tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25347103226319961612024-02-07T18:43:09.295-08:00The Buff MillionaireOne Woman's Journey For Ultimate Fitness and Financial FreedomUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-81163839268399784362015-04-30T15:08:00.000-07:002015-04-30T15:08:18.643-07:00The "More Money May" ChallengeFor April, I issued myself the 100-Miles Challenge, and many others joined me--and <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/04/100-mile-challenge-update.html" target="_blank">kicked some serious ass</a>, so great job to everyone who met/exceeded their goals. Many people have even asked me if we could do another challenge for the miles, and I am all for it, even if unofficial. Let's do it!<br />
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For May, I wanted to focus on financial goals as the primary challenge, so I decided in early April that the challenge for May would be to <strong><u>Save $500, NOT including any of the retirement account transfers/deductions</u></strong>. I thought of the phrase "More Money May" the other day, and thought it was perfect, so that is what the challenge will be called. <br />
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Here is where I currently stand so I know if I hit my goal or not:<br />
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-Currently about $2115 combined in all non-retirement savings accounts, so by the end of May, to meet goal would be <strong>at least $2615</strong>. <br />
-About $70/week is automatically deposited into savings from my paycheck (none from Shaun's since is still currently unemployed), so that is about $280/month so far.<br />
-With some <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/03/some-recent-smart-decisions-in-buff.html" target="_blank">Smart Decisions</a>, we are able to save $22 off bills we didn't need, so that brings it to about $300 automatically saved every month. Which is actually more than I thought was occurring, so that's great. Now to bump it even higher!<br />
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So with that, I have to make up about $200 to hit the $500 challenge I set. I guess it's time I start <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/01/14-ideas-to-start-your-nest-egg.html" target="_blank">using some of</a> <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/04/mucho-moolah-some-creative-ways-to-make.html" target="_blank">my own advice</a>, hmm?<br />
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Would you like to join me with your own "More Money May" challenge? Whether your personal challenge is $500, or you're well ahead of me and challenge yourself to way more (GO YOU), or even if you're just starting out and challenge yourself to something smaller--it all counts. The biggest point is to make sure that you choose something that is challenging for YOUR current situation. I'd love to help cheer you on as you're working on the challenge. Comment below with your challenge and let's tackle this!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-7022372198310889432015-04-28T11:00:00.000-07:002015-04-30T12:13:52.425-07:00Mucho Moolah: Some Creative Ways to Make Extra MoneyHave you been looking for some extra ways to pad your pocket or savings (or even for fun)? I had <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/01/14-ideas-to-start-your-nest-egg.html" target="_blank">previously written</a> some of my ideas on how to save money to start your nest egg, and I thought it would be good to flip the coin and brainstorm some ways to make some extra cash.<br />
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Some of these are "duh" obvious (but we can all always use reminders sometimes) and some may be weird or random, but when it comes to hustling, anything (legal) goes!<br />
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Here are some of the ones I have come up with. Do you have an idea on how to make extra money that I didn't think of? (Very easy to do since I am just one person.) Please share it in the comments so we can build an even greater list!<br />
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Ways to make extra money:</h2>
1. We all know the obvious option for <u>extra hours</u>. Whether it's some OT or maybe a second job, picking up some extra hours is a good way to finance a short term need or something you're saving for.<br />
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(Side note, if you are looking for maybe some at home options for extra work, I did recently find <a href="http://wahadventures.com/" target="_blank">this site</a> that focuses on work at home [WAH] opportunities that I thought was really awesome and may be looking into some options myself soon. )<br />
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2. Along the same lines as extra hours, you could also do some odd jobs to snag some dough. Mow your neighbor's lawn, help someone move, house/pet sit for someone... there are lots of possibilities, and with a bit of thought, I bet you could come up with quite a few that you could do right away even. <br />
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3. Freelancing/Consulting. While these do technically qualify as extra hours, and maybe even odd jobs depending on what you do, freelancing and consulting are more about taking your skills and charging for them on a regular basis with recurring clients than the typical one-off that an odd job may be. Freelancing can be as simple as dog walking for a regular client to anything as complicated/advanced as you can imagine. What are your skills? I bet there's an opportunity for it somewhere.<br />
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4. Sell your clutter. I bet you're like me and have a bunch of random crap lying around that you don't need, or necessarily want. Get rid of it and get some money at the same time by selling it. Ebay, Craigslist, and even Amazon are your friends. (Amazon will give you account credit for what you sell to them.) There are also sometimes local places like music stores/book stores/etc. that will take certain things, so there are lots of options to be explored. Bonus: getting rid of your crap clears up space and helps cut down on mental stress.<br />
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5. Sell your creativity. Are you a crafty person with things taking over your place (either supplies or finished projects or both like me)? You could sell your crafts through places like Etsy or other sites, through craft fairs or at conventions, etc. There's also sites like Zazzle and CafePress for creating things to put up for sale. <br />
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6. Donate Plasma.Some Basic research I did indicates that selling plasma averages around $25 per visit and that you can donate up to twice a week. Say what?! That's an extra $200/month right there! Bonus: You are potentially saving lives or helping research progress by donating your plasma. <br />
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7. Take surveys. I haven't participated in surveys in a long time, so I don't know what the best sites are, but there are online sites that do pay small amounts for opinions so this could be worth checking out if you have some spare time for those surveys.<br />
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8. Be a Mystery Shopper. Like many extra money opportunities, mystery shopping won't replace your full-time income, but hey, if you're going to go somewhere anyway and there's an option for doing so, might as well get paid a few dollars for your opinion of their service. Here is a <a href="http://www.mysteryshoppersamerica.com/" target="_blank">site </a>I found that could help find some mystery shopping options. <br />
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9. Paid Search Engines. Admittedly, I had heard about sites that are paid search engines, such as Bing, but always thought they were a scam and never signed up. But I had a friend confirm they are not a scam and that she had been using them for years, so I went ahead and signed up. I can't speak for any other sites that do this (if there are any) but Bing earns credits for searches that can be redeemed for various gift cards. At 1 credit per 2 searches with a maximum per day, it can be a slow process, but it's one of those things that if you are going to be doing something anyway (in this case web search), you may as well get rewarded for it. You can sign up <a href="https://www.bing.com/explore/rewards?PUBL=REFERAFRIEND&CREA=RAW&rrid=_adf683a1-4205-9dba-68ad-56ee17b39d77" target="_blank">here</a>. (That is a referral link, so I will get a few points for the first 5 people to use it.)<br />
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10. Speaking of gift cards, do you have any gift cards lying around that you have no use for? You can sell them at a <a href="https://www.coinstar.com/coinstarexchange" target="_blank">Coinstar Kiosk</a>. I just learned about this recently, so I don't know what the exchange percentage is, but according to their site, you can accept their offered amount or not. I know there are some sites that you can sell/exchange the cards as well, but if you were looking for a faster cash option, of course a Coinstar option will be closer. <br />
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11. Recycle. Have a bunch of recyclable things lying around? Many grocery stores have bottle redemption centers where you can return bottles and get the recycle value for it, up to a certain amount of bottles per day. And depending on the area you are in, you may also find full recycling centers that also accept the paper and cans recyclables. It's a quick and easy way to clear some clutter from your place and make a few dollars while you're at it. Bonus: It's good for the environment. <br />
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So there are some ways to make some extra money. I hope this helps inspire some creativity in your pursuits! Remember, if you can think of additional ideas to make some side money, please share them in the comments below!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-53059853185458742032015-04-21T13:56:00.001-07:002015-04-21T13:56:38.248-07:00100 Mile Challenge UpdateI just wanted to do a very quick update on the <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/03/100-miles-challenge-for-april-2015-are.html" target="_blank">100 Miles Challenge</a> that I started just so I can have "official" record of how we're doing (since I have been posting on Facebook for accountability<br />
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As of Sunday's totals (haven't added in the new numbers since then), I am about 72-point-something and my husband is at about 55-point-something. So, with 9 days left in the month, we are on good track to meet, or beat, that 100 mile mark challenge. We are also participating in the March of Dimes walk this coming Saturday (4/25) which is about a 5-6 mile walk from what I was told, so that will definitely help in the overall goal. <br />
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I am also aware that some people who accepted my challenge are doing so well that they have since self-challenged themselves to a 200-Mile challenge and are on their way to meeting that goal, so I am super proud of them and excited for them. Kicking ass and taking names is a great thing. A few others took the challenge in spirit, but challenged themselves to their own personal fitness challenges (like x amount of Yoga every day or X amount of added gym minutes/sets) and have, as far as I am aware, been doing well on their personal challenges as well. I love it when people take an idea and make it work for their own situation and challenge themselves! Keep it up, guys!<br />
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How are you doing on your own challenges? Please feel free to let us know in the comments below, or if Facebook is more your thing, there is a newly-formed page I created that you can find <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebuffmillionaireblog?fref=ts" target="_blank">here</a>. I hope you are doing well on your goals and meeting your own personal challenges! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-17953066463520723222015-04-20T10:17:00.000-07:002015-04-21T10:25:01.340-07:00Book Review: The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & BrokeA few weeks ago, I read through Suze Orman's book, <em>The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke </em>and, as always when I read a book that is related to the topics of this blog (Fitness or Finance), I wanted to share some of my thoughts on it. <br />
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Suze's <em>Young, Fabulous and Broke</em> (or YFB) book is, as its name implies, is written with a target audience in mind of younger readers who may be first navigating their way through the financial world. This book discusses everything from credit score, building savings, how to analyze your investments, and almost everything in between, and is a great resource. <br />
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At over 300+ pages, it would be impossible to discuss every topic, but the whole book is broken down into categories and gives information at the beginning of the chapter, then answers specific situations in a question and answer style, then does a chapter recap with actionable items for that chapter. So you can read in order from front to back, or just dive in with something you may have been having trouble with or have been wondering about. I always find that this style is most helpful, because you don't want to have to read dozens of pages to find the two-five sentences that you were looking for, so I greatly appreciate that. <br />
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One thing I thought was strange, was that in her chapter about buying a house, Suze actually goes as far to say directly that "flat out, a home is the best big-ticket purchase you will ever make" and she actually believes that it is a good investment strategy. Here's the thing: I simply do NOT agree with that sentiment. If you are buying a home structure for the purposes of renting it out or if you are a skilled "flipper", then sure, buying a house can be an investment strategy. But your primary residence that you yourself live in? No. That is not an investment. <br />
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Many people buy houses expecting them to appreciate so much they can sell for a profit later in life, but that is not a guarantee, and many studies and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/business/why-home-prices-change-or-dont.html?_r=0" target="_blank">articles</a> show that, after inflation is accounted for, housing prices actually don't change upward that much. Through the life of living in a house, mortgage interest, property taxes, and general maintenance of the house typically means you will pay much more than the purchase price (double or sometimes many times over), and of course you never know if there will be another housing bust like that of 2007-2008 that leaves your $200,000 house worth $50,000. If you are buying your home for your own personal reasons outside of it being an investment, then by all means, please do. (We certainly plan to when we're able to!) Just try to keep in mind the true price of home ownership in your dealings. <br />
