Isn't it funny how often we get, by total coincidence, exactly what we ask for?
I titled the fifth year of my blog "Life On The Flipside." After years of juggling moderately-paying part-time jobs, paying between $20 and $200 a week off my debt, and accidentally backsliding far too often, I wanted desperately wanted to try out the 9-5 full-time, well-paid, professional employment route.
I quit one of my jobs to free up my schedule, gave up one of my house-cleaning gigs, and researched various opportunities. I got a dream job with a cooperative company that did not work out. After the first three months of unemployment I've had since the age of fifteen, I stumbled into union carpentry. Which was...something.
It was good. Really, really good, in untold ways. Before we talk about the money, let's talk about the fact that I've spent the last five or so years surrounded by an upper-middle-class white new-age hippie sort of crowd. Vegetarians, yogis, musicians, social net-workers and environmental consultants. I served them local bison burgers, went to their wild parties, rode past them on my bike...It's been a very cozy environment for me here in South Austin. Cozy can be suffocating, and I was beginning to wonder how much of my reality was too readily affirmed by my environment.
Working in construction was NOT affirming. I was like Alice climbing out of the rabbit hole and into the real world. Here were the people I saw on television, who loved their trucks and voted Republican and only believed in the right to choose when it came to their own mistakes.
Working with people who thought my basic principles were practically lunatic - and making choices that flew in the face of my principles, such as driving a truck - gave me enough material to reflect on for the rest of the decade. In the meantime, there were the finances.
With Darling working and earning far more than me, the majority of my paycheck went entirely to debt. In all of 2011 I paid a total of $4,219.72 to debt. In the first four months of 2012 I paid $7,823. We also spent over a thousand dollars on dental work, developed a relationship with a primary care physician, purchased several hundred dollars worth of tools, and patched the gaping holes in our second-hand wardrobe. So many bits and pieces that had been relegated to our budgetary back-burner were finally addressed.
So, I feel perfectly entitled to say that within a twelve-month period, my life completely flipped. The constant challenge of thriving in a harsh environment made me feel more ecstatically my self than ever before. I love learning, I love overcoming obstacles, I love proving myself. Working at the plant was richly rewarding and educational.
I thought my life on the flip-side was permanent, at times, but it was never incredibly realistic. The sense of having found the "real world" dissipated as I came to know my peers more intimately. I can not be satisfied with a circular existence of television, beer, over-time, and truck repairs. The 20 Year Challenge has always been, and always will be, more preoccupied with the day-to-day beauty of life and the pursuit of freedom than accruing cash and security. The day I'd relegated to re-title the blog: Year Six: Subversive Sustainability, my priorities violently shifted back into focus.
Going back to the plant would be like going back to sleep to enjoy a pleasant dream, when there is so much to do with my waking hours.
So what's to come? "The Plan" hasn't changed, and I'll have much more energy to invest in savings plans. Feeling little incentive to dive back into the workforce, I'll let Darling win the bread for the time being. I'll also continue to develop my building and craft skills, and explain my idea of Subversive Sustainability in the coming days.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Yeah, Me Too
Experiences in factory employment that I do not want to forget, in no particular order:
One day I went to get water and a sign next to the cooler said, "Arsenic Contaminated Waste Only." Intellectually I knew that the sign had just been placed on the table before being mounted at its permanent location, and that the water probably was not arsenic contaminated, but I decided to go without regardless.
The day the Plastic Bag Ban passed in Austin, I was sitting down to lunch with my coworkers and thought about bringing up this exciting news. I knew that few of them would have heard of it, and many might rail against the idea, and I didn't want to have to argue a point...as I contemplated this, a man next to me opened up one of those tiny 5-hour Energy abominations, threw the cap over his shoulder, and downed the poison in one gulp. I kept my mouth shut.
There was an acid spill in our storage area, and we had to check all the materials with ph strips. A couple of weeks later some of the guys showed me holes in their gloves and jeans that had been eaten through. Later still, I was waiting for an elevator when something splashed from the ceiling onto the sleeve of my shirt. Thankfully, it was just water. Later I realized that, if that ever happened again, I should cut my sleeve off before deciding whether it was acid or water.
The other female apprentice would playfully greet my approach with a wolf whistle. The first time I heard it, not knowing it was her, I was pissed. When I related this to a coworker, he was dumbfounded, "It's just a compliment!" I explained my reason for disliking the implication and not wanting to encourage such behavior, but he occasionally indulged in whistling at me from then on.
The week before Christmas I was asked about my plans after work. "I have a lot of shopping for the holidays," I answered. "Oh, then you will be like a real woman."
The first couple of days at work as the only woman on the crew men were literally taking work out of my arms. In order to shame them out of their pretended chivalry, I had to quickly learn to shift my weight and balance a heavy load using only one hand. This was not only to make it obvious that I could handle myself, but freed up my other hand to make it very clear that I'd fight for my right to lift, literally pushing over-aggressive "helpers" away from me.
The day after I learned this trick a man from Puerto Rico explained to me that they weren't being sexist, but I was making the guys look bad by doing their job so well.
A few months later, the same man went out of his way to wish me a happy International Women's Day. He asked me how I planned to celebrate. He described the parties his family had on this day and the festivals they attended.
Sitting with another apprentice, the closest to be a friend of mine, and President Obama comes up: "Man, that guy is so messed up. He hasn't done anyone good at all." Curious about specific complaints, I mention a couple of things Obama did that I approved of, such as revoking Don't Ask Don't Tell. My friend was perplexed, he was under the impression that homosexuals weren't allowed to join the military. As I explained the bill, he grit his teeth. "Well, I kind of agree with that." With don't ask don't tell? With secrecy and oppression?! "Well yeah, that's not natural. I mean...men are supposed to be with women. That's the way it is. People shouldn't choose to go against that."
I'd never in my life imagined sitting down and eating with a blatant bigot. It was out of my world. But I was 100% comfortable saying, "call it a choice if you want, but if it is a choice, it's one countless men and women have been willing to die for, die horrible deaths for, and live unspeakably difficult lives over, within basically every culture for the extent of recorded history. That's a strange choice for thousands of humans to make when incredibly few cultures provide that as an option in any way."
My friend's countenance went dark. He stared at the table. And finally he said, "all I know is that I've been raised a certain way, and maybe not everyone is raised to believe the same things." I'd never seen doubt so vibrantly revealed, and I realized how painful it is to really change as a person. He left early that day, without a word to anyone.
My first week of work when Nae, the journeywoman carpenter, was still with the company, she secretly asked the foreman not to pair us together. He ignored her and we were partners for the rest of that project. She grew fond of my, though, and became my champion. Eventually, she confessed: "You look so delicate, so petite! I didn't think you would work. I didn't think you would last. But you're so much stronger than you seem."
