We’ve all heard the phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses”. That is the arms race of measuring one’s worth by comparing one’s possessions and status with one’s peers. It means acquiring the biggest, the best, the newest, and the most expensive things. You look down the street and see the family with the new car and you set your sights to figuring out how you can buy one yourself. A friend gets a new job or promotion and you feel the pressure to improve your own career standing. You have to be the first among your friends to buy the newest iPhone model. It is an insatiable pursuit of more and better. If you look around, it appears that we are surrounded by the Joneses. Do we have to keep up with the Joneses? Is there another way?
Progress Update 8: A Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut and Changes Abound
July wasn’t messing around. It was a month of changes in a number of areas. Let’s just call it financially dynamic. Join me as I unpack the happenings from the month that was and come see how the Heartland on FIRE household fared in July.
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Our Salaries: What Are They Really Worth?
A couple weeks back I posted about how to determine your actual hourly wage to factor in the various benefits, costs, and actual time associated with your job. So this week I thought it would be worthwhile to show how we ran the numbers for our own income. [Read more…] about Our Salaries: What Are They Really Worth?
2018 Spending – Mid Year Checkup
We’ve reached the halfway point of 2018 and I thought it would informative to check in on our monthly spending thus far. [Read more…] about 2018 Spending – Mid Year Checkup
How Much Are You Really Paid? 10 Items You Must Consider
The vast majority of us go to work each day and trade our time for money. As we are weighing job offers we tend to get a laser focus on the listed salary or hourly wage. But you need to look past that shiny salary number to figure out the true wage being offered. After all, every hour you are doing job-related things is one less hour you have to live your life. Here are 10 things you need to account for to determine the actual wage you are being offered.
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Progress Update 7: Back to Zero
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?