Traveling Wallet

13Mar 2016 by The Roamer 6 Comments

No employer match, Who cares?

I was just working on our Net Worth post and I was looking at this graph. [caption id="attachment_1653" align="alignnone" width="313"] Traveling Wallet's asset allocation[/caption] and it just made me feel like man what a mistake! Your assets graph made you feel like what a mistake? Really?!?!? Yeah it did, and it's that little orange section right there. (more…)

10Mar 2016 by The Roamer 4 Comments

401k Rollover, The Fear

401K, Finance

I stared at the stack of 18 papers in front of me. What am I going to do? Maybe 18 pages doesn't sound that scary, but think about it this way. If you had to read an 18 page medical journal. Then present on it to prove that you understood it, well I'm sure you're probably feeling overwhelmed right now too. That's what it's like, after all, for most people. Ask them to read a 401K rollover document from their 401K provider and you might as well tell them to go rent a physics book from the library. Not only do they have no interest in reading on the topic. It's also seen as so high level that you're intimidated before you even start. It's a recipe for ....well, for…

04Mar 2016 by The Roamer No Comments

Vacations, Where to stay?

Family, Travel

We like to go on vacation. In that sense we are just like the average american. But googling "average american vacation budget" tells me that the average american spends way more then we do on vacation. What's up with that? This post is part of my 30 day writing challenge. Each week I will be focusing on one topic. This week I have chosen to focus on travel. If travel is your thing don't forget to come back everyday until Monday when I choose my new topic for the week. There are lots of costs associated with travel the plane tickets, food, knickknacks, activities. Oh yeah and accommodations. Accommodations the big surprise (more…)

03Mar 2016 by The Roamer 4 Comments

My single biggest tip for traveling with small kids

Parenthood, Travel

Becoming a new parent is filled with changes in how you live your life. There are things that will become more challenging, but that doesn't mean you can't do them anymore. Traveling is one of those things. You'll hear or see a lot of advice that recommends you get your traveling desires out before having kids. After you have kids you can kiss it all good bye. It will be just too inconvenient. Some of us didn't get the memo early enough to do that. While others of us actually want our kids to experience travel. Either way the truth is that traveling with kids does indeed add a different dynamic to the whole process. If someone tells you different nod politely, but be ready. Challenges do exist and the…

01Mar 2016 by The Roamer 3 Comments

Why a 30 day challenge?

Finance, Monthly Challenge

Hello! Happy March. Today marks the beginning of the month but most importantly the beginning of a new 30 day challenge. 30 day challenges are a big thing here in the blogosphere. They are easy content fodder. Throw down a challenge invite the readers and let the competition begin. I've seen some really good ones and some that don't quite make sense. Of course the best ones for me are the ones that rile me up enough to join the group. It doesn't really matter whether it's home, food or personal almost anything seems to be able to be boiled down to a good ol' 30 day challenge. (more…)

12Feb 2016 by The Roamer 3 Comments

Yearly Spend Revealed

Finance, Savvy Spending, Yearly Review Series

Money comes in , Money goes out Every year at Traveling Wallet we spend, spend, spend, Spend! But its not all bad. If you try, every year can be better. For us last year was an interesting year and the first full year we had in which we didn't need to spend a single dime on loan or debt repayment. Not one dime. Still... We did spend a lot of money and this post is all about analyzing where it all went. (more…)

01Feb 2016 by The Roamer 4 Comments

Trust the system

Continuous improvement, Debt Destruction, Freestyle

Systems What does that mean anyway? It means a set path. Following steps. That if you do A it will lead to B and then C. But I am having trouble with this one. See I'm taking an online course. Or should I say retaking it because last time I got stuck... Lost momentum and then stopped. Trust the system I said to myself after watching the video. What the heck does that mean anyways? (more…)

17Jan 2016 by The Roamer 4 Comments

2015 goals: year end review

Continuous improvement, Finance, Yearly Review Series

I started off the year taking a big bite with my goals. But that's me, I always think I can move mountains and 2015 was no different. The year started with me taking on 20 goals . To which I promptly added 4 more once I had printed them out on paper. (I always seem to forget something before I press print.) But more then halfway through the year I had to admit that I just wasn't feeling some of the items I had written down. (more…)

28Dec 2015 by The Roamer 5 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: Food at Home

Weekly Pain & Gain

I am off enjoying a vacation at my in laws and visiting with a bunch of family. But last week before the trip these were my thoughts. Pain You would think that I have all the time in the world now a days to just put my head down and be super productive. However, I've realized that since I stopped working I have really gotten behind on my consumption of financial articles. And podcasts. I've taken note that it's easier to " interact " on twitter because it just takes a few minutes. Much less time than actually writing up a blog post or reading one and leaving a meaningful comment. (more…)

