June Wrap Up: Rock Climbing Edition

I’ve always wanted to learn how to rock climb.  Its one of those skills that seems practical since a few of my goals involve climbing something.  Not to mention that its also pretty damn cool!  The first time I went indoor climbing was a couple of years ago and I found that I had a natural ability, or, what I perceived as being ability anyways.

My second time climbing was about a month ago, before leaving for Hawaii, and by the time we were done for the day we were already making plans to take our skills to the next level by taking the basic safety course offered by the gym.  That lesson happened a couple of days ago and I feel like I learned a lot.  Some of the “mystery” of climbing was unveiled and now I know how to tie a knot and safely belay for another climber.  After our lesson we found some of the more challenging walls in the gym that had been previously off-limits but now, with our new skills, we were able to tie in and climb.  As for that “natural” ability of mine, well, it seems I have a lot of work to do!

At the beginning of the year I laid out a number of specific goals which I hoped to accomplish over the course of the year.  How are things going?

Diet:  “I will no longer treat my mouth like a garbage can and junk food will find its way to the trash where it belongs.  I will learn about healthy eating, teach myself how to prepare healthy meals and reduce the number of times I visit restaurants significantly.”

Our goal for the month of June was to cut our restaurant spending to $190.  Here are how the numbers shook out for the month:

Grocery Spending: $258.50

Restaurant Spending: $237.80

Hawaii Food Spending: $290.67 (does not include food paid for with cash)

We didn’t reach our goal of $190, which, admittedly, we didn’t strive to accomplish this month.  We did cut our restaurant spending by nearly $20 compared to last month without any effort to improve.  This leads me to believe that if we just put our minds to it, $190 could easily be reached, even surpassed.

Much of our “trouble” comes from rewarding ourselves with food.  At the end of the week we like to go out to eat.  Nothing fancy, just a night away from the kitchen.  Now that summer is in full force, ice cream is a treat we indulge in a little too often.  Summer classes started last week and we are on campus for 8 hours a day, meaning we can eat on campus or walk to Subway.  We could brown bag our lunches but I feel like that would limit us to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches everyday.

What are your thoughts?  How often do you reward yourself with a meal out or ice cream on a hot summer evening?  Any suggestions of how we can spice up a sacked lunch?

Personal Resolutions

Travel: My goal is to travel 50,000 miles in 2010.  This month we traveled to Kauai, Hawaii, adding another ~8,000 miles, for a grand total of 29,300 miles so far this year.  In two weeks we leave for Orlando, Florida to visit Disney World.  This is our last scheduled trip of 2010.

Unless someone can convince me of a good reason not to, I am going to mark off Goal #99) Visit Disneyland from The List.  I’ve never been to either and either one will satisfy this goal in my mind…unless you know something I don’t.  Have you been to both?  What are the differences?  Do you have any suggestions to have the most enjoyable experience possible?  Where’s Mickey hang out these days?

Education: My goal is to maintain a 3.5 GPA.  Currently I have a 3.619.  Earlier this summer I took a Personal Finance class which I expected would be an easy A.  I was right.  I learned a little but, honestly, not a lot.  The teacher was a nice guy, though, and I did enjoy the class.  It was a nice refresher of some basic concepts.

As I mentioned earlier, I am back in school again, taking Chemistry, and so far, so good.  The teacher seems like a great guy.  The students in the class are very vocal, asking lots of questions and stimulating some interesting conversations.  The professor is very patient, willing to help and explain when we are confused.  Our first test is this Monday, so I guess we’ll see how I’m doing at that point but for now I feel like I’m actually understanding what I’m learning.  That’s always a good sign!

Well, that’s the update!  Anything else you’d like to know about or get updated on?  Let me know in the Comments!  Have a great weekend!

May Wrap Up

Today marks the halfway point in 2010.  The weather is finally beautiful and on the verge of becoming oppressively hot.  I actually thought that I was going to have to turn on the air conditioner last week!  I’d like to make it through the summer without having to do so but if last week was any indication of what the future holds, I’ll be camped out in front of the AC unit in my underwear!

At the beginning of the year I laid out a number of specific goals which I hoped to accomplish over the course of the year.  How are things going?

Diet:  “I will no longer treat my mouth like a garbage can and junk food will find its way to the trash where it belongs.  I will learn about healthy eating, teach myself how to prepare healthy meals and reduce the number of times I visit restaurants significantly.”

Our goal for the month of May was to cut our restaurant spending to $190.  Here are how the numbers shook out for the month:

Grocery Spending: $241.98

Restaurant Spending: $254.92

Iceland Food Spending: $185.19 (does not include food paid for with cash)

Again this month, we didn’t reach our goal to reduce our restaurant spending despite having a plan.  That plan was to withdraw cash to use for our restaurant budget.  When the money was gone, it was gone.  Or, that was how it was supposed to be.  By the end of the month we had exceeded our budget by about $65.  How did this happen?

When we came home from Iceland we were hungry STARVING!!! (Note to Icelandair: Please provide your passengers with free food.  Having to pay for food on an international flight is absurd and many passengers will refuse to eat simply on the principle of the matter.)  By the time our plane landed in Minneapolis, not only were we starving, we were craving familiar food.  Our first stop after we got back home was Chipotle for a steak burrito.  Honestly? It was worth every penny!  Our next budget violation happened a couple of days later while we were out and about shopping for new running shoes when we stopped at Olive Garden for lunch.  It had been a couple of months or more since our last visit and their Chicken & Gnocchi soup was too much to resist.  Budget busted!

I am beginning to wonder if I am being unreasonable in my budget.  If I am consistently spending over our budget, it might mean that I should adjust accordingly.  What is your opinion?  Is $190 a month an unreasonable amount of money for a couple to spend on restaurant dining?  It seems perfectly reasonable (even generous) to me.  I am shocked that I am not able to spend $23.75 a week or less on eating out and it is kind of frustrating.

