Everything I spent money on last week (2/11)

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I’m on a money-saving journey this year since I want to take some time off of work next year. I burned out last year, feel like I have lost every ounce of creativity, and want to make a life pivot (more on that in another post).

I made a strict budget for myself at the beginning of the year and did okay sticking to it in January, but haven’t done a great job in February so far (oops). Here’s everything out of my budget this week that I need to reign in for the rest of the month/in March along with some strategies for the future.

  1. Eating Out: This is always a big one but in the last week (actually the last few days), I spent $110 eating out. I still want to go out and enjoy spending time with my friends, but I think I can cut back.
    • Suggest cheaper places to eat out. For me, the point of eating out is to spend time with my friends and to occasionally try new restaurants. I can suggest cheaper places to eat so I’m not feeling guilty about going over budget.
    • Don’t order drinks. Even sodas! One of the ways to make things cheaper is to only spend money on food and not order any add ons. I did order a coke this weekend because I was so tired and needed extra caffiene.
    • Suggest going for a walk or hike or coffee. All of these are way cheaper than eating out and a walk can help with my exercise goals too!
  2. Nail polish: Not sure why, but I’ve suddenly gotten very into nail polish and so spent $26 buying some new colors.
    • Add items I want to my wishlist. Whenever I want something new I’ve started adding it to the back of my journal with the price, the date, and a terribly drawn picture. It’s fun and also keeps track of all the items I want (but hopefully don’t want in the future)
  3. New jeans: Okay, so I actually only have one pair of jeans and am looking to get a new pair. I saved about half of this in my budget, but the ones I wanted were on sale, so I just bought them. $70
    • Same as above! Add to my wishlist.

In total, that’s $206 dollars I wasn’t really planning on spending, but did. I’m not going to beat myself up about it, but just learn from this and move forward with my next steps.

How are you feeling about your budget so far this year?

Until next time!

How to Try New Things as an Adult

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Being an adult is hard. We get stuck in our own little bubbles and just work, cook, and clean…and clean some more. (Seriously though…so much cleaning…) Sometimes we have hobbies beyond watching Netflix or HBO, but it’s hard to do things after work – even if we’ve been sitting for eight hours a day.

BUT….isn’t there that one thing you’ve always wanted to try or do. Maybe you want to learn how to play the piano, or you want to get back into playing the sport you loved when you were a kid. Maybe you want to learn a new language and then go visit a new country to practice. Whatever it is, it can be kind of scary to start as an adult and especially to start alone!

As adults, we’re not used to trying new things unless we get a new job or move to a new city. Even then there’s some guidelines in place for what we should and shouldn’t do. Starting something new when you know no one and you’ll (most definitely) be bad at it is scary! We’re not used to being bad at things once we reach a certain age. But it’s also exciting. You can be terrible and get better! Here are three tips to just start.

  1. Do your research: Find a class that’s beginner friendly. I started going to ballet class as an adult without any foundation and did some in-depth research on beginner classes. Some classes claim to be for beginners, but you need a base level of knowledge to take it. In the end, I found a 6 week beginner class that claimed to be for people with no dance background and it was! It was great to be with people and learn with adults who had no background in dance. We could all fumble along together.
  2. Try it out: If you can’t determine if it’s a beginner class, you can call and find out. If you’re still not sure then, take a deep breath, and just go. If you hate it and feel out of your depth you don’t have to go back! You’ll never see those people again so be as terrible as you can be. But at least you’re trying.
  3. Keep going: Maybe you enjoyed the class. Go back! Maybe you felt foolish. Go back! Or if you didn’t like it at all (like one dance class I tried where the teacher was rather rude), then don’t go back. Find something else! We have the freedom to choose what we do and don’t do and where we spend our money, so spend your time and money on things you enjoy. 🙂

I hope to get back into ballet now that the studio is open again. And I want to try a few other things – some recipes, go to some new museums, and just generally get out of my apartment again. What do you want to try?

Until next time.

5 Out of the Box Vacation Ideas

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Photo taken by me!

Take the Train! This is the only vacation idea I have actually done on this list, and it was a fun experience. I took the train across the United States in my own sleeper car from LA to Chicago to DC. It was an interesting experience and I would do it again up and down the West Coast. Amtrak has multiple routes you can take so you don’t have to spend multiple nights and three days on a train. I didn’t stop along the way because I was eager to get where I was going, but there’s always that option too!

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Horseback ride through Iceland. This is next up on my trip list. There are several companies that run multi-day horseback riding trips around Iceland. I think it’ll be a great way to see the countryside and meet some people at the same time. Food and board is included for the time period of the trip, so the price is all inclusive (at least the one’s I’ve looked into). I don’t think I could handle anything more than four days since I haven’t ridden since high school, but they also have easy one hour trips or half day trips for anyone who might not want to spend multiple days in the saddle.

