Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Where are you and where are you going?
prognastat
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Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

I guess I should post one of these to share a little more about myself, keep myself accountable and of course get feedback/help.

The Journey:
I grew up in the Netherlands where I was mostly into reading, video games and computers throughout my youth. As I was raised in a working class household there wasn't a lot of money and I learned to be frugal and good at saving money if I wanted to be able to buy anything of note. I met an American girl on an online game in my late teens, eventually I visited her in person and we grew closer and ended up getting married. I then dropped out of college and moved to the US to join my wife. I started working in tech support going through multiple companies ending up staying with the same company for the past 7 years and have gotten multiple promotions over that time.I had already started investing in my 401k up to the match amount as soon as I had access to a 401k as I learned from my father who had foregone investing for retirement early in life and was now having to play catch up that this wasn't a good idea.During my time I learned that I'm not good at doing the same thing over and over(having a long term job) I was looking into how to manage my 401k when I found MMM(not sure what exactly lead to it)and shortly after other FIRE blogs including ERE, the idea of FIRE definitely captured my imagination, seemed plausible and a solution to my woes. This was about 4 years ago and since then I started tracking our spending to see where we could cut down on expenses. Also moved towards maxing as many of our pre-tax accounts as possible over those years and setting some after tax accounts. The financial back and forth has been difficult in my marriage as we can't agree on a goal to work towards.

Relationship:
Currently married, but the agreement from both sides is that we are now working towards divorce. This is a recent change and will probably drastically change most of the things here as we work through it.

Hobbies:
Most of my hobbies originally were consumerism and I still do a decent bit of it, but have founds ways to be more cost effective in them at least. I enjoy video games, movies, tv shows and reading fiction. I used to buy all of those full price on launch, I switched to setting price watches and tend to get them for 1/3rd of their price on launch. I could reduce it further by buying used, but I struggle between saving the money and still wanting to provide some financial support to those that create the media I enjoy to be able to continue their craft.

I did recently take up archery which has been slightly costlier, but I enjoy it in that it is almost a meditative experience and a form of exercise. I could have spent less on it, but I went with the BIFL mindset of getting the quality of that I would be able to grow in to and continue using as I improve.

I do have some slightly more useful hobbies in that I like to draw and program.

Work:
I work in tech support, started out on the customer facing side, but now no longer customer facing thankfully. I tend to work about 50 hours a week on average though it's very seasonal so sometimes I'm working only 40 hours in a week and at other times it can be 60+. My work offers a 6% 401k match now that I've been with the company long enough and also offers a employee stock purchase program where we can get stock at a reduced rate. They also have onsite gym facilities at an affordable rate that I make use of.

Finances:
Income is about 150k a year for our household and expenses are just under 50k including a mortgage. Due to this our savings rate is about 66%. Our household net worth is about 450k split between equity in our house(~20%), cash in emergency fund(~3%), Employee Stock Program(~15%), 401ks(~54%), Roth IRAs(~5%) and After Tax(~3%). Most of it is invested in Vanguard index funds, some with Betterment(which I would like to move to move to Vanguard).

Health:
As of earlier the beginning of this year I made an agreement with myself to take care of my health better, I was about 230 Lbs which put me at significantly overweight for someone that wasn't working out. I changed my diet to Keto first, then about a month later started doing cardio and then another month later added resistance training. I now work out at least 5 days a week with about 1 hour of resistance training and 30 minutes of cardio each of those days. I try to get some cardio in on my days off too, but I get lazy and often times don't unfortunately. I've lost about 50 lbs now while putting on some decent muscle too. The diet has helped a lot and I feel more satisfied and energetic.

Sorry for the long post, but thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback.
Last edited by prognastat on Thu Jul 19, 2018 6:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Over the past few years I've been slowly changing my cellphone plan, at first I reduced my data plan while staying with AT&T. However I just ordered a FreedomPop SIM following a guide to be able to get the free plan and will try that out for a month, if that works and I am able to manage on the reduced data available I'm planning on transferring my number to google voice so I can keep my number and use google voice for voicemail then cancelling the AT&T subscription which would save about $50 a month.

