tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908235161107573462024-03-04T20:11:24.842-08:00Looking For FreedomOur journey of paying off debt, having fun in the process, and ultimately achieving our dreams.LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-1473491033362183322016-01-31T10:33:00.000-08:002016-01-31T10:39:10.797-08:00Welcome to the RV show<b>Yesterday we went to our first RV show.</b> RV and boat show, actually... In other words, one enormous room stuffed with speed boats, pontoon boats, bus-like RVs the size of jetliners, more trailers than I could count, and slide-outs as far as the eye could see.<br />
<br />
And people. So many people. Until yesterday, I didn't know going to RV and boat shows was a thing. I figured we'd be three of maybe a few dozen people, but as it turns out, a lot of people are interested in boating and RVing. The sea of humanity combined with the fluorescent lighting was a recipe for a panic attack, but I was on a mission - a mission to figure out what kind of unit we wanted - and so I kept the panic at bay long enough to make the admission fee worthwhile.<br />
<br />
<b>The goal was definitely NOT to find and purchase an RV. </b>Even the smallest units here were tens of thousands of dollars. (Excuse me while I stop to laugh.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVe_E-1cuX_U4C98qy-46vCW1rYkCK9z3wvGMO5YIpb_sZsJygjaALwfkijV6O7rGv43kc3B6d9jZvGu8KEnaRQrVhUN5T1Mg4baV8hUhIIECo3l3Cbw3LfXG25x2zUIor648olFwaML1/s1600/IMG_6837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVe_E-1cuX_U4C98qy-46vCW1rYkCK9z3wvGMO5YIpb_sZsJygjaALwfkijV6O7rGv43kc3B6d9jZvGu8KEnaRQrVhUN5T1Mg4baV8hUhIIECo3l3Cbw3LfXG25x2zUIor648olFwaML1/s320/IMG_6837.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Oh you know... Pocket change.</i></div>
<br />
No, the goal was just to see what kind of features and layouts we like so that when we're ready to buy our USED RV, we'll know how to narrow the search.<br />
<br />
<b>What we learned:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. Many RVs are larger than our current house. </b>Also much cleaner and better decorated. Fewer Legos on the floor, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik83RnIFYuAP7HtaweOblowzNaCg_V150sqrQKEMtyJwopF9_IzBaPJPAj6b_zFlr9P6bYlUKPtUNLySbsnQ7KlAK9ae4VRoUpclwIvIIv7W1qP7KibXMmDjjfzMDnyplGfgSgLh6LQEU9/s1600/IMG_6848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik83RnIFYuAP7HtaweOblowzNaCg_V150sqrQKEMtyJwopF9_IzBaPJPAj6b_zFlr9P6bYlUKPtUNLySbsnQ7KlAK9ae4VRoUpclwIvIIv7W1qP7KibXMmDjjfzMDnyplGfgSgLh6LQEU9/s320/IMG_6848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>I will never live in anything that looks this nice.</i></div>
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<b>2. Many RVs are fancier and have more square footage than a New York City apartment (actually, this was not my observation; it was what one of my NYC friends said when she saw my photos on Facebook).</b><br />
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<b>3. Before the show, we'd determined that our ideal RV will be a class C. </b>Class C RVs have bunks over the cabs, and they don't look like buses. The show confirmed that this will be the best choice for us, at least for our initial foray into nomadic life. The class C's we looked at and liked the best had several features that are musts for us:<br />
<ul>
<li>A bunk for me and my husband, and a bunk area for my son, with doors or curtains for privacy. </li>
<li>A bathroom accessible from the main part of the RV so that my son doesn't need to wake us up in the middle of the night to get to the facilities.</li>
<li>A spacious table area. I'm planning to homeschool my son, so we're going to need a spot where we can spread out if we're working inside.</li>
<li>Storage, storage, storage.</li>
<li>Total length of less than 30 feet.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwesMLpbxdLq58hXHSFm6mhUq5P-YNn98MejlVEfoh70HM7Eafr90IDufFip7X22Pst1GPDL3dnehsf_rvrhGIFVGQHL22Lh71jee5oPFqNplZZMab9FQZFfL8Ts4sTn5WXaLaj_S91lM/s1600/IMG_6844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwesMLpbxdLq58hXHSFm6mhUq5P-YNn98MejlVEfoh70HM7Eafr90IDufFip7X22Pst1GPDL3dnehsf_rvrhGIFVGQHL22Lh71jee5oPFqNplZZMab9FQZFfL8Ts4sTn5WXaLaj_S91lM/s320/IMG_6844.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>One of our favorite RVs from the show</i></div>
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<b>4. Our region has more RV dealers than we'd realized. </b>Although we're open to purchasing the right used RV from anywhere in the region, it would be nice to purchase one from within the immediate area. I don't want to travel 200 miles away to check out an RV only to discover that it looks nothing like the pictures on eBay.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>5. RV dealers are way less pushy than I'd expected. </b>I get anxious when salespeople follow me around and ask if I have any questions. That didn't happen here. We were able to look around at our leisure. Or maybe what was really going on was that the dealers were taking one look at us and thinking, "Nope. They are definitely not buying anything today."</div>
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<br /></div>
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All in all, it was a good learning experience, one that will inform our research over the next few months as we save, save, save.</div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-44364070959679567862016-01-27T13:54:00.001-08:002016-01-27T13:56:41.563-08:00It takes time to turn a ship aroundI don't regret quitting my job. If anything, I'm more convinced than ever that it was the right decision.<br />
<br />
At the same time, however, I also feel kind of... stunned. A little depressed, even. For so long, this was my would-be identity: assistant professor, PhD. In the last seven years, this is pretty much all I've thought about.<br />
<br />
So now to say that I am done with it - not just this particular position in this place, but with traditional academia altogether - it's a bit of a shock. I think I just need some time to get used to the reality of this chapter ending and another one beginning.<br />
<br />
Submitting my resignation left me feeling almost euphoric; that's often how I feel when I make a hard decision. But now that the euphoria has worn off, I find myself feeling sensitive to the understandable aftermath of my decision:<br />
<ul>
<li>Things at work with my colleagues are awkward. I don't know if they're mad or disappointed or what, but... they don't talk to me like they used to. They don't include me in their conversations. They're treating me like what I suppose my role has become: temporary.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I'm sad at the thought of leaving people here who I really like, including the other faculty at my institution.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>My students, including my advisees, will soon find out about me leaving, and I worry about their reaction. Of course, they have bigger and better things to worry about than the departure of a teacher, but I'm close with many of them and I don't want them to think less of me for not sticking around.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I glance around my office and think, "I'm going to need to clean this thing out soon. Ugh." And then I look at the little coffee maker I bought when I was so excited about having my first office and think, "What happened? What's the difference between me then and me now?"</li>
</ul>
<div>
I'm sure this is a totally normal set of feelings and emotions. It'll get better; it's just a low day.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-4337577772683640552016-01-24T15:00:00.004-08:002016-01-24T15:00:47.715-08:00Credit checkHoly cow!<br />
<br />
I just checked my credit scores on <a href="http://www.creditkarma.com/">Credit Karma</a> (I love Credit Karma. It's reliable. It's got nice graphics. It's FREE!) Since paying off my credit cards, my scores have increased by about 40 points!<br />
<br />
Granted, the whole point here is to <i>avoid</i> taking out additional loans, but this is gratifying nonetheless. What if our current (also only and issue-ridden) car suddenly craps out? Or what if we need to get a loan for whatever reason?<b> A high credit score will be useful in the long run by helping ensure a low interest rate loan so that we don't have to rely on our high interest rate credit cards.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Meanwhile, we took some action and made some decisions today:<br />
<br />
<b>1) We started selling some of our belongings on eBay. </b>A few years ago I sold a bunch of our stuff on eBay with good success. I'll be interested to see whether we can do so this time around. No time like the present to start living a lighter life!<br />
<br />
<b>2) After a lot of research and discussion, we've decided that our first RV for this grand adventure will be a <a href="http://gorving.com/compare-rvs/motorized-rvs/type-c-motorhome">Class C RV</a>. </b>We really like fifth wheel trailers, but we don't have a truck and we don't want to go in for a truck loan. So the goal is to save enough to purchase a used, livable class C within the next several months, take it on a few shakeout trips, get it ready to go, and live in it for about a year. If we're still gung-ho about the RV life after that time, we'll upgrade to a nicer, roomier unit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-89191397611314402002016-01-21T13:15:00.001-08:002016-01-21T13:27:02.121-08:00Why I'm leaving my tenure-track positionA few weeks ago I emailed my dean, and then my colleagues, to let them know that I will resign from my tenure-track assistant professorship at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year. <br />
<br />
The decision was nothing short of excruciating. I spent weeks, if not months, staring up at the ceiling in the middle of the night wondering whether something was wrong with me. First of all, I questioned whether I had the right to give up a position that so many others want and never get despite being more than qualified for the position. Second, how could I give up the health benefits? For the first time since becoming an adult, I could go to the doctor or dentist without worrying that I'd be leaving with a drained bank account. And third... I'd worked <em>so hard for this very job</em>. Was I now willing to give it up after all that effort, all those sacrifices?<br />
<br />
As Kerry Ann Roquemore has stated,<strong><em> "We feel so grateful and thankful we got from one stage to the next stage that we don’t ever pause to ask ourselves do I actually want to be here? Again, it is a competitive market, such a competitive space that we don’t even feel we can have the luxury to ask if [we] want to do this."</em></strong><br />
