Use Your BRAIN!

This is a "off my head" post.  Actually it's more of a "off my heart" post.  I've been reading A LOT of posts on facebook about the lack of money.  This is then followed by how they watched something on HBO... and dropped their cell phone and HAD to buy a new one... and went to Dorothy Lane Market for dinner "because I was just too tired to cook."  Are you kidding me right now?!?!  Shut. Up.  Seriously.  Shut up!

Let's do some math people... if you are that far in debt and money is that tight... lose the cable, find the cheapest cell phone plan, and for heavens sake get over your pride and let me introduce you to Aldi's!!  

Now I know a lot of people are saying, "but Heather you drive a Cadillac, own two homes, and have a boat..."  Yes, I do.  And why?  Because I save every other freaking dime so I can have these nice things.  I clip coupons, buy my clothes at either consignment or during end of year sales (NOW is the best time to buy winter clothes!), I shop at Aldi, and I use this amazing thing called a budget.  I also worked a second part-time for the first 10 years we started our business.  Do you have the drive to work?  I'm talking I waited tables.  It wasn't glamorous, but I needed the money.  Just do it!  

If you have kids, then no you shouldn't work around the click and miss your children growing up.  But you also shouldn't be having mommy meetings at the local Starbucks.  Paying your bills and preparing for your family's future are SO important.  

I'm pretty sure I've done this before, but here is today's lesson:  Practice saying 'no'.  Would you like to order some jewelry from my party.  'no thank you'.  Would you like to buy this shirt?  "nah, I have enough."  Would you like to.... ?  NO!  Would you like to pay for your child's doctor visit?  YES!  Would you like to pay your car payments on time?  YES!  

For more information, please check out Dave Ramsey's website, here.  And if you know me on a personal level and ever want advice, I'm all ears.  And please note, this kind of crap is not repeated.  But stop complaining and start changing!

Moments Like This

This morning I woke up listening to the DJ's on K-Love talk about their fathers.  You see, last night the Super Bowl was on and the most talked about commercial was from Ram Truck.  You can watch this by clicking here:  Ram Truck 2013 Super Bowl Commercial: Farmer | 2013 Super Bowl Commercials - Super Bowl 2013 Ads

The DJ was talking about how much he liked the commercial because it reminded him of his own dad.  His dad was a farmer.  A very hardworking farmer.  As I laid in bed I started thinking of my own dad.  He is probably one of the most hardworking men I know.  He worked six days a week to make sure we had "enough".  And after working six days a week he made sure we went to church every Sunday as a family.  At the time I thought this was "normal".  

As a grown adult now I see that this was not the norm.  I pretty much had a Leave It to Beaver family and didn't realize it.  Heck, we were lucky enough to grow up on a street full of Cleaver-type families.  

Most people assume that my brother and I grew up wealthy because we own a successful business.  I'm going to go ahead and squash that assumption.  My mother was a school teacher and my father worked as a blue-collar worker at General Motors.  He taught us how to save, how to serve God, and how to be kind to others.  

You see these are all the things I thought about when I laid in bed around 6:30 a.m. this morning.  And then at 8:30 a.m. when my mother called to say "Dad is in the hospital."... all of these thoughts came flooding back.  

Funny how God works.  

My dad will be okay.  After almost 75 years of life they are taking out his gall bladder.

I, on the other hand, just had a slight taste of what it will be like when things won't be "okay".  Because unfortunately my parent's aren't getting younger.

So take a moment, and tell your folks how awesome they are.  They must have done something right... they made you.

Positively Pumped!!

I've been cooped up for the past 5 days.  Correction...  I boarded a plane Friday morning at 7 a.m. by the time I arrived at my layover in Atlanta I was close to passing out.  Two hours later I finally arrived in Sarasota feeling like death warmed over.  Luckily my two closest friends were there to pick me up at the airport.  By Saturday morning I was in tears because my body ached so bad.  After going to Urgent Care we decided to pack up the car and drive back home.  I knew there was no way I could fly again.  I then spent the next four days doing absolutely nothing.  Not really the way I had planned my Florida vacation... or the ringing in of the New Year.  So no matter how awful my weekend/vacation was..... None of this has gotten me down!!

I can't wait for this upcoming year!!  I mean I am SUPER STOKED about it!!!  Generally speaking I have always been someone who loathes the winter months.  To the point depression starts to sink in, but I don't feel this way at all.  And I really haven't felt this way in two years.  Why?  Because I made some major changes in my life.  Choices.  I choose to be healthy.  I choose to be physically fit.  I choose to hang out with some awesome people.  I choose...  no one else.

