Year of 31

It's only 2.5 hours away from my 31st birthday!

I liked having a "year of 30" list last year, but I want to keep it simple/accomplishable/affordable this year. So my goals for this next year of my life are measurable and trackable:

mise-en-place my life; get organized and then keep organized. Prepare things in advance (budget/meal plan/etc.) so that they are easy because I have all the pieces. 

Take the PPP, SPD and SD exams (half way through).

Build and take care of raised beds in front of my house (watering/weeding/thinning).

Create a budget every month and stick to it. 

Experiment in the kitchen. Cook meals, look at plating and presentation (take photos!)

Develop an exercise habit (experiment to find what works for me)

Get and keep kitchen organized (spice shelves, base cabinet organizers, back of door organizers)

Paint living room, kitchen and bathroom, touch up bedroom. These could be done in a weekend!

Connect more with friends and family (I just used Skype yesterday to catch up with an old friend. Chatting via video is amazing! I used it again to talk to a friend who recently moved and who I haven't seen in a long time and it felt like we were just chatting like normal face to face. Yay technology!)

Have more fun. This one is not so measurable (unless I have a daily calendar where I track the fun-ness of my day). But really just doing more things I enjoy, exploring nearby nature, finding ways to entertain myself that aren't too expensive. The last year was pretty stressful and I would really prefer to focus on enjoying life than stressing about it!

National S'mores Day!

Today (Sunday August 10) was National S'mores Day!


I started preparing on Saturday, making marshmallows. The Alton Brown recipe has been my favorite so far.

Then I made graham crackers from one of my favorite cookbooks, Homemade Pantry.

When the graham crackers came out of the oven, I set the pans on cooling racks and immediately put chocolate and marshmallow on them. This way the chocolate would melt, then cool with the cracker and become one.

I assembled them this way to transport more easily to work tomorrow.

This photos are showing me that I seriously need a better camera than just my phone if I want to take better food photos!

I really wanted to roast these marshmallows over the fire pit, but I'm having a S'mores party in a couple weeks to celebrate my birthday, so I'll wait until then. For which I have plans to make marshmallows and I'm thinking about making a S'mores tart. Graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache topped with marshmallow creme and toasted via culinary torch!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake -OR- How to use up your giant zucchini

This cake means summer, and also has been m birthday cake pretty much every year for as long as I can remember. It is a cake with no frosting, and is probably why I love cake and dislike frosting.

1/2 cup soft butter

1 & 3/4 cup sugar (sometimes I reduce this down to 1 cup when I'm going for "healthy" cake)

1/2 cup vegetable oil (you can replace some or all of this with applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sour milk (to make this, pour a little lemon juice in the 1/2 cup and then fill with milk)

2 & 1/2 cups flour, sifted

4 Tbsp cocoa

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t cloves

2 cup zucchini, grated

1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

 

Cream butter and sugar in stand mixer or large bowl. Add oil, eggs, vanilla and sour milk and blend. Mix together all dry ingredients in medium sized bowl and beat well into wet mixture.  Stir in zucchini.  Spoon mixture, and smooth top, into greased and floured 9 x 13  pain; sprinkle top with chocolate chips.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.

I need to get a better camera than my phone. No frosting allowed, I love this cake!

I FIGURED OUT THE TRICK TO BUDGETING!

It's so simple.

When you want to know how much money you have, look at your budget, not your bank account!

Of course, this requires that you write what you intend to spend and then what you actually spend. But that way I can keep using Mint.com, and using my debit card to track purchases.

Here is the spreadsheet I made to track budget (zero base where every dollar has a job, even if that job is vague, "entertainment").

	BARE MINIMUM	BUDGETED	ACTUAL
TOTAL	$0	$0	-$XXX
Mortgage
Cell phones	$10	$145
Electric		$100	$57
Natural Gas		$32	$32
Water/Sewer		$60
Garbage ($40 every 2 months)		$20	$40
Internet		$50
House supplies/ toiletries
Disability Insurance		$97
Food	$300	$400
Oil Changes ($50*4/year)	$17	$25
Car Insurance	$107	$107	$107
Gas		$80	$15+$15
Wellness plan puppy		$28	$28
Pet insurance		$28	$28
Dog Food
CSA
Credit Card
Clothing/shoes/accessories
Entertainment	$40	$50
Spotify	$5	$5
Shopping
Savings off the top		$300	$300 plus remaining
Savings - online account for Xmas		$25	$25
PAYCHECK		$XXXX

Early Retirement, I want it!

I have to figure out how bad I want it, how much I am willing to live like no one else so that later I can live like no one else!

The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement, from Mr. Money Mustache
Starting from assumption of zero assets, starting today (+31)

Savings Rate - Years 'til Retirement
5% - 66 years (age 97)
   6% my current plus 6% matching (matching doesn't count, it's bonus)
10% - 51 years (age 82)
15% - 43 years (age 74) Goal for 2015
20% - 37 years (age 68) Goal for 2016
25% - 32 years (age 63) Goal for 2017
30% - 28 years (age 59)
35% - 25 years (age 56)
40% - 22 years (age 53)
45% - 19 years (age 50)
50% - 17 years (age 48 - based on 5% pay raise every year and keeping current spending, I could afford to do 50% savings at age 43)

Now, I'm not starting at 0, but I might as well look at it that way if  really want to kick things up a notch!


