIRE.

Progress Update 7: Back to Zero

July 5, 2018 by Mr. Heartland on FIRE

Just like that, half the year is gone! Triple digit heat indices are once again the norm and the garden is bursting with veggies. So, how did things shake out for the Heartland on FIRE household in June?