Good morning my fiscal friends!!
Iāve been missing youā¦ And onto many a new adventure over here in my absence!
First: I picked up a metal detector again after a decade or so away! And itās been hella fun digging up old artifacts again while cleaning up areas of trash and beer cans, lolā¦ Not sure itās been a totally good exchange of time, but all that will change the day I dig up a hoard of gold coins!! *evil laugh*
Iāve also turned into an adult and scheduled a million doctor visits to finally deal with things that have crept up for me in old ageā¦ Things I typically put off forever because, well, Iām a guy, but now that I donāt have a real job anymore I no longer have the biggest excuse of āno timeā š
So far this week Iāve seen an orthopedic specialist for my long-aching lower back (turns out I have degenerative disc disease ā eek!), next week I meet with a gastroenterologist to talk about the possibility of doing an early colonoscopy to see if anythingās concerning, and then lastly it looks like my Pemphigus Vulgaris may be coming back in my nose so unfort. need to meet with my dermatologist again to see if another round of infusions is in order there, ughā¦
On the plus side, my stress is nearly non-existent and my spirits are high so itās hard to complain too much! Just chalking it up to being an ever growing (older) human being!
Then lately, in my constant pursuit of making better use of my time and helping others, Iāve decided to take on my wifeās #1 personal enemy:
GROCERY SHOPPING 
Something that a) Iāve never really paid much attention to because itās been in her domain for over 15 years now, and b) had no idea what I was really getting into until I started doing it! Hahaā¦ Turns out itās quite a lot of work!! Not to mention requiring oodles of TIME, patience, and stopping every other impulse of yours to snatch goodies off the shelf every two seconds, goshā¦
WHY DO THEY SELL SO MUCH YUMMY FOOD THATāS BAD FOR YOU?!!
But weāre three weeks in now and Iām finally starting to get the hang of itā¦ And weirdly, kinda enjoying it? No so much in the shopping part of it per se, but more in the ālearning something new and trying to make it as efficient as possibleā part.
Itās felt GREAT having full permission to go in and completely do as I please with our pantry/fridge too, and the day I took over I immediately went through every single item and ended up throwing out over 70% (!!) of our freezer and at least 20% of our fridge and pantry of expired or never-gonna-use food. The minimalist in me had a field day! And I can already tell my wife is more relaxed now not having to squeeze in grocery runs in between work multiple times a week.
So a win-win all around so far!
(Also enjoyable btw: running and jumping on the cart as if you were 8 again, hahaā¦ Totally forgot that feeling and this time thereās no adult to stop me!!!)
Some things Iāve learned so far in case anyone else is about to embark on this adventure:
- Keep reusable bags in the trunk of your car so you never forget them
- Allot enough time to *put away* your groceries once back!
- NEVER GO SHOPPING WHILE HANGRY!!!
- Allow yourself *one* treat per visit to help with motivation
- Keep your kids at home unless you want your trip to take 2x longer
- Visit *each* store in your community to get a feel for whatās there, how much it all costs, and of course how annoying/peaceful/busy each place is during different parts of the day. <ā This is what Iām in the middle of right now and Iām blown away by how *drastic* the prices can be for the EXACT SAME ITEM!!! And also how different all the stores setups are, which I guess just takes some getting used to over time?
- And then lastly, which Iām learning the hard way so far, haha, make sure you know what brands/items are *non-negotiable* with your family members! Itās not always just about the costs, and the littlest things can make the biggest differences apparently, lolā¦ (Looking at you orange juice and chicken nuggets!!)
So yeah, one more thing added to my Dad Duties and feeling pretty good with myself hereā¦ The Habit Stack gets bigger, and Iām that much closer to being a domesticated adult! Turns out I can do more stuff than just money ā hah.
(Speaking of money ā another eye opener??? Some things are SO EXPENSIVE now!! Peanut butter?? Eggs? Yogurt?? All double what I remember paying for them on my odd shopping tripā¦ In fact, the only thing that seems to have stayed the same over the years is milk. I swear Iāve been spending $2-$3 for a gallon since I was in college, but I could be remembering wrongā¦ Oh, also fruits and veggies and especially spinachā¦ You can get a whole TUB full for only $3! What a bargain!!)
At any rate, thatās what Iāve been up to over here! How about you?! Taking on any new goals or adventures of your own? Have any tips or tricks you use to make your grocery shopping smoother??!
Spill your secrets in the comments or email me please!! š
Also ā tell me how you KEEP TRACK of it allā¦ Iāve been using the notes app on my phone but wondering if thereās a better tool/system out there?
Hope youāre well!
Your domesticated (and fast aging) friend,
PS: Other things Iāve been getting into lately:
- Hopped on a podcast to talk about $$$, transparency, and risk ā> Valiant Business
- Wrote a new post on my Coin Blog ā> Prop Money is Flooding Our Town!
- Cashed out the last of my bitcoin once and for all. So youāre welcome for it going back up now! Hahaā¦ Iāve always had the ābestā timing for when to go in and out, so itās no surprise my $20,000 pot ended up at $10,000
Would have continued letting it ride, but needed to max out my IRAs for the last tax year and didnāt want to dip into other investments. Just one more thing tacked onto my Resume of Fails! - Finally got my tattoos!!!! And theyāre so pretty!!! Hurt like hell around the collar bones, but def. worth it (and always something about the pain making you feel like you actually *accomplished* something, lolā¦ isnāt that weird?) Pic down below, or you can click here to see the stages from start to finish on IG.
- Still volunteering/finding donations for my homeless friends. Though sad to report my old friend Lizzy has been in and out of jail over the weeks since she hasnāt been able to pay for any of her tickets sheās gotten from sleeping in parks š Can you imagine?? Getting locked up just because you canāt pay $200-$300? Sheāll be right back in there again too because SHE HAS NO HOME AND HAS TO SLEEP SOMEWHERE!! But as always I just listened and talked with her for a bit and made it my mission to learn more and see how best I can help. Just wrapped up a 2 hour training the other day from the local shelter so slowly making some progress hereā¦
- And lastly, I started taking up bowling out of all things, hahaā¦ Had the hankering one day (thatās right, hankering!!) and then blew almost $40 in one hour (!!). WOW has it gotten expensive. But a little birdy told me to search Groupon for deals, and sure enough thereās a plethora of them where you can bowl for 50%-70% off! So I picked up the max coupons you could buy, and now my dad and I meet weekly to bowl a few games in the morning while everyoneās at work š Itās the first time in years just doing something with the two of us which is practically pricelessā¦ even though weāre paying for it ā hah. Yet another perk to chasing FIRE though! Affects all areas of your life with so much time freed up. So keep on going!! The fight is well worth it!
[Another interesting thing about getting these? I had to shave my chest and now kinda like it?! Though it does add more time to the shaving regiment, lolā¦]
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