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Take a Steamboat down the Mississippi. Am I actually just a transportation nerd? I don’t think I am, but I do think it would be cool to take a boat down the Mississippi and experience the different cities and states from Minnesota to Louisiana. Mostly I just think it’s interesting to experience something a different way than usual or than from the typical hotel/car vacation (which is okay too!).

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Join an Earthwatch Expedition. I just discovered this and I think it’s so cool! You can book a trip to help out scientists and researchers with their environmental studies, whether it’s helping to tag birds or counting pieces of plastic in the ones (erm…at least that’s my understanding…). You pay a set fee for the trip and room and board is included. It might not be everyone’s idea of a fun trip, but something to do off the beaten path and a new and different experience to try.

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Trek through Scotland. We all think of going hiking in our hometowns (well maybe not everyone), but why don’t we also think of going hiking in another country. You might not be able to see all the usual sights, but you’ll be able to take it slow along the countryside and maybe see some beautiful small towns and scenery while you’re at it. You can always do a day or two in the big city and hit all the tourist sites at the beginning or end of your trip.

What do you think? Are there any vacations you’re just itching to take (especially with Covid) or any out of the box vacation ideas you can’t wait to plan? Or are you a beach and relax kind of person. I’m also that kind of person, but my brain has been going a bit haywire over the past year and a half!

Planning to take a sabbatical

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As mentioned in my recent post, I’m trying to take a sabbatical in a few years. I haven’t brought it up with my employer yet, because it’s several years out and also there’s a good chance I will have to quit my job altogether. I’m planning to take off 9-12 months, although this plan could change over time based on any number of factors. Maybe I’ll get a new job! Maybe I’ll buy a house (ha) and need to pay the mortgage! Maybe there will be another recession! Fun things…

However, the current plan is to take some time off and reset, and I want to plan for that in advance so that I have enough money. Really there are two separate, but intertwined goals.

  • Save enough money to take a significant period of time off and not feel overly stressed about having enough money.
  • Feel like I’m in a good place with my retirement savings knowing I won’t contribute to it for a year.

Maybe there are other finance related goals to consider, but these are the two I’ve come up with for now. I’ve laid out how much money I need to save each month to get these two goals in place.

Spoiler Alert: It’s A LOT.

Some considerations:

  • I will have to pay for my own health insurance
  • I need to make sure I have money on top of my emergency fund in case anything disastrous happens
  • I want to have more money saved than necessary in case it takes me a long time to find a job

Again, I’m sure I’m missing something, but this is my thinking for now. I’ve definitely let lifestyle inflation creep into my life and I’m aware I’m going to have to cut back on a few things to make this happen. More on that in the future!

Do you think there’s anything else I should consider? Let me know!

One way to set goals

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Have you heard of SMART goals? It’s a way to set goals or take larger goals and break them down into actionable steps. I like this system because it really helps me think about my goals and break them down into steps I’m actually able to accomplish.

I have written a book before – a middle grade novel. I’m very proud of that accomplishment because writing really is hard, but when I sent out to a few agents I didn’t get any bites. Maybe I should have tried more agents, but I got discouraged and got new ideas in my head (those beautiful new ideas). I really believe in this currently story I’m trying to write and I do want to get it out of my head and into the world, but life gets in the way and work gets busy so I need to set serious goals for myself!

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-based

Write a book

  • Specific: I would like to finish editing my book by the end of the year.
  • Measurable: I will edit 2 pages per day.
  • Attainable: I will cut back on my social media time and try to get out of bed earlier (instead of just laying in bed and scrolling through TikTok.)
  • Relevant: I need to write my book because this is something I’ve always dreamed about and think about on a daily basis.
  • Time-based: End of the year!

I’ll try to do regular updates on my goals because I really need accountability partners and you’re it!

How to get the life I want

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The short answer is I don’t know, and the long answer is you have to work for it. The past year and half has been hard for everyone, and while I am certainly more privileged than most, I’m still not happy. It’s due to a number of reasons that I’m still digging into and my unravel with time, but at the moment I have three goals:

  • Take a sabbatical in the next few years
  • Find what makes me happy and do more of that
  • Finish the novel I’m writing and try to get it published

That’s it really.

I do want to acknowledge that part of starting this blog again is to try to cultivate a small source of income for when I do decide to take my sabbatical. There’s a fair chance I would have to quit my job and I would feel much better knowing there’s a small amount of money coming in.

In the coming weeks I’ll be figuring out content I want to share, updating by 18 in 2018 (clearly), and generally stumbling around in the dark and trying things. What fun!