For about five weeks I have been going to an acupuncturist at the recommendation of my physician. She checks my pulse and I am surprised by her frown. Everyone's always commented on my healthy blood pressure. But she tells me my pulse is extremely slow. "You don't have the vitality you should at your age."
I read one of my journals from working at the cooperative brewpub last year, and can't believe how hard I had to fight a reputation for being slow, despite consistently completing the majority of the daily tasks. I recall that my reputation at every other job was hard-won over the course of months. I never got the promotion on the first go, but eventually I'd make the top of every list and stay there. I lack vitality, but not stamina. I'm not big, but I'm strong.
One of the first things my first union shop teacher said to me: "I hope you make it."
One day I went to get water and a sign next to the cooler said, "Arsenic Contaminated Waste Only." Intellectually I knew that the sign had just been placed on the table before being mounted at its permanent location, and that the water probably was not arsenic contaminated, but I decided to go without regardless.
The day the Plastic Bag Ban passed in Austin, I was sitting down to lunch with my coworkers and thought about bringing up this exciting news. I knew that few of them would have heard of it, and many might rail against the idea, and I didn't want to have to argue a point...as I contemplated this, a man next to me opened up one of those tiny 5-hour Energy abominations, threw the cap over his shoulder, and downed the poison in one gulp. I kept my mouth shut.
There was an acid spill in our storage area, and we had to check all the materials with ph strips. A couple of weeks later some of the guys showed me holes in their gloves and jeans that had been eaten through. Later still, I was waiting for an elevator when something splashed from the ceiling onto the sleeve of my shirt. Thankfully, it was just water. Later I realized that, if that ever happened again, I should cut my sleeve off before deciding whether it was acid or water.
The other female apprentice would playfully greet my approach with a wolf whistle. The first time I heard it, not knowing it was her, I was pissed. When I related this to a coworker, he was dumbfounded, "It's just a compliment!" I explained my reason for disliking the implication and not wanting to encourage such behavior, but he occasionally indulged in whistling at me from then on.
The week before Christmas I was asked about my plans after work. "I have a lot of shopping for the holidays," I answered. "Oh, then you will be like a real woman."
The first couple of days at work as the only woman on the crew men were literally taking work out of my arms. In order to shame them out of their pretended chivalry, I had to quickly learn to shift my weight and balance a heavy load using only one hand. This was not only to make it obvious that I could handle myself, but freed up my other hand to make it very clear that I'd fight for my right to lift, literally pushing over-aggressive "helpers" away from me.
The day after I learned this trick a man from Puerto Rico explained to me that they weren't being sexist, but I was making the guys look bad by doing their job so well.
A few months later, the same man went out of his way to wish me a happy International Women's Day. He asked me how I planned to celebrate. He described the parties his family had on this day and the festivals they attended.
Sitting with another apprentice, the closest to be a friend of mine, and President Obama comes up: "Man, that guy is so messed up. He hasn't done anyone good at all." Curious about specific complaints, I mention a couple of things Obama did that I approved of, such as revoking Don't Ask Don't Tell. My friend was perplexed, he was under the impression that homosexuals weren't allowed to join the military. As I explained the bill, he grit his teeth. "Well, I kind of agree with that." With don't ask don't tell? With secrecy and oppression?! "Well yeah, that's not natural. I mean...men are supposed to be with women. That's the way it is. People shouldn't choose to go against that."
I'd never in my life imagined sitting down and eating with a blatant bigot. It was out of my world. But I was 100% comfortable saying, "call it a choice if you want, but if it is a choice, it's one countless men and women have been willing to die for, die horrible deaths for, and live unspeakably difficult lives over, within basically every culture for the extent of recorded history. That's a strange choice for thousands of humans to make when incredibly few cultures provide that as an option in any way."
My friend's countenance went dark. He stared at the table. And finally he said, "all I know is that I've been raised a certain way, and maybe not everyone is raised to believe the same things." I'd never seen doubt so vibrantly revealed, and I realized how painful it is to really change as a person. He left early that day, without a word to anyone.
My first week of work when Nae, the journeywoman carpenter, was still with the company, she secretly asked the foreman not to pair us together. He ignored her and we were partners for the rest of that project. She grew fond of my, though, and became my champion. Eventually, she confessed: "You look so delicate, so petite! I didn't think you would work. I didn't think you would last. But you're so much stronger than you seem."
For about five weeks I have been going to an acupuncturist at the recommendation of my physician. She checks my pulse and I am surprised by her frown. Everyone's always commented on my healthy blood pressure. But she tells me my pulse is extremely slow. "You don't have the vitality you should at your age."
I read one of my journals from working at the cooperative brewpub last year, and can't believe how hard I had to fight a reputation for being slow, despite consistently completing the majority of the daily tasks. I recall that my reputation at every other job was hard-won over the course of months. I never got the promotion on the first go, but eventually I'd make the top of every list and stay there. I lack vitality, but not stamina. I'm not big, but I'm strong.
One of the first things my first union shop teacher said to me: "I hope you make it."
Friday, April 27, 2012
Another Year, Another Ending
I published the first post of The 20 Year Challenge around 8:00 p.m. on April 27th, 2007.
It is now a little after 8:00 a.m., so in about twelve hours my beloved project will officially be five years old.
I've done a lot of growing since I was twenty-two, but every step forward has been accompanied by a couple back. If not for my net worth tracker on the sidebar, I'm not sure I'd be willing to claim any forward momentum at all.
April seems to be a month of leaps and lapses in my life. Maybe it's the power of spring over my feminine sensibilities, maybe it's birthday bravado, but flipping through my April posts reveals a certain "that's it, everything's changing" pattern for this time of year.
2012 isn't any different.
Last August I wandered into the Local Carpenter's Union Hall to ask some questions. Less than half an hour later I was signed up, two weeks later I started classes, and two months later I was employed in a pollution-spewing, smokestack-having, predominately male and incredibly toxic environment. On my first day of work I watched the sun rise through the hazy mist of my new life, inhaled a blast of chlorine, and knew I was an idiot.
I guess that answered my questions.
Yesterday I worked with yet another man who did not understand that his attempt to compensate for the strength he imagined I didn't have threw us both off balance and made the task (that I have done, consistently and competently for six months) almost impossible for both of us. He grew increasingly frustrated and too impatient to bother crossing the language barrier I share with much of the crew. His distrust was painfully familiar. I have undergone the same experience with every single other man on the crew. A young partner of mine made a brief, vain attempt to clue the guy in, but the arrival and observance of the superintendent muddied the waters. Agitation mounted and expressed itself in gentle jabs and teases - in Spanish. The super left, the crew took a moment to breathe, and someone said to me, in Spanish, "you have a lot to learn...from him," pointing at the cause of my frustration.