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However, when it comes to buying a home, YFB did give one piece of advice that I thought was pretty genius: "Play house before you buy a house." The basic idea is this: After figuring out a general idea of what your mortgage could be (look up house prices in area, check to see interest rates and possible mortgage based on your credit score, etc.), add 40% to cover maintenance, etc., and transfer the difference between your current rent and the increased amount for 6 months to your savings account. For example, if your estimated mortgage plus that 40% is $1450 and you currently pay $1000 in rent (totally made up numbers on my part), transfer $450/month to savings for 6 months. If you miss one payment, or are consistently late transferring the money, you are not ready to take on the burden of actual homeownership. I think this is a great way to practice paying that higher amount, and of course as Suze points out, it does help boost the down payment you're working towards.<br />
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So overall, I think this book is a very useful resource. Even if you are not "YFB", it does explain things in a pretty clear and easy to understand terms. It would be worth a read or look if you are looking for some basic information on saving, investing, home ownership, or other topics having to do with personal finance. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-60582291097404834292015-04-06T14:23:00.002-07:002015-04-06T14:23:21.233-07:00Workout Focus: How the 5x5 makes you Better and Stronger, FasterMy Husband and I have been (inconsistently) working on the 5x5 workout since the beginning of February and since it has been very helpful for me so far, I thought I would share some information about it. If you are looking for a strength building routine, you may want to consider the 5x5 Workout. <br />
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The 5x5 workout (which stands for 5 sets of 5 reps) is a weight training regimen designed to help you build strength at a faster pace than if you were to do the "traditional" 4 sets of 10-12 reps routine. The idea is to make those 5 sets challenging enough that you feel as though you DID do the full 10-12 rep routine, and since it is compound muscle workouts, you are getting more "bang for your buck", so to speak, in both muscle strength and time spent at the gym. Since we lift weights on opposite days of each other, the routine takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour (though that is with waiting for weights on occasion, so could be less.)<br />
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We do 5 sets of 5 reps of Bench press, Squats, Deadlifts, and Shoulder raises on alternating days with the goal of lifting 3 times per week. (Goal, being the key word at the moment since we have not done the workout in a couple weeks right now.) Most articles or resources that talk about 5x5 routine suggest that you start at lower weights for your first set and add weights throughout the sets, but we find that that brings us too close to the kind of failure that can lead to injury (instead of just exhaustion and not finishing the set), so we instead switched it to be the heavy/max weight on the earlier sets and find that it is very helpful for us. We work toward adding one more set of the high weight each time we go, until all 5 sets are at the highest weight-then add more and start the process over again. Between sets, you would rest about a minute or so, so you can power through the next set.<br />
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Here's what a typical workout looks like, using some of my most recent numbers, with the high(er) weight sets at the beginning:<br />
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Bench press: 3 sets at 75 pounds, 2 sets at 65 pounds. <br />
Deadlift: 3 sets at 115 pounds, 2 sets at 95 pounds. <br />
Squat: 5 sets at 155 pounds.*<br />
Shoulder Press: 2 sets at 20 pounds each hand (40 pounds total), 3 sets at 15 pounds each hand (30 total). <br />
-We'll also do about 15-20 minutes of cardio to help burn fat, or in my case sometimes, I will walk home from the gym, which is about a mile from our apartment. (Though when we get back to the workout and get consistent again, I am really going to work on doing more actual high intensity cardio to help burn these last few pounds before goal weight faster.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*For the squats, I started at 135 and tried 155 for a few sets and the next workout felt like the 135 didn't offer as much as a challenge as it could have, so did the 155 for all 5 sets. This is one way the workout helps build strength faster.</span> <br />
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So there you have the 5x5 workout, which in addition to helping us build strength even when we have been inconsistent, is a workout that is easy to master and improve on as you go. It will help you add strength a bit quicker and you can use it as a stand alone workout, or in conjunction with other workouts you may do to help get to your goals. We had considered using it as a jumping off point build strength/endurance so we could ACTUALLY do the <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/09/buff-dudes-12-week-challenge.html" target="_blank">Buff Dudes' Challenge</a> that we didn't finish before, but we're not sure what we're going to do yet. (But that is the nice thing, we have possibilities and find something that works well for us.)<br />
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Do you have any workouts that have been working really well for you and the goals your reaching toward? Please share in the comments below. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-45072841148514994412015-03-31T17:07:00.000-07:002015-03-31T17:55:29.796-07:00100 Miles Challenge for April 2015-Are You IN?!In light of the fact that my exercise in general has been much more lackluster than I would have liked (lazy? lack of willpower? outside circumstances? who knows....), I recently decided to issue myself a challenge for the month of April. The goal is to get back on the bandwagon and keep going and to help get more consistent in general again and I always find that a self-issued challenge helps give me focus and something to work toward for improvement.<br />
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So my personal challenge to myself is this: In the month of April, I will get to BARE MINIMUM 100 miles, whether it is through regular walks, the elliptical, classes, or general everyday movements--or more likely, a combination of various things--I will make sure to hit at least 100 miles by end of day April 30th. That's roughly 3.3 miles a day on average, which is absolutely doable, and I suspect that I will get much more, but for the sake of a realistic and attainable goal, I chose the conservative number of 100 Miles. <br />
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For Tracking and accountability, I will be posting this here and on my social media so people can check in and see how I am doing. <br />
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Are you interested in joining the challenge with your own numbers? Are you looking for some accountability and support? Even if your goal is much smaller, come on down! And just because I called it the "Fitbit" Challenge, that is just because what I will be using to track it (and I am not affiliated with them), but if you have another method to track, that's welcome too! Please feel free to comment below and tell me your own personal challenge!<br />
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<i>Update 3/21/2015: Since I'd like people to participate, I changed the name of the post from "Fitbit Miles Challenge" to Simply "100 Miles Challenge". </i> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-8741241779833722122015-03-13T14:53:00.002-07:002015-03-13T15:13:17.281-07:00Book Revew: Why Smart People Make Big Money MistakesI finished reading the book <em>Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them; Lessons from the New Science of Behaviorial Economics</em> By Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich about a week and a half or two weeks ago and wanted to share some thoughts. This was the book that I was trying to get from the library when I checked <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-why-smart-people-do-stupid.html" target="_blank">this one</a> out, but the latest version wasn't available so I got the other one. Then I decided that it would be a worthy read even if it is not the latest edition, then it became a matter of waiting for it to become available, which is always the hardest part. <br />
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As the name implies, this book talks not only about some money issues that people face, but also tries to offer some practical advice on how to change your behavior or habits to resolve those issues. I found the book to be a pretty easy, and quick, read with some interesting insights. Here are some things from the book that may be helpful:<br />
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One quote that I liked in the book's introduction was "Sometimes people make mistakes because they behave like sheep, and sometimes they err because they behave like mules." In context, the authors say this because they are talking about how they will discuss both blindly going with the crowd on decisions, and how to avoid stubbornly going against things, even if would be good to go with it. But this line stuck with me because it really can apply, like many concepts in the book overall, to more than just money decisions. <br />
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Here are some concepts that were discussed, and their relevant tips that may help you if you do any of these:<br />
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-<strong>Mental Accounting</strong>, which is the tendency to treat money differently based on the source it comes from or what it is intended for, or to spend more on credit than you would with an outright cash purchase. As the authors point out, this can be very beneficial when it comes to making sure bills get paid because you have money set aside that won't get spent on random things, but not so beneficial when you treat windfall money differently than money you earn. (An example they give is a fictional woman who was a savvy investor with her own money who got an inheritance from her grandmother and refused to invest because her mental accounting viewed "Grandma's Money" as more sacred than her own. Her lack of investing that money would cost her thousands in gains over the years.)<br />
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I know that I personally do some creative mental accounting (such as multiple savings accounts for different goals), but I try to keep it to the positive form of it (since all bills ARE paid, savings and investments are being funded, etc.), but if you do this and it's the not-so-positive version, they give recommendations like remembering that every dollar spends the same (so don't hold onto money from one source more than another), and using mental accounting to your advantage by using payroll deductions/direct deposit for savings, etc.<br />
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-<strong>Decision Paralysis- </strong>I've also seen this called <em>Analysis Paralysis</em> before, which I think sounds more interesting, and we ALL know what that is: Too much information means it's hard to make a choice or decision, and often we end up not doing anything for a while, if at all. <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/02/financial-check-up.html" target="_blank">Not like I would know anything about that...</a> In addition to discussing some methods on how to deal with this (Like Automated investments, and reframing things in your mind to be more about what to REJECT rather than SELECT), they also started the chapter that discusses this by quoting Rush's <em>Free Will; "</em>If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." And, really, how can you go wrong by quoting an awesome Rush song?<br />
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The book also discusses and attempts to help on several other things like Loss Aversion Mentality, Overconfidence, Confirmation Bias and more. Overall, I think this is a very worthwhile read. I really like that the authors give easily digestible, and more importantly, actionable ideas on improving money situations (and as you read it and think about it, other areas of life, too).<br />
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This was the first version of the book, from 1995, so I don't know how much is different in the newer edition(s), but I am sure it would be just as beneficial (if not more so) as this one. If you are interested in this sort of information, I would recommend giving this book a peek. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-85280051172660893622015-03-12T14:49:00.000-07:002015-03-12T14:49:00.861-07:00Some Recent Smart Decisions In the Buff Millionaire HouseRecently, the husband unit and I have been going through things and making changes that eliminate waste or will save us money, or both. (Well, mostly me and he just goes along with it, because try as he does, when it comes to finances, his eyes glaze over and he cannot focus/absorb it. But he does other things to help.) Here are some things that have been changed around or refocused to help cut things down, in no particular order:<br />
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-I set up a non tax-tax advantaged joint investment account for us in addition to the Roth IRAs <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/02/financial-check-up.html" target="_blank">I had set up</a> previously, so that our money can start to grow for us. I funded this with $25 just to start because I have not yet decided from which of our savings account this will be funded. But, as with anything, the most important part is getting started since things can always be tweaked or streamlined later. <br />
