I've been married for three years and my wife and I have a beautiful one-year old daughter. She's the light of our lives and, despite her being a bit of a surprise, she's the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I grew up in Portland and moved back here after college (where I travelled an incredible 100 miles down the road to University of Oregon). Family has always been very important to me, and I married a woman who shares the same opinion. We bought a house that is less than one mile away from each of our parents.

We love watching movies, reading, watching tv, and spending time with our daughter. I specifically like to write about sports, as that, outside of my family, is my passion in life.

My passion is ...

My family

I know too much about ...

Nothing

My parents always told me ...

To work hard in life

My childhood ambition ...

Professional basketball in the NBA

My favorite memory ...

Sleepovers at my childhood best friend's house

Why I write ...

It's a good way to organize thoughts

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I love watching THE OFFICE! Best show on TV. I like reading John Grisham.

My first job ...

Bus boy at a seafood restaurant

My best moment ...

The day my daughter was born

My inspiration ...

My wife, my mom, and my dad

Personal Finance > Budgets & Saving Sticking to a budget

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Ask anyone who has lived on a budget and they will tell you how difficult it is. Over the last few years, my wife and I have tried to budget several times and we continued to have trouble sticking with the plan. After several attempts, we finally committed to the budgeting process and have been successful ever since. The key is what I call "the envelope method."

The first step, of course, is to create the budget. Most people sit down try to remember all of their bills, and then jot them down on a list. But instead of trying to remember each of your bills, just use your last three ba...

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