How I Can Travel (as much as I do)!

Hey there! Happy Monday. It is hard to believe May is almost here! I love this time of year:)

I am pumped because I am heading to Chi-town in 4 short days! I have heard great things about the city and am excited to explore. I just gotta get through this final week of classes and work before heading up to D.C. on Thursday night. Thankfully, everything should be smooth sailing.

I was out at brunch this weekend with some work friends and amidst our many conversations (including the Bruce Jenner interview-> please watch it you have not yet, so heartbreaking/interesting/important), a comment was made to me about how much I travel. The day before my friend and I had been talking about a similar comment made to him (a teacher) about how teachers in his school don't understand how he has so much money to be able to travel so much on a teacher's salary. Then I read another bloggers post about traveling and how it always seems to bring up jealously in a lot of people, especially since you can see where everyone is going on social media. However, you never know how people are affording their travels and many sacrifices are being made for people to do so.

I work in education, yet I am still able to go on many trips a year. It is what is important to me, so I make sure that throughout the year when I am not traveling, I am making sound financial decisions so I can save money to travel. Traveling is my priority at this point in my life. I know it is not everybody's, and that is ok, but these are some ways I afford it:

1. I automatically save a certain amount of money every month from my paycheck. I live on much less than what I make. Every month an automatic draft goes out of my checking account to a high interest savings account (and by high interest, I mean I earn like .9%...ha). This money is not touchable. I ONLY skip a month if I have had an emergency, like a big car repair or household expense. These probably only happen once a year. Otherwise, that money is growing and only being used to traveling, school and big purchases. I also like to keep that money at a certain amount to make sure I have enough for a rainy day.
2. I invest in retirement. What does this have to do with traveling? Well, again, I am used to living on much less than what I make. I max out a Roth IRA every year and also contribute to a 457(b). This helps save me on taxes and is a nice chunk of savings for a rainy day. I have earned a lot of money from the Roth, and even though I don't plan on touching it, when my savings gets lower, I know I have a backup to take out without penalty if something catastrophic happens. That being said, my savings never gets THAT low.
3. I have always worked other jobs. I have held a job since I was 15 and have always saved. In college I had a high paying part-time job (for college standards) that allowed me to save for grad school. In grad school I lived at home so I wouldn't have to take out loans. I saved every extra penny I made. After grad school, I babysat and worked at a pool in my summers for extra money. Even though I now work year round, I still work at a local county club 1-2 days a week during the summer for some extra money. It's easy and gives me some spending cash. Working also means I am not spending money, am staying busy, and am meeting new people!
4. I don't have a car payment. My lovely 2004 Saturn Ion may not be the most luxurious car out there, but I bought it straight out of college with cash. I have NEVER had a car payment. My view on a car is: Is it reliable? Does it get good cash mileage? Is it affordable? That is about it. I just don't care to have fancy or expensive cars, and I would never buy a car new or one that is over a certain amount of money-> just not worth it to me. And I take care of them- oil changes and tire rotations frequently. I also don't care about fixing every little thing that goes wrong- my coolant light is currently broken, but I just don't care to fix it, and there is a funny thing with the ignition switch. My car now has over 100k miles, and I am hopeful I can get a few more years out of her! At least until I am done with my PhD:).