Spending Less is more important than earning more.

Oh man how I wish I knew this so many years ago when I was making good money and living exactly at my means. I don't have that many things I can reduce spending on, namely:

1. Cell phone (planning to switch to Republic Wireless next month) 
2. Food (set a budget of $400, typically have been spending closer to $600-700/mo)
3. Shopping (I don't always do a lot of shopping, some months more than others - looking at more DIY and also just a minimalism approach. I don't need more stuff!)

Basic rules of growing wealth I heard on a madfientist podtcast today:

1. Avoid Debt
2. Live on less than you earn
3. Invest the surplus

It's that simple. 

Reflecting on my Year of 30

Last year, I turned 30, I will be turning 31 in a little less than 2 weeks. I did a lot of things on my list, changed my mind about some, and took a complete 180 on others. I still like the idea of an annual bucket list, I think I should limit the number of things though to keep it more reasonable/achievable. I also started a bucket list - bigger things to work towards over a longer period.

My list was a bit too aggressive! I think a list of maybe 10 things, 10 reasonable things (affordably reasonable and calendar reasonable! I do like the idea of a bucket list for the year, but I also want to work on a life bucket list. All my budgeting is helping with that. This month will be my first real budget month, I'm excited and I hope I can stay that way!

I think for my Year of 31 my list will be as follows:

1. Take my PPP exam again, and SPD and SD
2. Build and take care of raised beds in front of my house
3. Use a budget
4. Focus on building up emergency fund (bonuses, gifts, side income => all goes to savings)
5. Make as much homemade as I can (soaps, additional clothing, bread, meals, lunch, snacks, even desserts - gifts and start making items for my online business, no need to rush into that though - figure out some go-to recipes for bread, pizza, veggie dishes, stretching the grocery budget)
6. Develop and exercise habit (I don't know what this will be yet, I bought a 15# kettlebell I like to pick up and do a couple random squats with but it would be good to get some kind of schedule going, even if it's just 50 KB swings a day, and a 15 minute walk with the puppy when I get home from work)
7. Get kitchen organized (pots and pans, hooks for measuring cups, spice shelves, etc)
8. Paint living room and kitchen (already have the paint! Just a matter of moving things around to get it done, and keeping the puppy away from wet paint.
9. Spend more time with/talking to my family and friends, even if that means phone calls, texting and or letters. So many kinds of communication these days, I should really be taking advantage of them rather than feeling so far away from my friends!
10. Have fun. Have way more fun! Do things that are fun (and affordable), make sure to have fun budgeted in, figure out what fun means exactly, because sometimes it's sitting here researching budgeting, or spending a whole night on Pintrest, or just watching a movie with the boy and the puppy, or sometimes it's spending a whole day making food

This was a first stab at writing up a Year of 31, I will probably need to edit a few things, but 10 items, even more general items are better than the 50+ items I had last year (where my actual income was barely a factor! Haha!)

Hey, that's catchy

I heard and read a couple phrases in the past few days that I really liked.

"Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle."

When first getting into getting financially fit, it's easy to read stories about people who started way before you and to feel discouraged because you will never reach (or it feels like you won't) what they have accomplished and you are just getting started. First of all, comparison will get you nowhere. Secondly, what matters is that you have started! There are still so many people out there who haven't started!

"Professional Home Economist" as the job title of a stay at home mom.

I heard Dave Ramsey say this about a woman who was staying home with the kids, but money was still tight. It was her job to make sure the house ran affordably and efficiently. This means learning to cook, make things from scratch, find the best deals on things they need. I aspire to be a part-time professional home economist (see: sewing, canning, cooking, gardening hobbies!).

"Don't blame other's for your financial problems"

This is what really got me going. I've been blaming my under-employed boyfriend for my finances, or that I don't get paid enough. But really, when I look at my budget, I make enough to live on, I just have been spending too much on food, or gas to go places I really couldn't afford, or going out to eat for dinner when I'm too tired to cook, or forget to bring lunch. There are so many things I am  in control of. Now I am focusing on the final quote:

"budgeting is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went!"

Money, money, money, money.... MONEY!

I have become kind of obsessed with money. I am salaried so there isn't really anything I can do to increase my income because I don't get overtime and don't have the time or energy for another job. What I have come to realize is that I need a budget in order to "tell my money where to go, rather than wonder where it went" as Dave Ramsey says.

Right now, I am feeling pretty pumped up about setting up budgets, planning for the future, and figuring out ways to save money. Below I have gathered the places I turn to for inspiration when I want to think about or get high on budgeting.