17Dec 2015 by The Roamer 2 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: The Free Tree

Special Occasions, Weekly Pain & Gain

The weekly pain & gain series has been a nice addition this year that has really spurned me to post more frequently. So I am going to try and finish the year off strong by not missing any posts for the rest of the year. and the rest of the year sounds a lot like this..... " for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home" ah its the Holiday season and the radio has been playing music it seems like non stop. We are hustling and bustling but mostly with unpacking tasks and not necessarily with gobs and gobs of shopping. Which segues nicely to this weeks pain. Pain We have since moved all our belonging to the new apt. However, this doesn't mean we are all done. No…

11Dec 2015 by The Roamer 16 Comments

Getting Laid………..OFF

Finance, Saving

The one gift you always hope to receive before the holidays is more time off. Of course, that's paid time off. What you don't hope for is that you walk in at the start of your shift on Monday right before the holidays to receive a big fat lay off. Poor timing. It definitely wins the award for that. ..and while I was still in utter shock I was also trying really hard not to smile and shout, "see ya later suckers!!" . ( Of course Mommy would never say such bad things. Felt like I should address my kids there for some reason. Ha ha ha) But I didn't smile and I didn't utter any self aggrandizing phrases. Actually for all my joy, I was very much insulted. "You?!....…

27Nov 2015 by The Roamer No Comments

Guest post on the Plutus Finalist blog, Even Steven Money

Finance, Special Occasions

Lots of great things come from starting up a blog on personal finance and some of us even venture into the realm of Financial independence. The biggest benefit is hearing about other people who are making big changes and reaching their goals. It's reasuring to know there are people out there just like you and me dreaming big and making those dreams a reality. I got to meet a bunch of these inspirational people at this year's FinCon and one of them was Even Steven. And let me tell you something, when people blog anonymously or behind a caricature its always an anticipated moment to see what people really look like. So if you were ever wondering what Even Steven looks like, let me break the tension. He looks just like…

16Nov 2015 by The Roamer 2 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: One bad thing on top of another

Weekly Pain & Gain

Man the start of November was one for the books. Maybe I'm over sharing, maybe I'm under sharing, maybe I just want to say the word sharing a bunch of times in a paragraph. But either way sheesh. Nov has been a roller coaster. Pain The 1st Monday of the month I got big news! Serious news. But I'm just not ready to share. It wasn't good news, or was it? But, it is what it is, right? Well the week progressed and then on Wednesday the unexpected happened someone stole a load of our laundry. It was mostly Jr's stuff but since it was a small load I threw in some of Minnie's and my stuff as well. I was so shocked. Who does that?! It was the cherry…

13Nov 2015 by The Roamer 6 Comments

Surprise! Why me? Dealing with bad surprises

Finance, Monthly Challenge, Saving

You know that feeling you get, you know when you feel like "I just can't believe this is happening to me" and not in a good way. But in a Why me? way. That is how I was feeling lately. Why? Because of the Surprise! It wasn't even a good surprise. It was another unexpected, out of nowhere, break you expense. Well, it could have been, had we not been in the financial position we are today. Emergency fund, rainy day fund, unexpected expenses fund. It doesn't matter what it's called. Every one is touting be prepare. Like an 11 year old boy scout. But honestly most people just don't do it. One survey showed that up to 62% of people wouldn't be able to cover a $1,000 expense. While…

02Nov 2015 by The Roamer 5 Comments

Capsule Wardrobe Lessons: Love yourself

Counter Culture, Minimalism, Monthly Challenge

Its November and I am in the last month of my 2nd capsule wardrobe. But before we can talk about the 2nd go I want to share a recap. In September I completed my first capsule wardrobe challenge. This year I've really enjoyed taking on these monthly challenges. It's an organized way to try something new, and usually it's really fun too. So what's the benefit of a capsule wardrobe? How many items do you get? Is it going to benefit you financially? and most importantly what did you wear these past 3 months? 1st capsule outfits, Summer 2015 I'm so glad you asked. Well start with the easy one. Below you'll find a collage of my outfits. At work I wear a uniform (self imposed) which falls outside of my main…

26Oct 2015 by The Roamer 1 Comment

Weekly Pain & Gain: Halloween and Dancing

Family, Savvy Spending, Special Occasions, Weekly Pain & Gain

This month is really one of my favorites. I really have lots of fun during Halloween. Pain October has had some un welcome surprises in the automotive department. Like I mentioned we are in the process of getting ready for a move and things have gotten a little harder thanks to car issues. Currently we are down to one vehicle and because of our imminent move this has caused a lot of issues. This automotive issue is being felt with time limitations and later will be felt with our wallet. However, the dollars are less of an inconvenience then the time constraints. Right now we are in serious need of flexibility but instead we are now more constrained. UGH! the timing couldn't be more off. It is frustrating and truly…

