Category: Economics

I am something of a regular at a nearby convenience store. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it is what it is. Part of what makes me a regular is the fun of taking a long walk over there in the morning and acquiring some sugary coffee-nated beverage of the canned variety […]

Most of us find new things to be interested in over time; very rarely do people pick one hobby and stick to it exclusively for life. But every new interest often requires a certain amount of upfront mental or financial cost, whether we are learning about our new domain or buying the gear we need […]

I’ve read many books over the years, and most of those books were not worth reading. It’s likely I might have picked up a nugget or two of knowledge that I now (ungratefully) carry with me, but one of my greater frustrations is just how little meat some books have. Complicating the matter is my […]

I spent a good part of Saturday browsing around a mountain town with one of my friends. It’s been a long time since I explored local shops, and it was a bit of a treat. I naturally found myself thinking about economics, what it means to support local businesses, and whether it really matters. The […]

When I was first reading about financial independence several years ago, I got excited about saving a few dollars on various things. I stopped using fabric softener and dryer sheets (both unnecessary chemicals), switched to powdered dishwasher detergent, and also switched to powdered washing machine detergent, with a few considerations toward making my own. While […]

Just today I came across the meaning behind the term “white elephant”. You can read the Wikipedia article yourself, but apparently some South Asian king gifted rare albino elephants to those who displeased him. Traditionally, to own a white elephant was seen as a sign of great success and prosperity, and to be gifted a […]

The first time I removed an axle nut was for changing the captive rotors on my old Honda. You had to pull the whole knuckle assembly to do this, which is dumb, but it taught me a lot about the suspension, and was one critical step toward being able to change some of the more […]

I need to vent. Last month, a listing turned up on eBay for an antique mining catalog in a series I collect. I’m not sure how I feel about calling myself a collector of anything, but it is what it is. Anyway, this was a small trade book, a sort of off-shoot of the main […]

As a follow-up to my previous post, I thought this might prove insightful, not because I know many people who need new wheel bearings, but because this simply presents some interesting ways of thinking about the problem. I probably haven’t given enough thought or credence to these. (Also note, this is for pressed-in bearings only. […]

Many, many years ago, I bought a 20-ton press for changing wheel bearings. I had this idea in my head that I wanted to be able to do as much as possible on my car, and since I already had experience removing knuckle assemblies to change captive rotors (look it up, it’s horrible), I figured […]