Sorry you feel that way Guest, but we understand our organization isn't for everyone :) We chose to start this company to give back and make a difference in one family's life a month in a way that's meaningful to US. Those who want to join us will, and those who don't will continue giving to their charities of choice - and that's totally cool. The point is that it's super easy for anyone to give back, and this is the way we choose to do it.
I hope that someday, I will be able to do a burpee without wishing that lightning would strike me dead! I admire people who enjoy working out, but I come from a long line of people who enjoy sleeping more than anything else. I have heard some good things about crossfit, so I might look into it sometime later in the year.
Thanks for the encouraging words! Maybe it will spur some other readers on to charge into the gym, free of fear. :)
I'm one of those odd people who actually enjoys going to the gym. I didn't used to but once I got my fitness up to a good level and started getting strength training routines put together by a trainer (I get three sessions with a personal trainer free every year with my gym membership), I've found that I really enjoy it.
I do a lot of cross-training. I'm usually not on any one piece of cardio equipment more than 15-20 minutes at a time. And, since I've been working with one trainer for a few years and she doesn't want me to get bored, she sets me up with all sorts of different sorts of weight training activities. It's fun for her too, finding new things for me to try and I give her feedback on what works and what doesn't.
I've also found that I enjoy some of the more offbeat classes. My gym has a cardio kickboxing class that involves actually hitting and kicking bags. That's a great workout and amazing stress relief. They also have a boot camp class that I enjoy. It can be a bit intimidating to new people, but we all work together and encourage one another. The instructors are great at providing modifications if you CAN'T do something...you get good natured harassment if you just don't want to do something. And the 45 minutes flies by...even when we're doing burpees.
The hair thing is so tough! One option that I was enjoying for a while was using very very brightly colored dye to tinge my gray and white hair all kinds of fun colors. The heavily pigmented dyes didn't smell as strong and chemically as box dyes from the store, and lacked the peroxide. They deposited some lovely color, but required constant upkeep (and ruined a couple of shower curtain liners).
Now I just use what is probably a fairly toxic box color - I'll probably stop sometime down the road if I can afford to go to an Aveda salon or something, but for now, it's all I got!
Although we have DSL in my area, it doesn't spell "viable competition" at all. Comcast is the only cable provider that we have, and Qwest, which offers DSL, is notorious for being awful to their customers... as bad as Comcast, but with slower internet connectivity.
The thing that really grates on my nerves about Comcast is that we are starting to get much slower service on video streaming in the evenings. I don't watch THAT much online, but after 5PM, even trying to view a 2-minute commercial is nearly impossible. In addition, while I have no trouble streaming videos from the Comcast web site, Netflix and Amazon.com sites freeze up all the time - I doubt very much that either of those companies is responsible for the slowed bandwidth.
I understand that traffic increases in the evening, with people at home, streaming video to their TVs. But I shouldn't end up with dial-up quality bandwidth as a result. Comcast has built an empire out of government-funded infrastructure; they COULD afford to provide seamless service to most of their urban customers, especially where they hold a monopoly on cable. But they choose not to, and it's only a matter of time before tiered service is a reality.
I have to second the "eating everything on your plate". My grandmother was a huge proponent of this, which is why she had a quadruple bypass at age 65.
My parents have a neighbor like that as well. Not only is he cheaper, I suspect that having a neighbor do the plowing means my parents' driveway gets cleaned so much earlier in the day than it would with a professional service.
Good point, Stephanie. A couple of winters ago I visited my parents for Christmas, and one of our family activities was shoveling off the roof together. It was more fun than it probably sounds -- plus it was great exercise.
I sell my books to MyBookCart.com. It's much easier than selling them myself online. They pay really fast by check or PayPal. http://www.mybookcart.com
I think you should re-name this article "Your Finances: A Better Life Plan"
All of these points are simply good financial habits. If people lived this way normally they wouldn't have to worry (as much) about losing a job or dealing with some other financial emergency. They would be prepared from the get-go, instead of struggling to get by.
The luxury eccentricity idea is really for use with people who aren't members of your household. Within the household, you're really much better off using communication and negotiation. I talk a bit about that in this post:
You need to be careful about whom you negotiate with, though. People in your household understand (or should understand) that these things are all tradeoffs. People who are not members of the household, though, are only interested in whatever point they're trying to push. The neighbor who wants you to spend money on a lawn-care service has no stake in the tradeoffs that you'd have to make to afford that. That's where the luxury eccentricity comes in.