12Oct 2015 by The Roamer 3 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain : Move on the Horizon

Housing, Weekly Pain & Gain

If you've read about my travel this past 7 years you know I've moved around alot. And yes moving can be a hassle but it also has lots of advantages. Anyways I like the idea of moving around. I'll blame it on my upbringing. ;) Anyways we've been pretty stable lately and have lived in the same city for almost 5 years. I think we are ready to give this whole live closer to work thing a try, like MMM and Go Curry Cracker did. Pain The pain of moving around is the research is time consuming. It's also not super kid friendly if your trying to see a bunch of properties in one day. Schedules were interrupted and Minnie Roamer missed her naps both Sat and Sun leaving us with…

09Oct 2015 by The Roamer 2 Comments

A year off from work, Why? & How?

Counter Culture, Family, Finance, Parenthood

I have been wanting to take a year off from work for a very long time. As the year gets closer to its end I have a lot to contemplate. A young mother The whole idea started after giving birth to my son, he's 7 now. See I got pregnant while attending university and due to the situation I didn't even take my full 6 weeks off to recoup. I had deadlines and metrics to meet if I wasn't going to become another drop out statistic. There were plenty of breaks thanks to the academic school term and because of how close I live to campus I spent lots of time back home with my baby. But I still felt I was missing a lot. I remember telling my significant…

05Oct 2015 by The Roamer 6 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: FinCon +

Continuous improvement, Finance, Weekly Pain & Gain

Pain So I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry I've fallen off my consistent posting schedule. agh! I was doing so good too. Lately I missed a lot of posts, which sucks because it was my goal to have 1 post a week . It's my fault I fell off the horse. But below is the reason why. Excuses, Excuses , Excuses I recently attended FinCon ( financial bloggers conference) for the first time and what can I say I needed some time to recoup and make up for all the family time I missed. Also I needed to make time to process all the info that I got at the conference. It was awesome but also very overwhelming. I have to make a game plan because when…

02Oct 2015 by The Roamer 4 Comments

Weekend Wanderings #4: Tiny House for the Win

Counter Culture, Housing, Weekend Wanderings

I'm over hear doting on tiny houses and their many upsides.While everyone is thinking bigger, and bigger. What's up with that? A Note to New Readers: My Weekend Wandering series is a time I take to wander off the main focus of this blog and discuss any other topic. Usually including videos that I found inspirational, informative or controversial. But if you'd like to talk about money read about how we obliterated debt in just 3 years. FYI, this post does dive into money, so stick around. Like all my weekend wandering posts this one is going to be chock-full of videos and the idea is that you watch them and be inspired. I won't be summarizing their awesomeness. Today I am wandering into the realm of tiny houses. I…

14Sep 2015 by The Roamer 3 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: Kids and Money

Parenthood, Weekly Pain & Gain

Kids can't live with them can't live without them. Seriously this week wasn't so bad but this weekend. Sheesh. I was an emotional wreck. Pain You know as the week progresses I like to make notes about what would be my gain and pain... So that I have some ideas to work with. My pain this week was going to be all financial. See I messed up and miss calculated my IRA numbers, which negates last weeks gain :( . I really thought I was going to be able to max it out... But I accidentally had one extra space, I was counting contributions for January as well... Hmm. So anyways that was going to be my pain for the week but then Sunday happen. We, (I?) Had a big…

07Sep 2015 by The Roamer No Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: Capsule Wardrobe Madness

Finance, Weekly Pain & Gain

Happy Labor Day everyone. I hope you all get to celebrate how you see fit. Make sure though you keep and eye on the dollar. I read a post that said most people spend more then what they are getting paid to have the day off. Say what?! So yeah have fun but make sure your asking yourself what the value proposition is? Don't just follow the crowd... if you think it has valued then go right ahead. Just taking the time to ask yourself the question and making sure your actions are in line with your values is where its at. Okay now for this past weeks update. Pain This past week I'd been anxiously awaiting the weekend so I could get to work on switching out my capsule.…

04Sep 2015 by The Roamer 6 Comments

Goals: 2nd Trimester Review 2015

401K, Family, Finance, Saving, Yearly Review Series

At some point this trimester I realized I needed to focus my efforts. It's not that it's impossible to work on multiple things at once. It was more the fact that I needed to do a lot of learning. See sometimes you have all the foundational knowledge to accomplish something you just need to take up the challenge to push yourself farther, harder. But that wasn't the case for a lot of what I was trying to do. I didn't have the background. So one task would split into several other smaller things that I needed to learn first. In essence my one goal might actually require me to jump 5 hurdles before even being able to address my goal. I knew that on some level. That was part of…