5. I can afford my mortgage. I was very particular about what I could afford when I was looking to buy a condo. I wanted a place that I could put 20% down but also one in which my monthly payment would be less than me renting a similar place in the area. I have now owned for over 3 years, and I do not feel "house pour" at all. I put a little extra into my mortgage payment when I can, but I am very comfortable with what I owe and the space I have in my little place. It is all I need:)
6. I don't go shopping. I rarely am out buying clothes or household items. I will only go on Amazon and order online when I need something specific. I am wearing the same things I have had for year. I usually reserve getting "treats" for my birthday Christmas when I can get them as gifts. Part of this is due to the cost of new items, but mainly I don't like shopping anymore. I would rather know exactly what I need, find it online and order it! I also have many friends that allow me to borrow clothes for weddings and events:). My dress from the wedding in Florida a few weeks ago was borrowed from a friend! Friends have the best closets!
7. I budget for EVERYTHING. I LOVE MINT.COM. It is the best budgeting tool ever, and I update it every month for my specific needs. I typically only eat out once a week, and I very rarely go to movies, concerts or expensive events. I am all about going to free festivals or going with friends places and not getting anything (like a brewery-> it also helps that I do not like beer). I always weigh how much buying/participating in something is worth to me. Sometimes that $3 coffee is not worth the money and other times that $50 football ticket is. It depends on my mood and is always something I ask myself. I find so many people do not think about what they are spending on and just spend money to spend it without really contemplating if it is worth it to them. No point in spending money if you don't have to! Honestly, most of my "fun" money goes towards race registrations and running shoes, which obviously would not be worth it to most people but is important to me! That being said, I do say no to races due to costs because they can get expensive.
8. When I do travel, I travel cheap. I am a big fan of Air B & B apartments/houses as opposed to hotels (more space and you can cook), taking my own snacks with me as opposed to eating out the entire trip, and finding deals ahead of time. I am smart with flight tracking and try to stay with people when I am going to an area where I know someone. I also typically use my same principles of frugal living when I do travel and only spend money on things I really want to. I walk as many places as possible, and I don't buy things when I go places- I am there for the experience and not the things that are there. I like taking pictures and making albums or framing photos when I return. I am also a big believer in traveling in groups where you can save on expenses a little easier.
9. I am single with no kids. I know that I am in a place in life where I CAN travel. I am just worrying/taking care of myself, so it is much easier for me to budget for traveling at this point in my life. I am in school again, but as I have said before, I live well under my means, so I am paying for school out of pocket as well. This is limiting my trips more than I would like, but I am still able to do and see what I like with proper planning.I also turn work conferences into mini-trips, too! I am headed to Philadelphia in the fall and Montreal next spring for "school!" :)
10. Travel is my priority. When you really want to do something, you make it happen. I am also super lame 99% of my life when I am not traveling, so keep that in mind! I believe in living in accordance to what is important to you and not judging those who do it differently. Most of my friends are understanding of my frugal principles and those who do say I am "cheap" are not my best friends anyways. I only offer my financial advice if they ask it, but otherwise I do me:)