<br />
The hemming, hawing, worrying, and hand-wringing went on for so long that my husband finally told me to just make a decision - he didn't care what it was as long as we could just make a real plan.<br />
<br />
And so I did. I called it. I sent my letter of resignation. I started telling colleagues.<br />
<br />
In the last five years, multiple writers have described their reasons for leaving the ivory tower. Those reasons - all legit, in my opinion - include the following:<br />
<strong></strong><br />
1)<strong> </strong><a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Location-Location-Location/134264/"><strong>Location</strong></a>. Tenure track job opportunities are few and far between, and those that do exist are often located in tiny towns in the middle of nowhere. The position I'm vacating is the perfect example. I'd never heard of the college or the town before I happened to see the job ad in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The town is located within 60-90 minutes of three major cities, but trust me, there is almost <em>nothing</em> within that radius. I had visions of exploring the region with my family every weekend, but then the realities of teaching prep hit. By Friday night I don't want to get into the car and drive. I just want to sit on my couch, watch Netflix, and drink a glass of wine.<br />
<br />
2) <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/9/8/9261531/professor-quitting-job"><strong>Student engagement, or lack thereof:</strong></a> If I want to be diplomatic, I'll say something along the lines of, "Every student is different. We need to meet individual student needs. We're here to serve our students and provide them the best education possible. We need to teach to the students who are here." If I'm not being diplomatic I might instead say, "It is 10 AM and I need a drink because why is it that you are covertly checking Facebook in class after I've spent three hours preparing the activities for today? Who don't you do your assignments? Why don't you put as much effort into your learning as you do into your sorority/fraternity obligations? Also, <em>who</em> is paying thousands of dollars a year for you to come here and miss class? DO YOU THINK THIS IS AN EXTENDED SUMMER CAMP?!?"<br />
<br />
And then I might throw my lawn chair and scream "GET OFF MY LAWN" for good measure.<br />
<br />
Do I realize that I am turning into an old grump? Yes. I do. Do I realize that I also have many, many students who work hard and think critically? Yes. Absolutely. I also realize I don't totally understand the student perspective. But I think there's something to many teachers' observations that a rather high percentage of students entering college are unprepared, uninterested, and unmotivated. At the same time, professors (especially on the tenure track) are expected to "cater to the customer" and meet every individual's needs even if said individual is only here to appease their parents. <br />
<br />
And woe to any TT professor who gets sub-par student evaluations. At my small school, evaluations are everything. Honestly, if students learn but do not like you, you're screwed. And they know it.<br />
<br />
3) <strong><a href="http://techintranslation.com/guest-post-death-of-a-soul-on-campus/">A negative campus atmosphere</a></strong>: I've been lucky. Although my college does seem to have some factions, and although institutional financial stress my first year on the job threatened to tear apart faculty camaraderie at the seams, I have to say that the atmosphere at my school is pretty positive. I love my fellow faculty members. I love seeing the creative, smart ideas they have. I love the autonomy, and I generally feel respected. <a href="http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/on-quitting/">That's not always the case.</a> <br />
<br />
4) <strong><a href="http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/on-quitting/">High teaching loads and near-impossible grant expectations</a></strong>: Again, I've been fortunate in these respects. My college is a small liberal arts college; the expectation when you're hired is that you will mostly be teaching. You're welcome to conduct research. You're welcome to seek outside funding. But as long as you're engaging in some way with your scholarly community, nobody's going to knock you down a peg for not roping in a $1 million NSF grant.<br />
<br />
5) <strong>They just want to check out other, non-academic options</strong>: <a href="http://thehairpin.com/2014/03/talking-to-anne-helen-petersen-about-why-shes-leaving-academia-for-buzzfeed/">Anne Helen Petersen</a> and <a href="http://matt-welsh.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-im-leaving-harvard.html">Matt Welsh</a> both left academia to pursue other endeavors - in writing and software engineering, respectively. I can see why. If you can do what you love while earning a higher salary, and you don't have to deal with the quick-as-molasses academic publishing system, a non-academic job is understandably tempting.<br />
<br />
6) <strong><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/04/there_are_no_academic_jobs_and_getting_a_ph_d_will_make_you_into_a_horrible.html">The lack of jobs and the treatment of adjuncts</a></strong>: Of all the issues in academia, this one sickens me the most. Academics spend years in grad school - <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2014/03/graduate_school_debt_is_it_a_crisis.html">often racking up major-league debt</a> - only to discover that landing the plum job they've always wanted (the elusive tenure track position) is basically as likely as riding a magical unicorn or capturing a video of Bigfoot. And so they take on visiting assistant professorships, post-docs, or adjunct positions. Many academics hit the job market year after year and yet end up with no prospects. It's not because they're not good enough. It's because the jobs are just too scarce to accommodate the number of Ph.D.s trying to find a spot in the ivory tower.<br />
<br />
And I won't even get into the crap that adjuncts deal with at their institutions: poor wages, lack of mentorship, little respect.<br />
<br />
A little bit of all of these reasons contribute to my decision to leave, but in the end I realized that my reason for going doesn't fit into any of those categories. My main reason for leaving is this:<br />
<br />
<strong>I started to feel trapped. And I don't do well with feeling trapped.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
One day I was giving a lecture - I should add that it was going well; my students were energetic that day and we were having a thoughtful discussion - when all of a sudden I looked out at them and thought, "In a year, I will be doing exactly this. And the year after that, I will be doing exactly this. This is it. This is my life for the next 30 years." <br />
<br />
I then proceeded to have a panic attack and ended class ten minutes early. <br />
<br />
The panic attack underlined months of unease and anxiety wherein I'd been questioning the job but couldn't figure out why I was questioning it. Suddenly the reason was clear.<br />
<br />
Why I thought I was ready to "settle down," I have no idea. We haven't lived anywhere for more than six years since getting married. I get bored easily; I like to see new places and do new things. And although I have often wondered if perhaps this means I have some sort of problem, maybe the truth is that I just like adventure. Maybe I'm at my best when I am not rooted to one spot.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I do feel somewhat guilty for not being more self-aware when I was considering this position. Shouldn't I have been able to figure out that it wasn't the best choice? If I'd just thought through it more, would I have decided differently?<br />
<br />
I don't think so. This was the job I'd wanted and prepared for. In graduate school, I'd taught and earned teaching awards. I had every reason to believe that a liberal arts teaching position was the ideal choice. And here at my current institution, I seem to be doing a pretty good job: my first year review was laudatory, and overall my students seem happy with my teaching style. So it's not that I can't do the job. I can, and I can do it well.<br />
<br />
But until you're actually in the position, you don't really know what it's going to be like or how you're going to feel about it. You don't know if the ivory tower is going to start feeling like a very pretty prison. Sometimes you just have to try. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't, and you have to give yourself kudos for making the attempt and learning something about yourself. <br />
<br />
<strong>As we tell our students (and I always mean it sincerely when I say it to them), being wrong does not mean you're a failure. Being wrong means you're learning and growing, and it means you're one step closer to the truth.</strong><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-8505957026134924612016-01-20T11:30:00.000-08:002016-01-20T11:30:14.862-08:00Two more credit cards bite the dust<strong>This morning, we paid off two more of our credit cards.</strong> Gone. Done. Good riddance. May we never see that debt ever again.<br />
<br />
By cashing in our retirement funds and paying off much of the cc debt, we're going to save <strong>more than $1000 a month in expenses</strong>. That's exciting. That's a relief. <br />
<br />
Do I feel concerned about our diminished retirement fund? A little, but I also feel like the economic situation has changed so much in the past ten years that putting one's money into the stock market is a real gamble anyway. I know many would disagree with our approach. This is simply what we need to do to live a better life now, and since nobody's guaranteed the future... I'd rather bet on the present.<br />
<br />
<strong>We still have a ways to go.</strong> While I was in graduate school, I was paid a (rather small) salary for teaching and research assistantships. I was also lucky enough to receive health benefits. However, my alma mater does not allow grad students to work a second job (a rule that I think is irresponsible), so I couldn't bring in extra income. My husband, meanwhile, was busy working from home AND being the stay-at-home parent. We ended up putting a lot of expenses - including clothing, travel fares, furniture, etc. - on our credit cards, and the balances ballooned quickly. Even with what we've paid off, we still have about $7K to pay off.<br />
<br />