So what's on the books already for 2013?
January:  Month of Crossfit!!... In addition to my usual workouts I have signed up for the Garage Games.  Also during this month our gym has several teams competing in the Barbell Blitz.  I will be heading down to Covington to cheer them on with some friends.  We will also be measuring ourselves and taking pics the first week of January to measure our successes this year.  I know, it's like I'm sick, but I seriously can't wait for this month to get started and going!  
February:  CRUISE baby!!!!  I will be cruising with a few of my close friends to the Bahamas.  We did this two years ago and let's just say everyone on that ship knew who we were by the time we departed.  Not so sure if that's something to be proud of, but MAN we had a great time!  Followed later in the month by Ladies Night at the house with the CCF Ladies (and now you all know this is coming).  
March:  Did someone say Crossfit Open?!?!  The Open is five weeks of competing with fellow crossfitters in your gym.  It is AH-MAZING!  It doesn't matter what level you are, you can do this! Everyone cheers one another on and the excitement in the gym is like nothing you can imagine.  And let's not forget my annual run in the Harrigan's 5K.  Hoping to beat last year's time.  
April:  Hello Spring... nuff said.... and this leads into summer... boating... sunshine... etc....

As you can see, the months are jammed packed!  But they will be so much fun and they will fly by.  I can't wait to spend them with awesome people who are nothing but encouraging!!  What does this mean to you?  If you're finding yourself negative or down in the dumps - change your setting!  You have the choice to choose who you hang around, where you put your energy, and how you feel.  Only you.  You don't have to do crossfit, but find that "thing" that gets you motivated every single day.  Find people who encourage you every single day.  Don't accept less for yourself.  Now go out and be positive!!

Day 2 of Nutrition Challenge

Day 2.  Yes, less than 48 hours into this challenge and I want a powdered donut so bad I can smell it!  Now let's just clarify something.  I don't even like donuts.  Never have.  That is one food item that could leave earth forever and generally speaking I would be a-okay with it.  But today, I WANT A FREAKING POWDERED DONUT!  You know, the kind in the Hostess pack... the kind that when they hit your mouth there is a moment of cold that you can not explain, but then an explosion of sugar that makes you want more.  Next thing you know, you look down and see powder all over the front of your shirt that reminds you why you don't eat powdered donuts.  Ahhhhhh!  But instead I will eat this handful of almonds and be happy.  Because tonight I get to go back to the gym and kick some ass for the first time in a week.  Super stoked!!!

Today's eats:  (always lots of water!!!)
7:15am:  Bacon, Eggs, Guac, Coffee  (This will always be the same)
10am:  Orange
12:45pm:  Grilled Chicken and veggies over lettuce, guac, salsa
3pm:  Lara Bar
4:30pm:  Cashews  (working out at 5:30)

I will get home around 7pm and probably gobble up some pork loin and roasted carrots.

Just a fyi, other food items that I can live without FOREVER:  gravy (any kind), pancakes, sauerkraut, cabbage, pasta.  As you can see, the list of item and can not live without is obviously really long.  :)  (ice cream, chocolate, holy crap I have a sweet tooth today!)

MAKE it a great day people!!

Game On!

It all starts this Wednesday.  A nutrition challenge at Centerville Crossfit.  There are two things that force me to commit to something:  1)  Money and 2) the word "challenge".  Any time I part with my hard earned cash I expect a return on investment.  So if I pay big money for jeans, I had better look darn good in them!  And I am always up for a challenge.  I have never been able to mentally understand those people who don't like challenges.  Is it laziness?  So confusing to me....

Anyways, I have pretty much lived my life this past year eating the standard Paleo way.  Over the past 3-4 months I have slipped to about 80/20 on this.  Okay, okay, let's be honest, it's probably more like 70/30.  There is something about going to a lake every weekend and eating pizza, chips, drinking beer, etc... that I just can't say no too.  But the lake house is officially closed and it's time for hibernation to begin.  And by hibernation I mean cooking and food prepping on Sundays, working out 3-4 days a week, and vacationing to some place warm at least 2-3 times during the winter.  

I went ahead and started prepping yesterday for this week.  I know the challenge doesn't start until Wednesday, but why wait?  Pictured above are the precooked bacon egg biscuits.  These have diced onions and tomatoes on the bottom with salt and pepper on top.  I went ahead and cooked these and just warmed them up this morning for breakfast.  While the oven was warm I cooked the whole remaining pound of bacon on a sheet pan.  I can pretty much eat bacon cold, warm, or scorching hot.    