Basic notes I have gathered from the people below:

• Put 15% of your income into your retirement savings. I am at 6% right now, plan to bump up to 10% with my next raise and 15% after that. 
• Spend less than you earn. This sounds obvious and yet, it's so difficult because the money in my account always "burns a hole in my pocket" when I have it. 
• Focus on the bigger picture. Dave Ramsey says "Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else." This idea gets me excited. I can kind of picture myself becoming the crazy lady who finds many ways to save money and does everything by hand. 
• Without a budget, you don't really know how much money you have. In a budget, you are planning for bills you know will come, you can even save a little every month to prepare for bigger expenses (like oil changes every 3 months, if you save the amount over the 3 months instead of suddenly having that chunk expense you can be better prepared. Car insurance premiums are the same.)

Some things I am still figuring out:

• What is the most effective way for me to prepare a budget, keep track of my budget, and stay on budget. I am planning to give You Need a Budget a try, however first I need to update my operating system on my laptop!
• How to budget grocery shopping when I love good ingredients and good food, and the grocery store isn't in walking distance like it was in NYC. Man I miss that. 
• Spending money on experiences rather than things. I don't buy much "things" anymore (thank you fully stocked kitchen, but I love to make things and so end up spending money on supplies. I would like to review these habits and focus on experiences, as well as spending on supplies to compliment the supplies I already have (i.e. buy a zipper in order to make a garment with fabric I already have, but not buy new fabric until I have used all the fabric I have and have a specific need for more.) I really like the idea of taking off multiple weeks of work in order to travel. Having a dog will somewhat limit where I can/am willing to go. I don't really want to leave him behind! I see a lot of road trips in my future :) 
• A minimalist lifestyle works very well with being frugal and saving. Understanding that I don't actually want things that at first I think I might want because other people have or want them. I don't need more stuff, I could do with less stuff. I like the idea of living a more streamlined life which to me means developing a personal uniform (more on that later), preserving food, growing it myself, spending time at home, and getting organized. 

MY RESOURCES:

Blogs:

• Mr. Money Moustache
• Get Rich Slowly

Forums (I reddit a lot)

• /r/financialindependence
• /r/frugal

Audio

• Dave Ramsey Show, podcast or streaming from the archive

Keeping track

• Mint, great for seeing where your money went, not great for planning ahead

NEW RESOURCES I AM EXCITED TO EXPLORE

Blogs

• Afford Anything
• The You Need a Budget Blog
• Early Retirement Extreme

Forum

• Bogleheads

Keeping Track

• You Need a Budget 

Things I want to learn more about:

• Couponing, and if this is something I could get into
• Making everything from scratch
• Kettlebell workouts
• Start up costs of chickens, and chicken care when on vacation
• Ways to make money outside of work
• Investing, for when I have extra income to invest (by my approximations it will be in 3-4 years)
• Vacation, where I want to go on my big vacation in 2020 (as part of my 6 year plan)

I'm sure these lists will continue to grow, I will post again once I have done more exploring! I am also trying to figure out what I want this blog to be. Back to the NW for the future. I want to be here, I am very happy to be here (especially right now at the peak of summer produce!) I think documenting my house projects and attempts at frugality and minimalism. Likely some posts on the frustrations but hopefully more on the successes!

Homemade, saving money and impressing people

I love making things. Several of my home cooking experiments have stemmed out of "I wonder if I can make that. As I am preparing for my super budget, the one where I will have money for the things I need (3 months spending emergency fund) and the ones I want (a shed/office in the back yard of my new house) I am trying to figure out ways of cutting down on my spending.

One project I will be in need of soon is dishwasher detergent, so I did a little research and found a few recipes for homemade soaps. They are quite cheap as the components are cheap and you don't need to use very much to get results (according to the posts).

All recipes found at www.diynatural.com 

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Citric Acid
1/2 cup Kosher Salt

Use white vinegar as rinse aid

Combine in container with sealing lid, shake, use
Simple cheap, impressive!

Homemade Liquid Dish Soap

I'll be needing this soon, not so soon that I don't have time to over think what I want it to smell like!

1 3/4c boiling water
1 Tbsp Borax
1 Tbsp Grated Soap
15-20 drops Essential oils

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, boil water, pour over dry ingredients, stir, add essential oils and let cool 6-8 hours on countertop, stirring occasionally. Put in a squirt bottle.

Homemade Laundry Detergent (Dry, you can make wet ones but I worry that I would make too big a mess sloshing it into the washing machine)

1 bar shaved soap (I plan to buy some handmade soap, all natural ingredients, from Slab)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda

Combine in sealed container, shake, use, 1 Tbsp per load (2-3 for soiled loads)

The next step for me will be figuring out which containers to use and how to decorate them! Squee, art project!

Back in the saddle again

3 months ago, I bought a house! It's a cute little 900 square foot house on a .13 acre lot with a large front yard, an equally large back yard and a firepit (one of the major selling points for me to feed my love of S'mores).

I'm getting very into Urban Homesteading. I missed a lot of the growing season with my house purchase timing, but I am vigorously planning for next spring and projects over the winter. My plan is to do square foot gardening in the space between the street and sidewalk (a very common occurrence in my neighborhood, which is one of the things I love about my neighborhood). I am also going to build a chicken coop in February, and get 4-5 hens in the Spring. I am also trying to save money following some Dave Ramsey-ism's in order to "Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else".

