Had a taste of materialism, decided to return to the fold

[posterius_maximus]

A year ago, I became a bit of a consumer.  i was still net saving money -- I've stashed away about 30% of my income in the last year.

However, I've also taken an expensive international vacation, bought a car on credit, and started spending way more money on eating out.

I've gotten a lot done, improved my fitness dramatically, and had a lot of self-growth.  And I would even go a bit heretical and say that the money I spent contributed to that.  So, it's not all awful news or anything.

However...

I'm ready to go back.  And go even further.  I've figured out a lot about what I want out of life, and what kind of lifestyle I want to have.

I'm making 3 major changes which are going to dramatically change my life in a positive way, as well as give me more money.

1)  I am buying a bike, and selling my car.  I bought this car -on credit-, like a fool (although it's 0%), and it is costing me about $450/month.  Thankfully the equity is only slightly negative and I can buy out with a cost of only one month's savings.  Still, it will end up having costed me about $500/month, or nearly $7500 since I bought it.  Ouch!  The bike is purchased, when I get it and I have ridden it to/from work a few times, I'm giving up the car.  I am not going to wait until I am "fully prepared".  I am just going to do it.

2)  I am going to start eating in, instead of eating out, and making better/lower cost food choices.  Right now, food is my greatest expense, at nearly $1k/month, because I spend a lot on organic, fresh greens, protein bars, and grass fed beef.  I'm not giving up the grass fed beef, but I've done a detailed nutritional analysis and I can get a nutritionally equivalent, very tasty and enjoyable diet for closer to $275/month.  I am thus going to do that.  I've purchased most of the ingredients, and I am making the full switch in about 3 weeks when my current cutting phase is complete.

3)  I am moving to a nearby city, working remotely because I can do that, buying a house, and renting out the additional rooms.  I currently pay $525/month for my rent, which gives me a 10x10 room with a shared bathroom and expensive utilities, plus roommates that I did not choose.  My options in the new city look like I can very easily exceed the cost of the mortgage+insurance+taxes in most 3-5 bed houses anywhere near the downtown -- and get my own bathroom, to boot.  Basically, other people will be paying my rent for me.

With all of these changes combined, I will be able to save nearly $50,000/year.  I feel like I'm over international vacations, expensive dinners, and so on for some time.  I have not felt the urge for any of that for awhile.  If I live a lifestyle more focused on enjoying my power and strength as a healthy, young human being, I can have a cool quarter million in the bank and a house in a good neighborhood in a good city in a mere 5 years.  The freedom and stability that affords me is far more appealing than a car, visiting Asia to gawk around for a few weeks, or eating food in a slightly more upscale decor.

So here's to a new direction, a new lifestyle, and a new commitment to myself.  Cheers!

[MishMash]

IE grass fed beef from a fellow lover.  Buy in bulk directly from a farmer, a quarter or a half share.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper then the local store and butcher.  Just make sure with the farmer that it is grass fed AND grass finished otherwise you negate the health benefits.  Surprise of surprise, most of the stuff at our butcher was grass fed, corn finished and they charged a high premium for it

[mistershankly]

IE grass fed beef from a fellow lover.  Buy in bulk directly from a farmer, a quarter or a half share.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper then the local store and butcher.  Just make sure with the farmer that it is grass fed AND grass finished otherwise you negate the health benefits.  Surprise of surprise, most of the stuff at our butcher was grass fed, corn finished and they charged a high premium for it

Thank you for this suggestion... I'd never heard of it.  How does buying direct work?  Is there a directory of farmers who sell direct or is there another way to find one?

[posterius_maximus]

IE grass fed beef from a fellow lover.  Buy in bulk directly from a farmer, a quarter or a half share.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper then the local store and butcher.  Just make sure with the farmer that it is grass fed AND grass finished otherwise you negate the health benefits.  Surprise of surprise, most of the stuff at our butcher was grass fed, corn finished and they charged a high premium for it

I have a quarter cow in my freezer right now. It wasn't cheaper than the cheapest grass fed stuff at my local store, but the quality is WAY, WAY better, and it's raised and slaughtered more ethically. It actually got me thinking about buying in bulk, which helped me start down this chain of thought again to begin with.

[NV Teacher]

IE grass fed beef from a fellow lover.  Buy in bulk directly from a farmer, a quarter or a half share.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper then the local store and butcher.

This.

The last time I bought half a beef it cost $2.77 a pound.  I got to tell the butcher exactly how I wanted it cut and so much tastier than what I can get from the store.

[Omalley]

I grew up on a Kansas dairy/beef/hog farm.  We often had people stop by from the cities 50 miles away to ask about buying 1/4, 1/2, full steer/hog.  If we weren't able to meet their needs at that time, we usually could point them to another farm that could. 

These days the internet is probably just as useful to find those rural farms willing to sell livestock.  We raised grass fed steers, but not because we were trying to be 'green'.  We just couldn't afford to feed them corn, which was used for the hogs.

[TheMoneyWizard]

Cheers!

Amazing how the big spending lifestyle isn't all it is cracked up to be, right? Sometimes you just have to get it out of your system.

[MishMash]

IE grass fed beef from a fellow lover.  Buy in bulk directly from a farmer, a quarter or a half share.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper then the local store and butcher.