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-We ditched our Hulu Plus account. We realized (or rather, re-realized as we had come to the conclusion before but didn't do anything about it) that we watched MAYBE three shows through Hulu Plus, and those shows were available through the free version so we could just use the HDMI Cable to watch them when available. So long, <strong>$8/month</strong> wastefulness! I currently have this amount auto-transferred to our main savings account on the day of the month that it usually debited from. After all, what is the point of saving an expense if you are not actually <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/01/14-ideas-to-start-your-nest-egg.html" target="_blank">Saving the money</a>? <br />
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-I realized that since the car is paid off, and it was only the lien holder that required comprehensive and collision coverage, I went online and changed coverage to eliminate those, which will save us approximately <strong>$15/month</strong>, starting on the April 20th billing. (I assume it's so far from now because of the renewal cycle...) And, like above, once it starts deducting less, I will have the savings auto-transferred on the day the bill hits. The next thing will be to call up the insurance company for renter's insurance (since changes can't be made online) and see what changes can be made there, if any.<br />
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[Related Side Note: Changing your insurance coverage or deductibles is a very easy way to save money, and one I would recommend very highly. If, for example, you have a $250 deductible for car insurance, bumping it to $500 or $1000 could help save you some serious money over the long term. And this can apply to all insurance that you carry. As you save more money and have enough in savings to cover those eventual (and usually unlikely) deductibles, change as many as you can and the savings should start to add up.]<br />
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-Not yet implemented, but I had the idea that instead of depositing checks into checking and transferring things to savings, that I would instead reverse it and deposit every thing into the main savings account and then once a month, transfer the monthly bill/expense budget to checking. The Other Half worried that since his unemployment checks get direct deposited, and they were not exactly speedy in getting it right the first time, that it would mess that up. I initially agreed with this sentiment, but I think it may be worth looking into again. Especially since, as it currently stands, a certain amount is direct deposited into checking for bills and what's left over gets deposited to savings, but because the way bill cycles work, some things have to come from savings as a debit and then when the weekly check that covers it comes through the money gets transferred back to savings. By changing everything to savings and then just a flat amount once a month to checking, it should help eliminate the confusion and time spent transferring money BACK to savings, and allow me to see at a glance where things stand and less math involved. (What can I say? I am lazy and anything over 5 minutes a month spent balancing numbers is excessive.) So we'll have to see what we can do on that. Worst case scenario is that we just deal with the weird back and forth for a bit longer and just start fresh when he gets a new job. <br />
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So those were some small changes and reductions in wastefulness we made recently. For the two service changes, we'll save at least $22/month, for less than 15 minutes total work. Now THAT is a nice return on investment. <br />
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Have you made any "small" changes recently that will turn into big results, or any other smart decisions for your finances lately? Comment below with your experiences! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-24267546111045719512015-02-27T13:08:00.000-08:002015-02-27T13:08:24.335-08:00Fitness Check-InI recently did a check-in for the <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2015/02/financial-check-up.html" target="_blank">financial side of my quest</a>, and realized that it had been sort of a while since I had updated on the fitness side, so I thought I'd do a quick rundown: <br />
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<strong>Current weight:</strong> (as of last weigh in on Sunday 2/22) 180.4 pounds--Just a mere 10 pounds from my <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/07/about-buff-millionaire.html" target="_blank">originally stated goal</a> weight of 170! So I am very excited about that. I had, due to holidays and general less-exercise-than-usual, had been stuck at 181-184 for a while, so it's nice to finally break that, if even by a little. I expect that if I stayed consistent and maybe even work just a bit harder, I could be around 170 by Mid-March or so. Since I am happy/comfortable when my old clothes in my closet fit, and this doesn't require an exact number on the scale (after all, that number doesn't account for muscle anyway), I am confident that I will be there very soon. (And I guess I better start trying on said clothes semi-regularly to see how I am doing...)<br />
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Fitness Levels compared to goals:<br />
<strong>Running</strong>: ehhhh... it's been a while since I have ran consistently, so I am not sure what it would be. I know that six months ago on my birthday, I said that by 29, I'd like to <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/08/28th-birthday-and-goals-for-upcoming.html" target="_blank">run 10 miles</a>, but I haven't been working on that. Hmmm. I wonder if I could get to that level in time. That's 6 months (give or take a few days) away, so maybe. Though, lately I have taken to a mindset to not set such specific goals because I get very upset when I don't meet (or beat) them, which can cause me to get demotivated and lose sight of the bigger picture that being healthy and strong will be a lifelong journey and accomplishment. Not to say that goals are not important, they definitely are, but I feel it's also important to not beat myself up over it as long as I am working on it. (Sitting around being lazy and not working on anything, on the other hand, is fair game for me to beat myself up for....)<br />
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Weights: (Current Max weights)<br />
Squats: 135 Pounds<br />
Deadlifts: 115 Pounds<br />
Bench: 75 Pounds<br />
Pushups: I am up to about 40 wall-based pushups, though have not worked on it in about 2 weeks. <br />
Shoulders: 20 Pounds each hand (40 total)<br />
-Not currently working on pull-ups/lat pull downs, clean and press, or isolated muscles (other than shoulder press) as husband and I are currently working on a 5*5 program to up our strength. (Which will be it's own post here in the future.)<br />
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So that's where I am currently--making some pretty decent progress all told. How are you doing with your goals. Please weigh in (no pun intended) below in the comments!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-24577942915806170852015-02-20T14:39:00.000-08:002015-02-20T14:39:11.953-08:00Book Review: NudgeI recently finished reading (yesterday, actually) <em>Nudge: Improving Decisions for Better Health, Wealth, and Happiness</em> by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. Here are some of my thoughts on it:<br />
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If you are unaware,<em> Nudge</em> is about, as the back cover says, "Choices-how we make them and how we're led to make better ones." It addresses common problems, such as savings rates for retirement, making better health decisions, reducing environmental impacts and a few other things where choices could be made better. They talk early on about nudges come from what they call "Libertarian Paternalism" and "....Influencing Choices in a way that will make the choosers better off, by their own judging." In other words, they want to make it easier for people to make better choices. <br />
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Some interesting points made in the book:<br />
<ul>
<li>No matter how much we believe otherwise, we are all "Sheeple" (my words, not theirs) and are prone to being influenced by other people or outside factors, even if unconsciously. </li>
<li>Because we do crave approval from others or want to do what others are doing , if people are doing something that is good/better than others, it is best not to tell them so. A line from the book that I liked on this subject was: "If you want to nudge people into socially desirable behavior, do not, by any means, let them know that their current actions are better than the social norm." An example they give on this, is people in a certain city/neighborhood being given information on their energy use in comparison to their neighbors', and those that were told their use was lower than the average use, their consumption went up but those who were told that their use was higher than average brought theirs down. But when given either a smiley face or frownie face for good/bad usage, those with good usage didn't tend to change to a higher consumption. So, overall, don't tell people if they are doing better than average or normal. </li>
</ul>
Some great Nudges they mention:<br />
<ul>
<li>For Increasing people's retirement savings rates, they propose employers have automatic enrollment into retirement plans for employees, with an opt-out option instead of the current opt-in that most employers have currently. The authors also talk about an idea, "Save More Tomorrow", which automatically increases the contribution account at a set time frame (e.g every 6 months). I think this is a great idea, and if implemented by more companies (some already do), it could really help reduce the crises of people not being prepared for retirement and not having enough from social security. </li>
<li>Speaking of Social Security, the authors talk about how Sweden had semi-privatized Social Security by setting aside part of the fund into investment accounts for individuals and allow them to select the investments or to use the default fund that was selected by experts. I think this idea is really interesting. People have to pay social security tax anyway, so to have a chance to have a say in how it is accumulates/grows is quite a concept. I would really be interested in learning more about this...</li>
<li>One other Nudge that I found interesting was, in relation to increasing organ donorship, the authors talk about a mandated choice program (being required to choose whether your answer is yes or no), and mentions how Illinois has a similar program in place already where when at the DMV you have to select if you are a donor or not before the license can be renewed/etc. If you say yes, they will advise you that family cannot override this and if you would like to reconsider. I find this to be an interesting concept because it helps for the greater good (more organ donations) without intruding on people's right to decline to be a donor, and makes it convenient--which is the entire point of a NUDGE. </li>
</ul>
Overall, I think this book is an interesting insight into various topics and choices, and a worthwhile read for those reasons, but I think I would have liked some more information on how an individual can incorporate better choices/nudges into their own life, rather than broad spectrum information for larger beings (governments, corporations, etc.). So I will give this a total score of 4/5. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-15453210614131327542015-02-07T18:11:00.000-08:002015-02-07T18:11:14.465-08:00Financial Check-UpLast week, I FINALLY set up both mine and hubby's Roth IRA, with automatic funding of $50 each monthly. Why in the holy hell did I not do this before? Well, to be honest, I was in the "I know I should do it but don't know what to do, so do nothing" phase. Which, when I think about it, is very interesting, considering I set up the 401Ks and set them with lifecycle funds so that it at least could grow while I/we figured out what we should do with it, but for some reason that same logic didn't carry over to setting up the IRA account. <br />
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But the important thing is that it is at least set up NOW, and that it will be (with $50/month) an extra $600/year for each of us ($1200 total) that will go towards investment and savings. Of course, every little bit adds up, and we'll be looking for ways to add even more to it as we go on. But now we have to figure out what we'll do with the accumulated funds. I guess that will be my next reading material or quest.<br />
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I figured since that is finally set up, now is as good a time as any to do a progress report and see where I stand, at least financially. So, here we go:<br />
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<b>Savings</b> (between all accounts): ~$2500<br />
<b>401k:</b> Mine is about $1100, but was transferred by previous employer to a rollover IRA. (And I need to set up 401k with current employer, even though it doesn't offer a match, but need to call because they had trouble finding my info in the online verification system.) Hubby's is about the same, but has not yet been rolled over that we are aware of.<br />
<b>Car Payment: </b>$0 as I mentioned recently in the end of year check in, <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/12/end-of-year-goals-check-in.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Woohoo!<br />
<b>Roth Ira:</b> $50 start in mine, $50 start in hubby's.<br />
<b>Credit Card: </b>$150ish. Wait...what? I thought that was taken care of already. (Small charge of buying tickets to a play and needing to transfer the funds from the fun account.) Looks like I'll be shifting funds from one savings account this week. Ooops.<br />
<b>Net Worth:</b> $3650 if counting only mine/$4800 total including Husband's. Minus $150 for that Credit card, means <b>$3500/$4650</b>. This is about $1700 more than the total in the <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/07/startingcurrent-numbers.html" target="_blank">Starting Numbers</a>, and that included the money in checking (which I intentionally didn't include in this one since it is so fluid in and out). So while progress may be somewhat slow so far, the important fact is, progress is definitely being made. Now to find some ways to add even more to savings and investments.....<br />
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So that's where I currently stand. Not too bad, but can definitely be improved upon. We've been thinking of ways we can cut costs and get rid of wastefulness, but things can be hard when it's only me working right now (and making just about $23,000). So since husband is still unemployed, and all things considered, we're doing really well. So I just know that when Shaun is employed, we will be socking away even more and doing even better, and I am excited to see things grow and can't wait to see where the journey takes me. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-55830962466576917492015-01-22T18:59:00.001-08:002015-01-22T19:14:46.038-08:0014 Ideas to Start Your Nest Egg(This post comes at the beginning of the New Year which is when people are making resolutions, but that was not my intent. Just a happy coincidence there, so... Happy New Year! Hope your 2015 is going well so far.)<br />
