Author Topic: In search of a calling  (Read 54081 times)

BicycleB

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #50 on: November 01, 2021, 04:49:28 PM »
Great report, @svosavvy! Loved hearing the update about your new life, the non-costume, all of it.

Axecleaver

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #51 on: November 01, 2021, 05:23:26 PM »
Great follow up post, I see you have detoxed sufficiently and are embracing the new lifestyle. Appreciate the solar details, I haven't taken the plunge yet because electric is so cheap in SC, but it seems like a fun project.

svosavvy

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #52 on: November 02, 2021, 08:27:01 AM »
The portable solar rig my Son and I built for the camper last year is still running well and is closing in on creating 500kwh over it's 1+ year old life.  We dry camp so electricity is an awesome luxury.  I run our fridge and a few other appliances in the house on it when its parked at home. 

svosavvy-


First of all, you are absolutely doing the right thing by pouring into your family right now!  Everyone around you will question your judgment, but stay the course!  I know I'm just an internet stranger, but I am very proud of you.


Lots of similarities in our stories.  I lived in WNY for 5 years and first fell in love with MTBing riding the trails there.  Are you close to Spraguebrook?

I "burned out" of engineering in 2017.  You can read the sordid details by looking me up on the forum, but I was pretty depressed and thought moving into a camper and touring America with my wife, four kids, and a German Shepherd was a good solution. 

tl/dr it wasn't
I'm now (mostly) happily employed in engineering.  For me the employer and role at work has made a huge difference.

I would love to hear details on your solar setup above!  I'm in the midst of a campervan setup and have purchased 200W of solar and a 200 Amp/hr AGM battery to get started.  Fantastic idea to run some appliances when it is parked!

Also a follower of Jesus, love to see all the great input above.
I used to do local mountain bike races in the 1990's.  Did you ever do the raccoon rally in Allegany state park?  Never actually been to spraguebrook.  It's over by Buffalo I believe.  I lost my love for mountain biking, I mainly do scenic rides on a hybrid bike at least that's what they used to call them.  Basically a mtb with skinny tires for road. 
« Last Edit: November 02, 2021, 09:38:35 AM by svosavvy »

svosavvy

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #53 on: December 31, 2021, 12:06:32 PM »
Happy new year all!  I figured I would chime in with an update as I reflect on this past year.  It has been over 6 months since I left my job on 6/3/21 due to extreme burnout.  I have been soaking up all kinds of new experiences.

Net worth stuff:

paid off property assessed value $ 153,300.00 (assessment is 4 years old, most likely higher, Z estimate 187,500)
brokerage 1.                                207,229.00
403 (b) (DW)                               271,000.00
Roth IRA (me)                               91,969.00
Coverdell ESA child one.                 45,942.00
Coverdell ESA child two.                 45,932.00
brokerage 2.                                  58,000.00
paid off vehicles and toys. ???????? 50,000.00 2018 camper,2018 Honda Pilot,2012 Camaro, 2013 Honda Fit,2003 Polaris atv, guns
misc deposited assets approx.         20,000.00                         
                                                 ----------------
                                                   943,372.00 
                                                   
Income:

Me (last year's pay).  65K                  (In the first 6 months of this year I made 40k the hard way, double/triple shifts MANDATED)
DW estimate             65-70k             (started FT in Feb/21 will look to go back to PT very soon then est 35k/yr)
Div/Int/cap gain.       12k approx

Ideally we want to Coast FI where we each bring in min 25k/yr to cover spend and have 10-12% maintenance savings rate. So, budget 35k/yr expenses, 5k savings just so not dipping into investments, blow the other 10k on stuff/experiences.  Do this until age 55 (I am 44) then get approx 19k/yr pension so then work even less.  I always want to work some just not get drilled into the ground.

expenses monthly:

property/school tax  $450.00
groceries                   540.00
gas                           220.00
internet                       55.00
phones                        32.50   (me tracfone flip phone, her 12.50 red pocket plan)
cars/home ins.           180.00
booze.                         50.00 (taking January and maybe feb off, I will have to consult future self about feb:)
electric                        40.00
Netflix                         15.00. (would love to get rid of this)
HSA/health ins crap.   583.00
General spend (avg)   751.00. (this can be anything from Walmart crap to ski passes, gifts, vac, church stuff, what have you)
                              ------------
total:                       2916.50 x 12months = $34,998.00

I did not add home improvement costs as I consider them one off and am using saved cash to fund these projects.