I took off my gloves, announced that I had had enough B.S., and walked out.
I went to class last night hoping to change my own mind. I woke up this morning at five a.m., dressed, drank some coffee, and drove to work with the intention of getting over myself. I sat in the parking lot for twenty minutes and watched the sunrise. Then I drove home.
I surrendered. Not so much to any idea of women's work or to the indefatigable ignorance of construction workers. I was physically capable and, in general, my crew was intelligent and kind. I finally surrendered to the part of my that has been saying, non-stop, for months, to get the hell out of the clean-room. Just because I could fight the battle, maybe eventually win the battle, and the war was worth winning...doesn't mean that I belong in the trenches.
Thus the sixth year of The Challenge launches, and how fitting is it that Darling and I are both basically unemployed on top of still being $2,300 in debt?
It is now a little after 8:00 a.m., so in about twelve hours my beloved project will officially be five years old.
I've done a lot of growing since I was twenty-two, but every step forward has been accompanied by a couple back. If not for my net worth tracker on the sidebar, I'm not sure I'd be willing to claim any forward momentum at all.
April seems to be a month of leaps and lapses in my life. Maybe it's the power of spring over my feminine sensibilities, maybe it's birthday bravado, but flipping through my April posts reveals a certain "that's it, everything's changing" pattern for this time of year.
2012 isn't any different.
Last August I wandered into the Local Carpenter's Union Hall to ask some questions. Less than half an hour later I was signed up, two weeks later I started classes, and two months later I was employed in a pollution-spewing, smokestack-having, predominately male and incredibly toxic environment. On my first day of work I watched the sun rise through the hazy mist of my new life, inhaled a blast of chlorine, and knew I was an idiot.
I guess that answered my questions.
Yesterday I worked with yet another man who did not understand that his attempt to compensate for the strength he imagined I didn't have threw us both off balance and made the task (that I have done, consistently and competently for six months) almost impossible for both of us. He grew increasingly frustrated and too impatient to bother crossing the language barrier I share with much of the crew. His distrust was painfully familiar. I have undergone the same experience with every single other man on the crew. A young partner of mine made a brief, vain attempt to clue the guy in, but the arrival and observance of the superintendent muddied the waters. Agitation mounted and expressed itself in gentle jabs and teases - in Spanish. The super left, the crew took a moment to breathe, and someone said to me, in Spanish, "you have a lot to learn...from him," pointing at the cause of my frustration.
I took off my gloves, announced that I had had enough B.S., and walked out.
I went to class last night hoping to change my own mind. I woke up this morning at five a.m., dressed, drank some coffee, and drove to work with the intention of getting over myself. I sat in the parking lot for twenty minutes and watched the sunrise. Then I drove home.
I surrendered. Not so much to any idea of women's work or to the indefatigable ignorance of construction workers. I was physically capable and, in general, my crew was intelligent and kind. I finally surrendered to the part of my that has been saying, non-stop, for months, to get the hell out of the clean-room. Just because I could fight the battle, maybe eventually win the battle, and the war was worth winning...doesn't mean that I belong in the trenches.
Thus the sixth year of The Challenge launches, and how fitting is it that Darling and I are both basically unemployed on top of still being $2,300 in debt?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Temptations
Friday after work I scheduled $825 to be paid off debt on Monday. This would have dropped my total amount owed below $2,000 - and forced Darling and me into a second week of relatively stressful frugality (we made a thousand dollar payment the week before). I came home to tell Darling this good and bad news. His response was basically, "Nope. The REAL good news is that I was laid off today, and the REAL bad news is that I purchased a hard drive online about an hour ago!" Yay, communication :)
So I edited the payment down to $500, leaving us a small cushion and covering the cost of Darling's purchases and, like, gas and stuff.
No, I'm not confessing only making a $500 payment...I'm very proud of the fact that we've paid $2,000 this month to begin with. Nor am I confessing the hard drive, which is more a necessity than a want and a very well-deserved purchase. What I am confessing is that the next day Darling and I went shopping and purchased him a brand new, really cool, and incredibly expensive shirt.
Does my husband need a brand new shirt? Not really, certainly not a dress shirt, certainly not for the price of three or four brand new good-quality work shirts. The timing is especially bad because today offers me the excellent opportunity to write about second-hand joy. I consider myself to be a devotee of used clothing purchased from thrift stores or - even better - picked up from clothing swaps. Now I feel kind of hypocritical.
I'm sort of rolling this all around in my head, over and over again, because this was a fairly unusual act on my part - I seriously forced the shirt on the poor man. But I very much wanted him to have it, something nice he could wear when we go to shows, some trace of our brief courtship, maybe a symbol of the life we're going to lead...or maybe a hearkening back to the life we may never actually pursue, as it lies outside the confines of cooperation and farms and construction and sweat and freeganism...and how does that make me feel?
Within the next couple of months, Darling and I will have purchased our freedom. We accomplished this by forgoing many normal purchases and almost all extravagant purchases. In our debt-free future, however, I'm unsure what our normal spending is going to look like. Because there are some nice things I'd like to have, and we do intend to start traveling again, and...well, maybe we've earned it.
Not that this means saving money won't be a serious focus in the coming weeks.
Bah. Anyone else ever face a spending spree on the near-eve of debt freedom?
So I edited the payment down to $500, leaving us a small cushion and covering the cost of Darling's purchases and, like, gas and stuff.
No, I'm not confessing only making a $500 payment...I'm very proud of the fact that we've paid $2,000 this month to begin with. Nor am I confessing the hard drive, which is more a necessity than a want and a very well-deserved purchase. What I am confessing is that the next day Darling and I went shopping and purchased him a brand new, really cool, and incredibly expensive shirt.
Does my husband need a brand new shirt? Not really, certainly not a dress shirt, certainly not for the price of three or four brand new good-quality work shirts. The timing is especially bad because today offers me the excellent opportunity to write about second-hand joy. I consider myself to be a devotee of used clothing purchased from thrift stores or - even better - picked up from clothing swaps. Now I feel kind of hypocritical.
I'm sort of rolling this all around in my head, over and over again, because this was a fairly unusual act on my part - I seriously forced the shirt on the poor man. But I very much wanted him to have it, something nice he could wear when we go to shows, some trace of our brief courtship, maybe a symbol of the life we're going to lead...or maybe a hearkening back to the life we may never actually pursue, as it lies outside the confines of cooperation and farms and construction and sweat and freeganism...and how does that make me feel?
Within the next couple of months, Darling and I will have purchased our freedom. We accomplished this by forgoing many normal purchases and almost all extravagant purchases. In our debt-free future, however, I'm unsure what our normal spending is going to look like. Because there are some nice things I'd like to have, and we do intend to start traveling again, and...well, maybe we've earned it.
Not that this means saving money won't be a serious focus in the coming weeks.