Cheers to free coffee at work and the end of the semester!

Some other small things I do to save are: do all my errands in one day or on the way home from work so I am not wasting gas, walk/ride bikes when I can, use craigslist for furniture, buy books second hand online (I do this for textbooks), keep my house at a reasonable temperature to save on heating/cooling (65 in the winter, 78 in the summer), have only Netflix instead of cable, do my cell phone policy with Republic Wireless ($25 per month!), buy in season at the grocery store (and buy extra when my normal stuff have deals), do my own nails, get my hair cut at work and only a few times a year (yay Cosmetology students!) and use minimal hair/facial products (less is more!). 

How do you save for travel? Do you feel jealous when you see people all over social media going places?

Saving Money in Your Twenties

At book club last night, some ladies and I were talking about spending money. We were lamenting on how expensive it is to date and be social, because you end up going out frequently for dinners, drinks and entertainment, and therefore spend more money than you would have left to your own devices. We also talked about how hard it is to not spend money when you are not working (aka when educators have their summer's off), because you aren't as busy and end up going out more. I remember feeling that way the past few summers and it being really hard to balance doing things but not spending too much money during my time off. That was one of the reasons I liked to have a summer job- not only to MAKE money but for keeping me from SPENDING money.

I am a big believer in frugal living, which I have talked about here. One of the big ways I save money is by reading as much as I do- I go to the library to get books for free (I love going to Barnes and Nobles and seeing their racks of recommended books and then requesting them at a local library), and they obviously provide hours and hours of entertainment. You can also read ANYWHERE, so I bring a book with me daily to keep from buying things or doing something costly when I have downtime during my day (like when killing time between appointments/meetings or just a slow day at work). I also have very basic cable plans (no DVR or multiple boxes because you can watch everything On Demand or online), pay almost nothing for my cell phone, and don't go out to eat much. With friends, we run or walk or just hang out at people's porches more than we actually GO places. I also usually eat at home and just order a drink or dessert when I am out OR just try to be budget-conscious when I am eating out. I don't like concerts, buy most of my gifts/do my shopping online at Amazon (thank you, Prime!) so I can find the best deals and not get caught up in what I see in the store that I don't need, drive an old, basic car that is paid off, and I am an anti-hoarder, so I don't buy knick-knacks. I want my money to go to travel and not necessary mundane things every month. All of this is how I live as frugal as possible.

A blog I really like showcased her monthly expenses as an example of how she lives, so I figured I would do that same (because I also think saving is FUN)! This is what a typical month looks like for me:

Mortgage/Insurance: $880
Condo Fees (including gym, lawn car, trash service, and pool): $200
Gas: $105 (I wish I didn't work so far away from my condo, but I can't give up city living!)
Groceries: $240
Cable/Internet: $96
Gas: $17
Power: $50
Cell Phone: $25 (thank you, not having a smart phone!)
Restaurants/Entertainment: $100
Shopping: $100 (usually for weddings, showers or birthdays...I typically only buy myself things at the end of the month when I know what I have remaining)

That totals to roughly: $1813/month. Give or take a little bit depending on the month:)

The rest of my money goes to a Roth IRA that I maximize each year, a certain amount of pre-taxed money goes to a 457(b), and the rest to savings or additional principal on my mortgage once my savings is high enough. My health insurance comes out of my paycheck, so that only affects my take-home pay. I pay off my credit card every month so I don't have to pay interest, and I don't believe in credit cards that have fees:) I think I do pretty well overall!

How do you do with a budget? Any tips for me or ways you like to save?

Minimalism

I really do prefer to write my own posts, but sometimes I come across someone else's words and I know that my thoughts would be less articulate than theirs . So here is a great post from www.theminimalists.com that gives many great messages about what really matters in life- many things that I have been thinking of a lot lately as I enjoy my "life of leisure" and simplicity.

30 Life Lessons from 30 Years

1. We must love. You know the saying, “tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” right? I know, such statements sound so banal and vapid on the surface that we often dismiss them with a wave of the hand. But it’s the cold truth, a truth so profound that perhaps we can only discuss it with little cliched statements. But we must love, even if it breaks our hearts. Because unless we love, our lives will flash by.

2. Love isn’t enough. Although we must love, love is not enough to survive. We must take action to show others that we care, to show them that we love them.

3. Happiness is not for sale in any store. We can’t buy happiness. Hell, it sounds cliché to even say that, and yet we search the aisles and shelves and pages on eBay in search of something more, something to fill the void. But we can’t fill the void with stuff. It doesn’t work that way, no matter how hard we try or how much stuff we buy, because that stuff won’t make us happy. At best it will pacify us momentarily. At worst it will ruin our lives, leaving us empty and depressed and even more alone, alone among a sea of material items—sometimes a crowded room can feel the most alone. The truth is that we are all going to die, and heaping our tombs with treasure will not save us from this fate. Ryan and I wrote about happiness for Dave Bruno’s 100 Thing Challenge: The Minimalists On Happiness.

4. Success is perspectival. I used to think I was successful because I had a six-figure job that my friends and family could be proud of. I thought the house with too many bedrooms would make me look even more successful, and so would the luxury car and the tailored suits and the nice watch and the big screen TV and all the trappings of the material world. But I got all that and I sure as hell didn’t feel successful. Instead, I felt depressed. So what did I do? I bought more stuff. And when that didn’t work I figured out that I had to do something else with my life, that I had to stop living a lie and start living my dreams.

