The occasional heated posts directed at a certain esteemed, HumbleDollar contributor, regarding his disdain for spreadsheets, always amuse me. While I find them entertaining, they sometimes become a bit uncivilized. I actually sympathize with his views, and my own use of spreadsheets is quite sparing. I believe that common sense, rule-of-thumb heuristics, and an individual’s intimate knowledge of their own circumstances are more than sufficient for everyday budgeting. However, I do construct the odd spreadsheet, very occasionally.

Saving money is the greatest of the financial virtues—and, for much of my adult life, I could hardly have been more virtuous.
This frugality didn’t come naturally. I wasn’t a “born saver.” Rather, I had no choice. Within a few years of graduating university, I found myself married to a PhD student and raising a family in one of the world’s most expensive urban areas. On my junior reporter’s salary, scrimping and saving were the only options.

I was watching a TV program this afternoon about a couple living really frugal lives, all so they could escape their former high-pressure jobs. And really? I just don’t get why people would choose that. It didn’t seem appealing to me. The thing that kept going through my mind was how pressurized their new, “improved” lifestyle seemed – always looking for bargain clothing, short-dated discounted food, hustling for money to pay the bills. Why not just consider a part-time job with less pressure?

Not trying to post here with an intent of bullying etc not actually specifically wanting an individual response though I think it would be of value to him.  But given RDQ’s repeated themes of criticising outlets he comes across for missing some vital element of personal finances like tax or being fraud like FIRE sub 50 and maintaining that any spreadsheet or budget approach to life is unnecessary or too stressful, I truly think he would benefit from trying to learn how it might be done.

I really enjoy hearing from folks in other countries. It provides a great new perspective, but it would help in the discussions to know where a person is.
When there is mention of say pensions or Social security it could mean different things around the world.
Perhaps a designation after a name would help.
JJones-Aus or UK or something like that.
 

I have a new job, a chauffeur no less. This involves conveying my grandson to school. I don’t know how much education he receives, but on the journey, I’m certainly getting an education on the colourful language of Generation Alpha, for those not in the know that’s kids up to age fifteen.
While I freely admit this post has very little traditional financial content, I would contend it holds a vital message. So, without further ado,

You list each piece of data you want, need and obtain from a spreadsheet and I’ll see if I can match it with my all online bank multi-account, single source consolidated investments approach. 😎
And yes I realize some people just enjoy spreadsheets.
No 🔻please it’s just a fun exercise.

Today, I have the not-so-joyful task of collecting my suit from the dry cleaners. This instrument of torture is, of course, for a wedding I’m attending in a few weeks. Suzie and I are close friends with the bride’s family, and for the past 18 months, we’ve been “in the loop” on all the drama and discussions surrounding the planning. It seems every visit to a bridal show adds a new “must-have” addition to what’s become quite the circus,

As a result of reading HD, I have become fascinated with certified financial planner videos on YouTube, some are pretty good, others not so much.
Often one thing strikes me as ironic. Some presenters look more like they will be starting college in the fall, than experienced experts and none of them look anywhere near retirement age – maybe they will FIRE, but I digress.🤑
My real curiosity is when they show a spreadsheet to see if a hypothetical couple can afford to retire.

I’m standing on my garden deck this morning, a definite slump in the middle causing me slight dismay. I know the cause for a fact: a main structural beam has failed. I built that decking over twenty years ago just after my brother passed away. Looking back, I now realize I started the project as a way to keep busy and cope with grief.
Yet, here and now, the question resurfaces: should I spend money to have someone fix it,

Retirement sounded so great to me a few years ago. Now as I face the reality of it, I find myself having panic attacks. “No more income? I will end up a homeless bag lady on Main Street….” I find myself thinking.
All irrational thoughts since I will have a COLA pension supplemented by my savings and will receive social security in 18 months.  These revenues will come close to matching my current net pay when I start social security.

I stumbled upon this site about 18 months ago and have been reading ever since.
When I heard about Jonathan’s diagnosis, it really got me thinking about how I could contribute. The thing is, I’m based in the UK, and I was a bit hesitant at first because I know Humble Dollar primarily focuses on US personal finance – especially with all the ins and outs of US pension planning.
But I decided to post  a few essays on some more general financial topics,

With my wife Suzie away visiting her dad in Spain, I’ve been keeping myself busy, and I must say I’ve had a pretty active few days! On Wednesday, I played two hours of pickleball in the morning and then did a 5k fun run with my grandson in the evening. Thursday saw me walking the shoreline of Belfast Lough from Bangor to Holywood – about 12k. Then on Friday, after driving to my holiday home on the North Coast,

I’m curious how folks have balanced considerations of financial security and charitable giving, particularly (but not only) those who share the Christian faith.
I’m in my early 40s. I have a wife (like me, a public employee) and two young children, and I have the opportunity to take a higher-paying job within my organization in the coming months.  I don’t anticipate increasing my spending with increasing income, at least not to any substantial degree. Rather, I’d either increase my savings,

Many discussions on HD make it clear my retirement is unique, mainly because our income consisting of a pension and SS is more than adequate to live in the way we did when I was working.
Other than monitor my pension as it grew, there was no financial plan except to ensure receiving the employer match on the 401k so that meant saving at least 8% for a total of 12%. I also invested the compensation I received above base salary,