Bah. Anyone else ever face a spending spree on the near-eve of debt freedom?
Sunday, April 22, 2012
How To Save Money, Part 2
Early in my marriage, frugality in the kitchen was a matter of survival.
At first, our pantry was stocked with whatever our friends and family didn't want. I pulled a good deal of it out of dumpsters...Originally this post was going to be about how vegetarianism can save you money. I became a vegetarian at first because second-hand meat is about the least appetizing thing in the world, and even cheap meat is way too expensive, whereas quality meat pretty much has to be grown at home to be at all affordable. Living in a studio apartment with barely enough space for Darling, me, and a tomato plant...I went the non-livestock route.
We were poor, and Darling is one of those very tall, lean, incredibly hungry men. We purchased the heartiest foods available at the local Food Lion: oatmeal, beans, rice, pasta...and he would eat half a pound at every meal. I finally confessed to my coworkers my difficulty feeding a man who could eat a jar of peanut butter a day, and The Cheese Shop was recommended to me. A coworker even loaned me her car to get there!
The cheese shop sold oats, flour, and sugar in fifteen pound bags. We could buy containers of spices for a few bucks at a time. We purchased bran flakes, raisins, and coconut flakes to make the best cereal ever at a fraction of the price of boxed raisin bran. A year's worth of yeast was about five bucks. Half-pound bars of dark chocolate were a dollar each. It was HEAVEN. We spent $50 on our first trip, and were set for the rest of the month. From then on, we'd take a trip every couple of months and spent around $150 each time, eventually building a famously stocked pantry of any baking item we could want.
So, really, buying whole foods in bulk is probably the wisest choice you could possibly make in the kitchen, whether or not you choose to eat animals as well.
Eating whole foods, however, will do nothing for you without the complement of knowing how to cook and bake whole foods. Canned beans are significantly more expensive than dried, and I don't know how they make rice "instant," but saving twenty minutes can't be worth the exorbitant price of that weird boxed stuff. Baking bread is probably the most meditative and rewarding frugal effort in history, followed closely by baking cookies, muffins, and pies.
Back in 2005, newly married, I literally didn't know how to saute an onion. So don't think this is something you either know or don't know. Desperately trolling the internet for ideas and advice, I found The Family Homestead, which led me to the world of blogs. Writers like Crystal, Meredith, and the (original) hillbilly housewife basically taught me to be a wife and homemaker (Thanks, y'all!).
If you don't know how to cook yet, be patient with yourself. Learn the basics: boiled pasta with canned pasta sauce and grated cheese, baked and/or mashed potatoes, steamed veggies...Many people are anxious about how little they know how to cook, but the average fast food and convenience-based diet is about the least varied diet in the world. Find something that feels safe, such as soups, salads, or sandwiches, and start with that. I began with eggs: scrambled, then scrambled with onion, then scrambled with other veggies...then back to just scrambled for a while, and eventually worked my way up to egg salad and eventually quiches. It was certainly healthier than my previous burger-and-pizza diet.
Too often, frugal-minded folks turn to store brands, coupons, and convenience foods sold in bulk (think Costco or Sam's Club). I've never been impressed with these methods in the slightest. At best they are more cost-efficient than purchasing name-brand products at full-price, but too often this devolves into a spending game that leads to over-consuming. Frugality is not a matter of getting more for less money. Frugality should be about getting exactly as much as you need, of the greatest quality available, for as little expenditure as possible. Over-consumption, at any price, is not good for the wallet, your health, or the planet.
I can't publish this advice without mentioning one practice that has saved me the most money while providing me with the most healthful diet since concerning myself with frugality in the kitchen: working for farmers. I've worked for two farms, one in VA and one in TX, and both have provided me with enough food to live off of for months at a time. I can't advocate this as an ideal way of life, however, due to the poverty wages accompanying these jobs. I LOVE working on farms, and I love having plenty of fresh eggs, vibrant greens, indescribably sweet fruit, and more than enough left over to can and preserve. Growing food at home is also satisfying and rewarding, but has a similar trade-off: a garden will only yield so much as you can provide for it. A year's worth of food requires a year's worth of labor. There's no better way to spend your time, of course, so take the opportunity to work the soil if you ever get the chance.
At first, our pantry was stocked with whatever our friends and family didn't want. I pulled a good deal of it out of dumpsters...Originally this post was going to be about how vegetarianism can save you money. I became a vegetarian at first because second-hand meat is about the least appetizing thing in the world, and even cheap meat is way too expensive, whereas quality meat pretty much has to be grown at home to be at all affordable. Living in a studio apartment with barely enough space for Darling, me, and a tomato plant...I went the non-livestock route.
We were poor, and Darling is one of those very tall, lean, incredibly hungry men. We purchased the heartiest foods available at the local Food Lion: oatmeal, beans, rice, pasta...and he would eat half a pound at every meal. I finally confessed to my coworkers my difficulty feeding a man who could eat a jar of peanut butter a day, and The Cheese Shop was recommended to me. A coworker even loaned me her car to get there!
The cheese shop sold oats, flour, and sugar in fifteen pound bags. We could buy containers of spices for a few bucks at a time. We purchased bran flakes, raisins, and coconut flakes to make the best cereal ever at a fraction of the price of boxed raisin bran. A year's worth of yeast was about five bucks. Half-pound bars of dark chocolate were a dollar each. It was HEAVEN. We spent $50 on our first trip, and were set for the rest of the month. From then on, we'd take a trip every couple of months and spent around $150 each time, eventually building a famously stocked pantry of any baking item we could want.
So, really, buying whole foods in bulk is probably the wisest choice you could possibly make in the kitchen, whether or not you choose to eat animals as well.
Eating whole foods, however, will do nothing for you without the complement of knowing how to cook and bake whole foods. Canned beans are significantly more expensive than dried, and I don't know how they make rice "instant," but saving twenty minutes can't be worth the exorbitant price of that weird boxed stuff. Baking bread is probably the most meditative and rewarding frugal effort in history, followed closely by baking cookies, muffins, and pies.
Back in 2005, newly married, I literally didn't know how to saute an onion. So don't think this is something you either know or don't know. Desperately trolling the internet for ideas and advice, I found The Family Homestead, which led me to the world of blogs. Writers like Crystal, Meredith, and the (original) hillbilly housewife basically taught me to be a wife and homemaker (Thanks, y'all!).
If you don't know how to cook yet, be patient with yourself. Learn the basics: boiled pasta with canned pasta sauce and grated cheese, baked and/or mashed potatoes, steamed veggies...Many people are anxious about how little they know how to cook, but the average fast food and convenience-based diet is about the least varied diet in the world. Find something that feels safe, such as soups, salads, or sandwiches, and start with that. I began with eggs: scrambled, then scrambled with onion, then scrambled with other veggies...then back to just scrambled for a while, and eventually worked my way up to egg salad and eventually quiches. It was certainly healthier than my previous burger-and-pizza diet.
