Good morning, Apexians, and welcome to another week of money news. I’m currently away from home and vacationing in beautiful Ouray, Colorado. Unfamiliar with the place? It’s a magical mountain “bowl” in southwest Colorado and one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever been to.
While I quietly wait for others to rise in the morning, I’ve been reading articles about personal finance. Here are a few recent faves.
Anatomy of a frugal freezer. [Surviving and Thriving] — “Extreme frugality may become a necessity, if it isn’t already. So why not work to get as much out of every food item you buy? (As) the per-plate price of food continues to climb, remember that preventing food waste helps make your groceries more cost-effective. Our freezer is crammed with cost-effective (and sometimes free) items that keep costs down and mealtimes delightful. Have a peek inside.”
Financial simplicity: What is your time worth? [Can I Retire Yet?] — “Money is a stepping stone to more important things. If you’re on track to your financial goals, you may not need to manage your wealth so tightly. But you don’t hear that message from mainstream financial advisors or media. They parade endless schemes, products, and services intended to save you money, make you money, grow your money. Lost in the shuffle is the simple truth that everything has a price. Optimizing your money is a double-edge sword: often, the price is your time, and peace of mind.”
Bartering is alive and well. [Budgets Are Sexy] — “You don’t have to be a professional hairstylist or tattoo artist or anything really to [barter], but do figure out what you’re best at and then start sharing it around and see if you get some hits…You’ll be amazed at what people would pay or trade for, and we usually don’t give ourselves nearly as much credit as we should as we always assume ‘everyone knows this stuff’ which is rarely the case!”
Speaking of Budgets Are Sexy, recently J. money posted a Twitter thread listing his favorite pieces of hate-mail he’s received over the years. This is hilarious. It never occurred to me to do this. If it weren’t so much work, I’d sort through the 100,000+ comments at Get Rich Slowly to do the same.
(I can remember my favorite piece of hate-mail, though. Back in 2008, some reader was angry that I devoted a blog post to urban homesteading, including a bit on raising goats. The reader wrote something to the effect that: “I come here for financial advice. I can’t believe you’re writing about fucking goats.” So funny.)
I’ll see you tomorrow, friends. And I promise I won’t write about fucking goats.