5. You must make change a must. I knew that I wanted to change my life for the longest time. I knew I was unhappy, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled. I knew I didn’t have freedom. Not real freedom. The problem was that I knew these thingsintellectually but not emotionally. I didn’t have the feeling in my gut that thingsmust change. I knew they should change, but the change wasn’t a must for me, and thus it didn’t happen. Anthony Robbins has a good aphorism to describe all these shoulds in your life: he says “after a while you end up shoulding all over yourself.” But once you understand these things on an emotional level you are able to turn your shoulds into musts. I believe that that is the pivotal point, that is when you get leverage, that is when you are compelled to take action. Thus, a decision is not a real decision until it is a must for you, until you feel it on your nerve-endings, until you are compelled to take action. Once your shoulds have turned into musts, then you have made a real decision.

6. Growth & contribution is the meaning of life. Giving is living, I said that before. I believe the best way to live a meaningful life is simple: continuously grow as an individual and contribute to other people in a meaningful way. Growth and contribution. That’s all. That’s the meaning of my life.

7. Health is more important than most of us treat it. Without health, nothing else matters. It took me over a year and a half to lose 70 pounds—70 pounds of disgusting fat—but that was seven years ago and I’ve kept the weight off and I’m not turning back. I’m 30 years old now, but I’m in the best shape of my life, by far. And it’s only going to get better from here. I wrote about my exercise and diet in this essay: Minimalism Is Healthy: How I Lost 70 Pounds

8. Sentimental items are not as important as we think. My mother died in 2009. It was an incredibly difficult time in my life, but it also helped me realize a lot about the unnecessary meaning we give to stuff. I realized that I could hold on to her memories without her stuff, that I don’t need Mom’s stuff to remind me of her. There are traces of her everywhere: In the way I act, in the way I treat others, even in my smile. She’s still there, and she was never part of her stuff. I wrote an essay about that experience: Letting Go of Sentimental Items.

9. Your job is not your mission. At least it wasn’t for me, though I thought it was for the longest time, I gave it so much meaning and worked so much that the rest of my life suffered. I wrote an essay about leaving my corporate job to pursue my passions and live my mission: Screw You, I Quit! You can also check out Day 19 of our journey for further explanation.

10. Finding your passion is important. My passion is writing. Maybe you already know what your passion is, maybe you don’t have a clue. Do yourself a favor and figure it out, it will change everything for you. Read the above mentioned “Screw You, I Quit!” essay for more discussion about finding your passions.

11. Relationships matter. Not every relationship matters all that much, but there are a few that really, really matter. There are a few relationships we should focus on (for most of us there are a handful of relationships that truly matter, probably no more than 20). I’ve found that minimalism has helped me focus on these relationships. And I recently learned how to establish deeper connections with people.

12. You don’t need everyone to like you. We all want to be loved, it’s a mammalian instinct, but you can’t value every relationship the same, and thus you can’t expect everyone to love you the same. Life doesn’t work that way. Julien Smith articulates this sentiment very well in his essay The Complete Guide to Not Giving a Fuck: “when people don’t like you, nothing actually happens. The world does not end. You don’t feel them breathing down your neck. In fact, the more you ignore them and just go about your business, the better off you are.”

13. Status is a misnomer. Similar to “success,” our culture seems to place a lot of emphasis on material wealth as a sign of true wealth, and yet I know too many people of “status,” too many “rich” people—hell, I’ve been to some of their dinner parties—who are miserable, who are not wealthy at all. They are only ostensibly “rich,” but they are bankrupt inside, emotionally drained and broke almost everywhere except in their wallets. But perhaps Chuck Palahniuk said it best: “You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your khakis.”

14. Jealousy and envy are wasted emotions. This one might be easier for me than it is for you. I’ve never been the jealous type. In fact, it has hurt some relationships for me in the past, because I didn’t articulate this fact—that I’m not the jealous type—to the other person. It’s strange but some people expect us to be jealous to show that we care. Instead, I choose to show that I care about someone by showing that I trust them and telling them that I trust them. Just be up front with people, tell them you don’t get jealous because you love them and you trust them. It makes everything easier.