Too often, frugal-minded folks turn to store brands, coupons, and convenience foods sold in bulk (think Costco or Sam's Club). I've never been impressed with these methods in the slightest. At best they are more cost-efficient than purchasing name-brand products at full-price, but too often this devolves into a spending game that leads to over-consuming. Frugality is not a matter of getting more for less money. Frugality should be about getting exactly as much as you need, of the greatest quality available, for as little expenditure as possible. Over-consumption, at any price, is not good for the wallet, your health, or the planet.
I can't publish this advice without mentioning one practice that has saved me the most money while providing me with the most healthful diet since concerning myself with frugality in the kitchen: working for farmers. I've worked for two farms, one in VA and one in TX, and both have provided me with enough food to live off of for months at a time. I can't advocate this as an ideal way of life, however, due to the poverty wages accompanying these jobs. I LOVE working on farms, and I love having plenty of fresh eggs, vibrant greens, indescribably sweet fruit, and more than enough left over to can and preserve. Growing food at home is also satisfying and rewarding, but has a similar trade-off: a garden will only yield so much as you can provide for it. A year's worth of food requires a year's worth of labor. There's no better way to spend your time, of course, so take the opportunity to work the soil if you ever get the chance.
Another Job Well Done
Darling finished up the job in Temple, Texas on Friday. He's been given a couple of weeks off before his next project just outside of Austin begins. Goodness knows we both needed a break from his crazy commute!
We both took the weekend totally off. Yesterday I devoted several hours to cleaning the bedroom, which has been pretty neglected for a couple of months now. It's so nice to have a totally cleared floor, dresser full of clean clothes, and made bed :) I also made a potato soup for lunch, then we had dinner and games with friends in the evening, and this morning I made a lemon-blueberry-almond scones for breakfast.
Tomorrow I go into work, as per normal, and in fact have a week of overtime to look forward to. Yet, for whatever reason, knowing Darling is basically on vacation makes this particular weekend especially sweet.
Of course the sudden dip in income comes at a most inopportune time. Coupled with May's rent due in a couple of weeks, I've got pretty much zero chance at making my goal of total debt freedom in the next eight days. And I'm so close. My last $500 payment will put our debt at around $2,300. I could have made a larger payment, but we spent so much of last week scraping by...I just didn't want Darling's vacation to feel like a big struggle, you know? I mean, all he's going to do is hang out and cook and relax anyway, but he's earned a period of stress-freedom. That's probably why it felt so important to me to give the bedroom a good clean up together this weekend, so he wouldn't be obligated to tackle that mess alone.
My Car2Go membership card finally arrived, so we are going to transition away from using the truck very soon. Driving everywhere has become such a way of life for us that I predict some friction. Fortunately, things are relatively stable at my job, and Darling has contacts at his new worksite. I want to hold onto the truck long enough to pay for some repairs and get the oil changed, which means I want to hold onto it a couple of weeks after reaching debt freedom. This gives us plenty of time to work out any kinks in our carpool plan. And in a few months there will be an entirely new set of challenges for us to work out, but we can approach them from a decidedly car-free perspective.
We both took the weekend totally off. Yesterday I devoted several hours to cleaning the bedroom, which has been pretty neglected for a couple of months now. It's so nice to have a totally cleared floor, dresser full of clean clothes, and made bed :) I also made a potato soup for lunch, then we had dinner and games with friends in the evening, and this morning I made a lemon-blueberry-almond scones for breakfast.
Tomorrow I go into work, as per normal, and in fact have a week of overtime to look forward to. Yet, for whatever reason, knowing Darling is basically on vacation makes this particular weekend especially sweet.
Of course the sudden dip in income comes at a most inopportune time. Coupled with May's rent due in a couple of weeks, I've got pretty much zero chance at making my goal of total debt freedom in the next eight days. And I'm so close. My last $500 payment will put our debt at around $2,300. I could have made a larger payment, but we spent so much of last week scraping by...I just didn't want Darling's vacation to feel like a big struggle, you know? I mean, all he's going to do is hang out and cook and relax anyway, but he's earned a period of stress-freedom. That's probably why it felt so important to me to give the bedroom a good clean up together this weekend, so he wouldn't be obligated to tackle that mess alone.
My Car2Go membership card finally arrived, so we are going to transition away from using the truck very soon. Driving everywhere has become such a way of life for us that I predict some friction. Fortunately, things are relatively stable at my job, and Darling has contacts at his new worksite. I want to hold onto the truck long enough to pay for some repairs and get the oil changed, which means I want to hold onto it a couple of weeks after reaching debt freedom. This gives us plenty of time to work out any kinks in our carpool plan. And in a few months there will be an entirely new set of challenges for us to work out, but we can approach them from a decidedly car-free perspective.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Why Invest When You Can Buy?
Lizzie recently commented: "Mortgage rates are at historic lows right now; 3.8% for a 15 year fixed. If it took you 5 years to pay off $16,000 how long will it take you to save up $150,000?"
It took me five years to bring my net worth from -$16,000 to nearly $0. During that period of time I also got extensive dental work done, went through the immigration process with my husband, worked part-time for several years, and paid for several semesters of community college out of pocket. While it technically took five years to pay off about $16,000 worth of debt, it only took Darling and me three months to pay close to $6,000 of that debt. It's not just that we finally buckled down and applied ourselves. It simply took several years for some of our seeds to yield harvest.
I therefore feel entitled to assume that Darling and I will continue to make much more money than we did for the first four years of The Challenge and, as a result, will have much more to work with in the coming years of saving and investing. I chose monthly amount of $2,000 for the following calculations because it is easy to work with and relatively reasonable. This is not an exact plan, but two simple scenarios illustrating my reasoning that saving for a home will put me in a better position than paying a mortgage.
So, assuming that Darling and I were be approved for a loan, found a house we loved and qualified for, and - despite the our awful credit - managed to purchase a home for $150,000 at 3.8% interest, we could pay $2,000 a month and own our home in seven years. That is excluding all purchase fees, insurance, property taxes, furniture, appliances, maintenance, how much more we would pay on groceries and utilities from not sharing our home with half a dozen other people, the cost of commuting in the event that our jobs move away from our homes, and the million other consequences of home-ownership. Best-case scenario: In seven years I would be 34-year-old debt-free homeowner with no money. Despite paying my loan in only seven years, and somehow qualifying for these historically low interest rates, I will still have paid nearly $21,000 in interest!
