Budgeting & Savings

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

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.

Have you ever feared running out of money? I have. This fear is why there’s a phenomenon called the “one more year syndrome,” where workers keep working to save more, even though they’ve run the numbers and know they have more than enough to live comfortably in retirement. Yet, 10 years later, they are still

Tipping has become increasingly pervasive, leaving many wondering how much to tip without feeling like a miser. To alleviate this dilemma, I’ve crafted a tipping guide to help you navigate gratuities with confidence. This guide not only suggests appropriate tip amounts but also explains the rationale behind them. In the past, tipping was a discretionary

With negative cash flow, I’ve embarked on a mission to trim unnecessary expenses from my budget. In times of surplus cash before my home purchase, I hadn’t scrutinized my expenses for years. It’s not that I was lazy about budgeting; instead, I’ve always embraced the “pay myself first and spend the rest” strategy. Each month,

Living paycheck-to-paycheck is an unpleasant financial experience. Not only does it mean needing to spend everything you have to make ends meet, it may also create an ongoing feeling of despair. You might even have to get into debt to pay your bills. And if you aren’t careful with debt usage, it may become a

In 2024, I am transitioning from a spender to a saver mindset. I am returning to frugal habits reminiscent of my lifestyle in the first thirteen years after college. This change is prompted by the need to rebuild liquidity. One area I’m targeting to cut expenses is food. After a three-month experiment involving increased spending

Just like job loyalty, bank loyalty often doesn’t pay. I made the mistake of being a loyal employee for eleven years at my previous firm. If I had job-hopped, I probably could have made $1 million more in my career. During my capital raising process to buy a home with all cash, I’ve had to

After the collapse of SVB and Signature Bank, I decided to review our existing banking relationships and see if we are well positioned to weather another potential bank run. I also wanted to share with you the ideal number of banking relationships to have to feel safe and sound. When I first started Financial Samurai