Any suggestions?

Our total spending for May was lower than the previous month, even though we traveled to Iceland and ate out everyday.  We did purchase groceries for breakfast and we cooked spaghetti at our hostel a couple of the nights, otherwise we went to a few pricier restaurants and some cheap, local places for pizza and burgers.  We even ate at a hotdog stand.  We had to, it got rave reviews in our guide book!  It was pretty good, it reminded me of the Frankfurter I had while in Germany a couple months ago.

Another aspect of my food goal is to learn about healthy eating.  I’ve mentioned before about reading The Eat Clean Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno, a book which changed my opinion about the importance of food in addition to an active and healthy lifestyle.  This month I read another great book, which is less about the health effects of your diet than it is about the food industry, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

This book really caught my attention, possibly because I am majoring in Environmental Science and much of what he writes about are topics I learned in many of my classes.  The earlier portion of the book discusses the politics of our food system in the United States, especially in regards to our corn production.  It is a fascinating read and another book I feel comfortable recommending.

Personal Resolutions

Travel: My goal is to travel 50,000 miles in 2010.  This month we traveled to Iceland, adding ~6,000 miles, leaving my total miles traveled this year at 21,300.  In about 3 weeks we leave for Kauai, Hawaii, adding another ~8,000 miles.  My traveling plans are beginning to slow down for the year and I am doubting the possibility of reaching 50,000 miles.  I am expecting to fall considerably short, which, honestly, doesn’t hurt my feelings.  Not because I am tired of traveling but because I am grateful for having the opportunity to visit so many amazing and unique places throughout the year.  You can’t beat traveling!!!

Education: Spring semester wrapped up a couple of weeks ago and final grades have been posted.  Statistics kicked my ass.  I ended up with a C, which really impacted my GPA for the semester (3.29), making my cumulative GPA 3.58.  I finished the year with a GPA above my goal of 3.5, barely.  This summer I am taking two classes, a personal finance class (which should be an easy grade) and yet another Chemistry class, which will be a challenge.  From this point forward I expect the curriculum to be considerably more challenging and I hope to be able to maintain my GPA. 

Find Internal Peace: Expect an update about my journey to find internal peace in the upcoming days!

There you have it!  A lot of progress was made and a lot more still needs to be made.  I’m feeling good about the upcoming month, it is going to be exciting!

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Check Out A Gai Shan Life’s Carnival of Personal Finance #259 which featured the Hundred Goals’ article Ask the Readers: Debt or Savings?

April Wrap Up

Here we are, standing at the cusp of Summer.  The last of the snow disappeared a couple of weeks ago and now the sweet smell of blossoming crabapple trees floats on the crisp morning air.  Our vegetable seeds have sprouted and are almost ready for life outdoors.

The upcoming weeks promise many challenges and stress.  With only two more weeks left in the semester, finals are looming on the horizon.  Each class holds the possibility of earning an A for the semester but the margin of error is slim.  Chemistry, Statistics, Geography, Land Use Theory, Environmental Impact Assessment.  I’m ready to move forward.

We are 120 days into 2010 and I am still working on my New Year’s Resolutions.  Giving up is not an option!  What about you?  Have you stuck to your Resolutions?

Diet:  “I will no longer treat my mouth like a garbage can and junk food will find its way to the trash where it belongs.  I will learn about healthy eating, teach myself how to prepare healthy meals and reduce the number of times I visit restaurants significantly.”

Our goal for the month of April was to cut our restaurant spending by 50%, from $380 to $190.  Here are how the numbers shook out for the month:

Restaurants: $234.27 (-38.42%)

Groceries: $489.78 (+164.97%)

Each category is trending in the right directions, though I would like to see both lower than they are.  Even though we didn’t reach our goal of cutting our restaurant spending by 50%, we were able to save $146.13 and I consider that to be a step in the right direction.  I still hope to cut this even further, to approximately $100 a month.  Once school is over for the semester, our spending in this category will drop approximately $100 simply as a matter of course.

Our grocery expenses grew this month as a result of cooking at home more frequently and a change in our diet.  We began eating more fresh vegetables and meat.  We have also been buying different sorts of basic ingredients since we are trying to Eat Clean.  I expected this increase, and while the growth this month is significant, I expect this to moderate below this amount in the upcoming weeks.

Fitness: “In order to refocus my attention on physical fitness, I have purchased a gym membership and have been exercising on a daily basis for the past couple of weeks.”

We are wrapping up the second month of the Hundred Goals’ $100 Challenge and I have been happy with my progress.  Here is an updated photo of my progress.  Last week I attempted to accomplish Goal #90) Bench Press 300 Pounds and fell a little short at 270 pounds, 138% of my body weight.  I am happy with that but you can bet I will be pushing myself even harder to reach my goal.

Personal Resolutions

Travel: My goal is to travel 50,000 miles in 2010.  I stayed home during the month of April and my mileage for the year remains ~14,300 miles.  I will be leaving for Iceland in two weeks, adding ~6,000 miles roundtrip to my total mileage.

Education: I mentioned where I stood with my grades earlier and am hopeful that I will perform well on my final exams.  I will start Summer Session after returning from Iceland.  Ironically, I’m not sure what class I will be taking because the course I was enrolled in was cancelled due to low enrollment.  I signed up for Personal Finance to replace it but my advisor wants me to take another class.  We will see what happens with that soon.  I also received my scholarship this month; $550.  It is not as much as I was hoping to receive but any little bit helps. 

There you have it!  A lot of progress was made and a lot more still needs to be made.  I’m feeling good about the upcoming month, it is going to be exciting!