Whether you’re renting or owning a piece of property, you might have rules for guests and even members in your family. Before and after getting married, I have lived with almost 20 roommates (all females), most of whom I got along with pretty well. We […]
Holidays is a time for festivity, celebration, and, happiness. Yet, there’s one thing that I’ve seen a lot during the holidays, especially at the end of the year. That is layoffs, unemployment, tears, fears, and sadness. Why do companies usually lay off employees at the […]
Yes, you read that right. We dropped a couple of grands on “stuff” this Thanksgiving. In all honesty, I think most of those purchases were unnecessary. But Mr. FAF insisted we needed them, so I gave in. I gave my reasons, he insisted on buying, […]
If you are Asian, you probably are not surprised that many young couples live with their parents even after they get married. It happens a lot in Asia and still does in America. I have Asian American friends who have lived and are planning to […]
A state of emergency About this time a year ago, our Aroma rice cooker suddenly stopped working. For others, it might not me a big deal. But for Mr. FAF and me who eat rice at least twice a day every day, it was declared […]
Frugality has become part of my lifestyle and identity. I try to make and save money in every way I can. I think about how to cut costs and invest for the future every day. When I go shopping, I usually choose inexpensive items without […]
I was born and raised in Asia and came to America at the age of 18 for college. I have been living in the US for 12 years. Although it’s almost half of my lifetime, it’s definitely not long enough for me to absorb and […]
Another holiday season is just around the corner. Sometimes I just can’t fathom how fast the summer flew by. Our baby girl was sick pretty much most of the summer, so Mr. FAF and I didn’t go on any long trips outside of DC. We […]
The title says it all. We got our green cards! We are now permanent residents of the US. As some of you may know, Mr. FAF and I came to the US on a student visa. After graduating from school, we found a full-time job […]
Growing up poor in a low-income family in Vietnam has had a tremendous impact on my personality and outlook on life. I remember those days when I succumbed to my insecurities in high school and kept wishing my parents were wealthy. I was sitting next […]
I have never met anyone who says they want to be poor. If anything, we all try our best to accumulate wealth and get out of the vicious cycle of poverty that can stifle our mind, emotions, and future. I grew up in a poor […]
As a frugal person/mom/wife, I always try to find free and low-cost yet quality items for my family to cut costs. It started out as a necessity since both Mr. FAF and I were two poor grad students when we had our firstborn. Mr. FAF […]
