If you've read Crazy Together for any length of time, you already know that Maria and I love to save money. But, we're people, too, and I'm sure you have noticed by now that there are also several areas of our budget that we indulge and allow ourselves splurge on. The key for us … [Read more...]
On Our Way to Debt Free, Again
Maria and I have been living in our "new" house now for just over 9 months. We love our home and everything about it, even its little idiosyncrasies (like the far-from-perfect DIY electrical wiring and plumbing). One thing that we don't love is the fact that we had to take out a … [Read more...]
The New Year’s Resolution We’re Sure to Keep + A Giveaway
The Christmas season is mostly over (though I'm sure we'll leave the decorations up for a little while longer so Dessa can continue to enjoy them) and we are looking ahead to the New Year. We always use this time to reflect on the past twelve months and to focus on our goals for … [Read more...]
Ringing in the Holidays with a Huge Home Expense
Remember a couple months ago when Maria and I gushed about how great it was to have sinking funds when we were buying our new minivan? We've been following along with Dave Ramsey's financial plan and slowly working our way through the Baby Steps, using the tools Dave lays out to … [Read more...]
Why our Toddler Doesn’t Really Need Toys for Christmas
Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is coming up, but there's one major holiday that's already on everyone's mind: Christmas! For those with children, that usually means toys and lots of them. As we prepare for the gift-giving season, Maria and I are doing our best to keep Dessa's … [Read more...]
No Nanny, No Problem: Juggling a Career Change, Childcare & Our Budget
Those of you who read Maria's teaching blog may already know this, but we've had a major change in our lives recently: Maria decided to leave the classroom this school year to focus her energy on blogging and spending more time with Dessa. Obviously, this is a huge deal, but … [Read more...]
Rob’s Stitch Fix Men Review #18
Stitch Fix #18 already? Wow, it has been longer than I realized since I ordered my first shipment from Stitch Fix Men. And it has been a really long time since I posted about one of my fixes. The last post was in October of 2016; that's almost two years! Since it has been that … [Read more...]
How We Paid Cash for a New Car (and How You Can Too)
So you may have read in one of Maria's recent posts (specifically, the one about our recent no-good, terrible week that just would not end) that we bought a new-to-us van. If there's one lesson that was truly driven home to me in that whole car-buying experience, it was this: I … [Read more...]
How Buying a House Affected Our Finances
Holy wow, the past couple months have been pretty crazy around the Gavin household! Between buying a new house, painting the interior, coordinating contractors, hiring movers, packing, moving, unpacking in the midst of renovations, all while taking care of a baby, wrapping up the … [Read more...]