What I have been up to:

Lots of family time.  Attending school sports games, school drama productions which my children both participate in.  I have 15 y/o frat twins boy/girl. They do a lot of the same sports/activities. Drama club, downhill ski team, cross country run team, tennis team (son), track (daughter). Daughter does guitar lessons on weekend.  With my wife working FT as of February and me working like a madman getting mandated constantly our life was basically unsustainable.  I needed a break anyway and had been planning for years to navigate away from a work heavy lifestyle.  I chose to be "Mr. Mom" and I love it.  I love cooking meals for my family.  Back when we were in the stress period we were buying a lot of convenience food crap (expensive) while trying to be gluten free.  Gluten free convenience food is an economic weapon of mass destruction.  Home made gluten free is the only way to go.

Remodeled bathroom:

Started 8/1 finished around mid Oct.  Complete to the studs remodel.  Replaced stupid mini tub fixture with sweet corner shower had to relocate some plumbing.

Most deer hunting in years:

Got a real nice buck and doe (whitetail) off our 30 acre property.  This put approx 200lbs of meat in my freezer. Our family assigns equal value of this meat to the grass fed organic you get at the store.  So needless to say it is of huge value to a family of four.  I have a tree stand that has sides so it is a blind as well.  This allowed me to read books and suck down coffee while "hunting."

Connect with my Children:

Played tennis with my son twice a week during the good weather months.  Dry camped in the Adirondacks for 2 weeks at a DEC campground.  Not true dry camp as they have toilet facilities and there is fresh water available at the campground just no site hookups.  My daughter has wanted a German Shepherd for a long time.  I just couldn't imagine it with us gone all the time.  We got a pup in July and it has been nice to connect with her that way.

Get that woodpile caught up:

We heat our 1269 sq/ft w/partial finished basement home with 100% wood harvested off our 30 acre mature hardwood property.  We have marketable hard maple timber that we mostly leave alone until harvest.  We have a ton of beechwood which burns fantastic and has no real timber value unless you are aging Budweiser.  We harvest the beech for firewood.  We had a strange "climate" event in that there was a recorded tornado one mile north of our house.  It ripped up a swath of woods north of us.  Tornadoes are very rare in our area of Western NY, but, not unheard of.  It woke me up in the night and sounded like a freight train.  The next day I noticed a big hard maple got shredded out in our woods so that one went to firewood.

Trying to improve my relationship with God.

I have been a protestant "evangelical" Christian since I was a kid.  It took on deep meaning and I was baptized in my late teens and I feel like my real relationship with God through Jesus really got going then.  I was technically "saved" (not really) at 5 years old when I asked Jesus into my heart at Sunday School in exchange for a bribe of popcorn afterward.  No joke.  I prayed the sinners prayer again in my teens when it was serious. When my wife and I were newly weds, somehow she asked our pastor apparently the wrong question and I got a letter from him saying she was possessed and I needed to get a divorce.  Needless to say we quit that church.  Basically got shunned by Christian friends and family.  Quit church in general for almost 20 years.  During this time I told myself an untrue story that Christians were basically the nicest assholes a person could hope to meet.  I am enjoying developing a deeper connection which I feel has the benefit of increased gratitude, and an increased capacity for love in my heart. Not to mention something to do with my life instead of drinking all the time. 

Reading/alone time:

I have enjoyed keeping up for the most part with doing a daily devotional.  Lots of financial studying which I really enjoy.  Doing a few daily directional S&P 500 trades that have netted a couple grand in short term gains.  I'm by and large a long term buy and hold VOO.  Reading the new Neal Stephenson book.  If I come across something I don't know, I do a deep internet rabbit hole dive.  So much fun.  Started doing Khan academy studying the Roman civilization. 

Skiing:

I am enjoying another year of downhill skiing at a local slope, Bristol Mountain.  I have been a skier at Swain for years, but, needed a change of scenery.  I bought a "twilight" season pass 4pm-close for $490/season.  I know this is a splurge.  I do love just skiing a few hours a few times a week and a season pass gives me this luxury instead of skiing my heart out a couple days a month.

Time to wrap it up here.  Thanks for reading all.  Have a great New Year.











svosavvy

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #54 on: December 31, 2021, 12:08:40 PM »
Another bathroom pic.  These pictures are really hit and miss about showing up here.  Sorry.

taco_sushi

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #55 on: January 01, 2022, 05:32:28 PM »
Thank you for sharing your journey! It's been inspiring as I'm about to embark on my own FIRE journey early next year. It's not a clean immediate FI, but will be a year that I try a few things out similar to your exploration.

