Spending

This past week, Costco announced that it would raise its base membership fee from $60 to $65 effective September 1. Executive members will see their fees increase from $120 to $130. Prior to this announcement, fees had not changed since 2017.
In order to justify the cost of the membership, members need to extract value from Costco in excess of the fee they pay. What are your tips for making the most of your membership? Or what do you avoid that’s better to purchase somewhere else?

Jonathan’s series of AI generated financial articles was not the most popular with many HD readers. Others of us found the experiment quite interesting. Although there were a few major duds in the series, there also were computer generated articles that could have easily passed undetected on Yahoo Finance. This year, I’ve started using AI to assist me in my encore career as an engineer in the nuclear power industry. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how helpful my AI assistant can be at times.

Time and again I hear that a retired couple lives “comfortably.” I often wonder what that means. Of course it is quite relative not unlike defining living paycheck to paycheck. 
My AI companion came up with this simple definition. 
“Living comfortably means financial security to cover essentials without stress, and a lifestyle you enjoy. It’s not about excess, but having what you need and freedom to do what matters to you.”
That leaves the relative definition of “need.” 

I have irrefutable evidence that Americans have more stuff than they need, and spend more than necessary on (expensive) items.
The evidence is clear. Walk-in closets and garages stuffed while the cars are in the drive way are the culprits.
I grew up without a walk-in closet, my grandparent’s houses didn’t have walk-closets. In fact in our apartment with five people there were two regular closets. Today in our condo the two of us have three walk-ins filled to the rafters.

Math was never my strong subject. In high school I never took algebra or anything beyond arithmetic- there is an archaic word for you. When I ventured into college many years later I had to take a non-credit course in algebra to get accepted. Years later calculus was required. I liked the course so much I took it twice. It didn’t matter that the professor barely spoke English. I didn’t understand her or the subject.
Here I am 55 years later and still looking for an occasion to use algebra or calculus.

Every three years or so, I can’t resist the temptation to buy disposable razors at Costco. Given the disposables are about $1 each, they are about a third of the price of buying razor cartridges. About a week into the purchase, however, I am reminded why I prefer the cartridges. While more expensive, the cartridges provide a better shave and they last about 3 times as long. While the initial impression I get is that I am getting a bargain,

THE OTHER DAY, WHEN my son and I were out on our daily trash pickup walk, I found a $5 bill. No one was around, so I didn’t know who dropped it. It was just lying there.
I picked it up and put it in my wallet with all my other “pocket money.” This is money I use whenever credit cards aren’t allowed. The $5 bill slipped in next to the other $5 bills.

On Sunday, Elaine and I decided to try a new-to-us Italian restaurant in Philadelphia’s Old City. The restaurant is BYOB, which is always appealing to thrifty me. But it’s also cash only.
No problem, I thought. I bank with Chase, and a quick Google search turned up an ATM near the restaurant. But when we got to the ATM, a sign indicated you couldn’t access it on Sundays. The next closest Chase ATM was nine blocks away—which was tempting,

Travel is one of the hot topics in retirement planning and one of the big budget items for many. That’s a good thing. In our early years retired we spent $20,000 a year on travel. It was money well spent. I hope to spend more.
I get into “discussions” with a woman on Facebook mostly about immigration.  As part of that I tried to explain what I have learned about people, how they live and why for generations they have wanted to come to America.

You have probably read the claim 70+% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. We usually interpret that to mean they have limited income, but tend to ignore spending which is half the equation.
Today is the last working day of the month. My pension arrived in my checking account. Money has been auto transferred to an account used to pay ongoing bills. Money has been transferred to an emergency fund as happens each month. I just paid two credit cards in full.

Todays article Digging Out is about a solution for credit card debt. However it has morphed into a discussion about our pets. What length will you go to if your beloved pet needs expensive medical procedures? What goes into your consideration?
A good friend rescued a young dog that soon became very ill. He spent nearly $8000 at the vet without any regrets at all. What would you do?
 

I was just on Threads and read a discussion about tipping. One person from the U.K. noted that they don’t tip. It’s not up to customers to pay servers wages he said. Really? I’m guessing the expense of those wages are built in the price of food. In other European countries a close look at the bill shows a service charge. We all tip, one way or another.
Then you have the folks from Canada or U.K.

Baseball is my religion and Willie Mays was/is its god.  Last year MLB announced the first game to honor Willie and the history of the Negro Leagues would be played on June 20, 2024 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.  My team, the San Francisco Giants, would be playing the St. Louis Cardinals at the oldest professional baseball park in the country and the place where Willie first played with the Birmingham Black Barons. I circled the day on my calendar and reached out too friends who I thought would like to join me.

Do you write reviews for items you buy from Amazon? Most people probably don’t bother. But I do at times, especially if I find a particular purchase to be either great or horrible. Although the ways of the Amazon Vine program are mysterious, I’m guessing that’s why last October I was invited to join.
The Vine program allows members to pick from a daily and ever changing menu of Amazon items to receive for free. In exchange,

IN AN EARLIER ARTICLE, I detailed how Charter Communications wasn’t so much my internet provider as my extortionist. I thought I’d dealt with it all in an equitable manner. But then, exactly two years after our relationship began, Spectrum abruptly increased the price it charged for internet access by 67%, from $29.99 a month to $49.99. I guess we didn’t have a relationship so much as a contract.
While I didn’t take too kindly to that,