And then there are the school loans, but that's another story. One debt at a time.<br />
<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-18124923662587888392016-01-18T16:50:00.003-08:002016-01-18T16:53:24.085-08:00Planning, questioning, taking a leapIt's the middle of January, and we're saving and planning. Here's the current rundown of what we've nailed down (in short, not much), what we're still trying to decide, and what our hopes are:<br />
<br />
<b>*We'd like to purchase a used RV by the end of the summer and head south for the winter.</b> Ideally we'll find an RV that is clean and comfortable, one that has separate bunk space for an independent boy who probably won't want to be around his parents all the time. I don't need or want an RV that is brand new; they depreciate in value too quickly and we don't have the money for that anyway.<br />
<br />
Plus, these months of living in our tiny, old, clean, basic rental has shown me that I feel more relaxed when my surroundings have a little wear to them.<br />
<br />
<b>*We're going to homeschool our son. </b>I need to look into homeschooling more - and some of the specifics will depend on the state in which we establish residency - but I'm confident we can make it work. He loves to read, loves to explore, and loves to have adventures. Road learning will be good for him.<br />
<br />
<b>*We're looking for freelancing work.</b> My husband contracts with a publishing company, and I recently snagged an editing gig. Plus, I have a Beachbody business that is starting to gain some traction. Online teaching is also an option, though right now those jobs seem a bit hard to come by. We're also discussing the possibility of seasonal work; for instance, I think I'd love to work as a park guide in a national park during the summer months.<br />
<br />
That's one thing that may be difficult to acclimate to: living without a fixed salary. But I'd rather freelance than be stuck in one spot.<br />
<br />
<b>*We need to embrace minimalism and sell our stuff! </b>Our house is rather diminutive and by many standards we don't own all that much, but the thought of moving into an even smaller space makes us realize that we need to offload a whole bunch of home goods: our couch and armchair, a couple of beds, a kitchen table, a water cooler, a desk, a television stand... Ideally we'll be able to sell some of it and make a little extra cash.<br />
<br />
<b>*I need to start cleaning out my office. </b>Ugh.<br />
<br />
<b>*We're in the process of paying off several credit cards and other debts. </b>More about this in the future, but in order to pay them off, we cashed out a few retirement accounts (and took the tax hit). We need to reduce our monthly expenses as much as possible before we hit the road. Lack of credit card debt will make a huge difference both financially and emotionally.<br />
<br />
That said, we're not going to be debt free. We'll have a car loan and our (somewhat crushing) school loans. I suppose most financial advisors would recommend that we pay those off before making our move, but... no. We'll keep paying our monthly bills on time, and eventually they'll be gone, but in the meanwhile I'm not going to let these stupid student loans get in the way of living.<br />
<br />
<b>*We've canceled cable as well as several monthly services and subscriptions. </b>That's another ~$100 a month that we've freed up.<br />
<br />
<b>*We need to figure out what to do about our phones. </b>My husband and I both have smartphones that we use all the time, but they're expensive. We've toyed with the idea of getting cheap flip phones, but I'm not sure either of us is willing to actually make that change. It really depends on our freelancing jobs: for gigs requiring quick turnaround, I think having at least one smartphone is worth it.<br />
<br />
<b>*Luckily, we currently rent our house and can move out with one month's notice. </b>After the stress of selling our home in Nashville, the ability to pick up and leave so quickly and easily feels like a real luxury.<br />
<br />
I'm sure I'm forgetting a million little things and of course all of these plans are evolving, but I needed to take a few minutes to move these random thoughts from my brain to paper.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-68589339093083694812016-01-16T19:19:00.000-08:002016-01-16T19:19:56.866-08:00Aaaaaaaand we're back!<b>...5.5 years later!</b><br />
<br />
Five years ago I chronicled our journey to pay down debt and live our dreams - and at that time, the dream was to purchase a boat and sail.<br />
<br />
<b>So what happened?</b><br />
<br />
We did not purchase a boat and sail. <i>Se la vie. </i>Instead:<br />
<br />
*I went back to grad school and obtained a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline. I had a blast. Conferences, fieldwork in the western U.S. and Brazil, lab work, collaborating with advisors and fellow students... even writing the dissertation. I do not regret the decision in any way. Well, okay, I do regret that we re-acquired some of the credit card debt we'd previously paid off, but I still wouldn't go back and erase that experience.<br />
<br />
*My husband continued to work online, but shifted from teaching to science publishing. It's a contract job so it isn't guaranteed, but it's a good gig as long as he has a contract.<br />
<br />
*We sold our house in Nashville. We waited long enough that we sold it for almost exactly the same price at which we purchased it.<br />
<br />
*I somehow landed a tenure-track teaching job at a small college in the rural Midwest. We moved there and crammed ourselves into a tiny house on a dead-end road where my son bikes whenever he wants and I don't worry about him getting hit by a car. I'm currently in my second year of working here. I love low-key, frugal living in a small space. As for work...<br />
<br />
*Last week, I quit said job. Why? Because I discovered I do not enjoy rural living... I do not enjoy the politics of academia... and I just can't see myself staying here, in this place and in this job, for my entire career. More to come about the interesting world of academia and the "I just can't quit you!" nature of walking away from it.<br />
<br />
<b>And now?</b><br />
<br />
Now... We're kind of but not really back to where we were six years ago:<br />
<br />
*We're still seeking financial freedom. We're still in debt. BUT...<br />
<br />
*We cashed out some of our 401Ks and paid off most of our credit card debt. I know not everyone will agree with this strategy, but for us, the debt took an emotional toll and we needed to be unburdened of it.<br />
<br />
*We still have school loans we're paying off. Damn school loans. If there's one regret I carry, it's the decision to take on school loans when we didn't actually need to.<br />
<br />
<b>*We're still looking for freedom... But this time, the plan is to purchase an RV and live as freelancing nomads starting this summer. </b>We're saving up for a used fifth-wheel trailer. The plan is to homeschool our son, move every few months, work remotely, and spend more time with family.<br />
<br />
Do I think this is a decision Suzie Ormon would agree with? Haaaaaaaa. No. Many people wouldn't agree with it. But you know what? Life is short. I want to spend my time having adventures with my family, not sitting at a desk. I want to see the country, meet new people, have memorable experiences, and give my son an education beyond the classroom.<br />
<br />
So that's the focus of our new blog: Preparing for, and embarking on, this new and exciting journey.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>LFF2http://www.blogger.com/profile/12065558207942216668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-11085880762428075432010-02-09T15:00:00.000-08:002010-02-09T15:32:25.176-08:00A foodie has hijacked this personal finance blog<div>Nothing major to report, at least not financially speaking. <b>For us, February is a month of working, budgeting, planning, and finding ways to snag a little treat every now and then! </b>I have some big news to share, news that affects our finances, but I need to wait a few more weeks before I spill the beans.</div><div><br /></div><div>No, I'm not pregnant!<br /><div><br /></div><div>I'm still trying to figure out how to get good food for less money. Last week, we spent ~$125 on groceries; this week we tried shopping at Trader Joe's instead of Whole Foods and spent roughly the same (although I think we ended up with more food, since TJs sells pre-packaged fruits and veggies - so instead of getting to select how much produce you want, you end up with a pack of two peppers, or a pack of three bok choy, or a pack of three zucchini, and so on and so forth). TJs seems to offer fewer gluten free/soy free/corn free options than WF, but it <i>does</i> sell a good selection of organic ingredients. The meat and cheese prices were definitely lower at TJs than at WF.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't think I should stress out <i>too</i> much about the total, though, especially because we've been really good about cooking at home and not going out to eat. We used to go out several times a week, and now it's more like two or three times a month at most. So that's money saved. </div><div><br /></div><div>Trent and I have planned a date for Valentine's Day. We haven't decided on a specific place yet, mainly because it's tough to find an affordable restaurant that's transparent about its ingredients. We might go to the sushi place down the street or perhaps try Bonefish Grill, which apparently has a gluten free menu.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Trent took me to a local sweet shop to pick out some Valentine's Day goodies, and here is what I ended up with:</div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6hChvrjaX6mxp4aVploQHLwiyCkclbUFSTOW1h5NBtuRQtDlAqtVkFJwq_A2VNwXe35e9evukoQMd82P1Yg-SLp4IhHLwOVAEnkZiZop0G0MZhlLZ2raWkMsYMSrTZ8PT5R07U08qY0C/s1600-h/IMG_0768.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6hChvrjaX6mxp4aVploQHLwiyCkclbUFSTOW1h5NBtuRQtDlAqtVkFJwq_A2VNwXe35e9evukoQMd82P1Yg-SLp4IhHLwOVAEnkZiZop0G0MZhlLZ2raWkMsYMSrTZ8PT5R07U08qY0C/s320/IMG_0768.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436386030813395890" /></a><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaMQwiwCnjVSxluWdgBB3CdFOZr8ObZbzPPnh4u4CspH5H0mByCVw5dM68mfeo6D5hvs4UIdmsOO2tQOLiEVg9g8Qxiw_ZdlVbJu67aMMTJhPTuP5nL_X8CeDm2TITmaZWOXoWUJdRAfS/s1600-h/IMG_0769.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaMQwiwCnjVSxluWdgBB3CdFOZr8ObZbzPPnh4u4CspH5H0mByCVw5dM68mfeo6D5hvs4UIdmsOO2tQOLiEVg9g8Qxiw_ZdlVbJu67aMMTJhPTuP5nL_X8CeDm2TITmaZWOXoWUJdRAfS/s320/IMG_0769.