Budgeting & Savings

Earlier this year, I decided to give up cable to simplify my life and save $120 a month. I don’t watch much TV, and when I do, it’s sports. But with so little time, I watch the condensed 10-minute highlights on YouTube for free. Around the same time, I decided not to renew my Bay […]

We all know that panicking is one of the ways investors lose money. Panic selling during the 2008–2009 global financial crisis may have put some investors into the permanent underclass. Not only did they lose money, they weren’t able to benefit from the incredible recovery since. Panicking during the March 2020 lockdowns caused many people

Due to the U.S. and Israel’s bombing of Iran, oil prices temporarily shot up to $120 per barrel (WTI crude). If the Strait of Hormuz gets completely shut down, perhaps oil prices might go to $150+ a barrel. This would create a tremendous tax on consumers everywhere. With yet another increase in a core living expense,

After three consecutive years of double-digit returns in the S&P 500 since 2023, I decided to cut cable. The reason was simple: I’m conditioning myself to prepare for hard times by not only reducing expenses, but also freeing up time to focus. Yeah, I know. Here in America, when you make a lot of money,

After two years of living in a larger house and cleaning it ourselves, we’ve finally come to a point where we’d like to consider hiring cleaners. As a frugal person, I feel bad hiring people to do things I can do myself, especially since I don’t have a job. Therefore, I’ve always done my own

If time is truly more precious than money, then spending money to buy back your time is the wisest trade of all. Here’s an example of overcoming my frugality to live a better life. Perhaps one of the main reasons I initially didn’t want to go on a family vacation to LegoLand and SeaWorld was

What if one of the best ways to get wealthy is to trick yourself into thinking you’re poor? It sounds counterintuitive, even ridiculous. But after decades of saving, investing, and observing how people behave around money, I’ve realized one thing: abundance often breeds complacency. When you feel flush, you spend more, work less, and get

Have you heard of the no-spend chalenge? It’s a popular concept among budget-minded and minimalist bloggers who encourage us to save more and declutter our lives. The idea is simple: stop spending on non-essentials for a set period and see how much you can save. The more you save (and invest), the sooner you’ll achieve

Spending money is an American pastime. With a national saving rate hovering around 5%, it’s clear we collectively love to spend. And honestly, being able to enjoy our wealth is a beautiful thing. It’s something more personal finance enthusiasts like me—and readers of Financial Samurai—could probably do more of. But like with most things, moderation

Recently, I hit a major milestone in my journey to overcome what I like to call “frugality disease.” I spent $160 for an hour of private lessons for my two kids. In the past, I would’ve never paid such an amount. I’ve always been the type to teach them things myself, like swimming and bicycling.