This.

The last time I bought half a beef it cost $2.77 a pound.  I got to tell the butcher exactly how I wanted it cut and so much tastier than what I can get from the store.

Yup, 3.75 a lb package weight last time we bought a share but it was 2 years ago when beef prices were around 10 a lb.  And it was cut, processed and packaged exactly to my specifications.  Can't beat that. 

In regards to where, just google grass fed beef and your state.  eatwild or pickyourown have been good sites for reference, but call the farms around you (and I live in DC so the farm is a couple hours away from me) and ask if they sell quarter/half shares, if they are grass finished, and what the package weight cost is estimated to be

[Dicey]

I applaud your approach. This way, you are less likely to feel deprived, and your taste of freedom will help keep your eyes on the prize. You may not have smelled all the roses, but at least you've hit a few of 'em, with the promise of more to come, in good time.

[SJS]

Check out your local 4-H group.  Many of those kids sell their animals after the fairs. 

[Cannot Wait!]

Posting to follow;  interested to see how this turns out.

[1967mama]

We buy 2 sides a year at $4.59/lb in Canada, which I understand is a good price for here. I found this farmer by word of mouth. Not only do we love the taste and nutritional value of grass fed beef, but I just love the convenience of having meat ready to go in the freezer. Currently thawing in my fridge are a free-range chicken for tomorrow (we buy 60 a year from our farmer friend) and 4 wing steaks for a stir fry on Monday. I'm always thinking 2 days ahead (when I'm organized!) to get things slowly thawed in the fridge.

Looking forward to following your journey back to the Dark Side!

[Helvegen]

I wish I knew where to find it for that cheap around here. I've looked at a few farms, but none of them sold less than $7.50 a lb once you added in butchers fees and subtracted all the wastage.

[MishMash]

I wish I knew where to find it for that cheap around here. I've looked at a few farms, but none of them sold less than $7.50 a lb once you added in butchers fees and subtracted all the wastage.

What state are you in?  One thing that I have found that helps, find one farm that sells ANYTHING cheap, could be an apple orchard, then go and ask the owner if he knows anyone in the area that sells  what you are looking for.  That's how we found the most recent one, there is a "natural" orchard in the area, got to talking to the lady that ran it about natural products etc, explained we recently moved and were looking for new suppliers, and did she know anyone that sells sides etc.  She gave us a few names to check out and call.  Woman we got the beef from has no website, you can't find her online etc.  I've also, in the past, driven to an area I know has farms, then just knocked on their door and asked during slaughter season.

[Chanel No5]

I think I can help you find local farmers for beef and lots of other things. http://www.localharvest.org

At the bottom of the page, several larger cities are listed and yours might be there. Try the search box at the top of the page and see what comes up.

Try to search for local food co-ops on the web too. If you are in a rural area, a farmer's co-op may lead you to what your looking for.

[Metric Mouse]

IE grass fed beef from a fellow lover.  Buy in bulk directly from a farmer, a quarter or a half share.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper then the local store and butcher.

This.

The last time I bought half a beef it cost $2.77 a pound.  I got to tell the butcher exactly how I wanted it cut and so much tastier than what I can get from the store.

Not a bad price. Has it been a few years? Beef hasn't been that price in my area for awhile.

[Rocketman]

We have always bought sides of beef (wife's family raised them). The price per pound has always been very close to the medium price for hamburger in the grocery stores. For "hamburger" prices we get extra lean hamburger, steaks and roasts. The price we got was from the newspaper auction price - so no special deal.

[Rocketman]

Don't forget you will need a deep freezer to store the beef - if you don't already have one.

[Digital Dogma]

IE grass fed beef from a fellow lover.  Buy in bulk directly from a farmer, a quarter or a half share.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much cheaper then the local store and butcher.  Just make sure with the farmer that it is grass fed AND grass finished otherwise you negate the health benefits.  Surprise of surprise, most of the stuff at our butcher was grass fed, corn finished and they charged a high premium for it

I do this with pigs from a friend, and I have the option of getting a quarter/half/whole cow from a local farm if I wanted to. Its the best damn meat I've ever had, even though the butcher has good stuff you just cant beat a well treated animal for consistently great taste.

I bought a 3.5 cubic foot chest freezer from Costco for my apartment where most of the pork chills till I'm ready to cook or smoke it, and my girlfriend painted it with chalkboard paint so we can chalk up everything thats in the freezer with dates for an inventory at a glance on the freezer itself. I just smoked the locally sourced ham and ate almost all of it with friends, last night I made the ham shank into split pea soup. Smoked the bacon, ribs, butt, ham, and I love to fry the pork chops in the oven. Way better than store or butcher bought meat!

[Regular Guy]

As this thread has morphed into a beef discussion, my wife changed the menu years back so that now we have red meat maybe once a month.  Healthier and more cost effective in the long run.  Our meats are mostly chicken and ground turkey.

[Metric Mouse]

As this thread has morphed into a beef discussion, my wife changed the menu years back so that now we have red meat maybe once a month.  Healthier and more cost effective in the long run.  Our meats are mostly chicken and ground turkey.

I'm very sorry to hear that.