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436385864622178210" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><div><div>(I had way more lollipops than this, but a certain young individual thought it was appropriate to "borrow" them. That's right - I'm in a lollipop tug-of-war with a preschooler.)</div><div><br /></div><div>The lollipops are made by <a href="http://www.yummyearth.com/">Yummy Earth</a>, which specializes in organic, all-natural, gluten-free and corn-free sweets. These lollipops are the best I've ever tasted.</div><div><br /></div><div>And since we're on the subject of food, what the heck - here's tonight's dinner: <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/simple-hearty-white-chili/">white bean chicken chili a la The Pioneer Woman</a>:</div><div><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFkG0c5YcQaZyaqqZGNi9uAasyDmmed5qFUG4wpw47ryl1cln47WSZsP42_NiTTdLrBnbJbhcEs1ohkTKg2XA8M9W8mxJmIsn5Re_7KvbXO1v0W-KY4gDed4Tt15RoZQjhk9pIbS-zOcv/s1600-h/IMG_0767.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFkG0c5YcQaZyaqqZGNi9uAasyDmmed5qFUG4wpw47ryl1cln47WSZsP42_NiTTdLrBnbJbhcEs1ohkTKg2XA8M9W8mxJmIsn5Re_7KvbXO1v0W-KY4gDed4Tt15RoZQjhk9pIbS-zOcv/s320/IMG_0767.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436384516480190402" /></a>What I love about this chili is that it's spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. It's just enough to clear the sinuses!</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking for Freedom isn't meant to be a food blog, but it's starting to reflect the fact that our frugal(ish) living means we spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen. :-) My life right now is all about working, playing, cooking, and looking forward to some exciting future opportunities.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-46512012629575603112010-02-04T10:52:00.000-08:002010-02-04T12:28:25.733-08:00Don't forget to floss!A few days ago, Trent came down with a toothache. At first it was a mere twinge. "I'll wait," he thought, "and maybe it will go away." He popped a few Tylenol and kept it to himself. But the pain worsened, and when I noticed him wincing, he finally had to admit what was going on.<div><br /></div><div>The dentist took an x-ray and announced that he would need a root canal plus a cap on one of his back teeth. <b>Total estimated cost: $1800. </b>"But I could buy a brand-new Apple laptop with that kind of money," Trent told her. "Isn't there another option?" </div><div><br /></div><div>The other option was to simply pull the tooth, keep the wound clean, and live on liquids for two days while his gums heal up. <b>Total cost: $108. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>You can guess which option he chose. We don't even <i>have</i> $1800 in our emergency fund right now. Currently, he's downing nutrient shakes and water and dousing his mouth with saltwater at regular intervals.</div><div><br /></div><div>I gripe whenever I have to pay $150 for a visit to the doctor, but in truth, the dentist is always more expensive. Always. They're forever finding another problem, another issue: a cavity, worn-down enamel, a chip, a little bleeding along the gumline. <b>Every problem seems to warrant immediate attention, and every procedure comes complete with paralyzing sticker shock. </b>Who can afford it? Whose emergency account can keep up with it? I don't understand why it has to cost so much when it's clear that the majority of the population can't afford such expensive treatments.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's most frustrating is that we're pretty careful about our teeth. I brush twice daily, floss twice daily (yes, using the proper method), and rinse twice daily with enamel-restoring mouthwash. I don't drink soda or eat much candy. And yet the dental drama never ends!</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-72424554987286847332010-02-01T16:22:00.001-08:002010-02-01T19:27:07.678-08:00In a battle between my hair and dinner...<div><div>...dinner wins.<div><br /></div><div>I've just realized that my scheduled appointment for partial highlights and a trim is not in the budget and will need to be canceled. I'm sure my stylist would try to persuade me otherwise, but that's the way it is. (If you don't have highlights, don't get them... The constant upkeep is a pain in the neck and a blow to the wallet.) We're tightening our belts and putting aside the debit card.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The thing is, I'd rather spend my money on good food. </b>This week's food budget was $125; at the register, we came in at $123.15 - still quite steep, but at least we stuck to the plan and to our list. We got excellent deals on apples, bananas, and most of the veggies. The price of the broccoli and the organic, free-range chicken seemed a bit steep. We'll see if we can lower our total during next Sunday's grocery run. My goal right now is to make it through the week without going to the store again.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tonight, I'm making dinner: baked rosemary chicken with potatoes, celery, and carrots, plus cornbread for the boys.</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/gf-cornbread-mix.html">The cornbread is from a Bob's Red Mill mix</a>. Just add butter or oil and eggs or flaxseed (I like the nuttiness of the flaxseed) to the mix and bake it for about half an hour. Here's what's left a day later when you share your home with an adult male and a bread-loving preschooler:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDrrht7MtM42394CEKFyxQA_etJgT-hbfYT12SPJfl1Kv2kfWnJY_16ZoZHAk0sm9BQtp_v4oQV_z_KXDcI9-_OppafMYzWg6HqFZ85eSR1ha0LItnYjEwMigqNYCtwDUBbhRsstBy7mG/s1600-h/IMG_0760.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDrrht7MtM42394CEKFyxQA_etJgT-hbfYT12SPJfl1Kv2kfWnJY_16ZoZHAk0sm9BQtp_v4oQV_z_KXDcI9-_OppafMYzWg6HqFZ85eSR1ha0LItnYjEwMigqNYCtwDUBbhRsstBy7mG/s320/IMG_0760.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433436838797338546" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><div>The potatoes are steaming up. I leave them in the pan on low heat for about 45 minutes until they're soft, then crank up the heat so they get crispy on the outside:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSdpXqqs05zA8GUv5QbAv2uU3M0r32uuXgcYXsVizDeArJBBexFGuqTzH3ooyqAgKo2DcXc-_8kD06rCBm-6HzejPH76p6W7yq0y5Ie8oxsRZYHQjUpzK3FMgtrNsObXq8u5PVfCRrOpM/s1600-h/IMG_0759.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSdpXqqs05zA8GUv5QbAv2uU3M0r32uuXgcYXsVizDeArJBBexFGuqTzH3ooyqAgKo2DcXc-_8kD06rCBm-6HzejPH76p6W7yq0y5Ie8oxsRZYHQjUpzK3FMgtrNsObXq8u5PVfCRrOpM/s320/IMG_0759.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433436756505935506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>And then here are the carrots and broccoli, for extra flavor, texture, fiber, and nutrition:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGQwX5SBEhXaTSn4fH3CuMrCM73_G0QBEpusrk9l8fU1AwKCucm89pzD0DCOqMpCzanHPGzFttbiW6Olnngc8FcRoWrRW48Jweh1hpXM6KDFNXgaCb87Os-1_Ec9spgP30WFREU6Mmnya/s1600-h/IMG_0758.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGQwX5SBEhXaTSn4fH3CuMrCM73_G0QBEpusrk9l8fU1AwKCucm89pzD0DCOqMpCzanHPGzFttbiW6Olnngc8FcRoWrRW48Jweh1hpXM6KDFNXgaCb87Os-1_Ec9spgP30WFREU6Mmnya/s320/IMG_0758.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433436676989583666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a>I add them to the potatoes right at the very end. I like my veggies crunchy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last but not least, here's the chicken, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and rosemary. I made enough so that we can eat another helping for tomorrow's lunch:</div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGK9w5gmrzLpAdiEozz9_Kk8o3sqCJypIc5fHmt8E0lGD7hdrxWJnY4GlW4EqTHqIyzo1XzWlgfu68daBljlfgjFoaYrFw6rzfJXjKm96h7yFPBdYXgDN9kreZs-4EhpiOVMOeKIr5eS8/s1600-h/IMG_0764.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGK9w5gmrzLpAdiEozz9_Kk8o3sqCJypIc5fHmt8E0lGD7hdrxWJnY4GlW4EqTHqIyzo1XzWlgfu68daBljlfgjFoaYrFw6rzfJXjKm96h7yFPBdYXgDN9kreZs-4EhpiOVMOeKIr5eS8/s320/IMG_0764.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433480351236376226" /></a><div><div>Mmmm. (It was really good!)</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-81977747785343674522010-01-29T12:43:00.000-08:002010-01-29T13:03:40.864-08:00A letter to my sonMy dear, darling, Pampers-bottomed son,<div><br /></div><div>I am writing to inform you that whenever you are ready to use the potty, I am ready to help you learn. You are nearly three years old. I can see how much you love and value your independence as you choose your own snacks, select the toys you want to play with, "rearrange" your bedroom, and remove your clothes at will. So imagine how independent and dignified you will feel when you're completely free of those pesky old diapers! No more dampness, no more puffiness, no more stinking up the entire cabin of a 757 passenger jet. </div><div><br /></div><div>And even though I know you don't care - I'll just mention it in case you have any sympathy for us - I want to point out that a 100-count pack of diapers costs approximately $30. Insane, right? Thirty bucks could buy a whole bucketful of Hot Wheels. Or a big bin of dinosaurs. It would even cover the expense of two <i>Dora the Explorer</i> videos. (Ha - THAT got your attention, didn't it!) Better yet, we could just funnel that money into your college fund. </div><div><br /></div><div>I won't push you into potty training. I'll wait for you to take the lead. But give it some thought and get back to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Note that I am not above offering bribes for your cooperation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Much love,</div><div>Mom</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-10227188830715467992010-01-25T20:24:00.001-08:002010-01-25T21:00:23.346-08:00Dumb Financial Choices Part 1: Teeny Tiny Down Payment<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Don't let the fact that this is a personal finance blog fool you. Unlike many of the other personal finance bloggers I follow, I still make plenty of monetary mistakes. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Plenty.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> At any given time, Suze Orman or Dave Ramsey could sift through our finances and have a field day. They could invite us onto their shows and yell at us. Then we could parlay the trauma into a book entitled </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How to Make Dumb Financial Choices (Based on a True Story). </span></i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dumb Financial Choice #1: Purchasing a house without a 20 percent down payment</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Or even a 10 percent down payment.