Dream Save Do – Amass the cash to live your dream

I just finished reading ‘Dream Save Do’ by Betsy and Warren Talbot. Betsy and Warren spend their days meeting people, traveling the world, and trying new things. Sounds pretty fun huh?

How did Betsy and Warren become world travelers? Betsy and Warren were your basic corporate drones, who on the cusp of turning 40 stopped buying things and started saving for their dream. Traveling the world.

In two years’ time they saved $75,000, more than enough to fund their travel budget of $100 a day (read Dream Save Do for all their money saving details). Last fall Warren and Betsy packed their backpacks and traveled to South America, then Antarctica, Europe, and now Thailand. They’re living their dream and inspiring others to do the same. Very cool!

Are Betsy and Warren the real deal? Yep! A couple of years ago I met Betsy when she was stockpiling cash and selling her possessions. I thought Betsy was fun and full of interesting stories (and this is before she started traveling!).

I love reading about people following their passion because they inspire me to do the same. Reading ‘Dream Save Do’ got me thinking about my dream.

What does my ideal day look like? If I could live anywhere, where would I live? What would I do? And what can I do today to make my dream reality?

Good stuff.

You can read all about Warren and Betsy’s adventures at MarriedwithLuggage.com.

Life is short. Live your dream.

Kindle library books

A few weeks ago Amazon added library books to the Kindle. Yes!

Now you can browse and download library books to your Kindle from the comfort of your own home. While I enjoy reading on my Kindle, the price of Kindle books has inched upwards since they were first introduced. I haven’t used my Kindle a ton, because it’s expensive to feed. Kindle library books are great because they’re free and sometimes available instantly.

Don’t have a Kindle? No worries. If you have a smartphone, you can use the Kindle app to read Kindle library books on your phone. At first I scoffed at this idea thinking the screen size was too small, but I’ve found that reading books on my phone isn’t that bad. Having books on my phone is handy when I’m waiting for an appointment to start, or my daughter’s piano lesson to end.

To see which Kindle library books are available – go to your library’s website. The downside?

• You can’t download library Kindle books over 3G (you need to use Wi-Fi or a USB cable connected to your computer).
• The lending period is 21 days, so read fast.

My public library also has eBooks in PDF and Adobe ePUB formats, which you can read on your computer. So check out the ‘Downloads’ section on your library’s website. You never know what you might find.

It’s raining books

This weekend was wet in Seattle, but my family had an great time relaxing with a few books.

Me: I read Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. A YA book about a young man with Asbergers who is pushed into the ‘real world.’ The protagonist is curious, compassionate, intellectual and wonderfullly naïve. I enjoyed spending the day inside the mind of someone who sees the world a little differently.

Meanwhile my teenager discovered James Bond books. She devoured Live or Let Die, Dr No, and The Spy Who Loved Me (all by Ian Fleming).

My youngest laughed her way through Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney. This series has helped my nine year old appreciate the teen in our house (as far as teenagers go, she is a good egg). Also, my youngest is happy that her school doesn’t have bullies as in the Wimpy Kid.

Sunday morning we made a quick dash to the library to ‘replenish our supplies.’ If it had been a beautiful sunny weekend we probably wouldn’t have read so much.

Thank you Seattle, for giving us plenty of time to read.

How about you? What did you read this weekend?

(The library is an incredible free resource. Why not use it?) 

52 ways to use your libary card

Empty your library

I was reading Seth Godin’s blog last week and came across an idea that I like:

“Find someone you care about and give away a book that has changed you. Books don’t earn interest unless people are reading them. Ideas that spread, win.”

Like many things in life, books are meant to be enjoyed. Meant to be read. Once you’ve read something great, why not pass it on to someone you know?

“There is no delight in owning anything unshared.” Roman philosopher

I’d like to share a book that kept me up at night. A book that I thought about when I woke up in the morning. A book that I savored ’til the last drop.

