Spending Archives - Route to Retire

Why Do We Buy Crap??

Sometimes I can’t help but shake my head that we as a society feel compelled to buy crap just because we feel we “need” it. There are millions of people here in the U.S. that, although not by choice, manage to live on $2 a day. But when it comes to the middle class, even with increasing salaries, most families buy and buy and still feel like they need more stuff. Why? Why do people love to waste their hard-earned money on crap? I’m not above this, but I think I’ve changed tremendously over the past decade. I’ve really become much better at just living more simply. When I was working during my college years, I was a spender. I’ve talked about how I

Why I Ended My Costco Membership

Once upon a time, there was a guy who wanted to save money and heard that buying in bulk would help him with that. So he bought a Costco membership to reach that goal. It was glorious! He saved a ton of money, enjoyed loads of free samples, and took advantage of all the amenities it had to offer. There were unicorns, pixies, pots of gold, and all sorts of other wonderful things that don’t really exist anywhere but here. All this happiness was thanks to his Costco membership… thanks, Costco!! The End Ok, maybe this wasn’t the most accurate fairy tale, but there are a lot of loyal members who might build their experiences up to be pretty close this story. I’m not

Year-End Review

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we may receive a referral fee (at no extra cost to you) if you sign up or purchase products or services mentioned.Well, this is it – the last post of the year. I hope all of you had a great holiday and are looking forward to the new year! I thought this would be a good time to do a year-end review and look back at what I got accomplished throughout the year (and what I didn’t!). Let’s start with the 8 Financial Goals we had set at the beginning of the year for ourselves… 1) Build back up our online savings After the 25% we put down on the duplex we bought at

The Line Between Frugality and Deprivation

The Line Between Frugality and Deprivation A lot of people on the quest for financial independence aim to trim their expenses. This works great… until it doesn’t. Sometimes the line between frugality and deprivation becomes blurred. It’s possible to cut your expenses too much where you can make yourself miserable. I was listening to a great podcast that the Mad Fientist put together from a Q&A at Camp Mustache which had Pete aka Mr. Money Mustache, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, Doug Nordman from The Military Guide, and, of course, Brandon the Mad Fientist. An interesting topic was discussed regarding that line between frugality and deprivation that I thought would be worth discussing. The subject of motivation in relation to the quest for financial independence came up and

Time Versus Money – Which is More Valuable?

It’s funny how priorities seem to change as you age and as your income changes. Years ago, I never would have thought about paying for something I could do myself… nowadays though, that line isn’t always so clear. Time versus money is a topic that I think we’re all familiar with. When you’re young and scrappy, you likely have a little more time on your hands and little less money. Eventually though, life catches up to you and things like a spouse, career, and maybe some kids tend to make time a little more valuable. Hopefully, your career starts to generate a little more income for you as well as you gain experience in whatever field you’re in. Oil Changes

What’s Your Post-Retirement Multiplier?

You’re reading this article, so you obviously care about your finances. Hopefully, you’re on track with your money or working toward that goal. Getting out of debt, saving and investing have been beaten into you by every financial outlet in the world. Maybe you’re even on the path to financial independence or early retirement. But have you taken the time to figure out what you need by looking at your post-retirement multiplier? What is a Post-Retirement Multiplier? When I talk about your post-retirement multiplier, I’m referring specifically to a number – the amount of your current expenses as compared to your post-retirement expenses. It might be 0.75 or it might be 1.5, but it’s an important number to be aware of when planning

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