I've already cancelled the FreedomPop trials so they shouldn't auto renew into a paid subscription and am now just waiting for the SIM to arrive.

BRUTE
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by BRUTE »

if the free thing doesn't work out, there are also a bunch of providers that charge by the minute/text/megabyte.

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Well hopefully it works, unfortunately they did decrease the amount of data you can get for free by jumping through a few hoops from 700MB a month to 250 MB a month. At 700 I was sure I'd be able to make do, at 250 it'll be tight and I'll have to see.

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Mister Imperceptible
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by Mister Imperceptible »

Hi prognastat.

I hope you have thought out the divorce. From what you’ve wrote you sound thoughtful. I’ve never been married but it sounds like it could be nice with the right woman.

You should have more cash......and maybe not in a joint account. I’ve heard from divorced men that those get drained.

Archery sounds sick.

Favorite video game?

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

@Mister Imperceptible

As for the divorce it's sad, but not completely unexpected. We haven't really gone too far in to how we plan on handling it, but the fact that we are divorcing seems like we've come to an agreement on. Main cause is that we want different things out of lives and have different goals and they are different enough to where neither side is willing to compromise enough to make the other happy.

As for the joint account, I've heard of such cases where that can happen. However there really isn't much you can do to prevent it as it is also possible for a spouse to take on massive credit card debt before a divorce is finalised and that would still be shared debt and nothing you can really do to stop that. So I'm just going to have to trust that we can amicably go through the whole thing.

Archery is a lot of fun and you can get into it a little cheaper than I did. If you find a class nearby that provides equipment for classes then you can try it out relatively affordable, but if you buy your own equipment even decent starter equipment will run you about $200 for stuff that isn't completely worthless.

Favourite video game is a though one, I struggle answering those for things such as video games, movies etc because there is so much to choose from. Some games I really like though are the Persona series, .Hack series, Bloodborne, Rigs MCL, Borderlands, Bioshock. Plenty more, but that probably gives some idea of what kind of games I'm in to.

BRUTE
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by BRUTE »

would prognastat kindly :D

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Those are some dangerous words there BRUTE.

Also an update on the FreedomPop, got the SIM installed it and the carrier profile then managed to cancel all the trials so it now says it won't renew at a paid rate next month. Also managed to add enough friends to upgrade the 200MB to 250MB. Waiting till the last day of the billing cycle to get the prorated safe mode, turn off auto top up(safe mode required) and then cancel safe mode which should only be about 20-30 cents.

I also added an insulated bag that can clip to my bicycle's rear carrier, this should allow me to cycle over to the grocery store and back for shopping in this Texas heat while hopefully keeping my cold items cold enough. I'm also waiting for some panniers to drop in price and I should be all set up for this and be able to do my weekly shopping trip using my bicycle instead.

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Ok given the upcoming divorce I've moved up my schedule for getting my bike in to commuter/shopping shape.

So far I've gotten a back rack, an insulated bag that can snap to the top of the rack for cold groceries(Texas gets hot)and a dynamo. I've installed the rack and once the dynamo arrives I'll have to figure out how to switch the hub on my tire. Some youtubing will be in order there.

Still need to get 2 pannier bags to complete the setup for doing grocery shopping with it. The other thing I need to get are front and tail lights to work with the dynamo and I'll be set for riding between dusk and dawn.

I'm hoping that with the divorce I can use it as somewhat of a reset of lifestyle. Maybe even get to where I can live without having a car.

IlliniDave
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by IlliniDave »

prognastat wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 4:52 pm

I'm hoping that with the divorce I can use it as somewhat of a reset of lifestyle.
In the big picture sense that is what I did. Since I had physical custody of my youngest daughter and financial responsibility for my older daughter who was off at school at the time, it took a couple years to really get some momentum.

