My Year of Intentional Spending

This year I am hoping to be more intentional about how I spend my time, energy and money.  It is related to a goal my husband and I have set to try to save as much money as we can during a very costly year- the first year we will have a child in college (followed the very next year when we will have two in college.)  But we are determined to do this without going into debt so in the fall we started looking at ways to increase our savings while decreasing our spending and still maintaining a good quality of life.  (In other words we did not want to resort to our college days of cup-o-soup and ramen noodles for dinner.)

The first round of cuts were pretty easy- no more Green Chef, an organic meal delivery service that would send us two meals per week with recipe cards and all the ingredients I needed for cooking.  We dropped Netflix DVD and started using the library.  (I needed more errands for my son's driving lessons anyway.)  At the same time we dropped Sling.  We had dropped cable years ago so now we are down to streaming Netflix which is now included in our cell phone plan since we switched from Verizon to T-Mobile (another cost-saving measure.)  Next week we will drop to the smaller garbage can as we have become pretty good at composting and recycling and rarely fill our current can.  Last but not least we sold our larger family vehicle, a 2011 Honda Pilot and shuffled the cars around so that now I drive the electric car and no longer use gas for my commute.  My husband, who was using the electric car now drives a very fuel efficient Hyundai Iconic which he also uses for his side hustle of Uber and Lyft.  The teens share the CRV which we also use for family road trips.

Our cost saving choices are not just financial but also a small step to improve our environmental footprint.  So while it is good to save money on the gas and garbage, it also feels good to know we are adding a little less to the landfill each week and less dependent on fossil fuel.  We certainly still have a ways to go but at least it is a step in the right direction rather than just using more and more of everything.

So far this journey has been fun and eye opening.  There is something called Lifestyle Creep which is when you start to spend money a little over time but it can really add up.  At the end of a rough work day you can say lets eat out.  We deserve this.  And next thing you know you are eating out 2 or 3 times a week and it really is not that satisfying.  Now we have pulled back to about once a month and it is back to being a real treat.  (Not to mention the weight loss that occurred along with more meals at home and the major cost savings.)

So to keep me on track and working towards more ways to cut down on time wasters and money waster I am going to try do the following "free" days once a week.  Mainly I am just trying to test habits and see which changes I can adjust to and which might be more than I am ready for right now.  I figure if I just do a day at a time I can at least experiment a little and then hopefully work up to week free as the year progresses.  But for now, this is what I am aiming for one day each week:

Meat free Monday- Shouldn't be too hard for me but I will read labels on that day so maybe it will be harder than I think
Animal Free Tuesday- This will be a lot harder than meat free but I figure anything is possible for a day and maybe I will decide I can make it a weekly standard
Garbage free Wednesday-  I admit I use way too many ziploc bags.  On these days I will need to use my reusable containers and not put anything other than tissues in the garbage.
Spend Free Thursday-  No matter what comes up the wallet can not come out on my spend free days
Screen Free Friday- Aside from work no screen time
Car free Saturday- This means I will need to bike, walk or (if needed) carpool everywhere that I need to that day.
Sunday?  Still trying to think of another free thing- any ideas?  If not I might make it a double yoga day.... still a work in progress

What FI Means to Me

About 18 months ago my husband introduced me to the Mr. Money Mustache blog.  He is a local legend from my town who I have never met but he blogs about the FIRE Movement- Financial Independence Retire Early.  Since then we have been reading more and more about this movement and learning about how this philosophy might fit into our own life.

While we are still working we like the freedom that FI offers.  By reining in our spending and increasing our savings we have more choices.  I know that I could stop working sooner if I wanted to but I am choosing to work as long as I find my work fulfilling.  It is no longer a case that I HAVE to go to THIS job, but I am choosing this work.  If I really decide I am not fulfilled I can choose to do something lower paying but more fulfilling since we have lowered our expenses while also increasing our savings.

Related to having choices, I am using time with intention.  Ultimately time is our greatest asset and FI gives us time to do more of what fulfulls us.  So while I am working and as I make decisions of what I will do when I work less, I ask myself how I want to spend my days.  It is these deep conversations about what makes us happy and how I want to spend my days that helps me solidify what really matters and how I want to use my time.  These are the top ways I want to use my time:  Being with friends and family, hiking, yoga, eating healthy, reading, growing my mind, and traveling to connect with new and old friends and see natural wonders.  

By spending less and using less I am also making more sustainable choices.  Sometimes the differences are not necessarily huge financial gains but they are still worth doing because it is saving money and still making less garbage.  For example, we have tried to eliminate paper towels.  That alone will not lead to FI but it is also rewarding to switch over to rags simple because I like knowing that I am not literally throwing dollars in the garbage when I could simple use a rag.  I also enjoy biking to and from work when the weather allows.  Not only does it save a little on gas, it also gives me a little exercise and I actually enjoy starting and ending my day with some fresh air and sunshine.  
 

In case you are interested in learning more about the FIRE movement, here are some good first steps.

Here is a video from PBS that introduces the Fire Movement.

Mr. Money Mustache lives in Longmont.  Here is his blog.  