“The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

This book is about three women who are determined to tell a story that no one has heard before, despite the inherent dangers of telling the story. This book is a real page turner – it’s funny, compelling, thought provoking, and inspirational. It’s simply wonderful. 

What book would you like to share?

Large packages, large Americans

While reading Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink, I came across an interesting idea.

Large packages can save you money and delay a store trip, but have you ever thought that large packages contribute to overeating? In Mindless Eating, Food psychologist Brian Wansink shows us how what’s around us influences how much we eat.

For example, two groups were asked to make a spaghetti dinner. The cooks in one group were given a medium box of spaghetti, a medium jar of sauce and 1 pound of ground beef. Another group of cooks were given a large box of spaghetti, a large jar of sauce, and 2 pounds of ground beef.

The results?

The cooks with larger packages prepared 23% more food.

Did they eat it all?

Yes.

Typically people eat 92% of the food that’s served. The larger packages resulted in more calories being consumed.

When a package is large we naturally pour more. The bigger the package the more we eat. We may only eat 20% more, but over time this extra consumption can increase the size of a muffin-top by say… 20% (muffin-top: The flab that spills over the top of the waistband of low rise jeans).

For snack foods, overeating is more dramatic.

In another study, a group of movie-goers were given a 1/2 pound or a 1 pound bag of M&M’s. The group that was given a 1/2 pound bag ate 71 M&M’s on average. Those with the 1 pound bag ate an average of 137 M&M’s. Almost twice as many M&M’s - 264 more calories.

Ouch! I knew there was a good reason to avoid 1 pound bags of M&M’s.

I enjoyed reading Mindless Eating - it’s fascinating and fun, rather like Malcolm Gladwell’s books. Wansink describes the many influences behind overeating: package size, labels, lighting, family and distractions like TV.

Why do you think we overeat?

Did I ever tell you how lucky you are?

Fall is here and with it comes heavy rain, shorter days, the need for socks and an extra cup of coffee (or two).

This fall I’m thankful for many things. With the current economic malaise, I’m especially thankful for a job that I love when so many people are unemployed or underemployed. This week I stumbled upon a Dr. Seuss classic: ”Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?“ Here’s some Dr. Seuss wisdom:

“Thank goodness for all of the things you are not!
Thank goodness you’re not something someone forgot,
and left all alone in some punkerish place
like a rusty tin coat hanger hanging in space.”

Punkerish place? Yes, thank goodness for all the things I am not.

And then there’s the famous Duckie quote:

“When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue,
when you start to get mad… You should do what I do!
Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky!”

What does this have to do with frugality?

Everything. For me, frugality is about enjoying what I have instead of wanting more. When I think about all that I have in my life, I realize that I am so very lucky.

I don’t need anything more than I already have.

How about you? Do you feel lucky?

Sleeping naked is green

I recently read a new book about one woman’s attempt to greenify her life by making one green change every day for a year. (greenify isn’t an official word, but it’s quite fun and I rather enjoy made up words; automagically is a personal fave.)

Vanessa Farquharson made one green change each day and blogged about it on Green as a Thistle. Along the way, she also wrote a narrative about her greenification: Sleeping Naked is Green.     

‘Sleeping naked’ is wonderfully entertaining. Vanessa’s writing is laugh-out-loud funny, fun and candid.    

At the top of each chapter is a list of Vanessa’s changes for the month. Some of the changes are dramatic like unplugging her fridge and selling her car, while others are rather silly – like using shorthand to reduce paper use, or writing poetry in haiku form to save words.

While reading the book, I noticed the green changes that were both green and frugal. Since this blog is about frugality, I thought I’d list a few:

• No more bottled water
• Forgo electronic gym equipment (and gyms)
• Cancel cable
• Use natural cleaners – baking soda, vinegar, and the like
• Sign up for Freecycle
• Turn down thermostat and don’t use AC
• Use air-dry function on the dishwasher
• Use less water
• Give up chewing gum (I’m not a big fan of this one)
• Shut down computer at end of day
• Air dry your clothes
• No more canned or bottled beverages
• Fix things rather than replace them
• Use cold water for laundry
• Buy things used 
• Wear clothes twice before washing
• Borrow and share before buying
• Drive the speed limit with properly inflated tires
• Learn to sew and mend clothes
• Make your own cosmetics and beauty products

All of these changes are green and wonderfully frugal; a perfect duo. Like my friends peanut butter and jelly.