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I was thinking about the processes of saving money and how people struggle with doing so, so I wanted to share some tips/ideas on how to get started. Granted, now that I have an understanding of more financial things than I did, I still believe that "Big Wins" (investing well, automating, etc.) are a great way to do things. But on the same level, I understand that sometimes, working on something like that can feel like a stretch at best and impossible at worst, if you can't even get some basic money in the bank-believe me, I get it. <br />
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So if you need a few Small Victories to help you feel like it is possible to get started, here are some things I find to be helpful to get STARTED in your savings goals, in no particular order. A lot of these I have used personally, and some of them I have seen around that I think could work for people. <br />
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Use as many or as few as your tolerance allows (allowing you to still enjoy life, and not spend every waking moment obsessing about the next thing to cut), and soon you'll find that you're starting to build a nice nest egg. I'd even wager that you'll start to see your own creative brand of saving money emerge and come up with other ideas, all your own. Good Luck!<br />
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<b>1. </b>Starting very basic: <b> Save $1/day. </b>At the end of a year, you'll have saved<b> $365</b>. (Or, more accurately, $365 and some random change if you have the savings in an interest-bearing account.) I truly believe that ANYONE can save one dollar a day. Mastering the idea of saving small amounts when you don't have money or are just getting started is extremely important too-because if you are not in the habit of saving and managing finances with nothing, having money won't change that, and can lead to some very bad money habits that are harder to correct when you DO have money. $1/day is a great way to start a good habit in a sustainable way. <br />
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<b>2. </b>Conversely, there is the <b><a href="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--GNv_8lVA--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/199wdno0ybvobjpg.jpg" target="_blank">Savings Money Jar</a> </b>idea that people have been using. In this, you save progressive amounts each week, starting with $1 the first week, then $2 the second week, etc., to the point where you save $52 in the last week, so at the end of the 52 weeks, you'll have saved $1378. That's a nice chunk of change to add to the nest egg, and of course, if you're able, you could always ramp it up to save more each week, as well. One thing though: While most/all of the links that talk about this use a Jar, PLEASE put the money in a savings account and not on your counter/in a jar where it's too easy to be tempted to spend it...<br />
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<b>3. Round Your Funds</b>. One Thing I have always is to round up and down on funds, down on deposits and up on expenses. For example, if a purchase is $3.50, I will say it's $5 in my tracking. Conversely, if I make a deposit of $100, I will note it as $95. If you use this method, it will create a cushion for your account, in amounts that may be a pleasant surprise for you. After a certain period of time (once a month, once every week, whatever works for you), transfer the cushion amount to savings. <br />
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<b>4. Brown bag your lunch. </b>This seems like an obvious choice, but one that many people don't take advantage of. Of course, bringing your own lunch is definitely less expensive than buying it every day. This also has the advantage, from a fitness standpoint, that you can control what is in your meal and the portions. Win, win if you ask me. <br />
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<b>5. </b>Do you shop at a grocery store that puts the "You saved XX Today" on the receipt? <b>Transfer that amount to savings</b> when you get home. True, it may only be a few dollars, but every little bit adds up. This also works well with the rounding technique I use above for things. If your budget for groceries is $50/week and you only spend $46, that $4 could be transferred to savings to help add up. <br />
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<b>6. </b>When I finally automated finances (in a better way since it had always been auto pay, etc.), I set up <b>Separate bill/spending accounts </b>and <b>7. Separate savings/spending accounts.</b> So Three Accounts total (in reality, more than that because, as I've mentioned before, <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/07/startingcurrent-numbers.html" target="_blank">I have at least 3 saving accounts for different goals</a>)- one for the bills, one for savings and one for the spending money that I allotted to us. You don't have to get as complicated as that if you choose not to (or, you can get more complicated if you choose to), but I would recommend at least having separate accounts for everyday and for the savings so the savings you're building don't accidentally get spent on regular things. And, if you can keep your savings so that it's harder to access, even better. <br />
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<b>8. Automate Savings.</b> Yes, this is a "Big Win", and I was giving ideas on smaller victories you can do, but this is probably the easiest way to save. <b>Use Direct Deposit</b> and set aside part of your pay directly into savings account. The amount is up to you and your situation, but even $10/paycheck ($5/week) adds up. And If you don't have to worry about transferring money each time you're paid because it is direct deposited, you're that much more likely to stick to it. <br />
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<b>9. Find ways to spend less on things you already buy. </b>This one is a bit more broad, but leaves a lot of possibilities. For example, with few exceptions, store brand items are just as good as their more expensive name brand counterparts. (But you should double check the per-unit pricings, because some things are grouped as if they are savings, but aren't. 3/$5 on an item for store brand is not as good as $1.50/each for a name brand.) It also helps to buy from the bulk section of grocery stores so you can get just the amount you need. (Bonus: Better for the environment since there's less useless packaging.) There's also the dollar store for many, many things. I've never been one for coupons, really, unless I have one for something I am already buying, but many people use them to great effect. Since this option breeds creativity, I bet you can find other ways to shave off expenses and save.<br />
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<b>10. Define why you are saving. </b>This, perhaps, should have been tip number one, but these things happen when you are working from random parts of your brain. But the point stands: Defining why you are saving or what you are saving for is an important step. I have mentioned this before, and many (if not all) finance experts agree. Defining your goals in clear terms will help you reach them because it gives you something to reach for-like a house down payment-rather than just saying you need to save. It also can help prioritize and stick to the plan when other things come up or give you motivation, so it's a good mental boost. <br />
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<b>11. </b>I am not one to tell you to cut back on your mochas or coffee if that is something that you value, but are there things you can cut out that you don't value or that may be costing you? As an example smaller coffee, or getting one less a week saves not only a few dollars here and there, it also saves hundreds of calories a week. (Another win-win for the fitness and finance marriage.) Or Cable subscriptions you don't even use? (Watch one channel, anyone?) Look at your own spending and ask yourself: <b>Are you spending within your VALUES? </b>If not, can it be axed? This is a very personal choice in one's habits, but if you can find things you've been mindlessly consuming and get rid of them, it opens a lot of possibilities on where to find that extra money you are working to save.<br />
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<b>12. </b>Did you just get a new cost of living raise?<b> </b>50 cents an hour is $20/week before tax. <b>Maintain your current spending levels</b> (with direct deposit, of course so you don't even know it's there anyway), and you'll start to see your savings grow a little bit faster with each paycheck. <br />
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<b>13. </b>Does your grocery store have a <b>gas rewards program</b>? If you're shopping there anyway, you may as well take advantage of the savings on gas that you can get. For many stores, you can save up to $1.00/gallon off, just for having the free grocery store key which definitely adds up. Just remember the golden rule: Transfer the amount of savings <i>to your savings account(s)</i> when you get home. (See item 5.)<br />
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<b>14. Walk/Bike more often. </b>Of course, as another way to save at the pump, you could always use your car less. And again, this is a win-win for the fitness and finance super-duo. (Yes, I just made it sound like it's a super hero. Deal with it.) Walking and biking keeps you fit, and the less you drive, the less you pay in gas, maintenance, and (in many cases) insurance.<br />
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There you have it! 14 ideas on how to START saving. Pick even one of them, and you should see your savings grow and, hopefully, have developed a habit of saving. This is nowhere near a fully comprehensive list, but some ideas to get started, so let your imagination run wild and watch the nest egg grow! Good Luck!<br />
<b></b><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-47302396941128839782014-12-22T14:38:00.001-08:002014-12-22T14:38:28.371-08:00End of Year Goals Check-InTowards my birthday, I wrote a post about <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/08/28th-birthday-and-goals-for-upcoming.html" target="_blank">End-of-Year/29th Birthday Goals</a>, and shortly after, wrote about how hubby and I were going to do the <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/09/buff-dudes-12-week-challenge.html" target="_blank">Buff Dudes' Challenge</a>.....<br />
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Well, I'll just come right out and say it: I didn't achieve any of those fitness goals. I was on track and making good progress before it got colder, but as the temperature dropped dramatically and it started raining more days than not, I struggled to keep my motivation and routine going (still struggling). I failed to account for that aspect when MAKING the goals, so maybe that aspect alone may be that my goal was less realistic than it could have been. <br />
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Or, maybe I just needed to work harder and meet my goals instead of being a lazy butt. <br />
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Either way, I am not going to cry over it because you can't change the past, only the future. For now, between the cold and the holidays (including our anniversary on the 28th), as long as eating is decent and I am getting a walk here and there to maintain, I am ok with what it is. In January and heading into Spring, hubby and I will work as hard as we can to meet the goals. <br />
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On the bright side, I am lower in weight than I have been in a while-and definitely lower than I was this time last year, mainly due to the fitbit I have in helping me keep on track. On my birthday, I was 196-199 pounds, but I currently sit at 181, so that is a huge win for me, and I will take it. <br />
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As for the financial side of things, here's where we stand on that:<br />
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You may remember from <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/09/no-job-no-problem.html" target="_blank">this post</a> that both my husband and I were going to be laid off from the same job. As I mentioned in that post, I had already got a new job so had taken my PTO and applied it to my car payment. Husband's last day was 11/4, and once he (finally) got his first unemployment check, we took a large part of his severance and finished paying off the car. So the car is now owned free and clear! We are very excited about that, but unfortunately, the plan to SAVE that same money got wiped out by the fact that we will need to pay for ACA insurance (instead of having it come out pre-tax from our checks), and that will be about $167/month, and we got notice that our rent is increasing $50/month starting 1/1/2015. So we were kind of bummed about that since instead of saving it, the amount, and a little more (car payment was $180 including principle payments) will be eaten up by other things. On the bright side: By getting rid of our non-working car (which we've meant to do for months), we save about $20 off the car insurance premium over what we were paying for two cars, so it all balances out and pretty much breaks even, so at least there's that. And, of course it's only temporary that we break even right now, since as soon as hubby gets a job, we SHOULD be able to save a bit more than we are now. <br />
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As for where we stand on the rest of the finances, I would say we're doing pretty well, actually. Here are some of the highlights:<br />
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-I finally have the day-to-day things fully automated and correct. Since we now have two checking accounts, one is used for "spending" money and one is used for bills money. Since I had calculated what it takes to cover all bills and have it direct deposited in the bills account, and automated, all bills get paid on time (which they were before, but sometimes would get crossed because different due dates so sometimes spending money would screw it up) and having an account for a set amount of spending money has been very helpful for us because if it's not in the account, we don't spend it. (The ultimate, can't-see-it-can't-spend-it set up.) And because of this, it has really cut back on our accidental spending and then having to rearrange/transfer money from savings to cover bills. Win, win!<br />