I'm laughing at the no TV. We got rid of our TV three years ago. The first year we did not watch online TV. We now watch as much online as when we had a TV!
I'm determined not to grow my gray hair out but I hate all the nasty chemicals that are in some dyes. I'm on a desperate search and experimenting with everything from beet and carrot juice (does nothing) to some hair dyes with fewer chemicals. Good luck!
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the article. I laughed at the idea of LARPing, too, but then I remember watching someone perform a bit of swordplay not too far from my house, and it looked like a lot of work!
The "con" of any sport/physical exercise is severe injury or death; I figured it would be tedious to list all of the morbid possibilities out. But thanks for the clarification! I'm sure that will spur people on.
Great for strengthening the back muscles! I hadn't thought of that.
Another thing that didn't occur to me was ice skating - I can't believe I forgot it, because it was what I used to do as a kid! But I was at a hockey game this weekend, and thought, man, do I ever miss skating!
Isn't it great? Best workout I ever enjoyed, although I will admit that there are some nights when I go home ready to cry. Although it doesn't help me to listen to others who may offer advice on my route, I actually do much better if I listen to my iPod while climbing. As long as I have some of my favorite tunes in my ears, I don't mind so much when I fail to complete, say, a V1 bouldering course.
I am so impressed that you do both! My sister is in a roller derby league (she's fresh meat this year), so I am totally impressed with anyone who can do it - it's REALLY hard work.
I wouldn't have mentioned LARPing at all, but my sister actually suggested it. I've never done it myself, but I see people in our local parks having a blast on the weekend. Plus, just donning chainmail is a workout in and of itself!
Oh, man, I've probably zipped by you already. I'm trying to be good, but it's hard when your commute is nearly 30 miles each way and all you want to do is get home to have some dinner! :)
Sorry you feel that way Guest, but we understand our organization isn't for everyone :) We chose to start this company to give back and make a difference in one family's life a month in a way that's meaningful to US. Those who want to join us will, and those who don't will continue giving to their charities of choice - and that's totally cool. The point is that it's super easy for anyone to give back, and this is the way we choose to do it.
I hope that someday, I will be able to do a burpee without wishing that lightning would strike me dead! I admire people who enjoy working out, but I come from a long line of people who enjoy sleeping more than anything else. I have heard some good things about crossfit, so I might look into it sometime later in the year.
Thanks for the encouraging words! Maybe it will spur some other readers on to charge into the gym, free of fear. :)
I'm one of those odd people who actually enjoys going to the gym. I didn't used to but once I got my fitness up to a good level and started getting strength training routines put together by a trainer (I get three sessions with a personal trainer free every year with my gym membership), I've found that I really enjoy it.
I do a lot of cross-training. I'm usually not on any one piece of cardio equipment more than 15-20 minutes at a time. And, since I've been working with one trainer for a few years and she doesn't want me to get bored, she sets me up with all sorts of different sorts of weight training activities. It's fun for her too, finding new things for me to try and I give her feedback on what works and what doesn't.
I've also found that I enjoy some of the more offbeat classes. My gym has a cardio kickboxing class that involves actually hitting and kicking bags. That's a great workout and amazing stress relief. They also have a boot camp class that I enjoy. It can be a bit intimidating to new people, but we all work together and encourage one another. The instructors are great at providing modifications if you CAN'T do something...you get good natured harassment if you just don't want to do something. And the 45 minutes flies by...even when we're doing burpees.
The hair thing is so tough! One option that I was enjoying for a while was using very very brightly colored dye to tinge my gray and white hair all kinds of fun colors. The heavily pigmented dyes didn't smell as strong and chemically as box dyes from the store, and lacked the peroxide. They deposited some lovely color, but required constant upkeep (and ruined a couple of shower curtain liners).
Now I just use what is probably a fairly toxic box color - I'll probably stop sometime down the road if I can afford to go to an Aveda salon or something, but for now, it's all I got!
Although we have DSL in my area, it doesn't spell "viable competition" at all. Comcast is the only cable provider that we have, and Qwest, which offers DSL, is notorious for being awful to their customers... as bad as Comcast, but with slower internet connectivity.
