Len Penzo starts this week with 100 Words On: Why Buying in Bulk Is Not Always a Smart Idea. He’s right of course, you need to pay a bit of attention to the unit pricing. There are some items that turn out to be more expensive per pound in bulk than the lower sized price. My own experience is with Costco, where the items I buy are quite a savings from the grocery store price. Len’s message rings true – know what you are paying per pound or ounce and judge for your self.
At Deliver Away Debt the question is – Lawn Care – Cut the Grass or Hire It Out? For any homeowner, this is the question that comes right after “to be or not to be.” And each of us needs to decide what’s right. Me? I’d rather sub it out, the lawn guy does a good job and I’m able to keep my Saturdays to my self.
Paula at Afford Anything shares how her house jumped $100K from the last appraisal. Good news, probably.
At Financial Mentor, the question Pay Off Mortgage Early Or Invest- The Complete Guide. A detailed discussion of this decision. It’s not a no-brainer, there are compelling arguments to go either way.
Next, at Free Money Finance, Why The 4% Rule is Obsolete. The punchline is that FMF doesn’t care for the rule of thumb. I hear where he’s coming from. What I do know is that 8 or 10% is too high, and 2% a bit too low. Whether the right number is 4%, 5.5% or some other number can’t be known in advance.
And let’s wrap up this week with Kevin at No Debt Plan asking Why Wouldn’t You Consider a Flat Tax? You know what Kevin? I would. Flat is synonymous with “simple” and I like the idea of making the tax code less complex. Billions of hours spent each year learning and complying with the code, I think this is time better spent.
Today’s title? This week was the 35th anniversary of the release of the movie Annie Hall. The image above is of a print by the artist Al Hirschfeld which I bought right after I graduated college. 35 years? Time sure flies.
Thanks for the inclusion, Joe. Much appreciated!