There were three basic areas where I made overhauls.

First was financial. We lived largely paycheck-to-paycheck. She had a zeal for consuming resources as fast as they appeared that approached religion. I of course am a financial curmudgeon, so the first thing I did was get the financial ship righted for myself (basic stuff: paid off debt, got an "emergency fund", and when that was done I ramped up long-term financial activities).

Second I guess you could call my personal anthropology. As the girls fledged in the subsequent 3-4 years I had to cultivate a self-understanding where being a hybrid of Ward Cleaver and a soccer mom didn't occupy the highest place in my day-to-day value hierarchy.

Third was scouting out a direction for my future (of course ER is a part of that).

Only the first was really a conscious decision that preceded the action (out of necessity, my financial position in January of 2008 was precarious). The other two arose unconsciously, but once I recognized them I became deliberate about them, if that makes sense.

Divorces, even when relatively amicable, can still be difficult transitions. Be wary of demanding too much of yourself too soon. The above is a long-winded way of saying it is great that you are looking for the opportunity that might arise even from a difficult decision; and a reminder that there are many dimensions to lifestyle. In my case it seemed like sustenance, internal/spiritual/day-to-day, and external (where/what might I go/do in the future), seemed to be the theme of my first decade solo. But it didn't all erupt at once.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by Hristo Botev »

prognastat wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 4:52 pm
I've installed the rack and once the dynamo arrives I'll have to figure out how to switch the hub on my tire. Some youtubing will be in order there.
You may have already discovered him, but per my bike nerd friend Peter White is considered the universal expert on all things dynamo: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/index.php Lots of information on that site and not the best organized, but it might help. FWIW, I made the dynamo transition a few years ago and rather than try and build a wheel around a dynamo hub myself (very un-ERE of me, I know), I ordered a dynamo wheelset for pretty cheap (relatively) from Charlie of Intelligent Designs in Taiwan with https://intelligentdesigncycles.com/ They sell their stuff through EBay; I had a LBS install the lighting system (also very un-ERE of me), which they ordered through Peter White. I'm several thousand miles of commute riding in at this point and I have had no issues with the dynamo system, at all. It's been completely as advertised.

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

@IlliniDave

Yeah, I have somewhat of a benefit in that I was able to get my wife to come along a little though disagreements over finances are one of the multitude of reasons behind the divorce. Due to this though we have very little debt outside for our house which is worth more than the debt on it. We have an emergency fund and a healthy amount of savings. We also don't have kids so that isn't a consideration.

I'm planning to start as close as possible to 0 lifestyle wise and slowly build up where I live off what my current FIRE stash would provide and only grow my lifestyle as the stash increases.


@Hristo Botev

Did come across Peter White's site. I ended up buying just the hub and going to try to teach myself how to lace a wheel. I figured it'll be a useful repair skill to have too if I increase my reliance on my bicycle.

How do you feel about transitioning to a dynamo hub now after all is said and done?

Hristo Botev
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by Hristo Botev »

