I have a bad back. Most of the time it’s ok but over the years my back pain flare ups have been happening with higher frequencies and often the pain, when it happens, is at a much higher level than in the past. To that end, one of the things that helps is getting physical…
Category: Expense Management
ChatGPT Saved Me Over $1000 On Home Network Upgrade
AI does it again and saves me money, well over $1000 so let’s discuss what happened. The problem was over the years, we’ve added a ton of devices to our home network. In addition to cell phones, tablets, Apple TVs, Roku’s, security cameras, computers and wifi enabled appliances, the network was getting over worked. Like…
Inflation Is Still Bad
The BLS reported the consumer price index for inflation today and it’s not looking good. You can read the boring report here or you can see nice graphical charts of the information over at CNBC here. The eye popping numbers in some items: I haven’t yet checked insurance but I’m assuming that’s also up if…
Restaurant Inflation Insane
As a kid in middle school, I remember my dad taking me to a diner downtown before dropping me off at school. It was a diner where everyone seemed to know him. A breakfast plate of food that included eggs, bacon, and biscuits was $1.99. My dad would go there for breakfast often but the…
Are You Stocking Up Right Now?
I was watching YouTuber What’s Going On With Shipping? (video below) and he is expecting a 35% reduction in ships docking in the ports on the west coast of the U.S. The slow down is a result of the tariff war that is currently ongoing. A 35% drop in shipping means a reduction of goods…
$1000+ Free Food, Suite Upgrades, & More
When I go on vacation I like to maximize my comfort and the best way I have found to do that is to get high or highest tier status on the platforms you intend to uses services on such as airlines, hotels, and clubs. I recently traveled for most of April and was amazed about…
Tariff Warnings: Laptop Prices Going Up 10% In March
It looks like my strategy hoarding electronics was prudent and timely. According to TomsHardware, the price of laptops are expected to rise 10% in March due to the new administration’s tariff scheme. Acer Laptop prices in the U.S. are set to rise by 10% from March 2025, commented CEO Jason Chen in an interview with The…
“No Buy 2025?”
The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article about the hordes of people pledging not to buy anything in 2025. The article describes various people all pledging to cut spending to pay off debt, save money or meet certain goals. People cite high cost of living and inflation as key reasons as well. Tariffs While…
XPAY, IRMAA, Medicare Premiums & AI
Does the title of this post have you confused? Well bear with me as I explain…. XPAY XPAY is a new ETF that does nothing more than give you your money back. If you invest $10,000 in XPAY, at the end of five years you’ll have gotten all your money back because it will give…
My Secret To Cheap Restaurant Eats
Fellow blogger Lazy Man And Money had a recent post asking Are Fast Food Restaurants Dead? posing the question because of the increased pricing of meals at fast food joints. The post reminded me of a similar post I had percolating in the back of my mind how I have great restaurant meals at low…