15. Everybody worships something. My favorite fiction writer, David Foster Wallace, said it best: “In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” Many of us chose to worship our stuff. That’s what led me to minimalism. Ryan and I wrote an essay about it at the beginning of the year: Everybody Worships Something.

16. I am not the center of the universe. It’s incredibly difficult to think about the world from a perspective other than our own. We are always worried about what’s going on in our lives. What does my schedule look like today? What if I lose my job during the next round of layoffs? Why can’t I stop smoking? Why am I overweight? Why am I not happy with my life? Suffice it to say that we are acutely aware of everything connected to our own lives. That’s why Ryan and I wrote an essay about consciously removing yourself the center of the universe; it’s about paying attention to what’s going on in front of you and around you and inside you: I Am Not The Center Of The Universe

17. Awareness is the most precious kind of freedom. This is yet another reason why minimalism is so appealing to so many people. It removes many of the obstructions and allows us to focus on what’s important. Minimalism is a tool to rid ourselves of superfluous excess in favor of a meaningful life, it is a tool to take a seemingly intricate and convoluted world, cluttered with its endless embellishments, and make it simpler, easier, realer. It is unimaginably hard to remain conscious and attentive and aware. It is difficult not to fall back into a trance-like state, surrounded by the trappings and obstructions of the tiring world around us. But it is important to do so, for this is real freedom. Ryan and I wrote an essay about awareness and conscious freedom for Nina Yau’s site earlier this year: Awareness: The Most Precious Kind of Freedom

18. Be On The Mountain. This is the term I use for “living in the moment.” I wrote an essay about it a few years ago: Be On The Mountain.

19. We are often scared for no reason. Just ask yourself “what am I afraid of?” We are usually scared of things that don’t have a real impact on our lives (or that we can’t control, so we’re worrying for no reason).

20. It’s OK to change; change is growth. We all want a different outcome, and yet most of us don’t want any change in our lives. Change equals uncertainty, and uncertainty equals discomfort, and discomfort isn’t much fun. But when we learn to enjoy the process of change—when we chose to look at the uncertain as varietyinstead of uncertainty—then we get to reap all the rewards of change. And that’s how we grow as people.

21. Pretending to be perfect doesn’t make us perfect. I am not perfect, and I never will be. I make mistakes and bad decisions, and I fail at times. I stumble, fall. I am human—a mixed bag, nuanced, the darkness and the light—as are you. And you are beautiful.

22. The past does not equal the future. My words are my words and I can’t take them back. You can’t change the past, so it’s important to focus on the present. If the past equaled the future, then your windshield would be of no use to you; you would simply drive your car with your eyes glued to the rearview mirror. But driving this way—only looking behind you—is a surefire way to crash. Ryan and I wrote an essay about letting go of the past: Your Past Does Not Equal Your Future.

23. Pain can be useful; but suffering—there is absolutely nothing useful about suffering. Pain lets us know that something is wrong. It is an indicator that we need to change what we’re doing. But suffering is a choice—one that we all choose from time to time—and we can choose to stop suffering, to learn a lesson from the pain and move on with our lives.

24. Doubt kills. The person who stops you from doing everything you want to do, who stops you from being completely free, who stops you from being healthy or happy or passionate or living a meaningful life is you. We can doubt ourselves to death.

25. It’s OK to wait. Leo Babauta always reminds his readers to slow down, thatwe don’t need to hurry. Sometimes it’s OK to wait a little longer for something. Why rush if you don’t have to? Why not enjoy the journey? Example: These days, when I’m walking the streets of Dayton or Portland or Oakland or wherever, I don’t rush across the crosswalk when I see the flashing red hand warning me that I need to hurry up and cross the damn street! Instead, I wait. I let red hand turn solid, warning me to halt! and I let the traffic light change color from green to yellow and then red, and I wait. I look around, I breathe, I think, and I wait. It’s OK to wait. We wrote an essay about waiting earlier this year: Reasons For Waiting. Also, clearing my plate helped me tremendously with this.

