My 2025 Was Awesome Let’s Go!
What can I say about 2025? For me it was a really good year. Mainly because 2024 was really shitty, so any movement was likely up. First and foremost in spring of 2025 I fully retired from my long career,...
Category: life experience
I Gave Up Alcohol For Good, Or Did I?
I rolled through the finish line with tired legs, bristling in the West Virginia summer sun. My buddies John and Todd were nearby, only a last minute sprint separated us. We just finished an 85 mile gravel cycling race with...
This World Isn’t Made For Folks Like Me
Regular readers of this blog know that I ride my bikes more miles than I drive. I’m currently on a 4-year streak of meeting that mark, although 2023 might see it end. Car ownership is ridiculously expensive and driving is...
Just Stop Being Complainy, Please
Last week the original battery in my Subaru Outback finally died. It lasted a whopping 8.5 years which is amazing. I of course drive way less than the average American and only have 51k miles on an almost nine year...
Maybe Investing Isn’t Worth The Risk
A little while ago I had my worst mountain bike crash in a long while. Playing ironically true to the contrarian I am, I wasn’t even riding on the actual dirt trails when it happened. I had just come off...
Don’t Let Money Be Your God
I’ve written about the almost comical mess of afflictions I had as a kid. I was fat, pigeon toed, buck toothed, pimple-faced, and had a crippling stutter. And that’s just a partial list. But even after I overcame many of...
Coping With Money Problems
As I ran down the path between apartment buildings I waited to be assaulted with the usual smell of marijuana smoke. Sure enough it appeared, as strong and dense as ever. Even at 6:15 in the morning. I was on...
Yes I’ll Be Your Mentor If You Ask Nicely
I’ve written before about how I moved up pretty fast in my career in the federal government. Having come from a tough job in the private sector I found standing out in the government to be easy. I just worked...
What I’ve Learned From 5 Years Of Semi-Retirement
October marked 5 years of blissful semi-retirement for yours truly. Half of a decade! For those not familiar, I gave up my big-wig manager job and went down to 20 hours a week back in late 2017. I started my...
Sober October And How It Impacts My Finances
Regular Accidental FIRE readers are aware of my history as a functional alcoholic. I used alcohol as a way to escape my traumatic childhood, or at least that’s what I thought I was doing. Being drunk was a good place...
The Answer To The Hectic Life
I did a nice beach road trip recently to some of the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia beaches. In my usual fashion of being active I packed the trip with cycling, running, kayaking, standup paddleboarding, a horrible attempt at traditional surfing,...
My Values Are Probably Different Than Yours
We’ve all heard the axiom that you should spend money based on your values in life, and not so much on the rest. I was reminded of this the other day while putting my mountain bike in the back of...
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