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-While I do still need to set up IRAs for both myself and (help) hubby, and transfer my 401k from previous employer to a new carrier, our savings themselves are slowly growing. When I first started this blog, I believe between all accounts for savings, it was ~$1800, but is now around $2200-2300 (though I do have a few small things to pay off like a medical bill from October when I had laryngitis), so there's good news that we're maintaining the same level, if not growing it very slowly while husband is still unemployed.<br />
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That's where I am at currently. I hope that by the end of 2015, I will have all previously laid out goals met, and then some. (I won't rehash them since they are in the linked info and you can see them, so don't want you to have to re-read them, again.)<br />
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How about you? Where are you at in your goals and plans? Have you had some set-backs that you're working to overcome? How is that going for you? Feel free to share in the comments below! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-14384719228384900132014-12-09T15:11:00.001-08:002014-12-09T15:11:42.405-08:00Book Review: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things With MoneyIn the recent past (a couple months ago), I read Bert Whitehead's <em>Why Smart People Do Stupid Things With Money: Overcoming Financial Dysfunction, </em>and<em> </em>here's some of my thoughts on it. <br />
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Whitehead, for the most part, writes in easy-to-understand language for people who may not be familiar with every concept he speaks about. He occasionally goes off into something that, to me, didn't always make sense, or sometimes left things without examples, but I guess that's to be expected sometimes. <br />
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One thing I did like about the book, was that Whitehead talked about different <a href="http://lakesidefinancialplan.com/know-your-financial-personality/" target="_blank">Money Personalities</a> that he created by observing his clients. (That link goes to a completely different site since I could not find the personality matrix on Whitehead's own site, which you'd think would have it.) The personalities are The Bon Vivant, The Entrepreneur, The Nester and The Traveler, and each has it's own different quirks and "dysfunctions" about them. While no one thing can pinpoint any one person, the personality types are a great way to get an idea on what makes one "tick" as far as money and to start to identify ways to help direct things the way that is wanted/needed. So that is one positive thing about the book.<br />
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However, Whitehead has some distinct things he writes about that I simply don't agree with, and would never practice in my own life or recommend to others. For example, he talks about NOT paying your house off early if you are able to and says instead that you should keep the mortgage for the entire term and put the money into the stock market, giving an example of how much more it can grow over time, etc. While that could be true, there's no guarantee of it, and while a house is NOT an investment and also carries no guarantees, I feel that if you are able to pay off your house early, it's a good idea to do so since at least you'll have a place to live. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/05/suze-orman-money-mistakes-to-stop-making_n_4675395.html" target="_blank">Suze Orman</a> agrees with me on this. <br />
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Another point that Whitehead makes that struck me as odd and I don't really agree with, is that he would like people to "upgrade" their mortgage and take on more debt at different stages of their lives, almost regardless of their need for a different house. If you're making more money, he wants you to upgrade the mortgage to a more expensive one. I don't agree with this simply for the fact that you should not take on more debt just because you may make more money or something changes in your life that DOESN'T require a different dwelling-in fact, if you make more money than when you bought your house, that's a great way to add to your retirement nest egg through your chosen method of investment or savings. If your life circumstances change and you need to upgrade or downgrade, then by all means, explore your options for changing your dwelling and/or mortgage, but not simply because your income increases. <br />
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Overall, I think there is some value in some of the information provided in the book-such as the money personalities listed above-but that many things are either so far removed from the average person that they are not entirely helpful or that things (like above) are out of the scope of reality to the point of being bad advice. If using the star rating system, I'd have to say for me, this book falls in the category of 3/5 stars.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-65729568171039191102014-09-28T20:01:00.003-07:002014-09-28T20:02:31.108-07:00No Job? No Problem! (Or at least silver lining to being laid off.)<span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: I started this Thursday, and actually just forgot to post it, so the part about yesterday was referring to Wednesday. That is all. ;)</span><br />
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About three weeks ago (exactly three weeks ago yesterday actually), Husband and I <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/07/startingcurrent-numbers.html" target="_blank">(who work at the same place</a>) both received "Pink Slips" informing us that our office was closing and that we'd all be laid off between November 2 and December 31. This didn't come as a surprise since the parent company closed another of our offices just before Christmas last year. <br />
<br />
We do, however, regret not finding other jobs on our own timeline instead of a forced one that was thrust upon us by impending unemployment. We actually both had been looking earlier in the year but didn't necessarily find things or have luck when we did, so knowing we had this job to go to, kind of became placated and stopped looking as hard as we maybe could have. But that's life. Just have to get back on track.<br />
<br />
I would have perhaps liked the opportunity to take a few weeks of unemployment to focus on personal projects and decide what I want to do, but since our savings are not nearly sufficient to weather the storm (most experts recommend 6 months basic living expense for this very reason, and we have about 1 months worth ) since we really only started to save again this year, I did actually go get another job that I will start on Monday. It may not be a "Dream Job", necessarily, but since the idea of unemployment puts me in the "Physiological" and "Safety" tiers of the<a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html" target="_blank"> Self-Actualization Pyramid</a>, it also means doing what's necessary for a while. But it is a job that will pay the bills, and that I would at least be happy to go to, so that's always good. And has a nice bonus of being a bit more money than the job I am leaving, so that when Husband also finds a job, we can save a little more. <br />
<br />
While being laid off almost always sucks, and breeds a negative situation, there was a lot of good that came from this that I hadn't thought of before we got the letters. So it got me thinking and doing, and here are some of the most positive things that came from it (or will come from it, hubby has been laid off yet) that I can think of:<br />
<br />
-Finally Opened a second checking account so that bills can come from one and spending money from the other, so there will be no more accidental spending of money that is meant for something else. This will also allow me to more finely tune/correct the due dates/autopay for things.<br />
<br />
-Since I got a nice payout for accumulated/unused PTO of about $500, I am going to apply that to the Principle of my car payment. Currently, it sits around $1300 left, so this will bring it down to around $800 and make it paid off that much faster. My husband, since he is staying till the end of the company, will also get a severance that will also be applied to the car. His severance will be more than the remaining $800 by a few hundred dollars, so we'll officially be free from the car payment which will also officially make us COMPLETELY debt free! It was a goal to pay off the car by the end of this year, but due to other circumstances, we knew we weren't going to be able to. (It wouldn't have been much farther off though-we were looking at around February, which would still have put us about 20 months ahead of the contracted loan date.) But now, with severance and PTO, we will. And this frees up the $180/month ($160 contracted plus $20 for principle) for savings--which since the car payment is on Autopay, I will just set it up to be auto-transferred on the same day it would have cleared so we don't even see it. Automation for the win!<br />
<br />
-Since my husband will stay until the very end, unless he finds something he can't pass up, and we can maintain our finances with my job and unemployment, this will give him a chance to spend some time on personal projects and decide what he would like to do. I think this is really important for him, and had we been able to keep up with us both not working, I would have done the same for a short while. We figure that since unemployment is for 6 months, that gives about 3 months where he can look for only things that interest him, and complete personal projects/go to the gym/etc. At the 4 month mark is when he'll start to apply more broadly, but doesn't need to accept a job for the sake of a job right away. We are both hoping this strategy will work well for us, but we will have to see where it goes.<br />
<br />
-Technically, I gave myself a raise with the new job since I'll be making about $1/hour more. It may not seem like a lot in the moment, but that extra $40/week is an extra $2080/year toward savings and/or retirement/investment funds, and therefore, a chance to be a millionaire that much sooner. I know what you're thinking: "But people tend to blow their money when they get raises. You won't even see that extra money." Wrong! It is important to maintain your standard of living when you get extra money, and this is where automation of finances really comes into play. If you can't SEE that extra money in your checking account because it is automatically deposited in savings, you can't SPEND that extra money.<br />
<br />
-And finally, one more positive that I could think of was that I will finally be able to correctly automate via direct deposit so I don't have to transfer money from checking to savings. With our current company, the payroll system has been kind of messed up/complicated to make changes to for a while. So, this gives me a chance to start completely fresh with the correct amounts needed for each thing, so I am actually excited about this part.<br />
<br />
So, how's that for a silver lining to a dark rain cloud? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-548862302432652722014-09-16T19:42:00.002-07:002014-09-16T19:42:46.594-07:00Buff Dudes' 12 Week ChallengeI've been meaning to write this for a while, but as always, sometimes life gets in the way. Oh well, here we go now...<br />
<br />
My husband recently decided to re-commit to fitness, so a couple weeks ago, on September First (convenient that a Monday is also the first day of the month!), we started <a href="http://www.buffdudes.us/2014/04/buff-dudes-12-week-plan.html" target="_blank">The Buff Dudes' 12 Week Challenge</a>.<br />
<br />
Technically, this should be week three for us, but we were so sore after the first week, that we could barely do more than walk-and even that was a challenge. (I even missed Zumba last Tuesday because I was too sore. *Sniff, Sniff*) So with that, we made this week two and got our exercises with walks and whatever we could do last week.<br />
<br />
(Side note: if you are sore after the gym or any workout, make sure to stretch and do what you can while recovering. Moderate movement like walking is actually really helpful to feel better. Don't overdo it--work within your limits and respect that your body may need to heal after an intense workout-especially if you are just starting or it's been a while. But "Don't overdo it" does NOT mean, sit around on the couch like a lump. Lack of movement is likely to make your pain worse.)<br />
<br />
Husband and I somewhat modified the program because I have somewhat
different goals than what's laid out, and we both have limitations in
some exercises so we have to do others (Can't do pull ups yet, so work a
lot on lat pull-downs, etc.), but this is a great program we can both
do that is closest to our individual goals, that still allows us to work
as a team. Which is great because we can help keep each other going and kick each other's butts, which is why we like working out together, but gets hard when people have totally different goals. <br />
<br />
Since it is only week two for us, there's not much that we can report on in terms of progress. But I will periodically make updates on how we're doing, any changes we are making to the plan, etc. In the meantime, here are the "Before" Pictures (which are technically "progress" pictures for me):<br /><br />
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<br />
Until Next Time, as the Buff Dudes say: <span style="font-size: large;">STAY BUFF, DUDES (and BUFFETTES)!*</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*They call women "Grrls", but Husband came up with Buffette, and I like it way better so that's what we use. (And you can feel free to use it, Buff Dudes!)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-54403171562265198372014-09-05T21:34:00.000-07:002014-09-05T21:34:15.402-07:00Pom-Cran-Bluberry Smoothie RecipeLast year when I was doing a fruit and vegetable cleanse with juicing, smoothies and fruit/veggies as my only source of food/nutrition for a week, I went to <a href="http://www.emeraldcitysmoothie.com/" target="_blank">Emerald City Smoothie</a> near us, and got an all fruit version of their Eternal Energizer. (So, no soy milk or alternatives, as their menu offers.) Since the first time I had it, I loved it, and had several more (of course) here and there. I wanted to recreate the recipe at home, but had forgotten to look for cranberries for the longest time. I finally had some cranberries a few weeks ago,and after some experimentation, I've come up with a pretty good emulation of it, and wanted to share it with you.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Ingredients:<br />