Other items I made on Sunday:  

• Browned some ground turkey and added taco seasonings with a can of diced tomatoes (think Rotel, only I'm cheap and buy mine at Aldi's)  I will use this in lettuce wraps with some guac.  It's also good tossed in with eggs.
• Marinated pork loin.  This sucker is going to last me all week.  Random strangers are going to receive some pork loin by Wednesday.  
• Cut up vegetables for quick cooking and/or snacking.
• I will be making Fruit N Nut Bars tonight to hopefully help with my sweet tooth.

It's really day 1 for me and just knowing that I'm not suppose to eat sugary yummy food is making me want it more.  And the fact is I'm pretty good at making Paleo dessert type foods to get me by.  A whole month of no honey might just kill me.  Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, but you just never know.

Breakdown of today so far:

• Woke up at 6:30am.
• Ate two bacon and egg biscuits at 7:30am.
• Got to work at 8am
• Met with Chiropractor at 10am (this is a whole other post... grrrr)
• 12:30 lunch:  Two burgers with lettuce and onion.  Not the greatest choice, but we eat lunch out daily and todays choice was the Fried Food Capitol of Moraine, Ohio called Treasure Island.
• Tonight I will be walking on the treadmill (again.... grrrr!!!) due to my back being all out of whack.  Dinner will be either the pork loin or the browned beef.  I'm leaning towards the pork loin with some grilled veggies.

Building Blocks

Dear 20 somethings,

I know this is hard for you to imagine, but there is going to come a day when you will be in your thirties.  You will wake up after a night of binge drinking and realize that it's going to take you two days to recover instead of just one.  It just happens.  But really, that's not the worst part.  During your 30's you suddenly have bills, responsibilities, and possibly health issues.  So consider this your warning to prepare for your future.  Here are a few things that I have learned over the past couple of years:

1.  Save, save, save!

During your 20's you are either living at home or have just moved out to your first apartment.  Life is pretty good.  You don't really have to make much to survive.  There are going to be bumps in the road eventually.  Your car will breakdown, you will need a new one, and you will eventually want a better place to live.  Start putting money aside now to use later.

2.  Build a foundation

Do you want to be something great?  Studies show that you are who you hang out with.  If you are socializing with losers, you too will most likely be one.  But if you want to be successful, start hanging around successful people.  How do you do this?  Ask questions when you meet someone older who seems to have their shit together.  Older people love to be mentors.  And I don't necessarily mean 'old' people.  This could be someone in their 30's, 40's, or 50's.  There is nothing better than seeing someone from the younger generation WANT to succeed.

Just a quick example:  Ten years ago I was at an engagement party which was located in a million dollar home.  Once I realized who the rich uncle was that was having the party I approached him and said, "I have to ask, how is someone so young (he was 55... get it, I complimented him) able to afford something like this?"  He then went on to tell me about his company that he sold for over 5 million dollars.  Weeks later he became our company's business adviser.  Why?  Because he loved working with two younger people who wanted to succeed and were willing to do what was needed to make it happen.

3.  Learn!

During this past year I have literally been in shock at the number of my friends (men and women) who have very little knowledge about what I like to call - life.  They don't have retirement accounts or they did something silly like took the money out of it to pay off debt.  They have no idea how to refinance their homes and the regulations involved.  And some are at the age where they are having to deal with aging parents.  It's a reality people.  Here's a small breakdown of what I'm referring to....
    
a.  Retirement Accounts:  I have a Simple IRA so I am going to use it as the example.  If you pull money out of your retirement prior to the authorized age you will have to pay the income tax on this money.  If younger than 59 1/2 years old, then you also get the pleasure of paying a 10% penalty tax.  If you withdrawal this money within two years of your initial contribution you will get hit with a 25% penalty tax.  WOWZA!!!!  One of my friends paid nearly 40% in taxes on the money she withdrew.  She didn't ask anyone.  Her thought process was - it's mine so I'll just take it.  She about pooped herself in April when the tax bill came due.  Ask questions.  Research.  Learn.  

b.  Refinancing your home:  I will just touch on this.  Way too many people refinance their homes for the original borrowed amount.  No.  I say it again... NO.  Not unless you need that money to pay off some major bills should you ever do this.  Example:  Home is originally sold for $100K.  You put 20% down (because you are smart and WILL avoid PMI... great blog post located here) which means your original loan is $80K for 30 years at 6% interest.  Ten years go by and interest rates have dropped to 3%.  So now you technically have 20 years left on your original loan.  Many banks will try to refinance you back to 30 years (tacking on another 10) and then again for the $80K instead of the current principle balance on the loan.  They will then give you a check at the refinance closing and you will feel like a rock star who just made a large check.  Instead hand that check right back to them and have them pay off some of your mortgage that you just worked the previous 10 years paying!  And make sure it's a 20 year refi and not the original 30!    Ask questions, research, and learn!  Call an accountant, call a friend, call someone smarter than you when it comes to this stuff.  Get over your pride.

c.  Aging Parents:  UGH!  My parents are now in their late 60's and mid-70's.  NOOOOOO!!!!!!  I really don't want to ever think about them getting old or even worse... never being here.  But, it is reality.  Keep in contact with your parents to see how they are.   I have a couple of friends and family members currently dealing with parents who have dementia.  It is saddening and frightening all at the same time.  This isn't really an avenue I have had to go down yet (thank you God!), but when we do I will definitely ask questions, research, and learn as much as possible.