31Aug 2015 by The Roamer 2 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: A little bit of everything

Weekly Pain & Gain

Pain Lots of waste this week. We didn't really follow our food menu and we ended up with lots of spoiled food. I know this is something most American households struggle with and I guess we aren't the exception. It's really disappointing to me. I know some weeks we do really well and other are so bad. It's something I am trying to improve by buying less food. We are still learning but its still chafes me to throw food out. Some people say its better to be safe then sorry and I agree but the question shouldn't be well what's more costly a doctors appointment or a head of lettuce. It just shouldn't get to that point period. Gain This past week we hosted my mother in-law at our…

28Aug 2015 by The Roamer 7 Comments

Frugal Back to School shopping

Maximizing money, Parenthood, Savvy Spending

Last week on Tuesday Jr went back to school. Not only that, I also realized I'm getting old he's getting old. I mean he's in 2nd grade! ( inhale ,exhale, inhale, exhale) What happened to the surprise baby. :( After the initial shock I had a thought. And it went like this. "Oh yeah, wasn't there a shopping thing I was supposed to do to get ready for today" I didn't prepare at all. I didn't even really think about preparing for it at all. Other then "oh Jr starts school next week ". Instead of think about it in regards to money and purchases. I thought about it in regards to time. How are our schedules going to change? Adjust? But wait a minute I want to go back to…

24Aug 2015 by The Roamer 2 Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: Emotional Spending

Weekly Pain & Gain

Well it was a really good idea to start this weekly column. I can see now why so many bloggers do it. It forces you to write and that in turn motivates you to write more. At least that is how it worked for me. This will be the 6th installment of my weekly updates. Pain Most of us can relate to making poor financial decisions because of external factors. Usually due to being caused some sort of discomfort. I think people like to call it emotional spending. I had just that experience this week. I was having a bad day this week. I was mad and stressing. Dammit , I'm going out to eat for my break. I'm going to go out cause I deserve to unwind, and relax. But…

17Aug 2015 by The Roamer No Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: No Siesta for you! And other adventures.

Parenthood, Travel, Weekly Pain & Gain

So much good this week, but don't worry I still have a pain to complain about. Pain Minnie Roamer is not resting during her standard nap time. She does once in a while but is now predominantly taking her siesta during our drive to work and to see papa Roamer. So instead of resting at 1 pm at home. She is resting at 3 in the car. This is a real pain because that time was usually used to spend 1 on 1 time with Jr. Roamer while he's in summer vacation. But during his school time. I could use the time to rest, work on ZTL hw., a blog post, and even read. But that only works if I'm not behind the wheel of a car. She is only…

14Aug 2015 by The Roamer 4 Comments

Shooting for Early Retirement

Finance, Retirement, Saving

I don't remember and don't want to go back and look at all the previous Traveling Wallet posts. But......Do you even know what our retirement goal is? I don't think that I have shared it with you. I guess in a way I always wanted to retire early but that to me meant at 50. I first started thinking about retirement because at my new full time job I had to decide what to do about this 401k thing. As I learned I thought 65 just sounded wrong specially with the acceptable retirement age getting older and older. It almost seemed like it was just out of my control. So I started reading about retirement, a lot of it was very negative but I also discovered retirement calculators. I got…

10Aug 2015 by The Roamer No Comments

Weekly Pain & Gain: DIY refrigerator maintenance

Parenthood, Weekly Pain & Gain

Rollercoaster weeks seems to be the thing right now. We accomplished a lot but we also faced some difficult challenges. Pain My goals for this blog are to discuss traveling, parenting, and finances all how they relate to me. I realize I haven't really been touching on parenting too much and that's because that is my biggest challenge. This week, actually probably more like over a month, parenting has proved quite challenging. We have good days and then we have terrible days. But this week was really exposing as some of my poor parenting decision came full circle to bite me in the butt. I keep thinking I should probably take a break from reading all these finance articles and instead focus on parenting ones. Or at the very least…

07Aug 2015 by The Roamer 7 Comments

FinCon 2015, Help!

Finance, Savvy Spending, Special Occasions

Just a little over a month away FinCon 2015 is hot on my mind. I'm starting to get nervous for multiple reasons. You see like any good personal financier I am getting worried about the numbers. What is going to be my ROI? How will I make sure its good? Though we can afford it in one sense, it is a big investment. I mean there's the conference pass, the hotel stay, the plane ticket, lifts to and from the airport, food. There's a lot of money tied into this thing. But its not just that, there are other costs too, specially in the realm of time. My vacation time and weekend both things that are for my family won't be. My husband and I will have to go 12 days…