RE: Money-Saving Tips from Tibs and Shell
December 4, 2016 at 11:39 pm
(This post was last modified: December 4, 2016 at 11:40 pm by Astreja.)
I don't know if I could go back to apartment living. I have noisy hobbies (and plans to buy a tenor sax, a new flute, and 2 more clarinets).
For mortgages, I've found that a 15-year amortization is the sweet spot between paying down the principal and still having money to live on. Paid off the house last June and am putting some extra money into retirement savings now.
As far as day-to-day economy goes, the worst habit I had was eating out much too often. I had a lot of unexpected and/or extraordinary expenses during the summer and fall (veterinary bills, air conditioner repair, and a wedding trip plus gift), so by necessity I cut back drastically on both fast food and junk food. It took about a month and a half to settle into the new pattern, and now it feels strange if I do go out. It's been scaled back to usually just a coffee and pastry, and generally when I'm going out for some other reason.
For mortgages, I've found that a 15-year amortization is the sweet spot between paying down the principal and still having money to live on. Paid off the house last June and am putting some extra money into retirement savings now.
As far as day-to-day economy goes, the worst habit I had was eating out much too often. I had a lot of unexpected and/or extraordinary expenses during the summer and fall (veterinary bills, air conditioner repair, and a wedding trip plus gift), so by necessity I cut back drastically on both fast food and junk food. It took about a month and a half to settle into the new pattern, and now it feels strange if I do go out. It's been scaled back to usually just a coffee and pastry, and generally when I'm going out for some other reason.