prognastat wrote:
Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:43 am
I ended up buying just the hub and going to try to teach myself how to lace a wheel. I figured it'll be a useful repair skill to have too if I increase my reliance on my bicycle.
That's really impressive. Please post how it goes, as I for one will be really curious. For my wife, I converted the bike I first started commuting on--a 1980's Japanese-made Schwinn road bike with a solid lugged steel frame I picked up off Craigslist--into an upright "townie." And now that I have a much shorter commute I find that most mornings I reach for "her" bike instead of mine, as for a 1-mile ride it's a lot more comfortable. The only thing her bike is missing though is a dynamo lighting system; so if it's really possible for me to build the wheel myself, I might consider doing it at some point in the future because that is of course by far the most expensive part of switching to dynamo.
prognastat wrote:
Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:43 am
How do you feel about transitioning to a dynamo hub now after all is said and done?
I really like it. I was reluctant to spend the money initially (as I've mentioned elsewhere, I have a bit of a forest/trees problem when it comes to my spending), but my friend was insistent that ultimately I'd think it was worth the expense; and he was right. There has to be a full-on thunderstorm outside for me not to reach first for my bike as my preferred method of transportation; and a big part of that is knowing that I will be well seen (front and back). I also have enough USB-charging stuff I have to remember to charge at this point between my phone, my kids' bike lights, and various other kids' electronics; so I really can't say enough for the convenience of not having to remember to remove your LED light from your bike every morning when I park it at work (bc the light is mounted to the frame), and I don't have to worry about charging it while I'm at work. Also, the lights that are typically used for dynamo systems are much more like car headlights than the obnoxiously bright LED lights that you typically see, that shine directly into the eyes of oncoming pedestrians/cyclists. The "beam pattern" is much less likely to piss people off, but you can see the road in front of you better and you can still be seen just as well.

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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

@Hristo

Thanks for the info, I'll let you know how it works out.


I think I'm going to try making posts related to my big goals and general posts going forward every so often trying to cover one major topic in each.

At least the three types of posts I can think of covering for now are:
Finances - Savings, Spending, Income etc
Health - Diet, exercise, body comp etc.
General - Doesn't fit in with the two main topics.

Any other ideas for major topics to cover are welcome. I might try making at least one post per category each month to cover progress towards my goals on that category.

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Finances July 2018

Alright, my first financial update. This one is a little tough to determine right now with the divorce coming up and not knowing what the end results will be of that on the financial side. I will list my current NW and spending details as 50% of our combined financial stats as I believe that will be the most accurate way of showing progress throughout this transition.

Income July 2018

Code: Select all

| Category     |   $  |   %   |
|--------------|------|-------|
| Total        | 4950 | 100.0 |
| Paychecks    | 2542 |  51.3 |
| 401k         | 2408 |  48.7 |
A pretty normal month with 2 pay periods.

Spending July 2018

Code: Select all

| Category     |   $  |   %   |
|--------------|------|-------|
| Total        | 3216 | 100.0 |
| Home         | 1209 |  37.5 |
| Shopping     |  425 |  13.2 |
| Travel       |  333 |  10.3 |
| Entertainment|  321 |   9.9 |
| Food         |  313 |   9.7 |
| Health       |  215 |   6.6 |
| Auto         |  186 |   5.7 |
| Bills        |  119 |   3.7 |
| Pets         |   92 |   2.8 |
Home costs were a little higher this month as our yard service hadn’t charged us for about half a year and then charged it all at once leading to a massive charge. Also the travel is a one off for a ticket to visit my family back in the Netherlands coming up soon. My wife’s watch also needed a repair which was rather costly bringing up the shopping amount quite a bit. This category is where most shifts will happen once the divorce has happened as these are our combined spending just split in half to give some kind of possibility in comparing the expenses before and after divorce.

Net Worth July 2018

Code: Select all

| Category     |    $    |   %   |
|--------------|---------|-------|
| Total        | 230,275 | 100.0 |
| Cash         |   9,163 |  37.5 |
| Home         | 108,888 |  13.2 |
| Investments  | 177,669 |  10.3 |
| Credit       |  -3,153 |   9.9 |
| Mortgage     | -62,292 |   9.7 |

prognastat
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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Well I just got back from a 3 week vacation to the Netherlands and was barely even online while I was there, so now it's time to try getting together some journaling on August. Hopefully I can get it all together before September is over.

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Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Health August 2018

Here’s, my first health update update. Due to me preparing and being on vacation for 3-4 weeks between the end of august and through September this ended up taking longer than I had hoped for. I began this year at about 230 Lbs, about 36% Bodyfat(measured through electric impedance so quite inaccurate but still shows a trend when measured over time) and hadn’t worked out in about 3 years. At the beginning of January I switched to a keto diet, reduced eating out and reduced portion sizes. At the beginning of February I added cardio exercise and at the beginning of March I added resistance training which has changed some over the month as I have modified, added and removed exercises.

