July 2008

Travel Day!

July 31, 2008

So the time has come. Miel is now leaving towards Afghanistan – but will be meeting a dear friend for a quick layover in London en route. James has one more day in the great state of Oregon, but will be spending it with family, as Miel is absconding with the laptop – oh, no! [...]

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DINKs PDX Real Estate Deal Falls Through

July 30, 2008

Hi All, Just wanted to follow up on our last two postings. It turns out that the place we were looking at in Portland is overpriced relative to comparable properties in the same neighborhood. Since the we’re leaving the state tomorrow, there isn’t time to do a proper job house shopping, so we’re putting the [...]

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Yet More Adventures in Real Estate

July 30, 2008

Hi All, We are spending one of our last days in Portland trying to sort out the details for the potential real estate deal. Today we have meetings with our real estate agent at the place we are looking at as an investment rental. We are also making calls to sort out lending. The owner [...]

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Dinks Consider Real Estate In Portland

July 29, 2008

Hello All, We’re still in Portland, OR visiting family and getting to know the city. Its a bit of a gloomy day here so I’m bivouacked in a coffee shop on Martin Luther King Boulevard getting this posting out. The good news is that we may have found a prospective rental property in North Portland. [...]

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Jane Bryant Quinn Strikes Again

July 28, 2008

Hi All, I am writing you from the coffee shop inside that famous Portland institution – Powell’s Bookstore. Among the books we got today was a copy of Jane Bryant Quinn‘s latest book Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People. I haven’t made it very far, but am impressed with her recent work and [...]

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DINKs Report from Portland

July 27, 2008

Hi All, We have spent the last few days cruising through Oregon and haven’t been able to let you know what’s going on. So, here is an update on what we’ve been up to. Right now we are in Portland helping Miel’s sister and brother-in-law move. They ended up selling their small one and a [...]

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Investments Paying Monthly Dividends

July 24, 2008

Hi All, We are currently in rural southern Oregon visiting family, but I wanted to make you aware of an interesting article for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. If you’re an income investor or are looking to invest to make some extra money on the side, you might consider checking out Jeffrey Kosnett’s recent piece on investments [...]

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On Vacation in the South Umpqua

July 24, 2008

On vacation. Enjoying the beautiful scenes of Southern Oregon. This is a pic of the swimming hole, on the idyllic South Umpqua River, that Miel spent her summer days at while growing up. Best, Miel & James

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The Tradeoffs of Borrowing

July 23, 2008

Hello All, This posting comes to you from rural Oregon where we are spending a couple of days visiting our relatives. The big news here is that, after a great deal of hassle and going back and forth with the bureaucracy at the University, Miel’s student loans for last semester finally came through. Since Miel [...]

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Inexpensive Organic Alternatives

July 22, 2008

So you are tired of the rising food prices and worried about your environmental foot print? Check out a few handy tips on how to save money and the planet too. According to a Newsweek article I was reading on the plane yesterday, spending on gas will soon surpass that of your monthly food bill. [...]

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