I like the ChooseFI podcast- pick and choose the episodes you like but here is a good place to start.

Yoga Retreat

I have enjoyed yoga for much of my adult life. But usually time and money kept my from a very dedicated and consistent practice. Last spring a studio opened up in my neighborhood and I started making more of an effort to make it part of my routine. In the summer I got a monthly pass and tried all the different types of classes and really started being a regular student. On Thanksgiving I learned about a teacher training class that was beginning. While I had hoped to do this once my children headed off to college, I decided the circumstances were just too perfect to put it off. So I began my journey as a yoga teacher. It has been such a great experience and I know it is just the beginning because it is the kind of thing that the more you learn, the more you learn you need to learn. But for now I am just so happy to be learning more about breathing and mindfulness and awareness and surrounding myself with others who are on a similar path of discovery and appreciation for each other.
Part of my teacher training included a week long yoga retreat in Costa Rica at the Goddess Garden Yoga Retreat Center. We nourished our bodies with vegetarian meals, nourished our minds with yoga talks and meditation practice and practiced postures and breathing daily. We also had free time to enjoy the beach and reconnect with nature in the rain forest. It was such a gift and I am so grateful to my family for supporting me and encouraging me to begin this journey a little ahead of schedule.

Some of my favorite yoga quotes and comments from this week:
"Yoga doesn’t happen on the mat. It’s what happens when I get off the mat."
"Massaging the earth with each step you take."
"If you want to change one thing you need to change everything"

Embrace Plan E

I was supposed to have TEN DAYS ALONE!  I am a happily married mother of two teenagers but I would be lying to tell you I was not looking forward to the once in a lifetime opportunity to have ten days alone.  It really was too good to be true.  In fact I hadn't even made too many plans because I did not want to jinx it.  But if everything went as planned Laurel was going to be in Germany on her exchange semester, Owen was going to be in Japan with the Longmont Sister City Program and Justin was going to be hiking the Washington portion of the PCT.  So the big day had arrived.  I had just returned from dropping Owen off at the airport and going to the post office to mail Justin a resupply box.  I was sitting on the couch deciding what would I do first- eat cereal for lunch, plan out my hikes, or start to organize decades worth of photos and then my iMessage dinged.  It was a message from Justin  saying he had had enough of the PCT and was heading home.  And just like that my ten days of solitude turned into 24 hours.  But it also turned into the best ten days of the summer.  Because there is something really amazing about embracing plan e- because let's be honest- at this point I was past plan b,c and d -but it still turned out really well.  Luckily I had already been really productive and gotten most of my summer chores done.  So the time was pretty open.  We brainstormed our possibilities.  We considered more backpacking.  Or maybe some lake camping.  There was also a hike seven hours away that I was planning to go to by myself.  I had been training for this hike all summer but because it was in an area that was closed earlier this summer for a wildfire and currently was in monsoon season I was doubtful if it was the best time to go.  But at the same time I decided if not now, when.  We decided to just give it a try and see what happens- so in the matter of an hour we mapped out a five day roadtrip and I managed to book places to stay along the route.  And what a fantastic time we had!  So maybe Justin did not hike all 500 miles of the Washington section of the PCT.  And I did not get those photo books sorted.  But we had a rare couple's road trip to the San Juan Mountains, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Mount Princeton Hot Springs filled with laughs and chats and amazing views and weather and there is not one thing I could have changed if we had planned this trip for a year.  So here's to spontaneity from one who can be little too much of a planner at times.  I am so grateful my summer didn't turn out as I planned because there is no way I would have had that much fun by myself anyway!

A Year for Adventures

2018 has been an exciting year for our family.  First Laurel departed for a semester in Germany.  If you are interested in hearing more about that here is a link to her blog.  My big adventure was at the start of the summer when I went to visit Laurel.  I kept a pretty detailed journal but so as not to bore you all with too many details, and since a picture is worth a 1000 words, I figured I would post a top ten photo summary of my visit with Laurel. 

 This photo was taken along Lago Maggiore while we were waiting to take a ferry to visit three islands- Isola Bella, Isola Superiore and Isola Madre.

 Enjoying some pizza and the sunset along Lake Como in Bellagio- (We enjoyed a lot of yummy pizza and gelato while in Italy.)

 One of many beautiful villages along Lake Como.

 One day we took a funicular up from Como and then took an 8 mile hike along a trail called the Strada Regia through the woods to another town and then we took the water taxi back to Como.  It was a very nice hike but hard to stay on the trail which made it much harder and longer than we planned. 

 Prosecco and eggplant parm was a well deserved reward after our long hike!

 Enjoying the Austrian Alps above Innsbruck.

 While back in Freiburg we took a day trip to Basel, Switzerland.  I have been to this city several times and always enjoy the visit.

 On another day we took a bus ride to Strassburg, France with Rahel and Renate.  We enjoyed walking around the city and treats from a French bakery.

 Another picture in Strassburg- this section of the city was called Petite-France.

 Laurel enjoyed showing me around Freiburg.  She was especially excited to show me all of the pens.  She loves the German pens.

