If anyone knew how to stretch a dollar, it was Grandma. She could whip up a feast from scraps, reuse a jar a dozen times, … Read More 12 Sneaky Frugal Hacks That Even Your Grandma Would Applaud

Do the money-saving habits from decades ago still hold up in today’s consumerist culture? While not all of them do, we’re covering six frugal findings … Read More 6 Old-School Frugal Living Tips That Still Work in 2025

Incorporating frugal living tips in your life can help you live better! I hope some of these frugal living tips help you become more frugal, … Read More 30+ Slightly Different Frugal Living Tips That Will Save You Thousands of Dollars a Year

How to Beat Inflation in 2025: 10 Smart Micro-Budget Hacks <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-36680 size-medium" title="How to Beat Inflation in 2025: 10 Smart Micro-Budget Hacks" src="https://www.ourdebtfreefamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5900233-1024×682.jpg" alt=" If you feel like your paycheck doesn’t stretch as far as it used to, you’re definitely not alone. Prices keep creeping higher on groceries, gas, and even the smallest everyday items, leaving many of us wondering: How the heck can we keep up? The good news? Beating […]

Four easy payments sounds harmless until you’ve got five or six of them going at once. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is showing up everywhere, from grocery stores to cell phone bills to hotel reservations. For military families juggling PCS costs, underemployment, and yo-yoing budgets, it can seem like an easy way to get what you need now and pay later. But underneath that convenience is a modern-day payday loan, just polished up and repackaged […]

Image Source: Pexels If you’re growing your own food, you’re probably already thinking about the basics, like sunlight, watering, and soil. But there’s another trick that gardeners swear by. It’s called companion planting. By finding the perfect companion plant pairs, you can naturally boost growth, reduce pests, and even improve flavor. Many of these companions will add fullness and beauty to your garden as well. Here are seven powerhouse plant combos that can double your […]

Here’s a fact: crypto traders will most certainly encounter stablecoins like USDT and USDC when dealing with cryptocurrencies.  Stablecoins like USDT are known to match the value of the US dollar one-to-one, making them a useful transitional bridge between fiat currency like SGD and popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.  Moreover, holding USDT also helps stabilize a crypto portfolio as its daily swings are much less volatile than those of non-fiat-based cryptocurrencies. It’s popular for […]

Before the article, here’s what’s happening this week on our podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors: Ken wrote to me last week and said: Jesse – Hard to say whether I enjoy your blog or podcast more. Both wonderful! I was looking at your “work with me” page… it looks like you don’t offer hourly services. I’d gladly pay you $150 or $200 per hour for a few hours of your time. I’m curious why you don’t work hourly? Thanks for the kind words, Ken. You’ve touched on a common question. So far this year, about 30 of you have wanted to hire me for an hour here or a quick retirement check there. I’ve said no. I do not offer hourly planning services. But why?!!? Wegmans vs. Costco Why doesn’t Costco have a curated cheese and olive bar like Wegmans?  Why doesn’t Wegmans sell diapers in packs of 222 (!) like Costco?  It’s pretty simple. They have different business models and different “ideal customers.” Those customers have different wants, needs, and expectations. And both businesses can thrive in the same market. The same applies to the financial planning world. Some people do not want an hourly planning service, nor a one-time planning service. They want an on-going relationship with a financial planner for the rest of their life, and expect to pay an annual fee for that. Some people want Wegmans. Some want Costco. Some want hourly services. Some want full-time. This statement is polarizing, especially in the DIY personal finance movement, because many DIYers do not want an ongoing relationship. They want a static, one-time service to spot-check their DIY results. Their “DIY” instinct is so strong that they’d never need a full-time professional in their corner. If you’re a fitness buff, you’d probably never hire a personal trainer. You’re less likely to order dinner in if you’re a fantastic cook. If you’re handy, you’ll remodel your bathroom instead of hiring a contractor. This is the way of the world! If we’ve developed strong DIY skills, we are less likely to hire a professional to help us. If you love digging into every nook and cranny of your financial life, and you’re accepting of the consequences (good or bad) of your decisions, then you should 100% continue down the DIY path If that sounds like you, I get it. It’s certainly is how I felt as a DIYer. But… Please trust me when I say this: most people are not like us. They do not want to be a retirement planning DIYer. They want to outsource it to a trusted expert, full-time. They do not want to fly the plane. They want to hop in the back, hands off the tiller, and let a professional pilot fly them to their destination. I don’t need to