I love making things by hand, I'm currently plotting my handmade Christmas. Also working on making things for my house, for myself, my puppy, boyfriend and coworkers. To remind myself how handmade (and more affordable living) is really my ticket to a better life, I started this sign to hang in my kitchen (I want to add a background color).

I also need to get back to studying for my architect's exams, I have 6 more, and I want to be done in 2 years. Winter will be study hard time, and summer will be time to work the land, work on house projects and take care of hens - just like how my farmer grandpa spends his time (replace "studying" with "reading").

As far as blogging, I feel like my Facebook has become a blog and I want to spend less time on Facebook but still want to write/share about my life and projects, successes and failures. I used to blog at learningtobecheap.blogspot.com - and while I'm still learning to be cheap (er, frugal), being in the PNW is really the most important characteristic of my current situation. I have moved home and I am ready to build/grow roots here.

Travel Bug

Written Friday 1/17/2014

Dreamed I was in Rome this morning, I was showing my brother and his wife where my school was for the semester I spent in Rome. Off Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere. I loved living in another country. I wish I still knew the Italian I knew then... thinking about getting back into it and planning a trip in a couple years back to Italy. I want to go to Venice again. It was the coolest city I've been to, the colors and the dead ends the drop into the canal with no handrails or ADA considerations.

I want a house, so I have a place to come home to, I want to travel, and see the world. I want to see beautiful natural formations and see feats of architectural design and engineering. I want to taste ethnic foods where they are considered normal meals. I want to take pictures of food and buildings and nature.

I'm not cut out to be a permanent nomad. I like having a home base. I like the stability of having a home to return to. If I were to return and not have a place to stay that would be incredible stressful.

I'm thinking I could set up a budget to save money every month that's for the next year's travel budget. Some trips with my SO and some trips solo. I honestly miss traveling solo, doing whatever I want, not having to worry about how the other person feels when I just want to walk the city all day and pop into a grocery store when I'm hungry to save money on my travels. Some of my favorite food from my trip in 2005 was in Morocco. The view of the sunset in Florence from the Duomo... The red of the blood from a speared bull at a bullfight in Seville. The color of the peeling green wall and shutters on a canal in Venice.

I was thinking about that I am coming up with a budget for travel, but how far can that get me, and found this part of the Kayak website, a map based on travel time and budget. http://www.kayak.com/explore/ This'll make planning easier!

I had a fleeting thought to return to Italy at the 10 year anniversary of my semester there, but that would be January of 2015! My trip was so long ago. That makes me sad and nostalgic. I have traveled since then, driving across the US 2 summers ago, landing back in Oregon for the long haul... I'm feeling itchy though to travel. My new year's resolution is to go to Hawaii, and I have a savings plan and a chart to get there. I want a house too... I think my best bet is to sell more chocolate, sell off more of my stuff and not buy new stuff, and live below my means. It's kind of hard when we live in a fancy apartment and the fella is looking at going back to school. We all know the budget of a student is not a generous one. Who knows what will happen. Buying a house is a huge investment, and really ties you to a place. I have no intention of leaving, but who knows what will happen with the economy... And we have the puppy, who could travel with me on the road trip I'm planning for next summer, but not so much to Italy...

I love watching movies where people travel, find themselves, which usually means doing what they want and not what's "normal"

• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
• Under the Tuscan Sun
• Eat, Pray, Love
• The Motorcycle Diaries

The thing about travel, when you are in another city, seeing other people live... they are all just trying to give their kids a better future, get groceries, have relationships. People are all trying to do the same thing everywhere. Different climates yield different food specialties and architectural styles. And then cultural histories there are different activities like the public baths in Japan my friend KW told me about... I guess I'm mostly familiar with European stuff, and perhaps I should look into some trips to Asia. Japan would be cool, but I know it gets expensive... maybe visit Masaru who lived with us for a couple years when I was in elementary school.... Hmmm

Crossing things off the list, slowly... Zoolights! #22

We went to Zoolights the day before it ended because I suddenly remembered it was on my list! I had wanted to go last year but missed it.

A little gingerbread house light display and an elephant ear in the foreground... the real reason to go to the zoo!

Selfie with the lights! There was a tunnel of lights that was a new feature to hide construction but I think it was my favorite part of the whole walk!

New Years Eve isn't really a big deal for making "goals" or "resolutions"

I went to fill up my gas tank today after my fuel light illuminated on my way to work this morning. The guy who was filling up my tank had a friend pass by who wished him a happy new year and he responded that the new year wasn't until the Spring. I asked him about that and turns out he's Jewish. Which got me thinking about how I only celebrate that the year is over because the calendar resets. But it's not really a "growth" moment for me. I've had a lot of really good revelations this past month and this past year but more relating to my Year of 30, evaluating my life and thinking about what I want and how to get it.