Have you made changes that are green and frugal? Share your wisdom in a comment.

Swapping books in your jammies

Lately, I’ve been swapping old books for new books without leaving my home. I started using PaperBack Swap last month and so far I’m enjoying it immensely. I like the idea of swapping what you don’t want for what you do.

How does PaperBack Swap work? First you locate a stack of books that you don’t plan on reading or rereading. Next, log in to PaperBackSwap.com and post your unwanted books for others to consider. You earn 2 credits when you post your first ten books.

Credits are the currency of PaperBack Swap; you use credits to acquire/request books. You earn a credit each time you mail a book, and it costs you a credit when you request a book. Lightweight books can be easily mailed from home without a trip to the post office, enabling you to send and receive books in your jammies (if you so desire).

While I’m enjoying the service, I’ve been disappointed several times when the book I wanted wasn’t listed on the service. Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life was one such book. I was, however, ecstatic to find Animal, Vegetable, Miracle available for download through my local library using OverDrive.  I downloaded the audio book and was listening to it in minutes (for free). Wow!

To see if audio book downloads are available through your local library, check OverDrive’s library list or your library’s web site.

Have you read anything good lately? Please leave your book recommendations in a Comment.

The cost of complaining

I’ve been exchanging my old books for new books using PaperbackSwap. I’m reading a book from the ‘40 modern non-fiction books everyone should read‘ list by Marc and Angel Hack Life (practical tips for productive living blog).  

 

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

This book examines the mindset required to make money and achieve your goals. Early in the book one point caught my eye.

Complaining is the worst thing you can do for the health of your wealth.

And here I thought over spending was the worst thing. Silly me. The idea here is, when you complain you attract ’crap’ into your life. This idea follows the law of attraction principle which some people may disregard as woo-woo, but I think that positive things happen to positive people. And if not, positive people help make the world a better place; better to be positive than negative.

Try this out for yourself. Eker suggests going a week without any complaining, blaming or justifying (verbally or non-verbally, aka your thoughts). Try this out in all areas of your life, including the sometimes tumultuous work part.

See the positive side of everything you encounter. Then see how you feel at the end of the week.

You attract what you focus on. So why not keep it positive?

No Impact Man… The Book

There’s No Impact Man, the blog, the movie and now the book.

Colin, Michelle and Isabella (yeah, we’re on a first name basis) embark on a year-long lifestyle experiment where they attempt to live with the smallest environmental impact. Why do such a thing?

If you want to change the world, start with yourself. Or as the famous Gandhi quote says, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Colin realized that in order to change the world he needed to stop condemning others for their consumption of resources, and start changing his consumption.

And so No Impact Man was born. The transformation towards a no impact life happens in stages over the course of a year. Each stage brings it’s own set of problems, stories and discoveries.

The first step Colin and his family take is towards zero waste. They examine the contents of their trash and vow to not produce trash – this means not buying packaged products or using disposable products like paper napkins. Next they take on carbon producing transportation. They use bikes, a scooter or good old fashioned walking to get around NYC. Next up they switch to locally produced food. And then they pull the plug on electricity.

While reading this book, I thought about the changes Colin and his family made. Could I go without a car? Could I shop at the farmer’s market exclusively? Could I go electricity free once a week? Could I avoid buying things wrapped in plastic?

What I got from this book, other than inspiration and ideas on how to shrink my carbon footprint, was an overwhelming sense that I can make a difference.

As Helen Keller said, “I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something.“

It’s better to do something, than nothing.

I found the book to be entertaining, inspirational, thought provoking, and deeply personal. Colin is the real deal.

Check out No Impact Man, the project to see how you can make a difference.