-1 cup frozen blueberries<br />
-1/2 cup frozen cranberries<br />
-1/4 cup concentrate (100%) pomegranate juice (I used POM Wonderful)<br />
-3/4 cup water (you can use less if you'd like a thicker smoothie)<br />
<br />
Toss everything in your blender and mix until it's your desired consistency.* Pour into a glass and enjoy!<br />
<br />
Nutrition Info:<br />
150 Calories, 0.4g fat, 4.3g fiber, 38.1g carbs, 5.1mg sodium, 1.1g protein <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* You may need to use less or more water, depending on your preferences. I
also use frozen fruit, so if you use fresh fruit, you'll probably need
to forgo the water since you'll add ice.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-730730420366634042014-09-04T19:00:00.000-07:002014-09-05T13:08:49.592-07:00Fitbit One ReviewMy husband got me a Fitbit One for my birthday 2 weeks ago, and after more than a week of wearing it and debating about it, here are some of my thoughts on it.<br />
<br />
If you're not familiar with it, <a href="https://www.fitbit.com/" target="_blank">Fitbit</a> is a company that makes various body trackers. They come in various styles, including bracelets and, like mine, one you clip to yourself via a holder, and they track things like steps, stairs, calories burned, and sleep.<br />
<br />
<b>Pros:</b><br />
-Sleek, compact design makes it so I don't notice when it's clipped to me. (I keep it clipped to my bra, but you can wear it at your hip, etc.)<br />
<br />
-It does keep me moving since I am always trying to get at least the daily goals (10k steps, etc.) or badges, and will find creative ways to do so. I have been known lately to walk around and around and around my kitchen to get more steps, or run up and down the stairs, and have also started taking walks on my breaks at work. So this is very, very good.<br />
<br />
-The Fitbit interface makes it very easy to track calories in and out. So easy, in fact, that I actually care and remember to do so every day (so far), as opposed to my maintaining my ideal of "not counting calories, but make each calorie count". (Which, by the way, I think is very important for people who are not trying to lose weight, but maintain. You don't need to stress about every <b>single</b> calorie, but you should work on making the calories you consume count and be productive.) Fitbit interface keeps track of most logged food and recently logged food, so if you are a creature of habit like me and can eat the same thing every day, it is right there and easy to click on to log it. It also allows you to create meals to track multiple foods at once-for example, husband makes turkey wraps for me and after I created the meal and logged the food the first time, I no longer have to find/click every ingredient when I need to log it.<br />
<br />
-As mentioned above, the Fitbit awards badges for activities, such as 10,000 steps or 10 flights of stairs, and increases the amount you need to earn the badge as you keep earning them. So, if you like to make a game of things, this is a great way to get extra movement.<br />
<br />
-Syncs very easily, as long as all things are working correctly. It syncs approximately every 15-20 minutes when you are within 15 feet of the USB and have internet connection. I have sometimes had to refresh the dashboard once or twice to see the new steps, but otherwise had not had problems. <br />
<br />
<b>Updated 09/05/2014 to add: </b>Last night, I could not get it to sync automatically. I followed the trouble shooting steps in the help, including removing USB and reentering, etc. I was able to finally manually sync it by reopening the main platform and "Restarting" it, and then it did automatically sync on it's own after that. So I am glad for that, but it does make me a little twitchy that it had to have that done so early on. We'll see how it goes. <br />
<br />
<b>Cons:</b><br />
-It sometimes has questionable accuracy. There was an instance last week that, from 6:30pm to 8:15pm, it said I took zero steps. I knew this was inaccurate because I had just come from an hour long cardio class, and to get home required walking down stairs, to my car, out of my car, up apartment stairs, and I was walking around the apartment during that time (grabbing dinner, using bathroom, etc.) So it should have tracked at least 200-300 steps during that period. It occasionally also goes in the opposite direction and, depending on where you wear it, may pick up extra steps than actually occurred. I mostly see it pick up less than actuality though, which is OK. For the most part, it seems accurate within reason. (No device will ever be 100% accurate 100% of the time.) But when it's off, it seems to be off a bit, as demonstrated above. <br />
<br />
-Stairs are not accurate. There is no way around this, at all. Since it is elevation based, and not actual stairs based, it will record flights very differently than what stairs you actually climb. In the Help/FAQ for Fitbit, it shows that it equates 1 flight to 10 feet in elevation gained. So if you are walking in a hilly area, you get credited with flights of stairs, which is awesome. But it's annoying when you spend time climbing up and down stairs over 20 times in a row, which I have done, and get credited with only one or two flights. So, realizing that, I kind of of gave up on the stairs thing. If I see that I am close to the goal (10 flights/day), I will still go climb a few times to get those in, but don't really rely on the stairs part. <br />
<br />
-It is very inconvenient to have to put the tracker in the bracelet it came with at night to track sleep, and then back into the carrying clip in the mornings to track steps, etc. It requires finagling with Velcro wrist strap at night, which occasionally falls off during the night, and then fidgeting with it in the morning to get it back in the clip in the morning. This is specific to my device, but there are others, so if you get a bracelet style (which I believe is named Fitbit Force), you don't have to worry about this issue. <br />
<br />
-Sleep tracking is not accurate. While it is kind of fun to set the timer and then see the numbers, it is not an accurate way to determine sleep patterns. Nor can it be. The Fitbit devices "track" sleep patterns by movement. So if you toss and turn in your sleep, it will track that as restless, which can be good to know, but does not actually have a way to track sleep vs. awake, since you can be wide awake but if you are lying perfectly still, it will count it as asleep. I do not know if you stopped and restarted the timer each time you awoke, if it would count it as awake. I was thinking that I would test this soon to find out, but is a matter of remembering to do so during the night. If I ever test this, I will update this post with that information. In the mean time, I will say it's good to get a general idea of sleep times, but would not recommend someone with sleep problems to rely solely on the information you get from the Fitbit devices. <br />
<br />
<b>Overall: </b><br />
Though it does have some things that are...quirky...about it, I did decide to go ahead and keep it. It did, after all, get me moving more and help me track calories in a convenient way so I knew I wasn't taking in too few or too many. And because of those things, it allowed me make this exciting statement:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I finally broke my 2-month long Plateau and lost just over 5 pounds last week! Hooray!!!</span></b><br />
<br />
So that's where I stand on the Fitbit One. I hope this helps if you are deciding if you should get one or not. Do you have any cool fitness tools that have been helping you? Please share below!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-46536909298626671502014-08-22T11:00:00.000-07:002014-08-22T11:00:00.857-07:0028th Birthday and Goals for the Upcoming Year<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Today
is my 28th birthday (happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me :)),
and as such, I thought it would be a perfect time to come up with some
goals, see where I am on current goals. So here are my current numbers
and where I am hoping to be:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
CURRENT:</div>
</td><td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
GOAL, BY END OF THIS YEAR (<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1930401309" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">DEC 31</span></span>):</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
BENCH: 65 POUNDS</div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
110 POUNDS (Doubling my recent 55 pounds)</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
SQUAT: ~95 POUNDS</div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
200 POUNDS</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
DEADLIFT: 70-75 POUNDS</div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
150 POUNDS</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
CLEAN/PRESS: 30 POUNDS</div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
75 POUNDS</div>
</td></tr>
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CURL: 25 POUNDS</div>
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60 POUNDS</div>
</td></tr>
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TRICEP: 20 POUNDS (Behind Head)</div>
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50-60 POUNDS</div>
</td></tr>
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LAT PULLDOWN: 75 POUNDS</div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
160-170 POUNDS (Or be able to do pull-ups without weight assist)</div>
</td></tr>
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PUSUPS: 0 PROPER (I am working off the wall currently)</div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
50-75</div>
</td></tr>
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Running: 3 Laps around park (without stopping), which equals ~.60 miles</div>
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10 laps without stopping, which equals ~2.1 miles</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So these are my goals for the end of the year. I also started thinking last week about goals for by my 29<sup>th</sup>
birthday, but all I could come up with was “Run 10 miles (or more)”.
It “bothered” me for a bit that I couldn’t think of anything else, but
as I thought on it more and more, I think, maybe that’s a good thing. I
could list high numbers for goals for weightlifting, but as I am trying
to get, and maintain, lean muscle (as opposed to “bulking up”), there
would not be much point to that. Plus, it’s hard to predict where one
will be in a year, so by not defining anything other than a running goal
(that should be achievable), it gives me leeway to define goals as I
see where I’m at. It also helps to not set me up for failure or
disappointment—since there are few things more disheartening than to set
a goal and fail to make it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those are my goals for fitness, but what about finances? Well, those numbers haven’t changed much since my <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/07/startingcurrent-numbers.html" target="_blank">starting post</a> where I said where I was, mostly because I haven’t done anything with
it (fixing my automation, setting up an IRA, etc.) so that will
definitely be a task to take care of right away. (I can’t become a
millionaire if I am not working on it!) As for actual goals, since it is
hard to define, I don’t have many. I would, however, like to see our
savings at $10,000 minimum (between all accounts), or at least on a path
to be there by the end of NEXT year, and to see our 401(k)/IRA and
other investment accounts growing. I can’t control how those accounts
grow (other than what I put into them), so I am not even going to try to
quantify it with a number, but as long as they are growing, we’re
headed in the right direction. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
I
think these are reasonable and attainable goals, and as long as I keep
chipping away at them, I should be “sitting pretty” by this time next
year. I may even be a completely different person! (I’m counting on
it/hoping for it.) I am taking a loss this week, though, since it IS
birthday week and I will be doing/eating things I wouldn’t normally. But
that is part of life, and I will get right back it as soon as possible,
then… take over the WORLD! Mwahaha. Or not. But I will get back on
track and keep getting better and better. I am looking forward to
seeing the Erin a year from now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-78152268309807709762014-08-20T20:37:00.000-07:002014-08-21T17:33:06.978-07:00ALS Icebucket Challenge I was challenged by a friend to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Unless you've been living in a cave the last week or, you know what the challenge is: Dump ice on your head for ALS.<br />
<br />
So here's my video: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/83OhHOwE9L4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I accepted the challenge, and in return challenge:<br />
-Arnold Schwarzenegger<br />
-My Husband<br />
-My Roller Derby Hero, Scald Eagle, of Portland's very own Rose City Rollers<br />
<br />
The Rules:<br />
-You have 24 hours to either Dump ice on yourself AND donate $10 to ALS at <span style="font-size: small;">alsa.org/donate</span> OR you may forgo ice and donate $100. People have been failing to mention that is is Ice AND donate, or donate a larger amount, so some people have the impression that by dumping ice over themselves, they don't need to donate, which makes it seem as if people would "rather dump ice on themselves than donate" to a good cause. Don't do that, that's terrible. Please remember to do, and mention, both.<br />
-You now have the privilege/responsibility to challenge OTHER people to do this task and join in on the madness. 2-4 people seems to be the ideal number. Remember to tag the people you challenge so they know. :)<br />
<br />
That's all there is to it! Now get out there and...be cold for a few minutes for a good cause!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-10755395263065275072014-08-18T19:02:00.000-07:002014-08-18T19:02:08.749-07:00Change your mind, change your life. Or, some thoughts on a Positive frame of mind. <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sometime
last year, around or before my 27th birthday, my husband told me that
he had a dream about me being in really great shape with a firm/toned
body, wearing a Wonder Woman tank top, and completely dominating at the
gym. He said he saw me in the dream doing pull-ups without any weight
assistance like it was nothing at all; that he saw me benching and
squatting more weight than ever, and doing many other difficult feats
like a pro. (He had a very detailed dream, obviously.) I was very
inspired and said to him "By the end of the year, I will be that woman.
