In late August a group of us spent a Sunday in Pacifica, California. I’d have done this post earlier but somehow or another Lisa didn’t manage to upload all the pictures until just recently, so I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.

My brother-in-law, RS, currently engaged in a battle with kidney cancer, grew up in Pacifica and has fond memories of this small coastal town. Our decision to visit Pacifica was for him, to allow him to relive some memories of a better time in his life. Read More »

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I joined my husband last weekend up in Flagstaff, since he had to work a job up there and the hotel room was, therefore, free.

On Saturday night we went out on the town. We’re trying not to spend a whole lot of money, these days – I think everyone is feeling that way, lately. So our goal was to have as much fun and hit as many places as we could, for as little money as possible.

First we stopped at Altitudes and had a beer ($3.25 each – we like microbrews, domestic beer is cheaper), and we split the hummus plate with veggies and pita triangles ($6.99). We lounged there for a good hour, watching college football and conversing with the bartenders. Grand total spent (including a $5 tip): $19.84.

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Look, I – as well as most guys – can understand the need to run things by our significant others before acting on them. Yes, a call from Blockbuster before renting True Romance and Bladerunner for ‘date night’ would be nice. No, not everyone appreciates bourbon being on sale when told to run out and grab some wine for the dinner party. Michael Jordan posters do not make for a proper engagement gift, etc.

I understand. We all should.

Which is what makes this quirky little story even better. Read More »

I don’t know about you guys, but my family starts wishing for our next vacation the second we get home from our last vacation. Having as much time in advance for planning makes it a lot easier to pull together the required funds. About once a year we plan a “big” vacation, and once we’ve got a destination in mind, and a general cost figured out, we start working toward saving the money.

And again, I don’t know about you guys, but my family lives RIGHT up to the edge of its means, every single month. With our paychecks exiting the bank account every bit as quickly as they’re deposited, it’s a challenge to find the wiggle room to set aside money for vacation. Here are five ways to save money every month.

#1 – You were going to spend it anyway, so put it away instead. The next time you plan to drop, say, $50 on dinner at a sit-down restaurant, spend $20 at a fast food joint instead, and put the remaining $30 in an interest-bearing savings account. If you get into the habit of down-scaling your plans and setting the extra money aside, you’ll be shocked at how quickly it adds up.

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