26. Honesty is profoundly important. Honesty, at the most simple level, is telling the truth, not lying. It’s incredibly important to be honest, and it’s hurtful when you’re not, but…

27. Openness is just as important as honesty. Openness is more complicated than honesty. Openness involves being honest, while painting an accurate picture, shooting straight, not misleading other people, and being real. Openness is far more subjective, and you have to be honest with yourself before you can be open with others. This doesn’t mean that you must put your entire life on display. Some things are private, and that’s OK too.

28. Adding value to other people is the only way to get their buy-in. We recently wrote an essay about adding value to other people. It’s something I’ve lived by for a long time. When I managed a large team of people I constantly asked them questions like, “how did you add value this week?” I also asked that same question of myself, and I would share with my team how I added value that week. That’s how I got their buy-in.

29. Hype is cancerous. While eating lunch with Leo in San Francisco he said something that stuck with me: “I’m allergic to hype.” That sentence touched my nerve-endings and resonated in a special way. So often we fall for the hype (e.g., “Buy More, Save More” and “Three Day Sale!”) and we are suckered into rash buying decisions because of scarcity and a false sense of urgency. But we can train ourselves to not only resist such hype, but to have a vitriolic reaction to the hype, to elicit a response so off-putting that we avoid anything that’s hyped. This goes back to being aware, which is, as I mentioned above, the most precious kind of freedom.

30. I’m still trying to figure it all out. I don’t intend to promulgate my views and opinions as some sort of life maxims or absolute lessons by which you should live your life. What works for me might not work for you (hell, sometimes it doesn’t even work for me).

I am definitely finding as I get older that I enjoy living with less. Smaller car, smaller condo, buying fewer groceries, eating out less (or eating cheaper when I go out), doing less expensive activities (expensive concerts and such don't do it for me), knowing everything I own and where it is and paying for experiences rather than THINGS- those are all important things to me. I think their blog has wonderful advice on getting out of what you think you "should" do rather than what makes you happy. What makes me happy may be different from what makes you happy, but I have grown in that I don't care as much on what other's think of my lifestyle or what I am expected to do and am enjoying figuring it all out on my own:)

Efficient Living

My brother has recently further fueled my reading blogs obsession with a new blog, Mr. Money Mustache. This blog is all about a dude who was smart enough about his money and way of life to retire with his wife at age thirty. I am a firm believer in saving money as much as you can and stashing away as much as you can for a rainy day at all times (because I think knowing you have money in case you need it is much more fun than spending it), but this blog talks more than just being "cheap" - it is about how we have so many unnecessities that we aren't really living or enjoying our life. So why don't we cut out more, be smart with our money and end up being happier?

I do a budget at the beginning of every month. I take my take-home pay (after taxes) and subtract my mortgage, average utilities (power, gas and cable/internet), automatic savings (Roth IRA and high interest savings account), average gas and grocery use, any special month expenses (wedding gifts, extra property tax payments, doctors, hair, travel, ect) and then allocate the remaining to categories for fun, like entertainment, shopping, and eating out. Some months I feel super rich, other months (like in the midst of wedding season), I feel like I have absolutely no money.

I am very lucky in that in my 3+ years of full-time working, I have only had to unexpectedly dip into my savings once, and it was this past winter for unexpected car issues. Luckily, I have extra sources of income through babysitting, ticket sales, and my pool management job this summer that supplement my take-home pay. That definitely helps during wedding season!

That all being said, I also am very smart with my money. I'm very comfortable with what I make (for the most part) and usually wait until the end of each month once I know how my spending is before I buy myself any "treats," like clothes, stuff for my condo or registering for races (those are expensive!). I am a firm believer in living efficiently- i.e. not wasting money for unnecessary reasons. I think it is silly how much people spend on day to day living and so much of it is wasteful. Spending more money does not lead to more happiness! I actually feel better when I know I have spent minimal money each month.