What I have determined is that I need to plan things out. I need to have a schedule to get all the things done (all the things being: a full time job, starting a chocolate company on the side, studying for and taking more of my architectural exams, and having a personal life which includes taking my puppy to the park). I've been working on a schedule to follow filling in the following template to make sure that I get done the things that need getting done everyday for both personal and business goals. This is all outside of my full-time day job.

I've also been reading a lot of Tim Ferriss 4 Hour Body and 4 Hour Chef. I have much to learn and much to do. I also want to get in better shape. I've been saying that a long time but it seems in the last year I have put on even more weight than I was unhappy with before. I want to make a change. This means changing my eating habits. I've decided to try the Slow Carb diet. In part because it offers a cheat day. Part of it is eating the same thing over and over and I think that's good because while I love to cook and bake... it also ends up taking a lot of time and causing me to think more about things that aren't really decisions I want to use my willpower and energy to decide.

Willpower is a limited resource and the number of decisions we make in a day, and the ability to say no to junk food, are related. I've decided that I need to focus my mental energy on: studying, getting exercise and developing my chocolate company. The way I plan to do this is by having a "capsule wardrobe" (similar to Barak Obama, Steve Jobs and others), eating Slow Carb which means the same meals repeat so you don't have to think about what you are eating, and scheduling my free time when I'm not at work. I have a list of weekly goals, which I then put into a calendar:

• Gym 3 times for 30 minutes
• Walk/jog 3 times for 30-60 minutes
• Study for 5 hours
• etc.

I am also trying to prepare for what I will do when challenges arise. For example, it's always been hard for me to say no to free food (free calories! that's saving me money, right? wrong!). 

      Dilemma: Free food at work

      Premeditated solution: Keep backup lunches in the freezer at work in case I don't have time to get lunch, I forget my lunch or I'm really hungry and would therefore be likely to eat something that's free just because I'm hungry.

      Dilemma: Invited to go out on a night that is not Saturday (cheat night)

      Premeditated solution: Suggest Mexican food because that's the most slow-carb friendly option. Have a glass of red wine if I want to drink.

      Dilemma: Have to work late or work over lunch on gym days

      Premeditated solution: My gym is 24 hours! Go home if I need to and then go back to the gym, if feeling exhausted, at least bring tablet to study while on the elliptical. The hardest part about working out at the gym is actually getting there. once there it's easy to do something. 

      Dilemma: Making chocolates during the week and there will be all these scraps and bits I'll want to eat and taste and argue that they are going to waste.

      Premeditated solution: If I really want to eat them, I can put them in tupperware and save them until the weekend. Or, as my sister-in-law suggested: ice cream toppings! Which I could sell for super cheap, grab/scrap bags of chocolatey marshmallow trimmings. I realized the other weekend when making a whole bunch that I do not have to eat the trimmings, and my waistline will be better if I don't!

      Dilemma: Invited for dinner at family or friend's houses, especially when I'm trying to focus on this being a goal for myself. I'm trying (and being somewhat successful) to not talk too much about this diet plan. Granted I haven't started yet, but plan to very soon... I just want to make stuff to be prepared so that I'm not running around needing food.)

      Premeditated solution: I can ask what they are planning to make and see if they are willing to make a change to the menu. Or I can bring one of my frozen bags of chili or lentil soup I plan to make and fill up my freezer with for easy meal planning). Or if it's stressing me out and I don't have time for it, decline the offer. I need to take care of myself and it's ok to say no. If I really want to hang out with people, I can also invite them over for dinner I make, or suggest Saturday which is my cheat day. 

      Dilemma: Too hungry to wait for food

      Premeditated solution: Set up a food budget ($400 for the month) for lunches and dinners, transferable for the month between meals. Make large batches of slow carb chili and lentils and freeze in portion controlled sizes with my new vacuum sealer so I have meals ready to go (both at home and at work). Remember that any money left at the end of the month goes into the Hawaii fund! So how tired are you at the end of the day you can't throw something together FOR THE SAKE OF GOING TO HAWAII!?! I should probably make a sign or something for the kitchen... or every room in the house. "Do you want to buy that or do you want to go to Hawaii!?" 

      Dilemma: Want to go out because I've been eating in for what feels like forever

      Premeditated solution: Affordable solutions to wanting to go out:

• Go to game night at Borderlands or invite friends over to play a game (or ask them to host if I want to get out of the house) 
• Walk puppy to f/Stop for a glass of wine
• Go to Coin Jam and play some arcade games with spare change, or Wunderland for 5cents
• Go for a walk at the waterfront, cross the fridge with the puppy
• Sit on the roof next to Orupa but on the building side with food from the grocery store deli or TJs
• See movies on Tuesdays at Cinebarre (eat at home first) or Northern Lights. 
• Go to the library or Book Bin - leave credit/debit cards at home!

      Dilemma: Feeling frustrated that I'm not seeing results or that I want to give up

      Premeditated solution: Look at inspiring stories, thing positive thoughts about how I can get there but not without hard work, dedication and support. Call Laura for support. 

