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The Simple Dollar

Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world.

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Latest Posts from The Simple Dollar (page 7)

The Impact of Financial Lock-In

Published Wednesday, July 24, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

As I’ve discussed many times before, the low point for Sarah and I (in terms of our finances) came on a beautiful spring day when our oldest child was still an infant, when we realized that we didn’t have enough money in our checking account to pay our bills and we wouldn’t receive a paycheck again until several of the bills were past due. For some, that’s a far more precarious financial situation […]

Beating the Diderot Effect

Published Tuesday, July 23, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

I recently enjoyed a great article by James Clear on the Diderot effect, as he names it. What is the Diderot effect, you ask? The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption which leads you to acquire more new things. […]

Questions About Coffee Grinders, Overdrafts, Gym Memberships, and More!

Published Monday, July 22, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. 401(k) checkup? 2. Prioritizing early retirement 3. Is coffee grinder worth it? 4. The point of frugality 5. Frugal foot odor options 6. Buying weights or gym membership? 7. Replacing local news on streaming? 8. […]

Aligning Health Goals with Personal Finance Goals

Published Saturday, July 20, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

It’s no secret to anyone reading The Simple Dollar for very long that I’m a goal-oriented person. […]

Twenty Common Items That See a Second Life in Our Home

Published Friday, July 19, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

We make an effort to minimize the trash we throw away, for a number of reasons. […]

Them: The Failure of the Blame Mindset in Financial Improvement

Published Thursday, July 18, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Before I started The Simple Dollar, I started a few other websites on different topics that I was passionate about at the time. I had a Magic: the Gathering website. I had a parenting website. I had a “how to learn data mining from scratch” website. I had big dreams about these websites being huge successes. […]

Making Homemade Condiments and the $6 Bottle of Mayochup

Published Wednesday, July 17, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

As I mentioned last week, we were recently camping in Colorado when we stopped by a local Safeway to restock our food supplies. […]

My Vision of Retirement – and Why I Want To Retire Early

Published Tuesday, July 16, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

In the last few months, I’ve received several specific questions on how exactly I envision my own retirement / financial independence and why I value it as a goal so much. […]

Questions About Car Repairs, 401(k) Early Withdrawals, Frozen Grapes, and More!

Published Monday, July 15, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Early withdrawal from 401(k)? 2. Relationship strain renting to children 3. Reclaiming frugality 4. How target retirement fund works 5. Food spending question 6. Buying rental houses as investments? 7. […]

Being Frugal with Food When You Don’t Have the Space to Cook

Published Saturday, July 13, 2019 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Jennifer writes in: I live in a single room efficiency apartment. The entirety of things that I have available for cooking are a sink, a table, a microwave, and a mini fridge. I simply don’t have the space or capacity to do dishes or prepare meals or anything like that. I can’t even really eat convenience frozen meals because there isn’t room for more than one or two in my mini fridge. […]