Wishing You a Late Happy America!

grilling

Whew! I don’t know about you guys but I had a fun and exhausting Fourth of July. We spent the night of the 3rd at a friend’s house eating burgers and hot dogs, drinking beer, playing with sparklers, sitting by the campfire, and watching fireworks on the beach. The morning of the Fourth we went to a parade, came home and rested, and then had a picnic dinner down by the Charles River before watching the Boston Pops and more fireworks. We also have our 6-year-old niece staying with us for a couple of weeks, which is a lot of fun but definitely gives us a little more to do. At least it’s good practice for number 2 coming soon!

I don’t have much financial insight for you today. I will say that we’ve been spending more than usual recently with our niece here, but it’s the kind of spending we’re happy to do. She lives in Florida so our time with her is limited and we want to make the most of it. We certainly haven’t gone crazy, but there’s been a little more eating out and a little more spending on activities than normal. It’s all been a lot of fun and we wouldn’t trade it for anything. And it’s been great for her and our son to really get some time to know each other. While they’ve seen each other plenty of times before now, this is their first experience spending an extended period of time together. They’ve been getting along great and are definitely much closer than before. It’s been a lot of fun to watch.

With that, I’d like to wish everyone a late happy Fourth of July and an enjoyable rest of the weekend! Below are some great posts from throughout the week that are definitely worth checking out. Enjoy!

Other articles I think you’ll like

Living Rich Cheaply: With the switch to a single-income official, Andrew outlines some of the things they considered when making the decision.

Johnny Moneyseed: Chances are that you’re going to live a long life. How are you preparing yourself for that reality?

The Umbrella Treasury: A great outline of the thought process behind spending money on a wedding. I like that her first few considerations are not going into debt, keeping savings at an adequate level, and not sacrificing long-term goals. Talk about having your priorities in order!

Reach Financial Independence: Joe from Stacking Benjamins writes about the importance of having a mentor. Asking for help every now and then can be a powerful thing.

Faithful With a Few: Khaleef writes about the importance of performing your job with integrity. My wife’s dad used to tell his kids that he didn’t care what they did professionally as long as they did it with honor, which fits right into this theme. It’s a great message to pass on.

Stacking Benjamins: Great stuff here on the importance of customer service. I’ve happily paid more for many products because of the service I’ve received. When it’s done right, good customer service can create a customer for life.

Eyes on the Dollar: Kim talks about something that I think every working parent deals with at some point: guilt. Finding the balance between work and spending time with your kids can be difficult, but she has some good thoughts on how she dealt with it.

Thanks to these carnivals for including me along with some other great posts!

Aspiring Blogger – Personal Finance Carnival
Carnival of Financial Independence
Lifestyle Carnival
Yakezie Carnival

Image courtesy of jackthumm / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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11 Comments... Read them below or add one of your own
  • Kim@Eyesonthedollar July 6, 2013

    I think it’s great that you get to spend time with your niece, and only normal to splurge a bit. Thanks for including me!

  • Laurie @thefrugalfarmer July 7, 2013

    Great that you’re having your niece up for some time together! We have a niece in FL too and it’s tough being so far away, isn’t it? We’re also having our nephew here for a couple of days next week, so this is a good reminder to plan some free or cheap outings during those days. :-). Have a great rest of the weekend, Matt. 🙂

    • Matt @ momanddadmoney July 8, 2013

      It’s definitely tough. Our son’s got a lot of little cousins down there, which is one of the big draws of potentially moving there. We’ll see. Have fun with your nephew!

  • Thank you for mentioning Joe’s post, looks like you had an awesome weekend! I think if I were pregnant I would just be laying there for 9 months and eating my weight in whatever my pregnant self would fancy at the time.

    • Matt @ momanddadmoney July 8, 2013

      Haha! It’s honestly hard to imagine you just lying around for too long, no matter what your condition.

  • Khaleef Crumbley July 8, 2013

    It must be great being able to spend time with your niece like that! My goddaughter lives in another state and she is now up to visit her godmother…I have to make sure to spend time with her before she leaves. I’m sure I’ll end up spending a little more than normal during that time, but it will be worth it!

    Thanks for linking to my post about integrity! Your wife’s father gave her a great lesson.

    • Matt @ momanddadmoney July 9, 2013

      It has been great. Tiring, but a lot of fun. Definitely get some time in with your goddaughter!

  • Aspiring Blogger July 8, 2013

    Thanks for the shout out!
    AB

  • Andrew July 12, 2013

    Thanks for the shout out Matt! Sorry, I haven’t been around lately…the baby came a little earlier than expected…and in very dramatic fashion… It’s been a little crazy here but I will definitely be back soon! Thanks again.

    • Matt @ momanddadmoney July 12, 2013

      Oh wow! Congrats! I hope all is well. Definitely take as much time as you can to enjoy this time. Can’t wait to hear about it!

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