If, instead, I put the idea of owning a house directly out of my mind, and instead set aside $2,000 a month, I would be able to invest in a 30-year U.S. Treasury Bond at a little more than 3% interest in five months. Even if I did not re-invest the resulting $25 increase of monthly income, I would still be able to make the exact same investment 16 times in seven years (besides likely fluctuations in interest). In this entirely fictional scenario, by 2019 I would be 34, debt free, have $160,000 invested in the safest possible way, and a passive monthly income of $400 a month. Although this is excluding the cost of renting, it's worth pointing out that Darling and I only pay $400 a month to pay for our room at the co-op, the rest of our "rent" goes to groceries, taxes, repairs, utilities, and the myriad expenses that would increase exponentially with personal home ownership. And I'm also completely ignoring the financial effects of the passive income resulting from the bond, which should more than make up for any extra potential expense of renting vs. owning.
I could then sell all those bonds, buy a $150,000 house and be a 34-year-old debt free home-owner with $10,000 in cash.
It took me five years to bring my net worth from -$16,000 to nearly $0. During that period of time I also got extensive dental work done, went through the immigration process with my husband, worked part-time for several years, and paid for several semesters of community college out of pocket. While it technically took five years to pay off about $16,000 worth of debt, it only took Darling and me three months to pay close to $6,000 of that debt. It's not just that we finally buckled down and applied ourselves. It simply took several years for some of our seeds to yield harvest.
I therefore feel entitled to assume that Darling and I will continue to make much more money than we did for the first four years of The Challenge and, as a result, will have much more to work with in the coming years of saving and investing. I chose monthly amount of $2,000 for the following calculations because it is easy to work with and relatively reasonable. This is not an exact plan, but two simple scenarios illustrating my reasoning that saving for a home will put me in a better position than paying a mortgage.
So, assuming that Darling and I were be approved for a loan, found a house we loved and qualified for, and - despite the our awful credit - managed to purchase a home for $150,000 at 3.8% interest, we could pay $2,000 a month and own our home in seven years. That is excluding all purchase fees, insurance, property taxes, furniture, appliances, maintenance, how much more we would pay on groceries and utilities from not sharing our home with half a dozen other people, the cost of commuting in the event that our jobs move away from our homes, and the million other consequences of home-ownership. Best-case scenario: In seven years I would be 34-year-old debt-free homeowner with no money. Despite paying my loan in only seven years, and somehow qualifying for these historically low interest rates, I will still have paid nearly $21,000 in interest!
If, instead, I put the idea of owning a house directly out of my mind, and instead set aside $2,000 a month, I would be able to invest in a 30-year U.S. Treasury Bond at a little more than 3% interest in five months. Even if I did not re-invest the resulting $25 increase of monthly income, I would still be able to make the exact same investment 16 times in seven years (besides likely fluctuations in interest). In this entirely fictional scenario, by 2019 I would be 34, debt free, have $160,000 invested in the safest possible way, and a passive monthly income of $400 a month. Although this is excluding the cost of renting, it's worth pointing out that Darling and I only pay $400 a month to pay for our room at the co-op, the rest of our "rent" goes to groceries, taxes, repairs, utilities, and the myriad expenses that would increase exponentially with personal home ownership. And I'm also completely ignoring the financial effects of the passive income resulting from the bond, which should more than make up for any extra potential expense of renting vs. owning.
I could then sell all those bonds, buy a $150,000 house and be a 34-year-old debt free home-owner with $10,000 in cash.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Plan
The Plan
1. Save Six Months' Worth of ExpensesI am toying with the idea of making this a mini-challenge and calling it "Six-Months in Six Months." Because both my earning and spending have fluctuated so violently over the past years, I will consider the average spending of the past twelve months to be the target monthly expense. I plan track the percentage saved rather than the actual dollar amount so as to equally acknowledge a reduction in spending as increase in cash flow.
Why not create a bare-bones budget and save that six times over? I don't find bare-bones budgets to be very realistic. Although working is very expensive, job hunting can be even more so. What emergency is going to be so affordable that Darling and I can feel good scraping by for a while? No, I'd rather have six months of savings that can really cover the costs of birthdays, doctor appointments, travel and commuting.
2. Purchase Property
Capricia correctly guessed that this would be a priority, but I didn't. Darling totally surprised me with his request just a few weeks ago. We've always wanted a place, not necessarily a permanent home but a forever getaway: somewhere to park when travel gets interminable, somewhere to escape when friends and family get overbearing, somewhere to flee when the apocalypse dawns. I didn't realize how close we were to achieving this dream until he pointed to our money tracking chart, "what better way do we spend that money when the debt is gone?"
Saving for six months should give us a really solid idea of how much we can afford to set aside for a piece of land and a yurt (or whatever) to park on it. I'm not committing to a purchase date just yet, but since this pursuit will obviously take a great deal of time and will give me the opportunity to experiment with the safest and most dependable saving and short-term investment vehicles for my money.
3. Invest
By the time we have saved $60,000 or so for a few acres, some nails, and solar panels to build a sustainable little homestead, we will have put ourselves in the prime position to bring our expenses to a realistic bare minimum while investing in whatever we find to be the most reliable and socially appropriate source of passive income. The good news is that if Darling and I play our cards right, we will need very little return on our investment and can weather the low-to-no interest rates currently plaguing the bond market. Money will probably be our least notable investment in The Challenge as a whole: the real payback will come from the skills, habits, and relationships we've developed and will continue to nurture for the next fifteen years.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter
My birthday is tomorrow, but since Darling and I have to work we decided that any celebrations would take place this weekend in conjunction with Easter and my Dad's birthday.
I had two trains of thought regarding birthday spending: I could give myself the present of yet another ginormous debt payment, or tackle the growing list of want-needs accumulating in the back of my mind. I'd just about concluded that debt freedom would be the ultimate birthday gift when I noticed the splitting soles of my cheap work boots. At that point the two trains collided and I opted to SHOP.
After work on Friday I went to the second-hand shop Savers, with whom I have a love/hate relationship. Savers doesn't feed my soul like St. Vincent's, but it always comes through in a pinch. I picked up five work shirts, a dress, and a cookbook for $47. I then treated myself to lunch before heading home.
Saturday I did quite a few chores for my stepmother and she put gas in the truck. I then took my Dad to lunch at Threadgills for his birthday and insisted he order whatever he wanted. I also bought him a gift-card to HEB to cover a few weeks worth of groceries. I haven't been able to get him a birthday present in a long time, so it felt good to take care of him.
That afternoon I went to Birds for a haircut. I explained to the stylist that my hardhat is shredding my pony tail, it's been about six months since my last trim, and I just want something simple and layered and easy. And can you believe she managed to get my hair exactly as I wanted it?! I feel so much better. I also picked up some conditioner and soap on my way home.
Finally, Darling and I headed to our weekly board game night, stopping at Central Market for a small cake and a six pack of cider on the way. Our friends grilled veggie fajitas and baked veggie poppers and it was so good.
