Marriage – $aving Money Tip$

As I bask in the celebration of our recent 40th wedding anniversary, complete with surprise readings from each child, child-in-law and grandchild, I can see some great personal finance applications of the principles Jan and I used raising our four children. My quandary is that in order to share the financial lessons, I am obligated to share what our kids had to say in their readings. I therefore ask myself, “Is this more about boasting on what great kids we have or helping my readers with their finances?” I will let you be the judge. Our Grandchildren (Ages 8 and 10) I love you because you teach us to sew. Application: One can’t learn too many skills in life. I love you because you take

Frugal Living, Saving Money & Life Hacks

admin December 17, 2014 home buyers, Marriage

How Our New Mortgage Will Affect Our Budget

So now that I’ve talked about the cost of buying a home in Southern California, it’s time we talk about the real important stuff, like how this new jumbo mortgage payment is going to affect our budget. Before I give you some financials, I want to present to you some numbers about salaries in Orange County, CA and the cost of housing–because let’s face it. You can’t compare the cost of living in southern California to the cost of living in the mid-west. And before I start getting all those comments about how we should just move to Kansas–it’s not happening. People choose to live where they live for a variety of reasons. For some, cost may be the