I don’t know much about gardening but from what it seems in my area of Maryland, you could do an early and a later planting. You didn’t mention specifically what state you are in but most states have some kind of ‘extension’ office which lists planting dates for crops. Many of the large universities or government offices have these. http://www.thevegetablegarden.info/cooperative-extensions

He is 24 with student loan debt, a decent-paying job, and no retirement savings. His argument is that if he saves a large percentage of his income and invests is appropriately (in mutual funds, treasury bonds, etc) why should he also fund retirement accounts like a 401k or Roth IRA. If he can make enough “regular” investments to be able to live off in the interest in only 10-15 years (a la Your Money or Your Life), why should he tie up money in retirement accounts that he can’t touch for another forty years?

My answer is tax benefits and self control (since most people wouldn’t be able to grow the money without touching it), but I think he’s right in that he’s got the self control to handle this kind of plan. Is there a legitimate argument for the “normal” method of retirement investing?

Thanks so much! I love your blog-you are so helpful! Can’t wait for your book!

Budi
I would say buy the house outright. You’re right that it goes against logic, but there are very few people who would keep a mortgage if they had the cash to pay it off. Especially if you consider that your mortgage payment would be over $3300/month, you would be freeing up a lot of cash flow.

How do you feel pets factor into a frugal/simple lifestyle? In particular, dogs.

Thank you.

First of all I have been reading your blog for months. I will be finishing my studies this December and I will move away to start a life on my own (In Mexico normally you live with your familiy until you finish your studies, including University). So I searched the net to find saving tips, thats how I stumbled with your site.

I have a question, I think no one has asked you something like this: Have any advice to get extra money for a student with no time, not even for a half-time job? I know it sounds maybe even ridiculous but the situation here its pretty hard since… ever and things will not get any easier when the time for me to move on comes.

Thanks in advance.

Trent: I miss the Consumer Reports articles!

How do you get a spouse to recognize the amount of money they spend on a ‘hobby’ is a huge expense? I have suggested tracking how much is spent, but the response was – “No way, I’d be scared to see the real number, I know it’s huge.”

My husband’s fishing hobby is really starting to get expensive at this point. The weekly and monthly expenses his fishing costs us are starting to get steep. Boat payment ($150 monthly), insurance ($200 yearly), tags, registration, ramp fees, gas to and from the lake for the truck, plus gas for the boat, live bait, and incidentals probably/definitely all add up to several hundred dollars or more every month (I don’t know the exact amounts – I don’t see all of the recipts). Not to mention the new lures he ‘has to have’ even though he has 3 (or more) of the exactly the same lures, maybe some in just ‘slightly’ different colors or the new rod and reel combos he just ‘has’ to get for just one fishing technique. He even admits he has too much stuff and buys way more than he needs. This statement, however, is usually followed with, ‘But I don’t have half as much as some guys I know, so you should feel lucky.’

New lures, rods, reels, bait, and ramp fees all come out of his weekly allowance – usually. The other actual bills – boat payment, insurance, tags, registration and some of the gas – are budgeted for in the weekly/monthly household budget. What gets the budget in a mess is his desire to fish has increased, while the amount of money available for this has not. For example, he’ll sometimes want to go fishing 2-3 times per week when the gas budget may only allow for him to go once that week. Or he’ll spend the remaining amount of his weekly allowance on lures on Thursday (sometimes as much as $20), use the debit card for lunch on Friday instead and then pull his full amount of allowance out on Monday – essentially double dipping in my mind.

Don’t get me wrong – we can afford his fishing habits to an extent, but we are still paying off debt mistakes (including the boat) we made from several years ago. Every extra dollar he spends on fishing is one I have to readjust the budget for (less on debt repayment or groceries – if I’ve already paid the bills – for example). When I stand my ground and say – no, we can’t afford that this week – while he says he understands and says we’re on the same page, well, he has pouted and sulked like a child before.

While this is his one true passion and I don’t want to discourage him from it – how would you suggest we come to an understanding on this budget issue without me feeling like the bad guy all the time? Also, I believe the core of the issue for him is that if he sees the real cost associated with his fishing, he’ll feel guilty that he spends that much when we’re trying to get bills paid off, so he’d rather remain clueless so he can blissfully go on his merry way.

Now, which would be the better option? I understand that the 2nd option sounds logical, since you’re earning 10% and paying 6%. However, with regards to the stock market, there are other issues to consider such as liquidity, tax implication (whenever I withdraw my money) and also the extreme volatility of the stock market.

Do you have any suggestion?