Today I had my family over for lunch. I baked three broccoli quiches, nicked a large salad Em made, and brewed some tea. Nine people showed up, including Baby O, for whom we hid eggs in the garden. My brother and sister both brought strawberries and we served it over angel food cake with whipped cream. It's been the nicest Easter I can recall. My only spending was ordering a my new boots online (after failing to find what I wanted at three local retailers).
To top it off, I still made a $500 debt payment, which will put our debt below $4,000!
I should just about have enough cash to cover my dental and optometrist appointments on Tuesday, so I call this weekend a success. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
I had two trains of thought regarding birthday spending: I could give myself the present of yet another ginormous debt payment, or tackle the growing list of want-needs accumulating in the back of my mind. I'd just about concluded that debt freedom would be the ultimate birthday gift when I noticed the splitting soles of my cheap work boots. At that point the two trains collided and I opted to SHOP.
After work on Friday I went to the second-hand shop Savers, with whom I have a love/hate relationship. Savers doesn't feed my soul like St. Vincent's, but it always comes through in a pinch. I picked up five work shirts, a dress, and a cookbook for $47. I then treated myself to lunch before heading home.
Saturday I did quite a few chores for my stepmother and she put gas in the truck. I then took my Dad to lunch at Threadgills for his birthday and insisted he order whatever he wanted. I also bought him a gift-card to HEB to cover a few weeks worth of groceries. I haven't been able to get him a birthday present in a long time, so it felt good to take care of him.
That afternoon I went to Birds for a haircut. I explained to the stylist that my hardhat is shredding my pony tail, it's been about six months since my last trim, and I just want something simple and layered and easy. And can you believe she managed to get my hair exactly as I wanted it?! I feel so much better. I also picked up some conditioner and soap on my way home.
Finally, Darling and I headed to our weekly board game night, stopping at Central Market for a small cake and a six pack of cider on the way. Our friends grilled veggie fajitas and baked veggie poppers and it was so good.
Today I had my family over for lunch. I baked three broccoli quiches, nicked a large salad Em made, and brewed some tea. Nine people showed up, including Baby O, for whom we hid eggs in the garden. My brother and sister both brought strawberries and we served it over angel food cake with whipped cream. It's been the nicest Easter I can recall. My only spending was ordering a my new boots online (after failing to find what I wanted at three local retailers).
To top it off, I still made a $500 debt payment, which will put our debt below $4,000!
I should just about have enough cash to cover my dental and optometrist appointments on Tuesday, so I call this weekend a success. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Next Phase of The Challenge
As I fast approach the verge of debt freedom, the time has come to contemplate the next big phase of my plan: Saving.
This might seem like a strange "next" step. After all, paying off our $20,000+ debt meant living well below our means for the past seven years. Maybe Darling and I weren't Tightwad-Gazette-Frugal, but we've had our moments. Why should saving be such a big deal?
Not many folks would argue the wisdom of paying debt, but from here on out, the answers won't be so easy. We will not be researching mortgages or car loans. We will never bring our business plans to the bank or credit union to discuss financing. Our education, and the education of our children, will not cost us 5.250% more over the course of fifteen years. Every big purchase will be a matter of very careful thought, preparation, research, and basically every other human skill that I terribly lack.
The good news? My husband and I will spend significantly less money on these purchases over the course of our lifetime simply by avoiding interest rates and fees. This will make retirement radically easier and drastically reduce our time spent in the traditional workforce.
The bad news? There is a reason people choose to spend 20% more over a prolonged period of time rather than accrue $150,000 in the bank with which to purchase a home. I will be steering The Challenge away from the common consensus of what is correct and intelligent. Which means people who are more educated than me will be able to make good arguments for why my financial choices are misguided.
With that in mind, I decided to write a series of essays devoted to the best financial lifestyle choices I've made. Most of them are fairly radical. The give-up-your-daily-latte card has been done. I want to make some original - and yes, controversial - suggestions. I launched already with Part One: Share a Home. Other topics I plan to cover:
* Become a Vegetarian
* Kill Your Television
* Don't Buy New
Don't despair, this preaching is only to rev me up for the next set of blogs in which I transition from how I done good to how I've fallen off various wagons. For example, I'd love to post on how great it is not to own a car. But who's driving a big ol' truck in and out of town every day for the foreseeable future? This girl. Who gave up soda for over two years just to dive right back into a daily habit? Who loved being shampoo-free...for roughly six months? Who spends as much as $30 in a single month on library fees (with the help of her husband)? I'll spend a couple of months getting back on board with some good habits I let fall tot he wayside.
Eventually I'll work my way up to finding new and exciting ways to reduce spending. Or evolve into a higher, perfect life-form to merge with nirvana. Or fall off six new wagons. Time will tell :)
This might seem like a strange "next" step. After all, paying off our $20,000+ debt meant living well below our means for the past seven years. Maybe Darling and I weren't Tightwad-Gazette-Frugal, but we've had our moments. Why should saving be such a big deal?
Not many folks would argue the wisdom of paying debt, but from here on out, the answers won't be so easy. We will not be researching mortgages or car loans. We will never bring our business plans to the bank or credit union to discuss financing. Our education, and the education of our children, will not cost us 5.250% more over the course of fifteen years. Every big purchase will be a matter of very careful thought, preparation, research, and basically every other human skill that I terribly lack.
The good news? My husband and I will spend significantly less money on these purchases over the course of our lifetime simply by avoiding interest rates and fees. This will make retirement radically easier and drastically reduce our time spent in the traditional workforce.
The bad news? There is a reason people choose to spend 20% more over a prolonged period of time rather than accrue $150,000 in the bank with which to purchase a home. I will be steering The Challenge away from the common consensus of what is correct and intelligent. Which means people who are more educated than me will be able to make good arguments for why my financial choices are misguided.
With that in mind, I decided to write a series of essays devoted to the best financial lifestyle choices I've made. Most of them are fairly radical. The give-up-your-daily-latte card has been done. I want to make some original - and yes, controversial - suggestions. I launched already with Part One: Share a Home. Other topics I plan to cover:
* Become a Vegetarian
* Kill Your Television
* Don't Buy New
Don't despair, this preaching is only to rev me up for the next set of blogs in which I transition from how I done good to how I've fallen off various wagons. For example, I'd love to post on how great it is not to own a car. But who's driving a big ol' truck in and out of town every day for the foreseeable future? This girl. Who gave up soda for over two years just to dive right back into a daily habit? Who loved being shampoo-free...for roughly six months? Who spends as much as $30 in a single month on library fees (with the help of her husband)? I'll spend a couple of months getting back on board with some good habits I let fall tot he wayside.