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Or... um... even a five percent down payment.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Actually, it was way less than even five percent. But the bank didn't seem to care, so we figured it was okay.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We purchased our home in April of 2008. Had we waited a few months - until the global financial crisis was hogging the headlines - we probably wouldn't have gotten away with this particular loan. But we managed to make it under the wire. Yay.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Unfortunately, we've come to realize that we don't actually </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">like </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">owning a home (I know, I know... That's so very un-American of us). For our entire married lives (10 years), we've been vagabonds, changing location every one or two or three years. Whereas other people might find such upheaval disconcerting, we enjoy it. New places, new faces, new experiences, new atmospheres, new challenges... We thrive on change. It makes our toes tingle. We've been aware of that fact for a long time. Looking back, I'm not sure why we decided to make such a permanent choice. We'd have been better off buying an RV.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The bottom line is that right now, we are stuck. </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Stuck with our 6.875% interest rate. Stuck with $150 in PMI every month. We can't sell this place. Housing prices in our area are in decent shape, but at this point, even if we received our theoretical asking price, we couldn't make enough of a profit to cover the Realtor commission, let alone the remaining balance on our home loan. Plus, any savvy buyer would demand less than the advertised price. Any savvy buyer would probably also demand that we cover closing costs and foot the bill for replacing the scruffy carpet and the on-the-fritz refrigerator. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> had we put 20 percent down, we would have been able to afford listing our home if we wanted to. Sure, maybe we would have taken a hit, but that would have been our choice to make. At the very least, we could have refinanced and obtained a lower monthly mortgage payment.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now we're at the mercy of the housing market. </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Hopefully, if we wait five years, the market will bounce back. Maybe we'll even make a small profit. It just seems like a long time to wait, especially when I'm stricken with such a chronic case of Wanderlust.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-53880486564270178812010-01-22T11:16:00.000-08:002010-01-22T11:39:41.096-08:00Five frugal and environmentally-friendly product swaps<div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>When I was a little girl visiting my grandmother in Germany, I noticed that Oma, like many of her friends, always took her own well-worn cloth bags with her to the grocery store, drugstore, bakery, and meat market.</b> She never set off to make a purchase without them, and she never bought more than what she could fit into those bags. Thus, she never had to bother with paper or plastic.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Then we’d go back home to America and shop - cloth bag-less - at our own grocery store, where the ratio of plastic to product was approximately 1:1: a plastic bag for the jar of pickles. A plastic bag for the carton of milk. Two plastic bags, doubled up, for a couple liters of soda. We never knew quite what to do with all of those bags after unloading the groceries (this was before most big towns had recycling centers). Throwing them away seemed wasteful, but keeping them was inconvenient. You’d open the pantry door and a tsumani of plastic would tumble onto your head.</p><p class="MsoNormal">For the last year or so, Trent and I have followed Oma’s suit. When we shop, we bring our own cloth bags with us. (Sometimes we even get praised for it. “Thanks for making an effort to be kind to the environment,” said the Whole Foods bagger the other day, and smiled as if we’d saved half the planet from certain destruction.)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Hopefully, cloth bags are just the start of it for us. Over the past year or so, we’ve been re-examining our choices in an effort to save money and live in a more environmentally friendly manner. </b>We started cooking most of our meals from scratch, meaning we eat fewer processed foods and takeout and therefore generate less plastic and cardboard waste. We traded in regular light bulbs for compact fluorescents. And we’ve made a number of other easy product swaps that have eased our spending and lightened the load on the environment, however incrementally:</p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlNhiHdyMRODkz8WdonF9LiCyh0FwYf7BzBXpTHmD55zGV8503i9l0ZZaZTeuyCP9clG0TIYsaPzH0xqZi6te_FG9fXO6xHmeKIjEW1-lkOcDdfplECnx38II2d3zZnTVxxV6gIDyVEV-/s1600-h/IMG_0751.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlNhiHdyMRODkz8WdonF9LiCyh0FwYf7BzBXpTHmD55zGV8503i9l0ZZaZTeuyCP9clG0TIYsaPzH0xqZi6te_FG9fXO6xHmeKIjEW1-lkOcDdfplECnx38II2d3zZnTVxxV6gIDyVEV-/s320/IMG_0751.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429647119694823634" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">(Excuse the cell phone-quality picture. A new camera isn't in the budget quite yet.)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>1. </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">We ditched the plastic and bought a water filter.</b> I hate to say it, but the tap water in our town tastes like it’s been stewing in a big vat of chlorine. I refuse to drink it straight up, regardless of how safe it’s supposed to be. In the past, I’d buy at least one gallon of water in a plastic container every week. It wasn’t that expensive – about a dollar a gallon at Target – but it generated a lot of waste. A few months ago, we wised up and purchased a <a href="http://www.target.com/Pur-PUR-Pitcher-CR6000/dp/B000QRDMY8">pitcher with accompanying water filter</a> for about $22, including the filter. Now I have clean, tasty water on hand all the time, and our recycling bin isn’t cluttered with giant containers.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>2. </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Goodbye, paper towels. Hello…diapers?</b> Last year, I wrote about how we decided to <a href="http://freetopick.blogspot.com/2009/05/replacing-paper-towels-with-diapers.html">substitute pre-fold diapers for paper towels</a>. Given that we have a three year old, and given that we do cook nearly every night, we deal with grime and goop and spills on a near-constant basis. We were easily going through an entire roll of paper towels every week. So we spent about $20 on a couple packs of <a href="http://www.target.com/Gerber-Diaper-Service-Cloth-Diapers/dp/B000056HMD">basic cloth diapers</a>. They’re much more absorbent than paper towels or regular kitchen rags, and we wash them with whatever else happens to be in the hamper. We use them to mop up the counter, wipe off sticky mac n’ cheese-covered fingers, clean the windows, etc.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>3. </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Take a load off, oven. The toaster’s filling in tonight.</b> We’re a small family and our meals aren’t that large. Sometimes it seems silly to rev up the big oven just to bake a plate of fries or roast some veggies. It's a waste of energy. So when we can, we use our little <a href="http://www.cuisinart.com/products/toaster_ovens/tob-155.html">toaster oven</a> instead. Because it’s small, it heats up quickly and slices a few minutes off of most baking times. We’ve used our toaster oven to cook a variety of foods: chicken, potatoes, pizza, and fish, to name a few.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>4.</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">It doesn’t smell as good as other cleaning products, but it works just as well.</b> We’ve replaced most of our household cleaners with two cheap and basic substitutes: vinegar and baking soda. They’re effective, and I don’t worry about using them around my son. These products sell for about a dollar each at the grocery store, and a little of either goes a long way. I cleaned the entire bathroom with them the other day, and although it didn’t exactly smell pretty afterwards, the porcelain and chrome were definitely gleaming.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>5.</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">We started purchasing biodegradable laundry powder.</b> The $12 4-pound bags we purchase from a <a href="http://www.alchemyofsol.com/WashingPowder.htm">local soap company</a> last about three months. You need only about a quarter of a cup of powder per load of laundry. The powder doesn’t suds up the way many other detergents do, but we’ve used it for more than half a year, and I can say that our clothes always look clean and smell fresh (...at least, no-one's told us otherwise...).</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto"><o:p>I'm not sure why we didn't make some of these changes sooner, especially when Oma - one of my lifelong role models - served as such a commendable example of a conscientious consumer. Better late than never, I guess. We’ve started to realize that frugality and green living can mesh very well with one another: a wallet-conscious choice is often an Earth-conscious choice, too. </o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-26533343394180460202010-01-19T15:41:00.000-08:002010-01-19T16:23:08.524-08:00Trying to budget at Whole Foods<b>Sunday marked the beginning of our second week of <a href="http://freetopick.blogspot.com/2010/01/dilemma-go-organic-or-save-money.html">selecting groceries according to our new eating guidelines</a>, and our second week of shopping exclusively at Whole Foods. </b>There's no getting around the fact that WF is more expensive than our usual Kroger market and that fewer items are on sale. However, the food is also healthier on the whole. WF carries a plethora of natural, organic, and locally-grown products. That's not to say that it's the picture of healthful perfection: you can find plenty of tempting snacks, sweets, and processed junk at WF, just as you would at most other grocery stores. It's just that WF's junk food is free of artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners, and partially hydrogenated fat. (Related side note: <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/01/04/100104fa_fact_paumgarten">the New Yorker recently published an article about contradictions associated with Whole Foods' history and management</a>. It's an interesting read, especially if you're really into natural foods or skeptical about this company's ability to make a profit while maintaining its integrity. But I digress.)