• 5 years 
• 53 pounds 
• 175 to 132 pounds

I'm anticipating success with this plan. I have a friend (who has about half as much weight to lose) who lives at a distance and wants to do Slow Carb together from a distance. I have a local friend who is interested in being active, a coworker who is happy to work out together when we can get there at the same time, and I have a puppy who would love nothing more than to explore the world! We are starting obedience classes in 2 weeks so hopefully we can get him to be better on a leash :) I really feel like I can do it this time. I've reached the highest weight I've ever been (hovering around 185). My goal is 145-150, which is lower than I've been since high school. But I think I can do it. I need to stand my ground, follow my schedule, turn to friends who I know will be there for me, and focus on all the other things in my life besides food! I have books to read, clothes to sew, a business to develop, chocolate flavors to create (and test only on Saturdays! That's part of the scheduling thing, that I will develop and make things throughout the week so they will be done on Saturday in time for me to test on my cheat day! BRILLIANCE! I want to take a trip, I haven't taken a long trip to somewhere new since 2005. That was way too long ago! I'm going to save up this money, by eating simply and focusing on the things I can do that are cost effective (and maybe even things that will make more money like selling chocolates). I'm going to get creative about entertaining myself and make sure that I'm showing the puppy the world too. That's one of the reasons I wanted a dog and I need to stop letting my industrial neighborhood stop me from taking him around. I could even pop him in the car and go walk in a new neighborhood. 

Ok, I think I'm done pep-talking myself for tonight, and I've been coughing the whole way through. It's only 11:30 but I think I'm going to get in bed and ring in the new year with a movie and hope these gosh darn cough pills I took start working!

8 life lessons, borrowed list

I found this blog post in my Facebook feed this morning and everything in it hit close to home. Not that they are lessons I have learned, but they are lessons I need to learn or am working on learning/remembering.

Original post

1. Don’t wait for apologies to forgive.
This is one I would do well to... do. I still hold some resentments and pains from relationships gone wrong. I will never get an apology... or explanation. I hope I am coming closer to accepting that every day. 

2. Just do things. Don’t stress and overthink and procrastinate. Just do.
I have been working on this! I have so much to do, with work/chocolates/exams that I have decided the way to get everything done is the schedule it. I'll post about this in a month or so, once I've had a chance to test the idea. 

3. “Finished is better than perfect.”
And starting is better than not starting! I need to keep working on my painting though, it's been sitting here for a while untouched. And now we have rearranged so I could work on it while watching a movie, which is my preferred way to work :)

4. Don’t force connections with people who make you feel less than amazing.
This is good stuff. Good to remember especially when questioning if I want to continue to hang out with people. 

5. Alone time is crucial.
Yes. I'm finding that my alone time is in the kitchen or at the gym. I miss getting some alone time at home though to work on projects. 

6. Your stuff doesn’t define you.
I just pulled a huge garbage bag full of clothes out of my wardrobe and I'm working on going through my office next. I feel lighter the more stuff I get rid of. 

7. You can go home again. But it won’t be the same. And neither will you.
I've experience this many times. From leaving NY to coming back and leaving OR and coming back. You can't go home to the same thing, but you can go home. And then home is where you make it. Home is relationships not a place or stuff. 

8. You can create the life you want.
Actively working on this. Year of 30. Chocolate business. Puppy. Plans for Hawaii. I'm gonna make the life I want happen!

Saving money for big ticket items

My New Year's resolution is to take me and the fella to Hawaii. He'll help savings too, but his job/school situation is up in the air at the moment, so he's going to do what he can to help but this is my goal. I made this "thermometer" image to print out and keep on my fridge. Every $100 we get in savings (this is including getting up to $1000 emergency fund and $3500 for the trip). 

I've had dreams of Vagabonding, even talked to my fella about it. We decided that we needed a home base though. So buying a house that we and our puppy can live in, and then travel once a year on a long trip. in February we went to NYC which was fun but exhausting as he had never been and I used to live there for nearly 10 years and was wanting to see and do certain things and catch up with old friends. After that I declared we needed a vacation just for relaxing, that was 8 months ago and now I decided on saving up for Hawaii! It also turns out Costco has travel packages! Now I'm excited because I think for about $5,000 we could do a trip every year. More in some cases, but this has me thinking, if we can save up this amount in 8 months, that we can figure out how to save this much every year, even with mortgage payments and whatnot.

I've also been reading and thinking more on Tim Ferriss stuff. 

And now a wishlist of places to travel to for 1 to 4 weeks!

• Ireland
• Scandinavia (Finland, Norway, Denmark. Sweden)
• Germany
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Alaskan cruise
• Rural Japan (temples and whatnot, no scary city)
• Scotland/England

Here's the chart for the downpayment which will go on the fridge after we get back from Hawaii! This one will be printed in color though :)

#57 Roast a heritage turkey (and brine it!)

The best turkey I ever had was at a friend's house in Vermont. I messaged him to ask how he made it and he sent me to the Alton Brown recipe here. We got our turkey from the Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm where my brother got married. It was about a 12 pound bird.