I used to ski/snowboard a lot but haven't done so in about 4 years now. When I was younger I used to go every weekend. I think you're really getting your monies worth by going a few times during the week. It's just a great escape!

Happy 2022.

svosavvy

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #56 on: January 03, 2022, 06:38:53 AM »
Thank you for sharing your journey! It's been inspiring as I'm about to embark on my own FIRE journey early next year. It's not a clean immediate FI, but will be a year that I try a few things out similar to your exploration.

I used to ski/snowboard a lot but haven't done so in about 4 years now. When I was younger I used to go every weekend. I think you're really getting your monies worth by going a few times during the week. It's just a great escape!

Happy 2022.
We all wish you the best in starting your FIRE journey.  It was mentioned to me over the years by a couple family members that I was "missing out" on life by saving all the time instead of spending.  Honestly, I see it the opposite way in that some voluntary loss of freedom has amounted incredible amounts of freedom in the future.  Best wishes. 

One of the best killer hacks especially with a growing family is keeping your food budget dialed in.  I made gluten free pizzas last night for dinner.  I probably spend about $6 in ingredients to make 2 pizzas.  This was enough to feed the 4 of us and a couple slices leftover that my wife took for her lunch today.  Our local pizza place charges $18 for a gf pizza and it is a scrawny thing.  So I could have ordered out for $36+tax and 20 minutes in a car to get it.  Instead I spent about 30 minutes prep and 20 minutes to cook while listening to pandora tunes in the background in a warm house while the temp was 18* outside.  All while chatting with the kids about their upcoming ski practices and meets this week.

DaTrill

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #57 on: January 03, 2022, 07:08:04 PM »
Happy new year all!  I figured I would chime in with an update as I reflect on this past year.  It has been over 6 months since I left my job on 6/3/21 due to extreme burnout.  I have been soaking up all kinds of new experiences.

Net worth stuff:

paid off property assessed value $ 153,300.00 (assessment is 4 years old, most likely higher, Z estimate 187,500)
brokerage 1.                                207,229.00
403 (b) (DW)                               271,000.00
Roth IRA (me)                               91,969.00
Coverdell ESA child one.                 45,942.00
Coverdell ESA child two.                 45,932.00
brokerage 2.                                  58,000.00
paid off vehicles and toys. ???????? 50,000.00 2018 camper,2018 Honda Pilot,2012 Camaro, 2013 Honda Fit,2003 Polaris atv, guns
misc deposited assets approx.         20,000.00                         
                                                 ----------------
                                                   943,372.00 
                                                   
Income:

Me (last year's pay).  65K                  (In the first 6 months of this year I made 40k the hard way, double/triple shifts MANDATED)
DW estimate             65-70k             (started FT in Feb/21 will look to go back to PT very soon then est 35k/yr)
Div/Int/cap gain.       12k approx

Ideally we want to Coast FI where we each bring in min 25k/yr to cover spend and have 10-12% maintenance savings rate. So, budget 35k/yr expenses, 5k savings just so not dipping into investments, blow the other 10k on stuff/experiences.  Do this until age 55 (I am 44) then get approx 19k/yr pension so then work even less.  I always want to work some just not get drilled into the ground.

expenses monthly:

property/school tax  $450.00
groceries                   540.00
gas                           220.00
internet                       55.00
phones                        32.50   (me tracfone flip phone, her 12.50 red pocket plan)
cars/home ins.           180.00
booze.                         50.00 (taking January and maybe feb off, I will have to consult future self about feb:)
electric                        40.00
Netflix                         15.00. (would love to get rid of this)
HSA/health ins crap.   583.00
General spend (avg)   751.00. (this can be anything from Walmart crap to ski passes, gifts, vac, church stuff, what have you)
                              ------------
total:                       2916.50 x 12months = $34,998.00

I did not add home improvement costs as I consider them one off and am using saved cash to fund these projects.