So that about sums up my European adventure.  It was a wonderful two week trip filled with lots of good visits with Laurel and Renate and the rest of her family.  I am so grateful that Laurel has had this opportunity thanks to the generosity of Renate and her family. 

Yesterday Justin began his big adventure- he will be hiking the first 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.  He will start at Hart's Pass, WA- hike up to the Canadian border and then turn back to head all the way to the Oregon border.  He can't just start at the Canadian border because of 9/11 permit regulations.  That is why he has to walk in 30 miles south from the terminus.  I am so excited for him and I cannot wait to hear about his adventures.

Owen has his own big adventure coming up in a couple weeks.  He will be going to visit Longmont's sister city in Chino, Japan.  He applied to be an ambassador last fall and he has been attending many meetings to prepare for this special trip.  When he returns he will have a host sister with us and we will enjoy showing her around Longmont and Colorado for a couple of weeks. 

So even though we are not taking a traditional family vacation this year, I am glad that everyone is pursuing some sort of interest and we are all growing by taking our own trips and living through each other's trips.  And once we all return home we will plan some nice weekend getaways to reconnect this last year as a family of four before Laurel heads off to college. 

Mantras to Live By

In November I took this excellent class about teens and how to celebrate this time of development rather than dread it.  It was one of the best professional development classes I have ever had and worth giving up a fall weekend of hiking (which says A LOT).  Another benefit of this class is it reintroduced me to the wonders of meditation.  This was my third try at meditation and I am not sure why it took this time but for some reason the timing was right.  In the past I would always find it so stressful to sit around and do nothing.  "I just don't have TIME meditate. " But I happened to be in a stressful place and I could not ignore the immediate calming and relaxing benefits I was experiencing.  At the same time Oprah was offering her free 21 day meditation so it was perfect timing.  Below are some of my favorite mantras. 

My go-to mantra is No Regrets.  Whenever I start to wonder what-ifs about my job and how things would be financially different had we stayed in NJ I just keep repeating No Regrets.  My friend said it better-  your life choices reap better health.  She reminded me there is more to life than salary and health benefits.  And whenever I start spiraling I just keep repeating No Regrets until I feel calm again.

Here are some other mantras I like to meditate with:

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things" -Maya Angela

"Live today, not yesterday, not tomorrow, just today. Inhabit your own moments" -Jerry Spinelli

 These three all came from the Oprah 21 day meditation- I do not think there we names tied to them:

The fullness of life is here now

Awareness is the home of wholeness

Happiness itself is a kind of gratitude

Since I am an admitted planaholic living in the moment can be a challenge.  One of my resolutions and goals is to be more intentional about living in the here and now and enjoying the present.  

Here is a watercolor Laurel made with some of her favorite mantras.  It was hanging in her wing at Conserve School that is why it says Badger Wing

My Favorite Hikes

If I had to choose my favorite thing about living in Colorado it would be the hiking.  I really enjoy hiking.  But the window for perfect hiking is small.  This summer snow is still covering the Continental Divide!  Right now hiking is spectacular, especially if we do a trail with wildflowers.  But school starts in less than a month so that leaves a pretty small window.  Of course there is always winter hiking and fall hiking.  And even spring hiking if you don't mind the wet and the cold.

People often ask me what my favorite hikes are. I figured it would be efficient to make a list so you it is easy to share. My Favorite Hikes (Not ordered in rank order because that would just be impossible.)

The first 5 are in RMNP
1.  Nymph, Dream and Emerald
2.  Black Lake
3.  West Creek Falls
4.  Glass to Sky Pond
5.  Lawn Lake
6.  Lake Dorothy
7.  Lake Isabelle
8.  Jame's Peak
9.  Heart Lake
10.  Mount Flora (tied with Butler Gulch)

And too far for a day hike but worth the trip- Blue Lake near Ouray

A few questions about what kind of hike you want...
Lake or Summit?
Sunrise or Sunset or something in between?
Escape or workout?  This is where my husband and I need to compromise.  My number one goal is escape. I want to get away from people and bikes.  He wants to burn calories.  So some days are workouts and some days are all about the Zen.

Most important tips:
1.  Go early- you beat the CROWDS and the CLOUDS.  Especially in the summer the weather pattern often starts with a blue sky and the clouds build in the early afternoon.  For hikes above tree line you don't want to be hiking when the lightening rolls in. Leaving early increases the odds of great weather while also having more of the trail to yourself.
2.  Pack your ten essentials
3.  Layers- there is a quote in Colorado...."If you don't like the weather wait 15 minutes". This is even more true while hiking.  On some hikes I start with hat and gloves, put on a raincoat and finish with shorts.  At a minimum. Always have my pack-able down along with hat, gloves and raincoat in my pack.
4.  Elevation matters- notice the start and end elevation.  If it is more than 2000 feet it will be a workout no matter how short or long it is.  If the destination is over 10,000 feet the air will be thin.

What's up next?
Island Lake and Ice Lakes near Silverton
Mount Chiquita and Ypsion
Mirror Lake (Backpacking)

 My favorite resource (although it is a bit dated) is Protrails.  I also like to read trail reports the week before I do a hike because often I will be aware of something that might need my attention.