<div><br /></div><div>We planned carefully for our shopping excursion. <b>First, we constructed a menu for the week:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Breakfast: </b>Rice cereal and fruit for Susanne; cereal for Trent; waffles and fruit (or whatever else we can get him to eat) for the kiddo</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lunch: </b>Dinner leftovers for Susanne and Trent; mac and cheese, cheesy toast, or pasta plus fruit for our son</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dinner:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>~<a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/baked-sweet-potato-falafel-recipe.html">Sweet potato falafel </a>(we had this on Sunday - it's delicious!)</div><div>~<a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/double-broccoli-quinoa-recipe.html">Broccoli and quinoa</a> (that was last night's dinner, and it was exceptionally tasty, too)</div><div>~Chicken, potatoes, and veggies (Trent's making it right now!)</div><div>~Gluten free pizza</div><div>~Rice pasta with sauce and veggies</div><div>~Soup and salad</div><div>~Make-your-own-dinner night (basically, we just eat whatever we can scrounge up from the refrigerator and pantry)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The total bill rang in at $108.</b> That's less than last week (because we didn't purchase as much meat this time), but still more than we would ever spend at Kroger. The organic, free-range chicken cost nearly $8 on its own. I selected a bunch of <a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/">Bob's Red Mill</a> products (like gluten-free chickpea flour and ground flaxseed) that were each about $5 (but they'll last for at least a couple of months). We also purchased a variety of organic fruits and veggies: apples, bananas, spinach, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery. We threw in some cheese, butter, and milk that we can use in this week's and following weeks' recipes. Treats included a pack of gluten-free cookies for me and my son and some beer for my husband.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was an expensive trip, but the bill might be lower next week simply because we're now armed with more basic ingredients. Plus, I don't anticipate that we'll be going out to eat anytime soon. We're finding that it's cheaper, easier, and more satisfying to just cook at home.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-77709195167023335292010-01-16T20:17:00.000-08:002010-01-16T20:51:27.037-08:00Bookstore field trip<div><div><a href="http://freetopick.blogspot.com/2009/01/pros-cons-of-being-sick-for-three-weeks.html">Just like last January</a>, my son and I have spent most of the new year so far fighting off illness. Our doctor diagnosed both of us with sinus infections. Phlegm (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ewwww</span>), fevers, and unusually cold weather have kept us inside in recent weeks. And if there's something I can't stand - something I absolutely detest - it's being housebound, relegated to watching Oprah and watching the world go by from the front window while I tunnel through boxes of Kleenex. I suspect my offspring feels the same way.<div><br /></div><div>Yesterday, both of us were finally back in business. We decided to go on a field trip to the bookstore. We have a well-honed Borders routine, one that's fun but free. The steps are as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Hit up the magazine area and make one or two selections. I usually go for Outside, Money, a sailing magazine, or U.S. News. My son likes the railroad magazines:</div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbC1kYTRMla5R8k3Ivon0qnBaB-9SFhIi0otqYVy_F6diX5lJlffOFiOLSx-anrQFFQpio2ObLsstN_C0PKl2zUeV8KE-XQTB191HtK1sVVvDEeZcC0KAT5a87kWQHB5KUx5_AhFokoL-/s1600-h/IMG_0749.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbC1kYTRMla5R8k3Ivon0qnBaB-9SFhIi0otqYVy_F6diX5lJlffOFiOLSx-anrQFFQpio2ObLsstN_C0PKl2zUeV8KE-XQTB191HtK1sVVvDEeZcC0KAT5a87kWQHB5KUx5_AhFokoL-/s320/IMG_0749.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427560571513528034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><div>2. Take said magazines to the children's section. I find a little chair to sit on and indulge in some recreational reading while my son ooh's and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">aah's</span> over the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Thomas the Train</span> books and plays with the wheelies:</div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aSFzc2uMn9PFNOObEd_uUByChonW2O18zBPSCvFr9KQOTQCcpNtHW97LAcwu6D7xajgTUnfpbagStKLldgwRYtSnsBbJC86Z2GfuPDXUi5U5S6mLWcRyWn5EYdEUfS7XkL_MBI1UaO3z/s1600-h/IMG_2328.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aSFzc2uMn9PFNOObEd_uUByChonW2O18zBPSCvFr9KQOTQCcpNtHW97LAcwu6D7xajgTUnfpbagStKLldgwRYtSnsBbJC86Z2GfuPDXUi5U5S6mLWcRyWn5EYdEUfS7XkL_MBI1UaO3z/s320/IMG_2328.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427562762707665234" /></a><div>3. After about 45 minutes, we put the books away and replace the magazines on the shelf. Then we go home without buying anything. Cheapskates.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I know Borders isn't a playground, but no-one ever objects to our activities, and we always clean up before we leave. And unlike the library, the noise at the bookstore kind of drowns out preschooler-generated rackets.</div><div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-84261412634759788022010-01-14T09:22:00.001-08:002010-01-14T10:10:46.515-08:00Giving to Haiti<div><div><div><div><div>More than 16 years ago, my parents let me go on a week-long trip to Leogane, Haiti. Yesterday, as I watched the gut-wrenching earthquake footage on CNN, I couldn't help but wonder how a place I'd spent so little time in so long ago could still have such a hold on me.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta_J9NSe2s22OHIcV8sva9Ia3st7c2u8qaISkcuWTsiyf2F10NZPviCP72RqscnzAiR284hWEFze_o5sxwkbbA1uYk5JL1jyoGMsu3rwLOdQheJjuJT_s2usntTvm9Eq205-t0NM2OiPZ/s1600-h/sc012e9467.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta_J9NSe2s22OHIcV8sva9Ia3st7c2u8qaISkcuWTsiyf2F10NZPviCP72RqscnzAiR284hWEFze_o5sxwkbbA1uYk5JL1jyoGMsu3rwLOdQheJjuJT_s2usntTvm9Eq205-t0NM2OiPZ/s320/sc012e9467.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426647309269293954" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a>At the time of the trip, Haiti was experiencing a period of particular political instability and uncertainty. Now that I have a kid of my own, I can't help but think that my parents must have been either very brave or very clueless when they let their teenage daughter venture into a potentially dangerous situation. But either way, they did, and I'll always be grateful for it. Being able to experience Haiti was a gift in that it ripped apart my limited worldview and reshaped it forever.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoyf-oWjZb4MB2g70CPafCSK7qVva9h-3XqUUY0UyEYjgJP3tsge8kbcpI3LcVmfkGmecEk5QPuWrLLYaHukuytiH-jjNuY5rxoK4HpJWH2e4wTi_Sue-SWoTqjDIn1Dwkch642-ZQyRU/s1600-h/sc012e85ae.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoyf-oWjZb4MB2g70CPafCSK7qVva9h-3XqUUY0UyEYjgJP3tsge8kbcpI3LcVmfkGmecEk5QPuWrLLYaHukuytiH-jjNuY5rxoK4HpJWH2e4wTi_Sue-SWoTqjDIn1Dwkch642-ZQyRU/s320/sc012e85ae.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426647984721248818" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 216px; " /></a><div>Yesterday afternoon, I felt compelled to remember my experiences there. My son and I dug through the stuffed upstairs closet and shuffled through several boxes of my old middle school and high school mementos. The Haiti pictures, taken with an ancient point-and-shoot, were attached to tabs labeled with my 14-year-old handwriting. The picture at the top was labeled "In Bord Mer" (though when I looked at a map this morning, I couldn't find a Bord Mer near Leogane - maybe I had the name wrong, or maybe the village is too small to find its way onto a Google map). The second picture, above, was labeled "Making the thatch."</div><div><br /></div><div>This picture is labeled "At the clinic." It was taken at the <a href="http://www.newmissions.org/">New Missions</a> clinic in Leogane. (The girl in the pink shirt and flowered dress is my best friend. She is now a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit. She's been back to Haiti numerous times since then, always bringing with her as many medical resources and first aid supplies as she can fit into her luggage.)</div><div><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO758_miQMeciiuCemRjOiDFj23hZ7m7OUxOiXLf-JQWYywNQ86Eqr310flfIgK_VW43-7X9ho0kM0HeBZhlocKFc9lURqr5XdpKxJAChL1Ot4JPEWJl9bkaJFcknqPia5rV0J32HGPxTG/s1600-h/sc012e7491.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO758_miQMeciiuCemRjOiDFj23hZ7m7OUxOiXLf-JQWYywNQ86Eqr310flfIgK_VW43-7X9ho0kM0HeBZhlocKFc9lURqr5XdpKxJAChL1Ot4JPEWJl9bkaJFcknqPia5rV0J32HGPxTG/s320/sc012e7491.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426650143600429682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px; " /></a><div><div>According to the New Missions website, the earthquake damaged the clinic "beyond repair."</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div>I labeled the following image "Rich house." It was the nicest home in the area. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GPnO9nNbZdRqlgc29SHl90nSmSKQuo-ht6idat7XopXhh-dP3CnOnhnsrxk9DeiEdoG6TP9gOwe0jk21h1y86nRQyzD-LUYtPBJ8GkH1Dbhuqc3w6SLBuw9lJpSaemMTGAOlBVCpnVSI/s1600-h/sc012ea586.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GPnO9nNbZdRqlgc29SHl90nSmSKQuo-ht6idat7XopXhh-dP3CnOnhnsrxk9DeiEdoG6TP9gOwe0jk21h1y86nRQyzD-LUYtPBJ8GkH1Dbhuqc3w6SLBuw9lJpSaemMTGAOlBVCpnVSI/s320/sc012ea586.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426653970879774402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a>Many of the people we met lived in thatch huts. Some of them lived in smaller cement homes. Leogane isn't that far from Port-au-Prince, and I can't help but wonder what happened to these structures during the earthquake and aftershocks.