Last week I wrote a post entitled, “Food Inflation Is Insane” and today the BLS released the April consumer price inflation report and it shows inflation is running close to 4 percent! CNBC has a great chart about where inflation hit hardest and food is definitely one of those items: The chart shows the pain…
Category: Personal Management
Food Inflation Is Insane!
For 2026 I have been watching every single penny I spend. I plan on retiring soon so it’s important to know where every single dollar is going. For the month of April I spent $4500 and $1200 of that was groceries. The infuriating thing is that I am eating way less food now that I’m…
Zepbound: My Health Journey – April Year 3
I’ve completed a first full month on the highest dosage of Zepbound available at 15 mg and I’m happy to report that I’ve lost 3 lbs in about five or six weeks. My appetite is definitely down and the past month has felt like the first time I started Zep at the beginning. Food has…
Are You Living In The Right State For Your Persona?
One of the most depressing Reddit forums (at least for me) is the /r/povertyfinance and I only visit it about once a quarter to see what is troubling people. A quick glance at many of the headlines will probably depress you so tread cautiously. After doom scrolling through the doom posts, it suddenly hit me…
Dear Corporate America, Stop With The Stupid Feedback Surveys
This is a bit of a rant post so if you don’t like rants, skip this post. This week I’ve received a dozen emails all asking for “feedback” for a recent call/service/product/whatever that I participated in. In one case (AT&T), has now spammed me three times to do their stupid survey and guess what, I…
What’s Your Breaking Point?
Everyone has a breaking point and the trigger can be anything but I think for most people it’s usually money related. Perhaps the cost of food at the grocery store? Or maybe insurance costs for health, home, or auto? Or maybe property taxes or HOA fees that don’t seem to relent? For me, right now,…
Zepbound: My Health Journey – March Year 3
I completed the 12.5 ml dose and started the 15 ml. I have lost a few pounds and lost my appetite. It honestly feels like when I first started Zepbound from the very beginning. The downside is I am now having more severe side effects. For starters, I seem to get a mild headache whenever…
Planting A Garden In Case Of An Apocalypse
This past weekend I went to Home Depot and bought some seeds and soil for a home garden. Over the years I have gardened on & off largely growing small veggies but mostly herbs for my kitchen. Unless you’re a farmer, the math for home grown veggies almost NEVER works in favor of the home…
Update On 401K For 2026
It’s March and I am approaching the $24,500 2026 limit for 401k contributions. People over 50 can contribute an additional $8000 however if you were classified as a highly compensated employee those contributions need to be made to a Roth IRA vs a deferred 401k contribution. I called my 401k provider to understand my options…
Boosting FICO Score By Timing Payments?
I pay off my credit card every month. I didn’t always do that and I recall 25+ years ago when my wife and I first got married that the interest charges on those cards exploded the balance when not paying the off immediately. It was a tough lesson to learn during those early years. Because…