The thing that really grates on my nerves about Comcast is that we are starting to get much slower service on video streaming in the evenings. I don't watch THAT much online, but after 5PM, even trying to view a 2-minute commercial is nearly impossible. In addition, while I have no trouble streaming videos from the Comcast web site, Netflix and Amazon.com sites freeze up all the time - I doubt very much that either of those companies is responsible for the slowed bandwidth.
I understand that traffic increases in the evening, with people at home, streaming video to their TVs. But I shouldn't end up with dial-up quality bandwidth as a result. Comcast has built an empire out of government-funded infrastructure; they COULD afford to provide seamless service to most of their urban customers, especially where they hold a monopoly on cable. But they choose not to, and it's only a matter of time before tiered service is a reality.
I have to second the "eating everything on your plate". My grandmother was a huge proponent of this, which is why she had a quadruple bypass at age 65.
But, how is using coupons taking advantage of companies? The companies issuing them for us to use.
Great article. I will definitely be sharing this one.
My parents have a neighbor like that as well. Not only is he cheaper, I suspect that having a neighbor do the plowing means my parents' driveway gets cleaned so much earlier in the day than it would with a professional service.
Good point, Stephanie. A couple of winters ago I visited my parents for Christmas, and one of our family activities was shoveling off the roof together. It was more fun than it probably sounds -- plus it was great exercise.
I sell my books to MyBookCart.com. It's much easier than selling them myself online. They pay really fast by check or PayPal. http://www.mybookcart.com
I think you should re-name this article "Your Finances: A Better Life Plan"
All of these points are simply good financial habits. If people lived this way normally they wouldn't have to worry (as much) about losing a job or dealing with some other financial emergency. They would be prepared from the get-go, instead of struggling to get by.
Sounds like you scored an amazing guy, Jenna! So happy you found your soul mate. Have a great day!
The luxury eccentricity idea is really for use with people who aren't members of your household. Within the household, you're really much better off using communication and negotiation. I talk a bit about that in this post:
http://www.wisebread.com/the-line-between-frugal-and-crazy
You need to be careful about whom you negotiate with, though. People in your household understand (or should understand) that these things are all tradeoffs. People who are not members of the household, though, are only interested in whatever point they're trying to push. The neighbor who wants you to spend money on a lawn-care service has no stake in the tradeoffs that you'd have to make to afford that. That's where the luxury eccentricity comes in.
I'm laughing at the no TV. We got rid of our TV three years ago. The first year we did not watch online TV. We now watch as much online as when we had a TV!
I'm determined not to grow my gray hair out but I hate all the nasty chemicals that are in some dyes. I'm on a desperate search and experimenting with everything from beet and carrot juice (does nothing) to some hair dyes with fewer chemicals. Good luck!
Excellent point about the social activity. Thanks for the tips about negotiating, as well. Wish I had thought of it when I joined my gym!
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the article. I laughed at the idea of LARPing, too, but then I remember watching someone perform a bit of swordplay not too far from my house, and it looked like a lot of work!
You are welcome! :-)
Organic food and electronics.
The "con" of any sport/physical exercise is severe injury or death; I figured it would be tedious to list all of the morbid possibilities out. But thanks for the clarification! I'm sure that will spur people on.
Great for strengthening the back muscles! I hadn't thought of that.
Another thing that didn't occur to me was ice skating - I can't believe I forgot it, because it was what I used to do as a kid! But I was at a hockey game this weekend, and thought, man, do I ever miss skating!
Isn't it great? Best workout I ever enjoyed, although I will admit that there are some nights when I go home ready to cry. Although it doesn't help me to listen to others who may offer advice on my route, I actually do much better if I listen to my iPod while climbing. As long as I have some of my favorite tunes in my ears, I don't mind so much when I fail to complete, say, a V1 bouldering course.
I am so impressed that you do both! My sister is in a roller derby league (she's fresh meat this year), so I am totally impressed with anyone who can do it - it's REALLY hard work.
I wouldn't have mentioned LARPing at all, but my sister actually suggested it. I've never done it myself, but I see people in our local parks having a blast on the weekend. Plus, just donning chainmail is a workout in and of itself!
Thanks for commenting. :)
Oh, man, I've probably zipped by you already. I'm trying to be good, but it's hard when your commute is nearly 30 miles each way and all you want to do is get home to have some dinner! :)
Great compilation of money saving tips. Thank you for including us in the list. ;-)