I made the brine on Sunday, and put the turkey in the brine Wednesday night around 10 am. I didn't rotate because it was sitting vertically in a 5 gallon bucket! It turned out really well, there are a few things I'd do differently in the future.

Crossing things off my list left and right!

#19 Rock Climbing Wall - or - I love my office

Hooray for my job helping me reach goals! Item number 19 on my list, to go to a rock climbing gym, was achieved during work on Friday 11/22/2013! We had our Fall Event day, where we closed the office and had a team building day up in Portland/Beaverton. It was awesome!

We started out the morning at Portland Rock Gym, I made it tot he top of the wall twice and part way up a few times. Right before our time there was up, I made a 3rd attempt at this part of the wall that I really wanted to get but halfway up all the holds seem to disappear and evade me. So on my 3rd try, I got 3/4 of the way up and slipped. The guy belaying me told me to take a second to rest (while hanging there) and then try again. So I did and I pumped myself up that I didn't have too much farther to go and I did it, legs and arms shaking, made it to the top! I was feeling good and he complimented me when I got down, "good job pushing yourself!" That was a great compliment :)

Met at the top! 3rd try after slipping, I made it!

That was invigorating and now I want to try to go more. There is a local gym, the Salvation Army Kroc Center (designed by my office) in NE Salem that has a rock wall and they have day passes (and gym memberships). So I can go during some of the open climb hours and check it out. I don't know if they have climbing shoes for rent though, I'll want to look into that. They do have the harnesses so if I go a couple times it would probably be worth picking up some climbing shoes.

I had a good time, it's really more about leg strength (unless you are pulling yourself up and around a cliff like wall) and your hands and forearms help keep you against the wall. I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I would be. Other than the spot on my knee where I banged into one of the holds and now have a bruise that my puppy seems to like to bump into :P I had to take my glasses off because the rope kept getting in the way, luckily I can see well enough right around me so for rock climbing it worked out :)

After rock climbing we went to Base Camp Brewing where they have, bump ba-da-DA! S'mores Stout! Omg it was sooo good. I loved the look of the brewery. There were carribeaners all over the place, table tops with topomaps under the glass and slabs of trees for tabletops (as seen in the photo below).

After lunch, where we were also joined by a past coworker we all miss who moved to a job in Portland a few months ago after having a new baby, we went out to Big Al's in Beaverton. It was surreal driving around the back road I used to take to go to high school and now there is this big mall/development that wasn't there before! To top it off, they were playing some 90's playlist with Collective Soul, Goo Goo Dolls and other music from high school! It was a good time, I'm terrible at bowling though. It was a good time!

I napped on the way home in the charter bus, then went home, dinnered and played with the puppy, then my friend Laura came over and we made rice crispy treats from scratch (as in, homemade marshmallows!). They turned out GIGANTIC and quite tasty! Might need to make/serve these for the farmer's market next summer :)

The photo is a little deceiving, they are almost 3 inches tall!

Kickstarter, Fiverr and updated Year of 30

With the success of a Kickstarter campaign behind me (and loads of work in front of me), I've had a few people ask for help with their Kickstarter campaigns. I decided to offer my services on Fiverr to review crowdsourcing campaigns. If you have one in the works, I'd be happy to review it and give you feedback, for $5 :)

Check it out

The calendar year is coming to an end soon, but I still have 10 months until the end of my year of 30! Revisiting my list though, I've decided there are a few things that just won't be in the budget, or I have changed my priorities on, so here is an updated Year of 30 list.

$

1. Attend a UU service in Salem
2. Go apple picking
3. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity
4. Grind my own flour
5. Make fresh bagels (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/09/bronx-worthy-bagels/)
6. Make cheese (need to get the kit)
7. Spend a weekend at the beach house alone
8. Run a 10K, Goal time: 1:20 (train with Laura?)
9. Camp at Silver Falls State Park
10. Hike at Drift Creek Falls
11. Go to Multnomah Falls, hike all the way to the top
12. Kayak or Canoe on a lake (with Charlotte? Mom?)
13. Do the Portland Bridge Pedal, August second weekend, with B&C and Judy & Bob (train longer bike rides!) Biking hurts my butt, and I think I'd rather focus on running. After my spill over the railroad tracks earlier this year, I haven't really wanted to bike much.
14. Visit The Oregon Garden
15. Draft Chocolates website, up and running and email address for people interested
16. Write a letter to/from my future self. Imagine who I am 10 years from now, what my life is like. What I am like, mentally, physically, what do I enjoy, where am I living? This will be a good new years activity, especially since it's a weeknight and we'll probably just stay home cozying up with the puppy :)
17. Get a voice lesson (8/17/2013 emailed a craigslist post)
18. Make a homemade dinner for my mom
19. Go to rock climbing gym in Portland (go with Kaley?) (got Bouldering coupon, expires in November) For our work Fall Event day we went rock climbing yesterday (11/22/2013) it was awesome and I would love to go again/more! Might be looking into local options like the Kroc center
20. Sew a dress for myself, one I can wear to work (meetings) Just went through my fabric trying to downsize my collection, got me excited again about thinking about sewing something! Time to clear some table space!
21. Finish (3) paintings (owl, ___, ___ )
22. Peacock Lane or Zoolights 1/4/2014 Zoolights
23. Go to Buffalo Wild Wings with Nitin and Tyler & Matt
24. Go to Saturday Market in Portland
25. Go strawberry picking and make freezer jam
26. Send a letter to Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Kayanna, Erin, Marissa, Laura, Aimee, Dan & Deb, Mark & Ali
27. Design a “dream” small (tiny) house and build a physical model of it A Sketchup or Revit model will do the trick for now.
28. Visit Pringle Creek, potentially get involved
29. Go to a Salem Food Swap
30. Attend a Toastmasters meeting - possibly get involved Perhaps another time, I have too much on my plate to get involved in something new!
31. Build a self watering container garden or plant things in a community garden I'm realizing plants just aren't a priority right now... when I have a house of my own then I'll get into gardening. Meanwhile, focusing on other things!
32. Bake something fresh for breakfast and bring to work (bagels maybe?)
33. Take an Archery Lesson http://pacificcrestarchery.com/contact/ (Keizer) Saturdays at 9 or 9:30am $25 for 30min
34. Make and decorate sugar cookies (royal icing with patterns, details)
35. Spend a weekend in Springfield helping out with B&C’s garden