What I have been up to:

Lots of family time.  Attending school sports games, school drama productions which my children both participate in.  I have 15 y/o frat twins boy/girl. They do a lot of the same sports/activities. Drama club, downhill ski team, cross country run team, tennis team (son), track (daughter). Daughter does guitar lessons on weekend.  With my wife working FT as of February and me working like a madman getting mandated constantly our life was basically unsustainable.  I needed a break anyway and had been planning for years to navigate away from a work heavy lifestyle.  I chose to be "Mr. Mom" and I love it.  I love cooking meals for my family.  Back when we were in the stress period we were buying a lot of convenience food crap (expensive) while trying to be gluten free.  Gluten free convenience food is an economic weapon of mass destruction.  Home made gluten free is the only way to go.

Remodeled bathroom:

Started 8/1 finished around mid Oct.  Complete to the studs remodel.  Replaced stupid mini tub fixture with sweet corner shower had to relocate some plumbing.

Most deer hunting in years:

Got a real nice buck and doe (whitetail) off our 30 acre property.  This put approx 200lbs of meat in my freezer. Our family assigns equal value of this meat to the grass fed organic you get at the store.  So needless to say it is of huge value to a family of four.  I have a tree stand that has sides so it is a blind as well.  This allowed me to read books and suck down coffee while "hunting."

Connect with my Children:

Played tennis with my son twice a week during the good weather months.  Dry camped in the Adirondacks for 2 weeks at a DEC campground.  Not true dry camp as they have toilet facilities and there is fresh water available at the campground just no site hookups.  My daughter has wanted a German Shepherd for a long time.  I just couldn't imagine it with us gone all the time.  We got a pup in July and it has been nice to connect with her that way.

Get that woodpile caught up:

We heat our 1269 sq/ft w/partial finished basement home with 100% wood harvested off our 30 acre mature hardwood property.  We have marketable hard maple timber that we mostly leave alone until harvest.  We have a ton of beechwood which burns fantastic and has no real timber value unless you are aging Budweiser.  We harvest the beech for firewood.  We had a strange "climate" event in that there was a recorded tornado one mile north of our house.  It ripped up a swath of woods north of us.  Tornadoes are very rare in our area of Western NY, but, not unheard of.  It woke me up in the night and sounded like a freight train.  The next day I noticed a big hard maple got shredded out in our woods so that one went to firewood.

Trying to improve my relationship with God.

I have been a protestant "evangelical" Christian since I was a kid.  It took on deep meaning and I was baptized in my late teens and I feel like my real relationship with God through Jesus really got going then.  I was technically "saved" (not really) at 5 years old when I asked Jesus into my heart at Sunday School in exchange for a bribe of popcorn afterward.  No joke.  I prayed the sinners prayer again in my teens when it was serious. When my wife and I were newly weds, somehow she asked our pastor apparently the wrong question and I got a letter from him saying she was possessed and I needed to get a divorce.  Needless to say we quit that church.  Basically got shunned by Christian friends and family.  Quit church in general for almost 20 years.  During this time I told myself an untrue story that Christians were basically the nicest assholes a person could hope to meet.  I am enjoying developing a deeper connection which I feel has the benefit of increased gratitude, and an increased capacity for love in my heart. Not to mention something to do with my life instead of drinking all the time. 

Reading/alone time:

I have enjoyed keeping up for the most part with doing a daily devotional.  Lots of financial studying which I really enjoy.  Doing a few daily directional S&P 500 trades that have netted a couple grand in short term gains.  I'm by and large a long term buy and hold VOO.  Reading the new Neal Stephenson book.  If I come across something I don't know, I do a deep internet rabbit hole dive.  So much fun.  Started doing Khan academy studying the Roman civilization. 

Skiing:

I am enjoying another year of downhill skiing at a local slope, Bristol Mountain.  I have been a skier at Swain for years, but, needed a change of scenery.  I bought a "twilight" season pass 4pm-close for $490/season.  I know this is a splurge.  I do love just skiing a few hours a few times a week and a season pass gives me this luxury instead of skiing my heart out a couple days a month.

Time to wrap it up here.  Thanks for reading all.  Have a great New Year.

