Five Years, Lord Willing

Where are you and where are you going?
Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Strictly rolled oats here.

The bacon egg and cheese days are firmly in the past.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

My Mint net worth is now $426,600.33, up $3,276.93 this week primarily due to a few individual stock (ATVI popped/CYNO is being purchased). I would never debate John Bogel but I like individual stocks.

I still don't feel secure that we will never be poor again. I don't know if a specific number makes that go away or not. Maybe I'll find out some day, maybe I won't. Hopefully I just won't be poor again because that is no fun.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Its interesting to me that some people are predisposed to behavior and cognizance towards ERE without outside influence. I am not. This is an epic internal struggle. I am a house divided.

I was watching the TV show Gomorrah last night. I understand many of you don't own a TV. But for those who do, I recommend it.

A character on the show was smoking one of those stupid, annoying, pretentious e-cigs. Another character said at "least its good for your health" to which the smoker responded "I don't care about my health" to which the other character responded "Then why did you give up smoking?" The smoker responded "I give up one thing a year. A person who doesn't need anything is afraid of nothing." Not only is it debatable as to whether he gave something up but this was spoken by a mobster who lives in a multi-million dollar home (the rational/irrational dialect is the mother of the sacred/profane in mobster shows).

So I thought about that. What can I give up? These are some of the option:

- TV (never will happen, my wife is involved and I won't be able to write incredibly compelling posts like this one)s;
- Books - Highly possible but will take extreme psychological effort;
- Any food/beverage not emanating from mi casa. I am close on that one. Just a few new tweaks.
- Clothes - Not completely but very close;
- Jewelry for my wife - So far so good but impulse always there;

Cutting out on-going expenses is obviously key. So far I have only been working on reducing expenses. Ok, that's enough. There's a new episode of "Billions" I need to get to.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Following up on that blistering provocative, preceding post, I just had a cup of coffee with 1/2 and 1/2.

It made me think, why do I drink coffee, for function (caffeine) or pleasure (taste). Well, the answer is both But I can give up the 1/2 and 1/2 if I move to view coffee on strictly functional grounds, a move that has both economic (don't have to buy it) and health benefits (less fat).

It's about $36.00 to $50.00 a year. I'm not fat, but I can stand to lose a few pounds so that helps.

Ok. No more 1/2 and 1/2. Along with other dairy products and bread, that has to add up.

That leads to Mayonnaise which I put in my tuna. Tuna and rice is good but dry tuna sandwiches sucks big ol' donkey balls. So I have to think about that one in more detail.

User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by C40 »

I haven't used done this but maybe adding some oils with good fats to the tuna would get rid of the dryness and also improve your omega 6:3 ratio or just get some other good fats. I mean oils like olive, fish, flaxseed, coconut, etc.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Thank you for the suggestion. Inspired by the array of Netflix documentaries on the food industry, we decided to go Vegan. After the first meal, I was hurling in the bathroom like a freshman after his/her first kegger.

I never put much thought into food but now I have to. Getting old for one and I realize how much one can save.

Wads
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 7:50 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Wads »

Jason wrote:Inspired by the array of Netflix documentaries on the food industry, we decided to go Vegan.
HA! Same here. Last March I attempted to make the switch and quickly found that cutting out dairy is no easy task. The meat was not an issue, but it took almost a full year (dairy free for 3 weeks now) before dairy was out of my diet. I feel so much better now I see no reason for going back!

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I have pretty much given up on maintaining a rigorous and thorough vegan diet. But I have cut dairy and chicken. Occasionally I have meat.

But for me, it also included other processed foods that I have rid myself of.

Its an aspiration but I don't think a reality for me in this lifetime.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Good News: Markel popped $16.52 yesterday. It is my highest cost per share stock: I bought 7 shares between $880-$900 last quarter. So yesterday I "made" $115.64 and spent $0 on stuff I shouldn't buy. I went food shopping and passed on the peanut butter cups. The stock is now at $981.00 so I've made over $500.00 which is good as income has tailed off. I've had a good run on picking individual stocks.

Bad New: Me. When it comes down to everything, that is the problem isn't it? The burdensome self. The mortal coil. The sinful flesh. My biggest problem is replaying past failures instead of learning from them. Or believing I could have "been" someone else. I am me, this is where I am and it aint pretty. I self-flagellate like Luther before he learned of grace. Its a bad habit. I need to stop.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Mint Report: $430,373.78. - up $3,773.78 this week. Stock market still over heating and condo assessment went up. I have managed to sock $2,200.00 in cash portion of investment accounts in order to purchase upon inevitable dip.

Have not purchased lunch this month. Have used spare change to buy DD coffee but what can you do. As stated before, we have a moratorium on book buying so that should help.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Vacation planning. Trying to keep costs down. We don't fly so that helps. Usually an Inn type setting.

We are fast moving to a money or your life mentality which is really the key. Thank you good people.