Eventually I'll work my way up to finding new and exciting ways to reduce spending. Or evolve into a higher, perfect life-form to merge with nirvana. Or fall off six new wagons. Time will tell :)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
How To Save Money, Part One
1. Share A Home.
Take this as far as you can. Single people can have roommates, married couples can have housemates, and families can share duplexes. There are land trusts, cooperatives, communes, and co-houses of every shape and flavor. Not every cooperative living situation is for every person, but I firmly believe that there is something for everyone.
Many people have told me they need their "space." Many of these people have not really looked at how they live. I have much more personal quiet time in my home of nine people than the average phone addict does. Anyone who spends hours a day glued to their phone, computer, or television does not hold their personal time all that sacred. And anyone who works eight hours a day is not utilizing their home to it's full capacity. Again, nine people live at my house. There are four bathrooms, one living room, a kitchen, and an office. There is only ever a line for the office, because a lot of us can't be bothered owning our own computer.
Our home is never cluttered, there are never dirty dishes abandoned at the sink, the bills never go unpaid, the garden is watered every day (if necessary), broken appliances are immediately repaired or replaced, there is always a bike to borrow, usually a car to borrow, no one has to shop more than once a month, and some people don't shop at all. If we lived in private homes or apartments, there would be five more refrigerators running 24 hours a day, eight hot water heaters, about four more computers, at least six coffee makers, toaster ovens, and/or microwaves. Our massive weekly bulk shopping trip would probably be dividend into a dozen mini-trips involving countless bags, boxes, and cans of food. A single large pot of beans simmering on the stove would, at the very least, translate into eight smaller pots on eight different stoves.
In the incredibly unlikely event that all of our members could own homes in this area, the seven other houses would total at least $49,000 in property taxes a year. Goodness knows how much we would spend, as individuals and couples, on mortgages, fees, and taxes.
Those savings translate to a membership free to work part-time and freelance or be full-time, well-fed artists. They translate to three-day weekends, Summers abroad, and a lifetime of dabbling (I'm a carpenter this week!). They translate to freedom from landlords, banks, and - for some of us - the credit industry.
I'm not gonna lie and say there isn't conflict. But life holds conflict for all of us: it's how we grow and learn and become better people. There are things we have to learn about ourselves in this lifetime, and you're going to learn it from someone or other. Better to get it from a loved one than a landlord, ex-girlfriend, or foreman, right?
Marrying my husband was the single best decision of my entire life. Moving with him into a cooperative comes at a close second. I know that some of my readers have frowned at this decision from the start, and that's fine. I know that a lot of people have never even heard of this style of living, and that it seems alien and creepy (dear God, they eat beans together!). My parents, in particular, are less amused every month. However, very soon I am going to be debt free. And in the eventual future (five to ten years?), I am going to be totally financially free. And if anyone ever asks how, I am not going to mince words. The co-op will be a very, very big part of that. For saving me lots and lots of money, for inspiring and enabling me to take the necessary risks, for supporting me when those risks went horribly wrong, and for inspiring me every single day.
Take this as far as you can. Single people can have roommates, married couples can have housemates, and families can share duplexes. There are land trusts, cooperatives, communes, and co-houses of every shape and flavor. Not every cooperative living situation is for every person, but I firmly believe that there is something for everyone.
Many people have told me they need their "space." Many of these people have not really looked at how they live. I have much more personal quiet time in my home of nine people than the average phone addict does. Anyone who spends hours a day glued to their phone, computer, or television does not hold their personal time all that sacred. And anyone who works eight hours a day is not utilizing their home to it's full capacity. Again, nine people live at my house. There are four bathrooms, one living room, a kitchen, and an office. There is only ever a line for the office, because a lot of us can't be bothered owning our own computer.
Our home is never cluttered, there are never dirty dishes abandoned at the sink, the bills never go unpaid, the garden is watered every day (if necessary), broken appliances are immediately repaired or replaced, there is always a bike to borrow, usually a car to borrow, no one has to shop more than once a month, and some people don't shop at all. If we lived in private homes or apartments, there would be five more refrigerators running 24 hours a day, eight hot water heaters, about four more computers, at least six coffee makers, toaster ovens, and/or microwaves. Our massive weekly bulk shopping trip would probably be dividend into a dozen mini-trips involving countless bags, boxes, and cans of food. A single large pot of beans simmering on the stove would, at the very least, translate into eight smaller pots on eight different stoves.
In the incredibly unlikely event that all of our members could own homes in this area, the seven other houses would total at least $49,000 in property taxes a year. Goodness knows how much we would spend, as individuals and couples, on mortgages, fees, and taxes.
Those savings translate to a membership free to work part-time and freelance or be full-time, well-fed artists. They translate to three-day weekends, Summers abroad, and a lifetime of dabbling (I'm a carpenter this week!). They translate to freedom from landlords, banks, and - for some of us - the credit industry.
I'm not gonna lie and say there isn't conflict. But life holds conflict for all of us: it's how we grow and learn and become better people. There are things we have to learn about ourselves in this lifetime, and you're going to learn it from someone or other. Better to get it from a loved one than a landlord, ex-girlfriend, or foreman, right?
Marrying my husband was the single best decision of my entire life. Moving with him into a cooperative comes at a close second. I know that some of my readers have frowned at this decision from the start, and that's fine. I know that a lot of people have never even heard of this style of living, and that it seems alien and creepy (dear God, they eat beans together!). My parents, in particular, are less amused every month. However, very soon I am going to be debt free. And in the eventual future (five to ten years?), I am going to be totally financially free. And if anyone ever asks how, I am not going to mince words. The co-op will be a very, very big part of that. For saving me lots and lots of money, for inspiring and enabling me to take the necessary risks, for supporting me when those risks went horribly wrong, and for inspiring me every single day.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
How Does It Feel?
Thanks so much for all the kudos and kind thoughts from my last post! I can't believe this debt issue is finally winding up :)
Not only did my net worth spike, but last month I also spent significantly less than I earned (thanks to those swings and roundabouts I've mentioned). So my wall chart is also looking fantastic.
But how does it feel? I feel...tired, sweaty, and very reluctant to start dinner. I wish I could rewind to last weekend (great live music, dinners with friends, and visits with family) or fast forward to next weekend (my Easter birthday lunch). I'm ready to transition from counting down the paychecks 'till debt freedom to counting down the weeks 'till I can retire from traditional employment altogether.
Not only did my net worth spike, but last month I also spent significantly less than I earned (thanks to those swings and roundabouts I've mentioned). So my wall chart is also looking fantastic.
But how does it feel? I feel...tired, sweaty, and very reluctant to start dinner. I wish I could rewind to last weekend (great live music, dinners with friends, and visits with family) or fast forward to next weekend (my Easter birthday lunch). I'm ready to transition from counting down the paychecks 'till debt freedom to counting down the weeks 'till I can retire from traditional employment altogether.
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