Tracking what you are spending money on is probably the most important thing you can do to improve your finances if you aren’t doing it already. I started tracking pretty much every dollar we spent back in 2014 and it’s been eye-opening to say the least. Our current spending strategy is not based on specific budgets for […]
Category: The Metagame
Your Credit Score Might Not Be As High As You Think
Very recently a combination of factors lined up to make refinancing our mortgage a smart financial decision for us. A year-end bonus and our house appreciating meant it was time to look into dropping Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), as discussed here, plus interest rates are about half a percent lower than when we got the […]
The Math Behind Paying Down a Mortgage with PMI
I’ve mentioned a few times that we bought our house with only 10% down and are currently paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) on a monthly basis. The PMI was necessary to get the loan because we didn’t have the standard 20% down payment required to get a traditional, non-PMI insured, mortgage loan. One of our major […]
Our Side Gig Successes In 2015 – Churning, Arbitrage, and More
As 2015 winds to a close, it’s a good time to look back over the year and see how we did financially compared to our goals. Back in 2014, we discovered the idea of financial independence and decided to set ourselves up with a lifestyle that balances maximizing life in the present and setting ourselves […]
Optimizing Taxes Over A Lifetime
One of the largest expenses most people will face in their life is taxes and for the most part, there just isn’t any way around it. After all, the old saying claims the only things certain in life are death and taxes. Fortunately, the taxes that must be paid over the course of a lifetime […]
5 Ways to Save 5% (or More!) on Holiday Shopping at Amazon
As the holidays start coming around over the next couple of months, we will all probably end up buying at least a few gifts for friends and family. If you’re anything like me and dislike holiday shopping crowds, you might just end up doing the majority of your shopping online, possibly at Amazon.com. Typically it’s […]
Comparing Medical Plans and Using the HSA choice as a Free Raise
I previously discussed how the HSA can be a beneficial retirement account because of it’s triple tax benefit and a recent change in Becky’s contract will allow us to put that information to use. While I have had access to an HSA eligible plan since starting my career, Becky previously only had a single medical plan which […]
A Crazy Couple Months of Bank Bonus Opportunities
Our primary strategy for credit cards involves rotating through signup bonuses at a pace where our regular spending matches up with the minimum spend requirements. This doesn’t stop me from chasing some free spending opportunities like gift card arbitrage, but does keep a steady amount of miles and points coming into my account without needing to go […]
The Value Of An Extra $100
I recently signed up for a PNC checking account through a promotion that will reward me $200 for jumping through a few hoops and I had an interesting thought after clicking the apply button. Why am I doing this? Probably a question one should answer before going ahead with anything, but I think I’ll be okay in this […]
Getting Creative to Maximize Return on Grocery Spending
Personal finance is one big optimization problem that I’m constantly running through my head in order to think up new tricks that can save or earn me more money. This is what I refer to as the “Money Metagame” which inspired the name of this blog. How much I spend is one of the components I have the […]