Recently I've also started trying to get a vigorous walk in both on my pre and post lunch breaks. If I am able to I generally walk for about 15 minutes and get about 75 calories burnt per walk. I added this both to add in a few extra burnt calories during a time I would otherwise be sitting down, but also to help boost my mood by being outside, getting some sunlight along with some movement to break up the day and it's also supposed to help support my circadian rhythm which in turn should help with maintaining a solid sleep schedule which is also good for both my physical and mental health.

As fort the data I do these each week, but I'll only post the data for the last week of the month to keep it condensed while still showing the progress and where I'm currently at.

Health Metrics August 2018

Code: Select all

| Category | Absolute | Loss |
|----------|----------|------|
| Weight   |    174.4 | 55.6 |
| BodyFat% |     17.9 | 18.1 |
Workout Progress August 2018

Mondays(Back Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Pull Ups                |   20 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   15 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   12 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   10 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   10 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   73 |   5m |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   71 |   5m |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  50 | N/A  | N/A  |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  50 | N/A  | N/A  |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  50 | N/A  | N/A  |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  50 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   25 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   20 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   15 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   15 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   70 |   5m |
| Plank                   | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Leg Raises              |  12 |  N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |  12 |  N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |  12 |  N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Side Plank              | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   80 |   5m |
Tuesdays(Chest Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                    | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-----------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Bench Press                 |   12 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |   10 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    8 | 100 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    6 | 110 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                      | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                      | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                      | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
Wednesday(Leg Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Leg Press               |   20 | 540 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   20 | 450 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   25 | 360 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   30 | 270 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   35 | 180 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   40 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Extension           |   20 | 120 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Extension           |   20 | 120 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Extension           |   20 | 120 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Curls               |   20 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Curls               |   20 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Curls               |   20 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Calf Raise              |   20 | 135 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Calf Raise              |   20 | 135 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Calf Raise              |   20 | 135 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Plank                   | N/A  | N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A  | N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A  | N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Leg Raises              |  12  | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |  12  | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |  12  | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Side Plank              | N/A  | N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A  | N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A  | N/A | N/A  |  60s |
Thursday(Shoulder Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Military Press          |   10 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    8 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    6 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    5 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    4 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    3 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    3 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Lateral Raises          |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Lateral Raises          |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Lateral Raises          |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Front Raises            |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Front Raises            |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Front Raises            |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Rear Delt Flys          |   12 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Rear Delt Flys          |   12 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Rear Delt Flys          |   12 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
Friday(Arm Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs   | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-------|------|------|
| Barbell Curls           |   10 |  70   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Curls           |   10 |  70   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Curls           |   10 |  70   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Skull Crushers          |   10 |  50   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Skull Crushers          |   10 |  50   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Skull Crushers          |   10 |  50   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A   | 150  |  15m |
| Preacher Curls          |   10 |  60   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Preacher Curls          |   10 |  60   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Preacher Curls          |   10 |  60   | N/A  | N/A  |
| French Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| French Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| French Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A   | 150  |  15m |
| Hammer Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Tricep Rope Pull Downs  |   10 |  42.5 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Tricep Rope Pull Downs  |   10 |  42.5 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Tricep Rope Pull Downs  |   10 |  42.5 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A   | 150  |  15m |
| Wrist Curls             |   20 |  35   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wrist Curls             |   20 |  35   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wrist Curls             |   20 |  35   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Reverse Wrist Curls     |   20 |  25   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Reverse Wrist Curls     |   20 |  25   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Reverse Wrist Curls     |   20 |  25   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Plank                   | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Leg Raises              |   12 |  N/A  | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |   12 |  N/A  | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |   12 |  N/A  | N/A  | N/A  |
| Side Plank              | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |

prognastat
Posts: 991
Joined: Fri May 04, 2018 8:30 pm
Location: Texas
Contact:

Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Finances August 2018

Still calculating the finances as 50% of our shared expenses as the divorce hasn’t been started yet and we are still sharing expenses.