$$

36. Go snowboarding on Mt. Hood or with B&C at Willamette Pass It's more about going with my brother and sister-in-law than where we go. Hopefully when we visit our mom in Bend we'll be able to go. Dang lift tickets are expensive!
37. Paint a serving bowl at Create-a-Memory (can take my time with it) (Thinking about getting started on that soon, I'd like to be able to pop in over a period of time to create a masterpiece... or perhaps as a Christmas gift for a family member like I did the mug for the boyfriend last year)
38. Go snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor (see #36 above, hopefully will get to go, but it's danged expensive to get there and get a lift ticket. At least I don't need to rent gear!)
39. Camp at Champoeg State Park
40. Do a Whole 30 (one month, whole food, no sugar, no booze) (planned for Sept 2013) Failed at doing a Whole30, looking at trying to just simplify my life/relationship with food. Starting with another "no soda" month in December, I've been going a little crazy at work the last 2 months.
41. Go to Chocolate Fest in January! Bring cash, a good amount, so I can buy lots! (Planning to go with my friend to celebrate her birthday! Saving the boyfriend from having to tag along like he did last year, bless him :P)
42. Host a holiday (Christmas or Thanksgiving or Easter just cause?) I hosted Christmas last year, this year with holidays falling on weekdays, and my boyfriend and I both working on the days before and after, it's not a good year to host.
43. Go shooting with Matt
44. Visit the Portland Zoo
45. Attend a Beer festival in Portland
46. Have a Lord of the Rings marathon party with LOTR inspired food! (do when it’s cold out)
47. Get haircut from Heidi Get a hair cut, I usually wait way too long and as much as I'd love to get my hair cut by a friend, driving to Portland on a weekday is just not something I want to do. Besides, that's like a half a tank of gas!
48. Get legs waxed for the first time ever (need to find a good local place and give it a go!)
49. Send a care package to Kayanna (Done, she loved it!)
50. Buy and try out food grade silicone mold making for chocolates
51. Make chocolates and send to: Farm, Kayanna, Mark & Ali, Dan & Deb, Jeff & Dayna,
52. Buy all new socks and underwear (got some from my mom for my birthday 8/16/2013, still need to throw out the old ones and take an inventory!)
53. Get something lasercut at Ponoko (possibly cards?)

$$$

53. Get $1000 in online savings account for emergency fund (no touching!)
54. Take SPD & SD exams, (retake) PPP (Jan/Feb)
55. Do chocolate making Kickstarter, develop a look, Kickstarter specials, early bird specials (Success as of 10/25/2913!)
56. Road trip to Vancouver BC with Laura & Matt Passport will be expiring soon, will need to renew in the new year and Matt needs to get his.
57. Roast a Heritage Turkey (brine it!) (This is the plan for Thanksgiving! Getting my brine prepared this weekend 11/23/2013) Great Success! 11/28/2013
58. Go to Breitenbush Hot Springs (http://www.breitenbush.com/)(no monies)
59. Treat myself to a spa day (Still really want to do this, but I don't know when I'll be able to afford it. I'll be keeping an eye on Groupons!)
60. Hotel for a night or weekend in Portland with Matt, walking to restaurants and museums (be tourists!) Ace Hotel, or Jupiter Hotel (no monies, this could change though)
61. Take a class (OCAC? Chemeketa? UO? Willamette? ADX?) Took a 2 day class, Entrepreneurship 101, really enjoyed it, don't have time to devote to a full on class but perhaps someday. Maybe something online so it can work with my work/chocolate schedule.
62. Get “Happy Camper” tattoo still want, might need to save up until my 31st birthday though! Would rather spend that money on going to Hawaii!
63. Buy a pair of quality running shoes PRIORITY!