As the author of a blog, I get a lot of feedback about our lifestyle. Some people say terrible things, but the vast majority of commenters are kind, well-adjusted humans that don’t mind taking a peek into the life of a family that lives a little differently…
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Another month is done, and fall in the Pacific Northwest is well underway! That means it’s time for another monthly financial write-up!
October was a super busy month for the Tako family — filled with rain, dinner parties, Halloween festivities, school activities, flu shots, and the annual fall clean-up of our yard/garden.
We spent October very close to home, but I wouldn’t have it any other way…
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Let me just start this post by saying, “I really dislike buying sauce packets.” Sure, they’re convenient and can help make a tasty meal, but they’re also really expensive for what you get. Use of commercially made sauce packages can easily double the cost of a home cooked meal.
They’re also loaded with preservatives, food coloring, fillers, and tons of ingredients I would never willingly put into my mouth if I had a choice…
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After a long hot summer in the Pacific Northwest, the clouds, rain, and cool weather are officially back. This means the Tako family’s expenses begin their seasonal increase as the garden now produces fewer vegetables, and our heating costs grow to match the falling temperatures.
It was a golden summer (probably one of the warmest in recent memory) and I spent a lot of quality time with the kids…
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It’s been said that most of major stock market gains happen on just a few fateful days of the year. Miss those few days and you’ll miss-out on most of the gains in the stock market that year. Hence the common advice to always stay invested in the market…
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Hi folks! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything here, but I haven’t abandoned the blog! We’ve simply been on vacation for the past week and completely without internet access!
Normally I like to travel to locations with internet access, but I’ve been completely unable to post anything for the past week. It was a real “unplugged” family vacation…
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It’s been several years since I first posted my roasted salsa recipe, but what’s worth doing once is worth doing again. Especially when it saves money!
For the next five days I’m going to be completely offline — The Tako family is going camping in the mountains without access to the internet. So, I won’t be posting to Mr. Tako Escapes on my regular schedule …
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Everyone likes to think they’re normal. We wake-up every single day and tell ourselves this little white lie of normality.
“I live a normal life. I work a normal job. I earn a normal income. I live in a normal home and save a normal amount of money. Life is pretty good”
Why do we tell ourselves this lie? I think it’s because being normal is comfortable. No one criticizes normal…
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It’s summer and the weather is HOT. The Pacific Northwest has been setting record temperatures for the last couple of days, with highs in the low 90’s Fahrenheit (roughly 32C).
After a long hot commute home from work and school, I can imagine most families don’t feel like firing up a stove or oven to make dinner. I frequently see my friends and neighbors hopping into their air conditioned lazy-mobile and driving to a nice air conditioned eatery of their choice…
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