By my 28th birthday, I will make THAT woman look weak." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Well,
my 28th birthday is in a few days, and I have not officially met either
of those proclaimed goals/statements. However, I am making decent
progress, and am on a path to get there. I have been more consistent
this year than I had been previously-in both working out and eating
better- and have been getting some results here and there. Results have
been frustratingly stagnant over the last two or so months-I have stayed
at the same weight range the whole time despite working very hard- but
at least I know I am not going BACKWARDS (gaining weight), and that
helps keep me mentally on track. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
fact that I can say that I have not reached a goal, but that it is OK
because I am making progress, is by far, the greatest psychological win
that could be asked for. My journey is no longer defined by a number on a
scale, but rather the numbers that I know matter more: Can I run
longer? Can I lift more weight? Can I do something that I previously
couldn't? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Last
year, if I worked out a lot but didn't see any change in the scale, I
would have breakdowns and "throw a fit", for lack of better words. Now,
when I see the same frustrating number on the scale for several weeks in
a row, I can accept it and move on because I know what work I put in
and what I am capable of and know that eventually things will turn. I
am more confident in my abilities and celebrate smaller victories, such
as gaining 2 seconds when running a lap around the park or running 10
feet farther than the last time. And my attitude in general has become
more positive. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
these things didn't come from wishful thinking, nor did they happen
overnight. They came from constant, willful working on mental habits.
(And is STILL a constant work on it.) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">If
I'd catch myself falling into negativity, or if my husband caught me, I
would work to find something positive to say or focus on in efforts to
change my attitude. At first, this was HARD and I'd really have to
think of something positive to say-which goes to show the depth of my
lack of esteem or positivity, I think. As time went on, and the habit
became more developed, it became easier to find things, and more
importantly, to believe them (instead of just talking the talk). I also
find that being more positive helps me work harder, and working harder
helps me be more positive-it's a circle of good. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
believe that the mental aspect is as important as everything else when
making changes (to anything-not just finances or weight), if not the
most important thing. There is a quote attributed to Henry Ford (whether
that's true or not, I have no idea) that kind of goes along with this
idea: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." I
think that hits the nail on the head. People who believe they can do
something, push through to do it-even if it takes a while or has to be
worked up to/done in steps. People who believe they can't do something
quit or procrastinate or make excuses to not do it, etc. I want to be in the first group, believing that I can do what I need to, and moving forward with mental fortitude to weather the storms. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So
what can you do to make some positive changes and defeat the negative
self-talk? While no list is going to be definitive or apply to everyone,
here are some things that have helped me:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-<b>Replace negative thoughts with positive ones, and be specific</b>.
Example: When I would say or think something about being fat, I would
then say out loud something that is better. "I did x better today"/"My
arms are shaping up", etc. This may be hard at first, and you may feel
insincere, but that is all the more reason to keep doing it. It will
become more natural as you keep doing it, and easier to find things.
This doesn't just apply to one thing. ANY negative thought you have can,
and should, be reframed with a more positive one. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Count Your Blessings. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> I
know this sounds like a cliché thing to say, but I mean it in the most
literal sense. Last year, I spent several months stating things I was
grateful for, just one (or two) a day. I started in the end of September, and
by the end of the year, I had over 50 "blessings" counted, before I lost track of the number. Again,
sometimes this is easier than others (I started with "1. I am Alive" if
you need some inspiration), but with some thought, I am sure you
will find numerous things to be grateful for or that make you happy. And
it is really difficult to not start to be more positive when you are
spending conscious brain power on exuding gratefulness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>-Have someone hold you accountable/hold someone else accountable. </b>Such a simple, yet powerful, concept. If you notice a friend/loved one saying something negative, (gently) call them out and ask them to say something positive. Ask a trusted friend/loved one to hold you to the same standards and let them know you are trying to do better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>-Question the negativity.</b><b> </b>Sometimes the best/fastest way to start to turn the negativity around and embrace a more positive outlook is to question it within yourself. Ask yourself WHY you feel that way, or where it may have come from. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b>This seems obvious, but many people do not do it, instead just accepting it as "the way things are". But, as the saying goes, the first step to resolving a problem, is to identify it. You may sometimes surprise yourself if you dig a little deeper in yourself and find that what you think about something, or where it came from, couldn't be further from the truth. Once you start to identify things, it helps you decide how you want to proceed and if something needs to be changed, and how. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">If you are battling your own negative self-talk, I hope these ideas help you start to find some positivity. Do you have some ideas that worked for you, or a story about how you accomplished something once you changed your attitude? Please share your thoughts in the comments below! </span> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-43684876614104391012014-08-11T17:30:00.000-07:002014-09-06T10:17:45.058-07:00Books On Investing<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For the last (several) weeks I had been reading <i>The Warren Buffet Way</i>
(Robert Hagstrom). I should say, trying and failing. I even tried
changing from the first edition (from 1995) to the third edition (from
2013) in case an updated version would be more helpful. But it wasn't,
and I finally gave up the ghost. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
don't honestly know why I stuck with for as long as I did. It is
definitely not in my style. I am sure there may be some people who may
get some valuable, usable information from this book. I, however, am not
one of them. This book talks primarily about Buffet's methods of
choosing stocks, which while that may someday be useful knowledge, I am
not there yet. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
is also written in story style, where it gives a lot of information in
long paragraphs and you kind of have to figure out what it means, which I
find harder to retain. (And if you can't retain it, you won’t ever act
on it.) I learn in easily digestible information (like bullet points)
that gives me the basic groundwork and I can research further on my own
to expand upon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So I requested <i>The Complete Idiot's Guide to Investing </i>(Edward
T. Koch and Debra Jonson) from my local library and just picked it up
yesterday and browsed through it. I haven't read much yet, but so far it
seems as though it will be right up my alley. Some of the information I
may already know from my own instincts or research, but there is still a
lot to be gleaned from it, which is why I love <i>For Dummies</i> and <i>Complete Idiot's Guide</i> type books. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
of course, before I do any actual investing, some things I need to take
care of are automating my finances/fixing my automation, and setting up
my IRA, all of which I will be doing ASAP. Ramit Sethi's book, <i>I Will Teach You To Be Rich</i>, which I mentioned in <a href="http://thebuffmillionaire.blogspot.com/2014/07/about-buff-millionaire.html" target="_blank">this post</a>, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
has a 6 week guideline to get finances in order, which if you need help
with that, you should definitely check out his book. It has taken me
WELL OVER 6 weeks to get things taken care of, but that is more due to
forgetfulness than anything else. But I need to get it taken care of
because every day it's not done is one less day my money can compound
and work for me. So, I will get it taken care of right away! In the
meantime, I will still continue to read and absorb as much as possible.
And then, on to investing!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Where
are you currently at? How are you doing with your financial goals? Have
you read or learned anything interesting lately? Please comment below!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-15677246972770905552014-08-03T19:44:00.000-07:002014-08-03T19:44:23.590-07:00Current Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I said in an earlier post that I would get more current pictures this week. Looking at them, I don't see a huge difference, which is weird because I know my clothes are fitting better and that I am looking thinner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
So I guess I will have to trust the process and trust that even though the scale AND picture are seemingly not changing, that I really am. Which becomes really frustrating and demotivating, but all I can do is keep trying. And there are SOME small differences, if you look closely, so at least there's that.<br />
<br />
Here are the older pictures and the ones from today, for comparison: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3cPGKbf3dl3xFThRAJbWieDRRYGgcWTSfx9qiv0ij6Baf1rl9W70HBiLIuRdfAakkSMwDin_aR0FZA6wr_UF7ULUdSI9dWUWRgrzUZjS0s0FQTK_mfF34XJHzlgT4YC7r_iTxQo_Cx8/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3cPGKbf3dl3xFThRAJbWieDRRYGgcWTSfx9qiv0ij6Baf1rl9W70HBiLIuRdfAakkSMwDin_aR0FZA6wr_UF7ULUdSI9dWUWRgrzUZjS0s0FQTK_mfF34XJHzlgT4YC7r_iTxQo_Cx8/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">06/15/2014</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2VGmLIrve4E4KM0_XmSxMWllXjl3gueXA8flj5cJozWAYOrNQNxFW6bfzsgXJjoohyphenhyphenQxUrXqcHtPTaFgh_nXww72hc90TZH-Jrm-iVAd67A0rF1Z1cDMxa9MXt3LdFvJFIXDdpXjrB0/s1600/IMG_1348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2VGmLIrve4E4KM0_XmSxMWllXjl3gueXA8flj5cJozWAYOrNQNxFW6bfzsgXJjoohyphenhyphenQxUrXqcHtPTaFgh_nXww72hc90TZH-Jrm-iVAd67A0rF1Z1cDMxa9MXt3LdFvJFIXDdpXjrB0/s1600/IMG_1348.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">08/03/2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidROJnOmiskxoRr9ZlcjH90yZRh6xd_EOkw6sfS3aXam2_MyDPQzerwGn3rn6YxuZx-N6MFcjfdXnsMdFB65meFYh9AIi3MG6SLbtHhU5AxvZP4nuQ0othIV9WMDB19gQ__monsNjl_I/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidROJnOmiskxoRr9ZlcjH90yZRh6xd_EOkw6sfS3aXam2_MyDPQzerwGn3rn6YxuZx-N6MFcjfdXnsMdFB65meFYh9AIi3MG6SLbtHhU5AxvZP4nuQ0othIV9WMDB19gQ__monsNjl_I/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">06/15/2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijh3fRNyCn1N3NLnIduHevs2m_mgv9tNWYQ4aRM2NmpsDO-a-xBWEAQjYIrYYIxX3Mdb-jfmaAGpU8r3BdyGVYFXMZO5g4f7sY8j8I6_u3YolOxP1TvgwdMx8uj93Ho7Sshf7E-aCxAw/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijh3fRNyCn1N3NLnIduHevs2m_mgv9tNWYQ4aRM2NmpsDO-a-xBWEAQjYIrYYIxX3Mdb-jfmaAGpU8r3BdyGVYFXMZO5g4f7sY8j8I6_u3YolOxP1TvgwdMx8uj93Ho7Sshf7E-aCxAw/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">08/03/2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQUesK_DQfv_O8FjoQHyvuvzXDcqg_HztI1U92OD4-FdR2USFP5T5fkhQJvna2um7LuUBZ5OOK4O2V130LlVsjdSjk8xn_DMYvRsMjCrCNQDUoMt1tkzsyFcjWnqEWoSly_nNyhaR7Cw/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQUesK_DQfv_O8FjoQHyvuvzXDcqg_HztI1U92OD4-FdR2USFP5T5fkhQJvna2um7LuUBZ5OOK4O2V130LlVsjdSjk8xn_DMYvRsMjCrCNQDUoMt1tkzsyFcjWnqEWoSly_nNyhaR7Cw/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">06/15/2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYud_bmaOqJisYS_M7x9S6joIiKyxLlW0mLCKgUSQrCb5QNF76-Gr2lb9CVr1ais7yUaeAolBgeTiVb8A871Q0wUqMWe5qYa4yrSdmaOd3CLQ1_4MSmYpvfFUsJmejME1zusqHHUvAY8/s1600/IMG_1350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYud_bmaOqJisYS_M7x9S6joIiKyxLlW0mLCKgUSQrCb5QNF76-Gr2lb9CVr1ais7yUaeAolBgeTiVb8A871Q0wUqMWe5qYa4yrSdmaOd3CLQ1_4MSmYpvfFUsJmejME1zusqHHUvAY8/s1600/IMG_1350.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">08/03/2104</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-63848983269880302502014-07-31T20:25:00.000-07:002014-07-31T20:46:42.285-07:00Shin Splints and You: What You can do about these Pests<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
I run, I tend to get the dreaded, god-awful lower-leg pain that plagues
many runners, newbies and experienced alike. You know what I mean:
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, or as normal non-medical people call it,
shin splints. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Though
I do have all kinds of running goals as part of being healthy (races,
etc.), you will likely never hear me say I like/love running. I love the
power I gain from it (getting faster, gaining endurance, etc.) and the
physical benefit of helping me lose weight, but the running itself-meh.