Income August 2018

Code: Select all

| Category     |   $  |   %   |
|--------------|------|-------|
| Total        | 4640 | 100.0 |
| Paychecks    | 2348 |  50.6 |
| 401k         | 2292 |  49.4 |
Another pretty normal month with 2 pay periods.

Spending August 2018

Code: Select all

| Category     |   $  |   %   |
|--------------|------|-------|
| Total        | 2819 | 100.0 |
| Auto         | 1032 |  36.6 |
| Home         |  736 |  26.1 |
| Entertainment|  256 |   9.0 |
| Food         |  219 |   7.7 |
| Shopping     |  213 |   7.5 |
| Health       |  178 |   6.3 |
| Bills        |  166 |   5.8 |
| Other        |   10 |   0.0 |
| Gifts        |    8 |   0.0 |
This month auto brought up the amount a lot due to my wife wanting her car fixed up due to the divorce coming up and worrying that something might happen to her car. We also our secondary car fixed up to be able to sell it and both cars inspected and registrations renewed. Home costs were about the normal amount this month. Entertainment and Shopping which I would both consider personal spending are both moving in the right direction. A small chunk of the shopping was for my bike so hopefully will decrease spending in the long run. Bills jumped up some due to the Texas heat and AC necessary to make it bearable.

Net Worth August 2018

Code: Select all

| Category     |    $    |   %   |
|--------------|---------|-------|
| Total        | 241,586 | 100.0 |
| Cash         |   8,378 |       |
| Home         | 109,390 |       |
| Investments  | 188,786 |       |
| Credit       |  -2,802 |       |
| Mortgage     | -62,166 |       |
Net worth grew about 11k from the previous month so not too dissatisfied with that.

prognastat
Posts: 991
Joined: Fri May 04, 2018 8:30 pm
Location: Texas
Contact:

Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

September 2018

Still going forward with the divorce, but holding off on starting the process because this month I went on a vacation back home to the Netherlands to visit family. I had a nice relaxing time spent catching up with family and an old friend while I was there. Didn’t do much sight seeing as I grew up there and the trip was about spending time catching up with family as I don’t get to see them very often. I see my direct family maybe once a year at most and extended family/friends once every 2-3 years so lots of catching up to do.

Visited the M. C. Escher museum in Den Haag(The Hague) while I was there which was a lot of fun and was interesting to be able to see some of his prints up close to really get all the detail in them.

Also ate lots of things that aren't as available in Texas which was great for my mouth, but not so great for my body. So after getting back it was back at a healthy diet which means kicking some of the cravings again, it's definitely easier the second time around though.

I got back right as work got busy so that was "fun", but at least I had 3 weeks of rest and relaxation before it.
Last edited by prognastat on Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

prognastat
Posts: 991
Joined: Fri May 04, 2018 8:30 pm
Location: Texas
Contact:

Re: Tilting at Windmills(Prognastat's Journal)

Post by prognastat »

Health September 2018

I was on vacation visiting family for about 3 weeks of September, despite this I did manage to keep up my workout regiment by going to the gym 5 days a week. On the nutrition front it wasn’t as successful as I spent a lot of my time eating foods that are hard to get in the US and were note Keto nor healthy. This did lead to a decent bit of weight gain, but I don’t feel too bad about it since I’m back on track now and didn’t fall behind with my workouts. It's a little bit of an adjustment and there are some slight sugar cravings, but those should be gone quite quickly.

While I was there my father in law helped me with some exercises that I was having trouble with, apparently I have a very short achilles tendon which is making it impossible for me to do the squats and lunges I've been wanting to add. I was however able to add deadlifts to my leg day. Hopefully I can stretch the tendon enough to allow me to add the squats and lunges.