Tax preparation begins this Friday. We'll see how that goes. In the death vs. tax equation I am more afraid of taxes. I know I'm on right terms with God. The IRS, not so much.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Last fall I was walking into the bagel shop and a lady hit my car. I yelled at her. A lot. So much so that there was a threat of a public disturbance charge so I apologized. I have not returned to the bagel shop. My insurance company just sent me back my $200.00 deductible so I think I lost $25.00 on the whole ordeal.

$200.00 is once again "big" money for me. That's $200.00 for the index fund or $200.00 off the mortgage.

My wife knocked off $100 a night on our three night vacation.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

(1) The bean counters at Mint have informed me that my net worth is up $850.00 to $431,222.98. Praise God.

(2) My wife made it official: no more books. End of discussion.

(3) I met with my tax preparer yesterday. He is 70 and met a chick around the corner from where he lives on Plenty of Fish. So he is getting laid for the first time in decades and was in a really good mood, which helped because he usually makes it like he's doing me a fucking favor. The chick is five years younger than him but supposedly they're going at it like teenagers. I think old age is actually the easiest time to get laid for a guy because their are so many old single ladies. I mean this is a nice enough guy but he's no Cary Grant. Actually, come to think of it, he looks like a ring smuggler in one of those middle earth nonsense movies. The chick wants to marry him but he convinced her that if they did, if he got sick, she would have to pay for it, so that ended that love. To me, I envision being with an old lady like riding a roller coaster, its scary, but you get on anyways, its starts out bumpy, but then you just close your eyes and before you know it its exciting and your screaming at the top of your lungs. Then you get off, look back at what you just did and proceed to puke in the bushes.

But what he told me is that he is living on 30K a year and we live in pretty much the same area. Actually, I'm assuming his taxes are higher. So that was encouraging. I'm not big on where I live but its good to know if I get stuck here I could have a go of it.

Wads
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 7:50 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Wads »

Jason wrote:I envision being with an old lady like riding a roller coaster, its scary, but you get on anyways, its starts out bumpy, but then you just close your eyes and before you know it its exciting and your screaming at the top of your lungs.
The start is only bumpy if you choose not to use WD-40

K60
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:59 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by K60 »

A good site for vegan recipes: http://ohsheglows.com

Also try: http://budgetbytes.com and search for vegan

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I have more hatred for the Taxman than George Harrison.

Did
Posts: 693
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:50 am

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Did »

I must admit I too am scared of the Rollercoaster. My friend divorced at 40, is now in his 60s, and has a 28 year girlfriend in his Philippians bolthole. Basically he has been with younger women ever since his wife walked out on him. He confessed to me once that if he saw a women his own age naked it would be like walking in on his grandmother.

Hopefully it's easier when you grow old together?

Regarding mayonnaise, I recommend making your own if you do not. We do so with a stick blender, light (in colour) olive oil, lemon juice, an egg and salt. It takes about 30 seconds and lasts for days. It does not compare with commercial mayo (in a good way).

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I have admittedly ridden the rollercoaster. And I'm talking the Coney Island, rickety, made of plywood type, not one of these new fangled, German Engineered post-modern, tungsten deals. We're not talking Mrs. Robinson here. We're not even talking Mrs. Robinson's mother. I mean the woman's first husband was a fucking big band leader for Christ's sake. I won't go into details but I have to say, it was kind of nice in a helping the old lady across the road type of way. And from my understanding the easiest place to get laid is the senior care facility, so if I do happen to make it that far, I hope to have built up a tolerance to the whole naked issue.

Thanks for the mayo suggestion. I'll look into it.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Your friend's situation got me thinking. I love my wife, and she's older than me, so from an actuarial perspective, we should die pretty much on the same day. Which we have discussed, as it happened to my father's parents.

But let's say, I outlive her and this relates to your friend's under the radar situation. The new trend in the retirement-mail order bride scenario is for the Ugly Old American (for which I pretty much already qualify) to relocate to the mail order bride's country and then just have her shipped locally. I knew someone who had one sent to his home in the US and it was a nightmare that would make Freddy Kreuger shit his fucking pants. I mean cuckolding and all that. Dante would need to create a new level of hell for this woman to reside. We're talking Yoko Ono level bat shit craziness. I was like dude, was blue balls worth getting the Tasmanian she-devil? Poor guy, eventually got choked out on a subway platform and had to quite his teaching job even though his students threw rocks at him. So its a risky move all around and I guess as opposed to riding the rollercoaster its probably more like getting on the god awful boring carousel and I'm not even talking the horse but the two seater that the parents and toddlers sit in. But its an option and its good to have options.

My father just died and when I visited him I realized my mother was cozying up with some non-dementia douchebag just proving that it aint over till its over if you are willing to tolerate ungodly awfulness.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I am livid with myself over spending. I went to McDonald's - twice. I went to Dunkin Donuts for coffee numerous times. WTF.

Its like running around with a bloody nose your entire life. A slow, inexorable bleeding out. Enough i say!!!!

This week not only do I cut this shit out but I learn to make homemade Mayo thanks to the recommendations of our Faithful Brother Did.

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