<div><br /></div><div>Or what happened to the people there. </div><div><br /></div><div>Materially, they had nothing. Being young and optimistic and confident and sure in my beliefs, I thought I had something to give to them. Clearly it was the other way around. The people were so kind, so generous, and so genuine that they left an indelible impression on me. </div><div><br /></div><div>The children we met are now adults. They probably have their own kids. I wonder where they were when the earthquake struck. I wonder where they are sleeping and what they are eating and if they have water. I wonder if they made it through. </div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FvBYyJshz5cAy6i8x9Q_zbzguPORSJBLAQoqtej3m_NbRo8Vt7dtQ50quThdjg0UP8wnOhOW-upF_x4IsaTk0djE7OQ-ZhuprcsZmJs0IYYNzhnC9ByyG2Qj_vm_umuZmfa-_IsPcTxY/s1600-h/sc0130bf83.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FvBYyJshz5cAy6i8x9Q_zbzguPORSJBLAQoqtej3m_NbRo8Vt7dtQ50quThdjg0UP8wnOhOW-upF_x4IsaTk0djE7OQ-ZhuprcsZmJs0IYYNzhnC9ByyG2Qj_vm_umuZmfa-_IsPcTxY/s320/sc0130bf83.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426656264087926482" /></a><div><div><div><div>Haiti's current challenges seem almost insurmountable. The people there need to know that the rest of the world is ready to support them, to lend a hand, to provide the resources they need even more desperately than they did before this disaster occurred. </div><div><br /></div><div>We have chosen to donate money to <a href="http://www.pih.org/home.html">Haiti's Partners in Health</a> organization, which is already on the ground and established in Haiti. The <a href="http://american.redcross.org/">Red Cross</a> is, of course, taking donations as well, as is <a href="http://doctorswithoutborders.org/">Doctors Without Borders</a> and numerous other humanitarian organizations. Additionally, some organizations such as the <a href="http://www.calnurses.org/rnrn/rnrn-volunteer-form.html">California Nurses Association are asking for medical professional volunteers to aid with disaster relief</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Right now, Haiti is everywhere you look online and on television. That will probably be the case for the next few weeks. But I hope you will remember Haiti in a month, six months, a year, because the need will be great then, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you can help, help.</div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-68067977041263383562010-01-10T18:33:00.001-08:002010-01-11T12:46:04.982-08:00Dilemma: Go Organic or Save Money?On Saturday night, I found myself staying up way too late to watch the compelling documentary <a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/">Food, Inc.</a> I could not pull myself away from it. The movie explores the current U.S. food industry, its (often unscrupulous and truly disgusting) practices, its degrading treatment of animals, and its influence on public health. Clearly, the movie had an effect on me, because I marched to the breakfast table on Sunday morning with a new eating manifesto for our household:<div><br /></div><div>*No more high fructose corn syrup. Anything containing HFCS is automatically banned from the pantry and refrigerator. That includes the ketchup. And the wheat thins. And the tomato paste.</div><div><br /></div><div>*All meat and cheese must be organic. We're not eating anything that contains hormones, antibiotics, etc. Preferably, we'll also purchase organic produce.</div><div><br /></div><div>*If we go out to eat, we'll go to restaurants that list all of their ingredients in the menu and that purchase much of their food locally.</div><div><br /></div><div>*We'll plan meals on a weekly basis and go grocery shopping once a week (something we've slacked off on over the last two months). Planning ahead will allow us to use our money wisely and avoid purchasing food we don't need and/or that isn't healthy.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've always been pretty careful about what we eat. We don't consume many processed foods, and over the last year, we've started eating most of our meals at home. Because I have dietary restrictions related to GERD and food intolerances, we're conscientious label readers.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, going organic is taking how we eat to a new and more expensive level. Trent went to Whole Foods today (we're normally Kroger customers) and shopped according to the new rules. We bought some local organic beef for about $8 a pound and some organic chicken for $3.90 a pound. He also bought some nuts, fruit, veggies, broth, and cheese, all organic. The total came out to over $150, which is much more than what we've spent on food in the past.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's difficult is that food is one area where you <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">can</span> see major savings if you make the effort. By checking the supermarket ads, clipping coupons, and buying products that are on sale in bulk, you can cut costs in a significant way. But the thing is, a lot of the food on sale is also the food that's not particularly healthy: sugary cereals, pre-made meals, salty boxed pastas and rices, and so on.</div><div><br /></div><div>I figure that spending more for local, organic food is worth it. It's worth the benefits to our health. It's worth the benefits to our environment, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27521859/">which suffers at the hands of factory farming</a>. It's worth the message that it sends to supercorporations that <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042902602.html">care more about the bottom line than they do about their consumers or the animals and crops they raise.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I realize that not everyone has the luxury of going organic. Sometimes, people just need calories, and purchasing a value meal from a fast food restaurant or eating a packet of Ramen is a lot cheaper than piecing together a complete, healthy, home-cooked meal from a fancy organic grocery store. But if people who <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">do</span> have the option to buy organic do it, then perhaps prices will drop over time and eventually allow everyone, regardless of income level, to buy healthier food.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-5312655796346231892010-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:002010-01-08T18:59:20.482-08:00Two favorite finance sitesI've recently started using two online personal finance tools that I think are worth recommending to others: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Mint.com and CreditKarma.com</span>. These are sites that I now refer to on a regular basis as I track our finances, debt reduction progress, and credit scores. Unlike a lot of other personal finance tools, you don't pay for these services. They're free, and they're easy to use.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">~</span><a href="http://www.mint.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Mint.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">This site allows you to view all of your accounts - checking, savings, credit cards, investments, student loans, mortgage, etc. - in one secure place.</span> After enrolling, you search for each account that you want to track, input your username and password for that account, and voila: Mint.com displays your most recent balance for that account every time you log in. It totals your net worth, calculates your average monthly spending in various categories such as restaurants, groceries, gas, and clothing, allows you to create a budget, and gives you a sense of where you might be overspending. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can't make transactions on the site; for instance, you can't move money from your checking account to an investment account, or take money from your savings to pay off a credit card, etc. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">It simply gathers a record of your assets and debts into one basket.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>One thing I like about this tool is that Mint.com will send you notifications about your accounts - for instance, when your monthly loan payment is due, or when the interest rate on one of your credit card increases. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">~</span><a href="http://www.creditkarma.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">creditkarma.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">:</span> I know I'm not the only person who's ever requested her credit score only to get duped into a pricy monthly credit monitoring service! That's why I like this site: it's free, and it doesn't get all sneaky by roping you into extras that you don't need.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> Instead, it obtains your credit score from one of the main credit bureaus (keep in mind that the score will often vary depending on the credit reporting agency), provides you with a general interpretation/explanation for that score via a CreditKarma "report card," and allows you to track your credit score over time. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>I've been using it for several months now, and I haven't seen anything shady in CreditKarma's practices. Checking CreditKarma doesn't affect your credit score in any way. You can find more information about how this service operates <a href="http://creditkarma.com/about/faq">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-8482438816356233442010-01-04T12:08:00.001-08:002010-01-04T12:28:38.485-08:00Where we went right in 2009At the beginning of 2009, I was hoping we'd end the year with a nice big chunk of cash in our savings account. That didn't happen, in part because we found ourselves up against a bunch of emergency expenses and in part because we decided to pony up the money for a potpourri of trips (to Destin, Chattanooga, Phoenix, and New Orleans).<div><br /></div><div><b>That said, I think we made many good financial decisions in 2009</b><b>.</b> Because we <i>did </i>plump up our savings account early in the year, we were able to pay off our dental work (almost $4K between the two of us), medical bills (for office visits and a trip to the ER), and home repair bills (for a leaking sink, a piping problem in one of our outside walls, and a cranky air conditioning unit) in short order without accruing interest. We paid any balances on our credit cards within 30 days of purchasing (including all travel expenses). We put ~12% of our income into our 401K accounts. We cut back on cable and went out to eat less. We cooked at home more. Perhaps most importantly, we finished paying off our $22K in credit card bills and continued to chip away at our student loans.