Living efficiently involves making small changes throughout each day. I am not perfect and could learn to cut in many areas, but I have a few where I succeed.

I believe in...

1. Making errands not a separate trip but an added few stops here and there when I am already out so as to minimize gas use and time; 
2. Killing time between activities at a coffee shop or library so I don't have to make multiple trips;
3. Not belonging to a gym and instead buying weights to have at home and getting outside or joining a sport for my exercise; 
4. Walking with friends instead of going out for food or drinks; 
5. Walking to the grocery store when I only need a few things; 
6. Keeping my house at a more moderate temperature during the cold/hot months; 
7. Living in a smaller space so I do not accumulate extra "stuff" I don't need (and so I can clean less!); 
8. Not having DVR or multiple TV's with cable (thank you, internet!);
9. Pre-paid phone plans so I only pay for what I use (and NO smartphones!);
10. Paying in cash for a car (and never having a car payment) and only buying ones that are gas and cost efficient (cars are not for show);
11. Waiting for movies to come to Redbox as opposed to going to the theaters (or at least a discount theater); 
12. Buying what is on sale at the grocery story; 
13. Cooking more meals (it is ok to just hang with friends w/o food); 
14. Not buying soda, bottled water and/or anything that is not alcohol. Water please!;
15. Buying all items off-brand;
16. Not being afraid on a day when nothing is going on to spend time by myself reading or watching TV (as opposed to spending time by spending money);
17. CHARGING all my spending to earn travel rewards and, in turn FREE MONEY;
18. Using my extra money for EXPERIENCES and not THINGS.

I have areas I need to work on. I recently jumped on the organic/all-natural food bandwagon so I need to work on my grocery bill, and I am not good at fixing things, so I tend to pay people to do those things for me, but overall I think I am pretty decent at minimal spending. Also, I hate the term "cheap" being used to describe this lifestyle- I truly believe it is our duty to try to live on less because life and things are fleeting- experiences are what count. We waste so much time and money on things that do not bring us happiness (that "outfit" you have to have or product that will "change your life"). I made a pact with myself long ago that travel is important to me- hence why all my extra money goes to travel (and I am a pretty decent traveler in terms of saving money...sans hostels). I have less stress when I know that I am doing my part, not only for my life, but for our world.

What do you do to live efficiently?

Mo' Money

I was watching a commercial the other day about a fancy sleepmaster mattress and it got me thinking about what I would spend my money on if I made, let's say, $15,000 more a year than I do currently (Why $15,000? Well, I wanna make it enough so I would really notice a big difference in my monthly take home income).

Now, I am very good with money. I have spoken before about starting up a Roth IRA, which I maximize each year, and I automatically save a certain amount of money every month. I also have a specific savings for traveling, so I live on much less than what I make but by choice. I am always budget conscious, so I know each month where my money is going before the month even begins (thanks to mint.com and a notebook I keep on my expenses by week). Needless to say, I am not throwing my money away on non-necessities because I LOVE to save money. Whether it will go towards a car, a house or just a rainy day fund, I like knowing I have money if I need it. I think KNOWING I have it is even more fun than SPENDING it. Weird, I know!

Therefore, while I do leave money for enjoyment, I am not going to Starbucks every day, eating out for every meal, going to movies or concerts all the time or going crazy at the mall each week. But here are things I would spend more money on, if I made a little more:

• Organic Produce
• Prepared food from Whole Foods so I wouldn't have to cook and could get more nutrients than frozen meals.
• Travel. I travel frequently as it is, but maybe I would do a few more long weekend trips with a little extra cash!
• Register for more races. Those torturous runs are expensive!
• Buy a new car. I may do this anyways, but I DEFINITELY would if I had more $$.
• Starbucks more than once a week. Maybe twice?!
• Quality clothes. I always look for deals, so it would be nice to buy what I want as opposed to what I can afford.
• Heating & Cooling. Turn those suckers up!
• Spray tans!
• Quality makeup & facial products
• More haircuts (and maybe some highlights)
• Nicer rugs and home furnishings
• Egyptian cotton sheets

Things that wouldn't change:

• Eating out. I am not a big believer in spending a lot of money at restaurants. It's a waste and unhealthy.
• Savings. I already save plenty (hence why I live on a tighter budget than I need to), so I wouldn't change much more of how much I put away. Maybe add an extra $100/month.
• Where I live. I think I live in the perfect amount of space and in a perfect location for my life now. I don't want to buy a bigger house just to. I like knowing what I have and not having as much to clean:)!