2020 Focus

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I’m sooooo late on the New Year’s Resolution post, but the thing I like about New Year’s Resolutions is that you should really be working on them all year! So even though it’s well into February, I’m still focusing on myself and trying to complete some goals.

  1. Tidiness – I am not a tidy person, so am trying to get rid of things and tidy for at least 15 minutes every day. Marie Kondo didn’t really do it for me, but this Clutterbug book did.
  2. Fitness – I really stopped exercising last year because work got CRAZY, but I’ve come to realize that I’m happier and have less achey pain when I exercise. (Ummm…obviously…)
  3. French! – I’ve always wanted to be proficient in a second language, so I started taking French class last year. But I’m not devoting enough time outside of the one and a half hour class each week. If future me wants to know two languages, then now me better be working on it!
  4. Write – Pretty self explanatory. I want to get a book deal this year, so I better get cracking.

So I’m late to the party, but at least I came to the party! And I’ll try to keep this whole thing-a-ma-jig more consistent, because why not.

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Revival!

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Happy 2020! I’m late…but that’s okay! Sometimes things happen at our own pace (well always). This year I’m hoping to write more as a resolution, so I’m brining the blog back to life! And I’ve also decided to start a newsletter. Maybe two things is a little ambitious, but it’s still January, so let’s be ambitious.

Newsletter: Subscribe HERE

Day 365: 1 year Check In

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Well I mostly abandoned this blog for the past few months, but it’s been a year since I started realized I was unhappy with my life and so it’s time to check-in again.

  1. Work on my Novel – I’m done! I’m just researching and querying agents now. My goal was to already have queried agents and to have a stack of rejection letters. I currently have neither, so we’ll have to keep this one on the docket for next year.
  2. Ballet – I’ve been going to ballet and pilates on a regular basis. Bad news is my ballet class moved farther away from me so it’s going to be harder to get there. I don’t know if it’s feasible for me to continue going there since it takes up a good chunk of my day. Maybe I can find a way to make it work for me.
  3. Promotion –  DONE! 
  4. Get out of credit card debt –  DONE!!
  5. In a relationship – Still online dating. It’s kind of taken a backseat to my work life right now, but after I complete this one project, I should be free for a little while.

I’m not entirely unhappy with how this year went. I read a lot of books about women or men who make up their minds to do something and then by their self-imposed deadline, it’s somehow magically done (with a lot of hard work). Life doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes it moves forwards in stops and starts, or sometimes it moves forward in great big leaps, or sometimes we slide back into the places we’ve already been. All of which happened to me in the past year.

So the big question. Am I happier now than I was on this day last year? Yes and no. I feel like I’ve made some big strides in my life, but I also feel it a little lacking still (I think this is a trait of my personality and not because my life is bad). If I don’t feel happier, then I at least feel more content.

Until tomorrow. (And Next Year!)

 

Day 310 :Monthly Check-in Pt. 10

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Helloooo! It’s been awhile because I’ve been busy (as always). It’s almost Summer, almost the end of my year project, almost time for another. And now it’s time for a check in.

  1. Work on my Novel – Almost done my book! I just have a few last things to add and then I should be done. I also have a draft query letter, and a list of agents to send it to once my book is all done. I’m aiming to finish by this weekend since I don’t have many plans, but I always aim to do that and then end up watching Netflix for hours and hours. Maybe I should go to a coffeeshop this weekend and power through. We’ll see. By July 23, I should at least be querying agents. Call it a half win?
  2. Ballet – I have been going again! After months and years of telling myself I’m too tired, and not good enough, I’ve been going on a regular basis. I think going to Pilates and yoga also has something to do with it, since I’m constantly feeling good from exercising, and I keep wanting to feel that way. I won’t move up to the next class level by July 23, but maybe by the end of the year if I feel up it it. Fingers crossed!
  3. Promotion –  DONE! 
  4. Get out of credit card debt –  DONE!!
  5. In a relationship – I started online dating again. I only took a break for two months or so and then my friend got engaged and my other friend got a boyfriend. So here I am. Expect me to take a break again in a couple months. Haha.
  6. Cleaning my life – Not part of my big five, but it’s my monthly goal. I’ve been doing okay at this. I gave some things to goodwill, cleaned out my car, and am in the process of purging my closet. It’s a process and will take longer than I want it to.

So that’s it! Despite not crossing off any major goals this time around, I do feel like I’m making progress that will pay off two to three months from now if I continue working at the same pace I am now.

I’m also almost done with “this year”, so while some my goals might stay the same for next year, I’m going to take the next few weeks to really think about my life and what I want it to be in the future. And then I’ll make a yearly goals to get there. Stay tuned.

Until tomorrow.

55 days to go.