I'd ask if mountains need part time paramedics/RNs for free season passes/lodging/other benefits.  Hobby jobs usually pay well, are part time, a lot of fun and lead to some great permanent opportunities.         

goodmoneygoodlife

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #58 on: February 28, 2022, 06:28:19 AM »
Hi All,

My name is Brad and at 43 years old I feel that I am ready to search out my calling.  I feel like this is a really great group of folks to gain some insight from.  I graduated from nursing school with an associates in 1998 but struggled to pass the state boards for RN.  I entered the work force as an LPN because I wanted to get going and start my life.  I chose nursing with the help of my high school guidance counselor because I really wanted to help and serve people.  I really felt the joy of service when I was younger and in Boy Scouts where I eventually earned my Eagle Scout and a heroism medal.  The latter I only mention because this was a life changing event for me where I was in the position to save someones life and it made me feel purposeful.  Getting that rush of purpose really cemented my belief I wanted to be a nurse. I entered the "grown up" work force in this capacity at 21 years of age.  I have always had a job since I was 12 and my employers have always been pleased with my work.  Working in the bottom rung of health care is a recipe for getting used and abused.  I did not feel that purpose and it merely became just a paycheck.  I remember one of my clinical rotations in college involved working with homeless Vets in Buffalo at a day treatment site.  This felt very rewarding and I think is a clue.

I have always been unnaturally good at personal finance/investing and this has served me well.  I have no formal education in this department just a passionate self search/study over the years.  I entertain the thought of being a credit counselor to help others gain the joy and freedom that I enjoy from these skills.  I'm kind of lost because it looks like the bulk of these jobs involve sales which I loathe.

I left my employer of 21 years 6/3/2021 because I was burn't to a crisp and it felt like no one cared other than my family.  I am married to my wonderful wife and we have two 15 year old children.  My current short term plan is take a couple months off work to enjoy the kids (they still think I'm cool) and work on fixing up our house some.  After the couple months I plan to find per diem LPN work like 2 days a week, work on house 3 days a week, and have 2 days off family time.  We are in a position to lean FIRE.  I think this plan will work for awhile.  Eventually, I think I will find that I need something a little more purposeful.  This is where my mind is now.  I am a Christian and I pray about this, but, I also love free advice from people who really have it together.  Thank you for your time.

Yeah, first take care of your burnout. Mental health is super important. I've been depressed with burnout before and it isn't fun.

If you're very good at investing, why not double down on that? Instead of doing sales and stuff, why not just double-down on your own education and try and chase more alpha? Or start a fund? Rentec was started by this professor when he was 40 years old -- no reason why you can't start one now.

But if burnout's the issue, I feel like investing is going to only contribute to it, not the other way around.

Hence a conundrum: Per Cal Newport's "So Good They Can't Ignore You" -- a "calling" is created *after* skills are acquired, generally speaking -- not the other way around. If you've got some talent ahead of time, then you're a bit ahead of the game in terms of building your skills. But the thing is, once you get so good at something that it becomes your "calling," it can be all-consuming. Otherwise, it's not really a calling and it's just something that you do from time to time that you enjoy. In those cases, it seems like you just want a low-pressure job that you enjoy somewhat and can treat like a hobby. If *that's* the case, I feel like you're coastFIRE and can just find some job that you enjoy (even if it's very low pay).

BicycleB

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #59 on: February 28, 2022, 03:35:29 PM »
@svosavvy, after reading your latest post, I feel like you're in good shape and doing the right thing. Keep it up!

As a fellow person who has spent parts of his life in activities devoted to purpose/ public service, I think you will find plenty of opportunities for service and connection wherever you go. They may seem to appear on their own time (God's time, perhaps) but I feel confident you will find them. The harder part is finding the wisdom and calm to cultivate yourself and your family, to respect the longings for meaning when they appear while acting wisely, and so on; a few weeks of longing can feel longer than a year of happy immersion. Don't rush, your heart will continue to regenerate and the right fit to express it in service will appear. It seems like you're doing all of those things wonderfully and that's why I'm very happy for you. Also, cherish these good times because we all get older and you never know. Plus, your family will never be this age again - another reason I think you've made the best choice possible.

PS. I liked the insight given by your "asset" line about vehicles and toys. The phrasing tells me you probably know this, but unless they're used for profit, probably it's wise to take the accounting (and Mustache) view that they're not assets, just consumer goods. Enjoy 'em while you got 'em though! :)


svosavvy

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #60 on: April 26, 2022, 07:35:16 AM »
Hi All,

I just returned day before yesterday at 10:30 pm from attending Camp Mustache Midwest.  It has left me feeling re-energized to post an update on my journey. As far as a "calling" goes I am truly just enjoying the reconnecting with my family still.  I am coming up on 11 months since I left my work on 06/03/2021.