So I think my life wouldn't be much better or change much, but perhaps would be a little more convenient or healthy.

Would you live much differently with more money?

Homeowner!

                                                                Front door of my building!

When I wrote my previous post about the home buying experience being a roller coaster, I really had no idea what I was talking about. The past few weeks have been nothing short of awful. I was in an awful mood and an emotional wreck. I never cry (it’s weird…only movies usually get to me) and I cried daily, and not just tears, but sobbing breakdowns. My original loan company told me that they could not do the loan after all, even with all the extra paperwork/documents they requested and received, and that they didn’t even know if I could get a loan period. Then the next mortgage company they contacted said they could probably give me a loan but their interest rate and closing costs were higher, which I couldn't afford. I also kept being told that I would know 100% the next day if the loan(s) would happen…and then the next…and then the next…and next next next next. I basically told my realtor that I wanted out. Safe to say I lost my mind- I even put a deposit on an apartment in desperation.

But it did work out. I heard on Friday that the loan was *officially* approved and I closed yesterday (getting that cashiers check for the down payment was an interesting experience…who knows if I will ever have that much money in my savings account again- definitely took a picture)! I am officially a homeowner! I have been slowly moving in the past two days and will continue to do so for the rest of the week. But I am taking a day off tomorrow to have furniture delivered/internet and TV set up!

Inside pictures to come- I gotta decorate first. But email me if you want my new address- it’s super pretty!

                                                             My building containing 8 units

                                                            The pool for my summers off:)

                                            The view from my bedroom window- not too shabby!

Store vs. Generic

Since the past 6 months for me have been about trying to save as much money as possible to have a 20% down payment when I buy my first place and enough money left over so I am not poor, I have been cutting costs every way I can. I used to go out to eat 2-3 times a week with friends, now I go at most once a week, and often not even that. I see less movies (and go to more discount theaters), carpool more to work, walk to stores more, go to less happy hours and have not bought any clothes /shoes for myself since LAST SPRING (Crazy right? It also helps that I live in an apartment with little closet space, so I don’t have room for many new apparel items anyways. I also am learning to actually wear my clothes more than once a month…which is a good thing). Another area I have cut down in is groceries (I think the vegetarianism has helped here as well because my main staples are rice, beans and veggies), because I have begun buying more store brand items rather than brand name.

It is ironic that this has happened, because when I was younger I remember HATING to get Richfood products (Ukrops’ store brand). As always, this is always a tricky field to navigate because some store brand stuff is GREAT or at least comparable, while others…not so much. It also depends where you shop- store brand at Kroger is different than store brand at Giant or Target. I like the rule of thumb that dry foods are good to buy store brand, while most canned, dairy, meats or frozen food is more of a gamble.

Here are my favorite store brand items (from Giant):

Granola Bars

Cereal (half the cost and just as good...as long as you’re not getting fancy cereal)

Oatmeal

Frozen Veggies (I like the kind that steam in the bag in the microwave)

Bread

Beans (Beans are beans…Bushes or not)

Carrots

Cake Mix

Rice/Pasta

Chips/ Pretzels/Cookie Snacks

Best to buy brand name:
Soup

Bagged Lettuce

Yogurt

Ice Cream

Frozen Dinners

Almond Milk

Cookies

I would say that 75% of my food is store brand, while the other 25% is either fruits or veggies which are not either or food I purposefully buy brand names for. What are your opinions of store vs. generic food? Any things I should try or avoid?