Blog
The aggregation letter from the city and why we opted out
A letter said we'd be switched to a group electric rate unless we opted out. What it meant, how it compared and the call I made.
Aldi or Kroger for two people: a month of receipts
I alternated stores for four weeks and kept every receipt. Prices, quality and which one fits a two-person kitchen better.
My first summer after 24 years at the school office
Leaving a school-office job in June felt like the last day of school, except nobody was coming back in August. How I spent the first summer.
Shrinking the vegetable garden to two raised beds
For years I planted for four. This spring I cut it to two beds, eight tomato plants and a lot fewer zucchini.
What my SERS pension estimate actually says
Twenty-four years in Ohio's school employee retirement system. Reading the estimate, the reduced-benefit ages and why I'm not drawing it yet.
Paying the spousal surcharge or buying my own plan
Greg's employer charges $100 a month to add a spouse with other options. How I compared that to a marketplace plan for a 55-year-old.
Our weekly grocery bill dropped $68
With Josh gone, we spend less, but not half. Where the $68 a week went, and the foods we still buy as if a teenager lives here.
Using Ohio's Apples to Apples chart to pick an electric supplier
Ohio lets you choose who supplies your electricity. How I read the state's comparison chart and why we picked a 12-month fixed rate.
Our first garage sale in 15 years made $612
Pricing, the early birds at 6:45, what sold and what went straight to the donation center. A Saturday of decluttering, by the numbers.
The first spring with nobody's cleats in the garage
No practice schedule on the fridge, no muddy cleats by the door. What a spring without kids' sports actually freed up, in hours and dollars.