Financial update: Rounded to nearest K

House paid off 2010 current assessed:   211,000
Brokerage 1:                                        248,000
403B:                                                  295,000
Brokerage 2:                                          28,000
Roth IRA:                                               98,000
Home improvement fund:                        30,000
Coverdell ESA child 1:                             51,000
Coverdell ESA child 2:                             51,000
HSA:                                                     12,000
Savings:                                                25,000
paid off vehicles and toys  ?????              45,000  2018 Honda Pilot,2012 Camaro, 2018 coachmen camper,2013 Honda Fit
misc deposited assets                             20,000
------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        1,114,000 Net W

My wife continues to work full time.  Still negotiating w/mgmt to go part time.  She still loves her job and won't join me yet.  75K/yr.  I have realized some gains from short term directional S&P trades made mainly for entertainment purposes approx 5k.  Still primarily buy and hold forever index funds.  Brokerage does have a decent bump up from some geopolitical trades put on since new year update. 

Progress since New Years post:

Family time:

It really hit me that my kids pack themselves really ridiculous lunches.  I was concerned they weren't getting the calories they needed or worse yet raiding the vending machines at school (what happens at school seems to stay at school). The fix: make killer breakfasts that they can't help but eat.  My initial attempts were sad and they would pass them over causing lots of weird leftovers.  I have a steady rotation now and enjoy when they make time to chow down. 

Highlights are:

1.waffles (I swap wheat flour for oat flour) with off brand cool whip, cut strawberries, sprinkle conf. sugar on top. 

2. Combo meal of greek parfait and egg&sausage Mc sandwich. I get the 10% milk fat vanilla greek yogurt and gluten free "Bear Naked" brand cacao&cashew granola (3.99/bag at Wegmans).  Rotate some fresh fruit in there as well (strawberry/blueberry/clementines). Drizzle of maple syrup to finish.  I use La Brea Gluten Free bread (pricey 6.50/loaf).  It is literally the most awesome GF bread ever, No Joke! It is for real.  Cook the egg over medium then when sandwich is made break the yolk through the bread and it soaks it up. Yummy.

3. Home fries, breakfast sausage, toast, and prepared fruit.  I used to think instant breakfast sausage was the worst, now it is like my best friend.  Ready in no time.  I find if I peel an orange or cut up an apple and arrange on the plate they will eat it instead of just passing over it in the fruit bowl.

4. Pancakes. Again, swap in oat flour from the health foods store bulk section for wheat flour.

5. Sausage&mushroom omelette

6. Cereal and sleeping in on the weekends.

Home improvement:

Tearing our dining room down to studs and currently putting in new drywall. 

Get that woodpile caught up:

This is woodcutting season right now, so, getting that wood pile back up from winter use.  We consumed a pretty average amount 13 face cord.

Decluttering/downsizing:

I was able to do a fair amount of ebaying and consignment selling during the hard months of winter.  Sold my childhood toy tractor collection at consignment for $320. YAY. Sold my dark tower board game on eBay for $175. I had a Buffalo Bills vintage New Era Super Bowl hat collection with tags on for $110. That was a surprise. NHL memorabilia for approx $225. Plus a lot of little transactions.  Blew my mind this stuff had value.

Trying to improve my Christian walk.

Alcohol use is way down and is turning back into an enjoyable treat instead of "Dad's medicine." I spend about $35 a month on it instead of $100 plus.  I found an awesome bible in a year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz in addition to a daily devotional.  I really like this guy.  He really breaks down some of that esoteric stuff and I feel like he does a good job.  I highly recommend even if that isn't your thing, it's a fun listen and free.  I am in a small group on Tuesdays and that is going well. 

Ski, Ski, Ski.

My season at Bristol Mtn went great.  Averaged 2-3 evenings skiing about 2-3 hours at a go.  Early in the season the lifts were packed and they forced people to not ride alone (I'm a total loner).  It was great.  I sat next to a guy and we started talking and he is a Christian.  We had such a great time chatting going up we decided to ski together that day.  It turned into a friendship and a regular appointment of skiing together. My twilight pass was $490.  Was able to score the same pass for this year on sale $390 (Yay).

Go to the kids games.

I am still playing tennis with my son weekly now that the weather is more springlike.  A couple weeks ago I was at my old high school an hour away for my daughters track meet.  I saw a guy I recognized who had a slightly larger belly and less hair on the top of his head than I remember, like myself.  Turned out to be my old best friend, Ben.  We lost touch about 15 years ago, but, he was my best man at my wedding.  We talked and talked and swapped contacts.  My daughter was hilarious, she was literally dragging me to the car because we had to go.  I just wanted to hang out all night.