Final note, I know you think you are invincible.  I did too.  Then at the age of 35 I got hit with some major health issues.  I'm a business owner so my health insurance SUCKS!  My deductible is $6500 a year, straight up.  So getting hit with two surgeries that fell in two different years.. back to back... took a chunk of money.  Yes, I know you can do the math.  Shit happens.  (See #1.)  This year alone I have had 3 close friends get hit with medical issues.  One lost her job due to it. (See #1.)  I have two other friends flirting with the idea of filing bankruptcy.  (See #1)  Are you catching on to what I'm saying?  (See #1)  

I hope you get to enjoy your 30's as much as I have been.  It's finally a time when you get to find out who you really are.  That is if you grow up.

From,
Your 30 Something Fan

Need vs Want

It's been an interesting couple of weeks.  The majority of discussions I've had somehow involve money.  The basic question, "how do I save?".  All the way to, "why do they charge so much?!".  So I thought I'd do a quick breakdown to these questions.

Just so you all don't think I'm a financial saint I want to give you some history.  When I was in college a nice gentleman (aka: moron) agreed to giving me a credit card.  At that time the Fairfield Mall in Beavercreek, OH had just been built.  What is a girl to do during her 3 hour break between classes, but go shopping?!  At the crisp age of 20 I had over $8,000 in credit card debt.      I came home from class one day to find my dad had opened my mail and my credit card bill was on the kitchen table with the balance circled and a note that said, "don't go anywhere, we need to talk."  Oh holy crap.  This was it.  My dad was truly going to kill me.  I knew I had driven him crazy as a teenager, but this time I was sure I had thrown him completely over the edge.  Instead he sat me down, explained the severity, and created a game plan on how to pay it off.  That summer I worked two jobs, Cub Foods and Kettering Rec Center.  I would go from one to another.  I even worked third shift at Cubs because it paid a whole .50¢ more per hour.  I finally paid it off and have never been in debt to a credit card company again.  Oh, and yes, that was the worst summer of my life.

Saving money has always been a constant topic in my family.  Since I was a kid my father preached to the heavens about how important it was to be debt free and save for retirement.  Up until the past 8 years, I never fully understood the concept.  I just knew I was saving money, but it never fully sunk in as to why.  Now that I am approaching my forties (that just about made me puke), the realization of retirement is becoming ever more clear.  There is a light, dim as it may be, at the end of this long tunnel.  

Here is the basic principle of money.  Don't spend what you don't have.  I can hear the screams now.... "BUT!!"  Yes, I know, you NEED that 10th pair of $115 Buckle jeans, and you NEED to add to your collection of Coach handbags.... just like I NEED to eat Esther Price candy.  No, no I don't.  You see, your addiction to spending is just like my addiction to food.  You put a bag of Oreo cookies in front of me and you can kiss them goodbye.  What's the best way to kick the habit?  Write every penny that you spend down.  I don't care if you gave your son a quarter for a gumball.  Write.  It.  Down. Do this for 30 days and then tally it all up.  Holy crap!  That's a whole lot of money, huh?  The biggest question I try to ask myself is, "do I NEED this or do I just WANT this?"  

Let's be honest, I own a lake house.  I wanted it.  I own a boat.  I wanted it. For both of these items I created clear goals in order to achieve them.  I knew when I was 25 that I wanted to one day own lake property.  Every week I put aside money in my "goal fund" so that one day I would have enough money for the down payment.  I bought my lake house when I was 33.  Once I bought the house I knew I needed a boat.  Again, I set the goal and I worked to achieve it.  For two years I saved by cutting coupons, shopping for clothes at Target and Goodwill, and pretty much became a homebody during the winter months.  At 35 I bought a pontoon, paid in full.  

How do you know a need from a want?  You need water, electricity, a roof over your head, healthcare, etc...  You want to eat out daily, purchase more shoes, purses, and clothing than you really need.  Just like I need to eat more vegetable, but I want to eat ice cream.  Get it?  And let's be clear, we all make mistakes.  Whether it's on a diet or saving money.  I do eat ice cream.  And you will spend too much sometimes.  But luckily, every minute is a new beginning.