Health Metrics September 2018

Code: Select all

| Category | Absolute | Loss |
|----------|----------|------|
| Weight   |    183.8 | 46.2 |
| BodyFat% |     20.5 | 15.5 |
Workout Progress September 2018

Mondays(Back Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Pull Ups                |   20 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   15 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   12 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   10 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Pull Ups                |   10 | -70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Push Ups                |   15 | N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   73 |   5m |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns |   12 | 105 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Row     |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   71 |   5m |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| One Arm Row             |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   25 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   20 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   15 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Back Hyperextensions    |   15 |  20 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   70 |   5m |
| Plank                   | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Leg Raises              |  12 |  N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |  12 |  N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |  12 |  N/A | N/A  | N/A  |
| Side Plank              | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A |  N/A | N/A  |  60s |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A |   80 |   5m |
Tuesdays(Chest Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                    | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-----------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Bench Press                 |   12 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |   10 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    8 | 100 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    6 | 110 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Bench Press                 |    4 | 130 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                      | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Incline Bench Press         |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press |   15 |  85 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                      | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Weighted Dips               |   10 | -60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Chest Fly                   |   12 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                      | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
Wednesday(Leg Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Dead Lift               |   12 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Dead Lift               |   10 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Dead Lift               |    8 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Dead Lift               |    6 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   20 | 540 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   20 | 450 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   25 | 360 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   30 | 270 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   35 | 180 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Press               |   40 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Extension           |   20 | 120 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Extension           |   20 | 120 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Extension           |   20 | 120 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Curls               |   20 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Curls               |   20 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Curls               |   20 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Calf Raise              |   20 | 135 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Calf Raise              |   20 | 135 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Calf Raise              |   20 | 135 | N/A  | N/A  |
Thursday(Shoulder Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-----|------|------|
| Military Press          |   10 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    8 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    6 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    5 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    4 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    3 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Military Press          |    3 |  90 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Arnold Press            |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  70 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Shrugs          |   12 |  80 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
| Lateral Raises          |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Lateral Raises          |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Lateral Raises          |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Front Raises            |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Front Raises            |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Front Raises            |   12 |  30 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Rear Delt Flys          |   12 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Rear Delt Flys          |   12 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Rear Delt Flys          |   12 |  60 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A | 150  |  15m |
Friday(Arm Day):

Code: Select all

| Exercise                | Reps | Lbs   | Cals | Time |
|-------------------------|------|-------|------|------|
| Barbell Curls           |   10 |  70   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Curls           |   10 |  70   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Barbell Curls           |   10 |  70   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Skull Crushers          |   10 |  50   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Skull Crushers          |   10 |  50   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Skull Crushers          |   10 |  50   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A   | 150  |  15m |
| Preacher Curls          |   10 |  60   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Preacher Curls          |   10 |  60   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Preacher Curls          |   10 |  60   | N/A  | N/A  |
| French Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| French Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| French Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A   | 150  |  15m |
| Hammer Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Hammer Curls            |   10 |  45   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Tricep Rope Pull Downs  |   10 |  42.5 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Tricep Rope Pull Downs  |   10 |  42.5 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Tricep Rope Pull Downs  |   10 |  42.5 | N/A  | N/A  |
| Cardio                  | N/A  | N/A   | 150  |  15m |
| Wrist Curls             |   20 |  35   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wrist Curls             |   20 |  35   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Wrist Curls             |   20 |  35   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Reverse Wrist Curls     |   20 |  25   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Reverse Wrist Curls     |   20 |  25   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Reverse Wrist Curls     |   20 |  25   | N/A  | N/A  |
| Plank                   | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Plank                   | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Leg Raises              |   12 |  N/A  | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |   12 |  N/A  | N/A  | N/A  |
| Leg Raises              |   12 |  N/A  | N/A  | N/A  |
| Side Plank              | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
| Side Plank              | N/A  |  N/A  | N/A  |  60s |
Last edited by prognastat on Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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