Budget:  Pretty much the same except for alcohol is down.  My groceries are a solid $20 more expensive each week (is what it is). Home improvement is a budgeted for additional expense.  I am anticipating a solid 30% increase in my property taxes over time as they are a % of property value (gulp).

The camp Mustache Midwest was great and really was a nice time to connect.  Seeing people in real life was great.  The tings I took away weren't necessarily financial.  A big theme for me was money takes care of money problems, you have to work on yourself for the rest.  Want to give a big shout out to the organizers especially @grantmeaname, @lydsandcups,  and the rest of the "orange bandanna" crew.

@SnakesintheGrass it was great to play pickle ball and get to know you.  If you are ever passing through we will have to melt some metal together. 

@fuzzy math  just wanted to say hang in there. You got this. We are all pulling for you.

@blurkraken22 It was great hanging out there and on the car drive.  Best wishes on the effective altruism journey. 

@Turtle It was great to put a face with the name.  Best wishes on your life journey.

@Loren Ver it was great to hear your story. I wish you and your husband the best.

@maizefolk best of wishes on the blank canvass that is life plans.

Have fun out there

change_seeker

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #61 on: April 26, 2022, 10:27:52 AM »
Thanks for the update, glad to hear that you are doing well.  I'm definitely jealous of you getting to ski 2-3 nights a week!  I did the local ski program with my kids so I was up with them most Saturdays.  It is funny that I spent 5 years in Buffalo/Orchard Park and never even tried skiing there.

Camp Mustache Midwest sounds like SO much fun, reminds me that I need to make it out to Moab for the meetup there.

BicycleB

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #62 on: April 26, 2022, 05:52:50 PM »
A couple weeks ago I was at my old high school an hour away for my daughters track meet.  I saw a guy I recognized who had a slightly larger belly and less hair on the top of his head than I remember, like myself.  Turned out to be my old best friend, Ben.  We lost touch about 15 years ago, but, he was my best man at my wedding.  We talked and talked and swapped contacts.  My daughter was hilarious, she was literally dragging me to the car because we had to go.

lol!!

grantmeaname

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #63 on: April 26, 2022, 05:59:41 PM »
I didn't know you were a journaler! I'm excited to follow along.

I think your theme is an apt description of the weekend. I think having such a heavy representation of the FIREd folks at the camp meant a lot of people had the money problems solved and are starting to move on to the non money problems. But for those still working, like me, there's no reason to wait...

If you don't mind me asking - are your kids gluten free? Or are you? My wife's celiac has certainly forced me to learn a lot of tweaks, substitutes, and alternatives for my own cooking.

svosavvy

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #64 on: April 27, 2022, 06:56:02 AM »
I didn't know you were a journaler! I'm excited to follow along.

I think your theme is an apt description of the weekend. I think having such a heavy representation of the FIREd folks at the camp meant a lot of people had the money problems solved and are starting to move on to the non money problems. But for those still working, like me, there's no reason to wait...

If you don't mind me asking - are your kids gluten free? Or are you? My wife's celiac has certainly forced me to learn a lot of tweaks, substitutes, and alternatives for my own cooking.
Yes,

My Wife and Children are gluten free (GF).  I'm not GF, but, end up eating that way 90% of the time just because that's how we prepare the food.  If we are at a restaurant or gathering I will eat whatever.  For us, we noticed when the kids were really little they would develop skin rashes and have angry diarrhea out of the blue after eating.  We tried a few different things at the time and eating GF just fixed the problem.  They have never been formally medically tested and it's not like they are going to go into anaphylactic shock if they accidentally eat some.  My wife then started eating gluten free along with the kids and just reported that she felt great after eating whereas in the past would not always feel great (bloat, fatigue).

One of the tweaks we have is just a mindset that eating GF means you are not going to eat bread and pizza 3 times a day.  When we started on that road 15 years ago the substitute products (bread, pizza crust, etc) were just gross and wicked expensive.  I like the Michael Pollan saying of "eat food, not too much, mostly vegetables."  I feel it dovetails in nice.  There are some really great products out there nowadays.