I'm sure there are many people who feel the same. This feeling only gets
compacted when the elation of your hard-won victory (time or distance)
is short-lived because it is followed by pain. Would I like running
better if I didn't get shin splints? Maybe, maybe not. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
since it is ultimately part of my long-term goals (to run a marathon
someday), and I want to do well at it even if I don't love it, I decided
to do some research on ways to help shin splints. It turns out, my
instincts were correct, and there a few basic moves you can do to help
them (which I already do, so I will need to remember to include them
more often). I will get to these in a minute, but first let's talk about
shin splints themselves.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What are Shin Splints?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Most
simply, shin splints are pain in the front lower leg during or after
activities such as running, dancing, etc. It can be towards the sides
or straight down below the knee cap. In my experience, it also sometimes
includes my ankles becoming tight. Different people experience
different things. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What Causes Shin Splints?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shin-splints/basics/causes/con-20023428" target="_blank">Mayo Clinic's</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b>very brief description states: "Shin splints are caused by repetitive
stress on the shinbone and the connective tissues that attach your
muscles to the bone." A more complete description can be found<a href="http://www.healthline.com/health/shin-splints??tcName=true#Overview1" target="_blank"> on this site</a>, but the basic gist is that stress and pressure on your bones can cause them. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">How can you help Shin Splits?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And
finally, what you may have come here for: How can you take care of
these irritating things? There are several ways you can help
treat/prevent further shin splints. A quick internet search will show
you dozens and dozens of different exercises and tricks you can use, but
here are some of the most common ones:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Stretch</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">:
It is common knowledge that stretching promotes flexibility and can
help alleviate pain in muscles because it expands muscles that have been
contracted by exercise. It is hotly debated and highly studied if you
should stretch before or after exercise, so I'll leave that to your
trainer or doctor to make recommendations for you, but the consensus is
that stretching is good for you. You should be doing this even if you
don't have shin splints. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-<u>Toe-Taps</u> are
a good way to exercise your shins to strengthen them. (I call them toe-taps, you may call them shin raises.) I find it easier
to do them when seated on the edge of a chair, but you can also do them
standing. With feet flat on floor, lift toes toward legs until you feel
it in your shin area, and return to flat. Think about the inverse of a calf raise. Instead of raising heels, you will raise toes. <a href="http://media4.onsugar.com/files/ed2/192/1922729/46_2009/2868ebc85fb313bb_toe-lift.jpg" target="_blank">Here is a visual</a>--this is not my image so I don't control if it will always be there. How many times you do this
depends on you and your abilities. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-<u>Ankle Circles </u>can
help loosen and strengthen your ankles. Make sure to rotate in both
directions to get the full benefit. Again, how many times you do this
depends on you and your abilities. If you need extra challenge, you
could always add in ankle weights. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-<u>Strengthen Your Calves:</u> There is a lot of information about strengthening calves and shin splints to be found. <a href="http://runnersconnect.net/running-injury-prevention/shin-splint-treatment-calf-strengthening/" target="_blank">Here</a> is a great article that covers it better than I can condense it or explain it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-<u>Rest</u>: When experiencing symptoms, make sure to rest up. Use ice, elevation, and heat in a combination that helps you. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-<u>Make sure you have proper gear</u>.
What proper gear is, is relative to the individual, and it may take
some experimenting to find it. At the very least, you should have
well-fitting shoes that give you support where you need it most-which
also varies by individual. Some people also use things like braces or
wraps to help</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-<u>Change your stride/gait or form.</u> This is a last resort option, if all else fails to work. That being said, it is <b><i>CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT </i></b>that
you do not attempt this on your own, and instead consult with a medical
professional such as a Physical Therapist. That point cannot be
emphasized enough. If you have tried everything else and still have
problems, there may be something entirely different than shin splints
going on. Consult with your Medical Professional to rule anything else
out and/or to work on changing gait or "strike pattern" (the position your foot is in when it hits the ground). </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Above all else, <b>Listen to your Body</b>. While a lot of pain while working out can be psychological (mind over body), only <b>you</b>
know how much pain you can tolerate and if something doesn't feel
right. Listen to those clues that your body gives you--pain included--to
know what's going on and if you should do something about it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I hope these tips help. If you have one that isn't listed, please feel free to share it in the comments!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2534710322631996161.post-33578846701833960882014-07-29T18:04:00.000-07:002014-07-29T18:05:16.905-07:00Starting/Current Numbers<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
promised in my first post, here are all the numbers that I am starting
from, or are at currently. I will periodically update as things change,
but for certain things, I don't expect them to change very rapidly. So
maybe the updates will be infrequent for things like growing 401K, etc.,
but I will always be as complete as possible. As of today, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1867333890" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">07/29/2014</span></span>, this is where I am at:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Financial:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Predictable Income</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">:
~21,000/year (Income from day job which doesn't include OT or anything
from side/personal projects that I may do), or ~42,000/year if you
include husband's income. (We work at the same place, and make the
same.)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Checking</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">:
~600ish-- I don't actually expect this to change that drastically
because of the way savings accounts are set up and the cyclical nature
of getting paid and money going to bills. But you never know...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Savings</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: <b>~</b>1800--I
actually have 3 accounts for savings, or rather, one account and 2 sub
accounts. Though, this number reflects the total of all of them because
since they are tied, if a big emergency happens, I could easily transfer
funds to use. But let's just hope that doesn't happen. I have one for
"Life's Hassles" or the emergency fund, one for "Down Payment" and one
for "Fun/Vacation Money". </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Why
so many? I believe, and I think many would agree, that it's important
to have REASONS that you are saving to help keep on track. It's easier
to say "I am saving for Ireland" or "This will buy my house someday"
than to just vaguely say "I need to save." So, if you find yourself
struggling to save money, that's my first suggestion: Besides saving for
a rainy day, sit down and decide/define WHY you want to save, or what
you're saving for. You may just find that this step naturally makes you
more conscious of your spending and saving habits, and helps you add to
your savings. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">401K Plan</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">:
My plan account says ~400, but it takes a while to register
contributions, and my paystub says ~500, so we'll go with that./
Husband's is ~230. (We both just opened them this year, and he started
after me.) We both contribute 10% each check, and receive 4% match from
our employer. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Debt:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
Aside from my car payments (of which I should be rid of in about 7
months), and perhaps a less than $200 cell phone bill that I forgot to
pay when I cancelled my previous service (which will be taken care of in
the next month or so), neither I nor my husband carry any substantial
debt-a fact that I am proud of, especially since at one point after
having some hard times after our move between states, we were paying off
a maxed out credit card of $1500. Thankfully, that hasn't been the case
in about a year or more. So, for the purposes of this blog, I say I am
debt free. Hooray!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Total "Net Worth": </b>About $3130 between all combined accounts. So, I am a long way from a millionaire. But that's OK--Even Warren Buffett had to start somewhere!</span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Health: </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Current Weight</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">:
~195-196 Pounds. Despite being consistent in working out and eating
better, this number has not changed in several weeks. While I have been
experimenting with various factors that could be causing it, I do
realize that my body is changing and that I am getting stronger and
healthier, so I TRY to not focus on the number on the scale too much. I
think I will also go back to not weighing in more than once a week-that
seems to be a good number as opposed to the 3-4 times a week I do now. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pictures
are always a good way to track, and husband and I had been doing about
every 2 weeks for a while, but haven't been consistent in months-So
that's one goal I'll be working on, to be more consistent about
pictures-especially since the scale can be a trickster, and a good
motivator to keep going is to SEE in a side-by-side comparison how
things change.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">These ones below are about a month old. I will take some more current ones this week. </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPA1IzXYCUqJNViwG4G9EKue311cYdBd6PsbUVY3RUCBVprhxEcXLVZTx0kbVpiM8UXwtnVSP58DoDzrnNEDRZ2qrSiEYzzVdScUASkhGLtARG2x_bUY7qUXaWvg_MzmsJZWAjrS9ZtKY/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPA1IzXYCUqJNViwG4G9EKue311cYdBd6PsbUVY3RUCBVprhxEcXLVZTx0kbVpiM8UXwtnVSP58DoDzrnNEDRZ2qrSiEYzzVdScUASkhGLtARG2x_bUY7qUXaWvg_MzmsJZWAjrS9ZtKY/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1hyphenhyphenkpxKUIBAKVWeYVwoy4q7qupwgNOX1LPwFZO461yamH4ZBe_mBU0sL0WIYMw3hIFkCcWgaafewjLZqevC8F3OmlYb7bTV71RDfWCqRsdIugieTv-tPdc-ZTlYgf-90a7I4_Sbuu5g/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1hyphenhyphenkpxKUIBAKVWeYVwoy4q7qupwgNOX1LPwFZO461yamH4ZBe_mBU0sL0WIYMw3hIFkCcWgaafewjLZqevC8F3OmlYb7bTV71RDfWCqRsdIugieTv-tPdc-ZTlYgf-90a7I4_Sbuu5g/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdDliEOIdO-sJBulcQ6lCq1-qGn_sofvwgbgbrNdp_4nyXe-1FqIp6sWe7Dj0F4UQsjEjMvljpQaylK6nq8Qd8jkvqQqddf0ApCuxXAJDFFvmndPhc1NzKKnDuOULNM8ms1wKKZflki8/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdDliEOIdO-sJBulcQ6lCq1-qGn_sofvwgbgbrNdp_4nyXe-1FqIp6sWe7Dj0F4UQsjEjMvljpQaylK6nq8Qd8jkvqQqddf0ApCuxXAJDFFvmndPhc1NzKKnDuOULNM8ms1wKKZflki8/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 22.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So now that we know where I am currently at, let's march forward and make some progress!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Is
there something you're working on? Where are you starting
from/currently at? Leave a comment below and share in the journey. I'd love to hear from you.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0