Funding the Adventurous Life
There was a time when I was fat.
Not “athlete fat,” where you’d like to drop five or ten pounds — I’m talking about obese.
As I write this, I weigh 148 pounds. In Peak Blubber days, circa 2001 (age 17), I weighed approximately 240 pounds. And there was no muscle to speak of.
Over a 10-15 year period, I eradicated nearly 100 pounds of excess mass from my body — and along with it— the shame, disgust, and self-loathing from my mind.
Continue reading “I Was Really Fat Until I Fixed It”
You’ve read a bit about financial independence, and perhaps your interest is piqued. But the more you read, the more you see a potential life of deprivation. People are saving 50-70% of their income, but they won’t buy a coffee! You know damn well that Sally enjoys eating out, but now she just stays at home with her spreadsheets and swears she’s happy. That doesn’t seem like much of a life, huh? Well, I agree. Let’s investigate whether being frugal is overhyped.
Continue reading “But I Don’t Want to Be Frugal”
It is late April as I write this. Spring has sprung, flowers are in full bloom, and Gary is tuning up the lawn mower. People are aerating their lawns, for some reason. Pasty white legs are in shorts and flip flops, even though it’s not quite yet that warm. Not in Colorado at least. We’re headed out of winter, and we’re starting to crave the fresh fruit and veg of summer. But folks, I’m here to stand in solidarity with a winter standard: Stew.
Continue reading “In Defense of Stew”
We’ve just wrapped up a two-week stay in Europe, most of which was spent on Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. As previously discussed, we jumped on what was essentially a free flight to Frankfurt, Germany, spending a night on either end of the trip there. We also leaned on our five key tips for saving money while traveling abroad. Shall we take a look at some pretty pictures and tally the final bill?
Continue reading “Mallorca: January Adventures and the Cost to Do It”
Well folks, new year, new goals. Are you looking to increase your savings rate this year?
Are you really interested in saving? “No” is a completely acceptable answer, by the way. If you prefer to answer no, you can largely disregard what’s written below and carry on with a plan more suitable for you. We fully recognize that a frugal existence is not for everyone. We cool? Cool.
However, if you’re really interested in saving tens of thousands of dollars, it’s going to require not only change, but a complete re-framing of your lifestyle.
These sort of changes will require a degree of discomfort — whether it’s physical, social, or otherwise — until you become accustomed to a new normal. That’s the beauty of the human condition; we’re adaptable. Take it from us that perceived discomfort can, with time, result in a new-found appreciation for a more simple existence. And the benefits are not purely financial. Building a new life of simplicity brings the benefits of a difficult-to-describe feeling of place in the world. A place you’ve earned, not bought. If you trust us in that, let’s read on.
Continue reading “Five “Essentials” That Are Destroying Your Savings”
The first response we usually get (or sense) when explaining the concepts behind financial independence – and in particular frugality – are that we must be depriving ourselves of “the lives we deserve” by being in a higher income bracket yet choosing to spend so little money. Instead of waxing poetic about the philosophy of simple living, let’s start with some examples of what we consider low-hanging fruit in the hierarchy of unnecessary spending.
“I love eating out, so I’m happy regularly spending money in restaurants.”