Here are a few:

1. Oat flour-This is not technically gluten free to the purists.  $2/lb at our natural foods store in the bulk section.  We are pragmatic and not dogmatic about our eating.  There is a whole rabbit hole of why it may not be GF ymmv.  It is basically 99% GF but won't get the Oregon Tilth stamp of approval.  What we know is my wife and kids eat it no problems.  I like to sub it in when a recipe calls for all purpose flour (APF).  There are "gluten free"  APF products on the market, but, they are wicked expensive, don't produce better results, and have like 35 ingredients.

2. Oats, potatoes, rice, squash, and corn-There are many products that are in the carb arena and are GF. Honey Nut Cheerios are GF and a cheap go to cereal.  Oatmeal itself.  Corn starch, corn meal.  I love making gravies at big meals using 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of corn starch heated until emulsified in a saucepan then add a cup of your stock.  It does take a few times to get the hang of that.  I love to cut up potatoes into French fries and fry fish alongside it.  I beat an egg, dip the filets in it and roll in just cornmeal and sprinkle with a Morton Salt product called "Natures Seasons" seasoned salt. Works great. 

3. La Brea Bakery GF white bread.  They are not big loaves so you have to take it easy.  Like I mentioned it is super expensive $6.50 a loaf and sells out fast around here.  I shop at Wegmans and when I see it I will buy like 3 at a time and freeze 2.  This is literally food alchemy, pure joy.  I remember having "rice" bread in the beginning and it was like the grossest thing to put in your mouth.  You are probably paying $3.50 for a loaf of regular bread anyway.  If you ration to 1 loaf a week it raises the food budget by $3 weekly.  I remember years ago my Mom asked my daughter what she wanted for Christmas and she responded "I just want bread."  My Mom was like what are you doing to those kids.  I had to reassure her that we were not indeed running a gulag.  Kinda funny.  "Schar" brand bread products are ok, but, a distant second in my book. 

4. Wegmans brand GF rice pasta $2.39/lb I really like this product and as far as pasta goes it is very forgiving to cook.  I like the penne.  You will find GF pasta is way more fussy to cook especially al dente.  If you aren't careful you either get wood chips or the pasta dissolves and makes you a pot of muddy water with no pasta. 

5.  Snyders GF pretzel sticks. We like them and they taste like the original thing.  Potato chips and corn chips are naturally GF.  Just make sure you don't get sabotaged by an added ingredient.  Check the label.  We eat a lot of Santitas with lots of cheddar melted on top with a side of salsa and sour cream.  "Crunchmaster" crackers.  These are like crack for me.  Especially if you get creative and make them into houer d'ouvres.

6. Chebe boxed pizza crust.  These are nice and easy for pizza night.  We don't use them anymore because I have really upped my homemade pizza crust game.  I posted it in "Share your badassity / Re: Share your homemade pizza" a couple months ago.   

7. Goes without saying, but, whole foods.  Fruits, vegetables, and whole cuts of meat.  Pay attention to ground meat prepared items.  They may sneak some wheat into their product.

8.  Burgers, meatballs, meatloaf.  I basically use the same equation for these.  1 egg per lb of meat, 1/2 cup "quick" (rolled) oats, and some salt.

That's what I can think of for now.  Good luck out there.

blurkraken22

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #65 on: July 27, 2022, 02:51:04 PM »
I find if I peel an orange or cut up an apple and arrange on the plate they will eat it instead of just passing over it in the fruit bowl.
...
@blurkraken22 It was great hanging out there and on the car drive.  Best wishes on the effective altruism journey. 

Somebody told you the trick for getting me to eat fruit. I'm JK, but I like cut up fruit so much that I just cut it up myself.

Thanks for the mention! Following and waiting for new updates.

Also a good reminder that I need to get back to tracking expenses again. It doesn't do that much good to know my net worth if I'm not tracking the spending.

fuzzy math

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Re: In search of a calling
« Reply #66 on: July 27, 2022, 07:28:52 PM »
Hey Brad!! I think about your and my situations whenever I think of Camp MW. I really appreciated you talking to me (even when I lost it afterwards LOL) and being able to commiserate.

I just read through this the whole way for the first time. I'm dying for another update from you since the market is a bit different now. When you presented at camp, it was very much a "I'm retired" kinda thing, but here in your journal it sounds like you were / are still contemplating work. Has enough time passed that you've given up on those thoughts entirely?

My hand is being forced at my job, they are contracting out my department and it looks like we will not all be offered jobs. So I may very well be captain breakfast at my house too if we decide for me not to seek out employment either.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!