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>2010 may hold some significant changes and challenges for us. </b>It's likely that I will be going back to school in the fall to pursue a graduate degree that will open up more employment opportunities for me (more about that in a future post). I'll be cutting back on my contract work while Trent will be taking on an even more demanding workload than he already has. Our car is turning 10 years old and will soon hit 100K miles, so it's time to start saving for a replacement, just in case. As we make adjustments to our budget, we'll need to make sure we can still meet our other financial obligations, including our mortgage, our monthly bills, our health insurance premiums, and our school loans. My bet is that 2010 is going to be more challenging for us than 2009 from a money standpoint.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>As far as personal New Year's resolutions, I try not to go crazy with those. </b>Too much pressure. However, I would like to lose four more pounds (all that's left before I get to my ideal body mass index!), get outside to exercise at least four days a week, continue sailing whenever we get a chance to do so, focus more on the quality of my food (we've been purchasing more organic goods, and I don't regret that at all), and give myself a chance to get creative on a more regular basis. Writing here is a good start!</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-54464388873243397222010-01-02T18:34:00.000-08:002010-01-02T18:58:04.955-08:00The Big EasyI hope everyone had a good holiday season! We just wrapped up a busy month that included a trip to Phoenix to see a friend (for me), a getaway to Chattanooga (for Trent and me), Christmas with my family at our house, and New Years in New Orleans. I can't lie: while these adventures were hardly lavish, they also weren't very frugal. But were they worth it? Yes. Definitely yes. Traveling is my biggest passion.<div><br /></div><div>We saved some money in The Big Easy by renting an apartment with our friends, who also have young children. The apartment was dusty but roomy and affordable; it was located within a block of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_District,_New_Orleans">Garden District</a> (which consists of gorgeous Southern mansions). We walked a lot. We prepared the majority of our meals at home; in fact, we went out to eat only twice (once to Gordon Biersch near the aquarium, and once to a fantastic Creole-Mexican joint called <a href="http://www.juansflyingburrito.com/">Juan's Flying Burrito</a>). On New Year's Eve, we stayed in, made dinner, and toasted with a glass of (inexpensive) wine. </div><div><br /></div><div>I absolutely loved New Orleans, more than I was expecting to. It now ranks with San Francisco, CA and Wilmington, NC as one of my favorite U.S. cities. New Orleans is gritty, artistic, mysterious, a little dangerous, multicultural, magical, and beautifully spooky. I feel like I'd need to visit two or three more times to get the complete NOLA vibe. While we were there, I had the sense that we were in a completely different country. Loved that!</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-56572105344389840722009-12-04T15:59:00.001-08:002009-12-04T16:20:28.988-08:00Three months later, I'm backObviously, I haven't posted here for several months. The main reason is that we've had an insane number of big-ticket expenses lately, and I just wasn't up for talking about them. They drained our savings account and prompted us to re-evaluate our sailing goals.<div><br /></div><div>Basically, we've decided that as much as we love sailing and as confident as we are in our belief that we'd love the liveaboard lifestyle, sailing will have to wait. I don't know how long, but for the next five or 10 years, it's not going to be a pressing goal. What we've learned is that sailing is extremely expensive, and the boat is just one part of that. Boats need places to live. Boats need parts and repairs. Boats have to meet certain government standards and requirements. We started to understand the oft-repeated assertion that boats are essentially drains in the ocean.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've also learned that we aren't willing to give up everything to save for this dream. We like to travel; we like to explore new places. Are we going to stop doing that for five or 10 years in the hope that we might be able to do it by boat? Apparently, the answer to that question is no. For New Year's, we're going to New Orleans with some of our friends, and next June, all three of us are going to celebrate Trent and my 10th anniversary with a trip to western Montana (a special place to us, as that is where our son was born). I am excited about these excursions, and I don't feel guilty about spending money on them. I grew up taking yearly roadtrips with my parents; those are among my happiest childhood memories. Those adventures were learning opportunities. I want the same for my son. (We've been careful to pay for these trips with money we actually have.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I said, we've had a lot of unexpected expenses in the last few months: dental work to the tune of $3000, a water-damaged wall, a broken sink, a broken toilet, an ER visit for a deep gash to the forehead, visits to the doctor, increased health insurance premiums, etc. etc. etc. It's been discouraging, but I think we're back on track.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, despite the obstacles, we're still on the right track. I am happy to report that while we've used our credit cards, we've paid them off in full every month. We still have a cushion in our emergency fund. We're now documenting each and every expense. Our credit scores have increased. Our school loans have decreased (albeit by only a small amount). We've been contributing ~15% of our income to our 401Ks. Trent found a new contract gig and a side gig, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>I like writing about money and finances, so I'm going to start writing here again. Some of our goals might have changed, but what hasn't changed is that we're still dedicated to pursuing financial freedom.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-27486955746085062042009-09-06T14:54:00.000-07:002009-09-06T15:13:09.911-07:00Living aboard - a questionLike many young couples (30 is still young, right?), our lives are full of job obligations, parenting, and financial strategizing. Beneath the surface, though, runs our desire to cut the literal and figurative docklines and go sailing. It's something I think about every day. It's what motivates us to work hard, play frugally, and spend wisely (well... usually).<div><br /></div><div>We talk about selling this place in 3-4 years, purchasing a boat, and living aboard. From my landlocked vantage point, I get the impression that we should be able to manage it, especially if we either buy the boat outright or put a big down payment on a loan. As long as we have Internet access, we should be able to keep the jobs we have now, meaning we won't lost any (or much) income. We wouldn't have a mortgage or the house-related expenses, though of course we'll obtain plenty of boat-related financial obligations.</div><div><br /></div><div>When it comes to money, I sometimes overlook the finer details. I'm often overly optimistic and fail to realize it until I'm drowning in unanticipated expenses. So I'm just trying to get a better sense of whether our plan is really feasible.</div><div><br /></div><div>A couple of questions for those of you who live aboard: how much do you spend per month on marina fees? What do those fees include? And - do you think you spend less living aboard than you would if you lived in a traditional home?</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-75643446563614774522009-08-30T12:14:00.001-07:002009-08-30T12:23:19.887-07:00We work hard for the money, do-do do-dooo...I've slacked off on posting lately not for a lack of things to say, but because I don't have enough time to say it. This August has consisted of work, work, and more work. I think we're somewhat overcommitted right now, job-wise, and yet I don't think we can afford to cut back in any area; one of Trent's highest-paying contracts ended for good a couple of months ago, and now we're playing catch-up. <div><br /></div><div>We've put our son in daycare 20 hours a week (which he absolutely loves, by the way - that in itself makes it worthwhile) so we have time to tackle our work and do it well. Ideally, we'll be able to make more money even <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">with </span>the daycare expenses than we would if one or both of us let some of our other contracts run out. We'll try this until December and then re-evaluate.</div><div><br /></div><div>I truly enjoy my job but I do wish it paid more. I've stopped calculating my hourly wage. It's too depressing. Every now and then, I scrounge around for some possible alternatives on the job boards, but I don't see anything that appeals to me or for which I am qualified.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-67079827329947587632009-08-18T15:25:00.000-07:002009-08-18T15:32:33.890-07:00One week spending dietWe're on a mandatory one-week spending diet until we get paid again next Tuesday. Thanks to a slew of recent bills (health insurance, cable, phone, etc.), student loan payments, and my dental work (which I did pay off as planned), we have little cash left in the checking account. That makes me uncomfortable. Usually, I like to see it pretty well padded because Bank of America is very sneaky about how and when they post transactions. Sometimes I feel like they WANT to catch us off guard and see us go into the red.<div><br /></div><div>We won't be going out to eat, nor will we do any full grocery runs. We'll wait on paying the water and electric bills (they won't be late, but normally we send in our payments right away). If worst comes to worst and we don't think we're going to make it on what's in the account right now, I'll transfer more over from savings - but I really do not want to do that. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90823516110757346.post-55017009777601927902009-08-16T19:09:00.000-07:002009-08-16T19:13:42.417-07:00Membership PerksToday I discovered that Capital One charged me a $59 "Membership Fee." Wow. So glad to be part of the Capital One club. <div><br /></div><div>My balance on the card *was* zero. Really, this was too kind of them.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://freetopick.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0