Lemur Journal!

[Lemur]

I have the same issue though on the opposite side and probably from a different cause. My right foot angles slightly out while my left sits straight. The slight difference in my stride due to this has led all the right side muscles on the outer side and rear of the leg and connecting up to my lower back to be far stronger than on the left, causing my right pelvis to rotate forward. I think it has probably been that way for a long time and I didn't notice until I injured my back 5 years ago this month.

It's a constant struggle attempting to keep things balanced and symmetrical from side to side. Still unless I'm actively thinking about it my lift side muscles collapse letting my right side bear all the load. When the ever present twinge flairs up in my left lower back a good hour of yoga will take care of it. I think the remedy for such long standing imbalances like we have is consistent activity specifically focused on balance and symmetry. Having said that I need to finally own up to it and actually be consistent with my own practice! Everything is so much better when I do.

Would definitely suggest physical therapy. I wish I went earlier because I spent years trying to diagnose my own issues and had varying amounts of success and failures...just like with nutrition, PT is one of those weird subjects that are really hit/miss on the internet. Too much anecdotal evidence and tough to differentiate between the professionals and the "gurus."

[Lemur]

Interesting read: People Want Power Because They Want Autonomy

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatl ... le/474669/

This would explain fairly accurately why I have no desire to be promoted to management - I would actually get less autonomy because instead of focusing on mastering my craft, I would be beholden to upper management, more meetings, etc...The increased influence over subordinates does not interest me either - actually that sounds stressful.

[Lemur]

I enjoyed this article:
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/making-changes.html

It re-affirms something I've seen from the works of Lyle Mcdonald (owner of bodyrecomposition.com) in regards to dieting/nutrition. Lyle found over-time, working with obese patients, that crash dieting in the first few weeks of a new diet was sometimes necessary to instill motivation as new dieting patients could see a weight loss drop from the scale (mostly water). Point was to get off on the right foot and make big changes as opposed to the consensus advice of "dieting slowly."

I also found the same advice to be true when I was trying to overcome some social anxieties around public speaking earlier this year...After I plunged myself into lecturing a group of 30 people (on reflection this was not a 'good' lecture but I did 'okay'), I've found that smaller situations with less people, conferences, meetings, etc...has all been easier. Its like instead of killing boars in WoW for 2 points a piece, I dived straight into fighting a megaboss and despite quickly being killed, I did manage a few hacks for LOTS of experience points.

[Lemur]

Reminder. @4%

$1 a month requires $300 in assets. Every paycheck I'm investing the equivalent of $4.18 a month for life @4%. ($4.18 * 300 = $1,254.38 is invested every paycheck). Over a given work year, $4.18 * 26 Paychecks = $108.68 a month. Not bad. The savings rate is not ERE style but the absolute dollar amount is significant. Taking the small victories.

Another thought that came to my mind is before I pull the plug on full-time work is that I would really like to live in a situation where I still have my full-time job and I am creating a 75% savings rate. Why? I think despite my confidence, it is going to be hard to live on a ~$35k lifestyle and then suddenly retire to a $20k one (when we hit $600k).

I think it will behoove us to practice first before any sudden transitions are made. The good news is, I got 9-10 years or so to practice.

[Bankai]

I like this metric and I'm using it as well for some time now. Framing it like 'this month I work to pay my mobile bill forever. The next three months will clothe me for the rest of my life' makes it both more fun and tangible at the same time. Also, if you do this type of framing starting with most important/non-negotiable expenses and work your way down the list, eventually you'll start working for things like 'third dinner out every month for the rest of my life' or 'a new t-shirt of my favourite (band or team or whatever)' at which point you'll know it's time to pause and reflect if maybe the time has come?

[Lemur]

I like this metric and I'm using it as well for some time now. Framing it like 'this month I work to pay my mobile bill forever. The next three months will clothe me for the rest of my life' makes it both more fun and tangible at the same time. Also, if you do this type of framing starting with most important/non-negotiable expenses and work your way down the list, eventually you'll start working for things like 'third dinner out every month for the rest of my life' or 'a new t-shirt of my favourite (band or team or whatever)' at which point you'll know it's time to pause and reflect if maybe the time has come?

Great idea. Interestingly, I was thinking about this last night and food for myself and family for has already been covered for life ($400 a month includes groceries, restaurants, dining out, my caffeine habit...coffee, etc., anything ingested). Food is necessary for survival so it is the most important metric to hit first.

$400 * 12 = $4,800 / 0.04 = $120,000.

Next up is shelter. Rent will be capped at $1,000 a month. If we buy a home, the mortgage also has to be $1,000 a month or less. A mortgage would be equivalent to a $209,461 home at 4% interest for 30 years. Does not include home maintenance, property taxes, etc.

$1,000 * 12 = $12,000 / 0.04 = $300,000.

Altogether, we need $420,000 to cover shelter & food for life. We are 35% of the way there on that front. The housing costs is a gross overestimation actually...spouse and I have seriously considered a home overseas in her home country (Philippines) one day and you can get a 3 bedroom home in her province for $80,000 or so. This is a unlikely scenario but an option we've left open. Another option would be to just move out of my state. There are plenty of places where decent houses can be found for far less than $209k.

Next 2 would be healthcare insurance & transportation costs. Once the big 4 are out of the way, I would certainly consider going part-time but would depend on the feelings of my current full-time job at the time (If I'm content, will stick with it obviously as it just makes too much rational sense).

[2Birds1Stone]

This is a fun way of motivating yourself during the accumulation phase. I did this over the past 5 years pretty regularly.

Even went a bit further to determine how much a spartan diet would cost if I didn't have access to refrigeration or a kitchen, and the answer was ~$2/day per person in my HCOL area. So theoretically, if I could stealth camp in a tent (homeless), my bare caloric needs could be covered (in theory) by $60/month. An extra $1/day could provide a significant variety to the meal plan and make it healthier. Multiply that for 2 individuals and you are looking at $180/month for healthy sustenance. Using 4% that's $54k, and 3% $72k to feed two people for life.

Interestingly enough, the next expense I covered was a gym membership instead of housing. I could totally see myself being a nomad and living out of a car, but wanting a place to workout and shower vs. prioritizing a roof over my head. The motivation from covering the smaller expenses using a 3/4% WR was more motivating than the housing since the housing required such a large lump sum!

[Lemur]

I've been reading through livingafi.com blog posts on his corporate America experience. Very interesting read.

[ertyu]

I love that blog, too. What really appeals to me about it is how he recognizes success is not a matter of tactics but of psychology. You might know what it is that needs to be done, often in detailed steps, but if your psychology is not in place, you will eventually fail (e.g see his post, "becoming a saver"). The psychological "how" >>> the logistical "how."

[Lemur]

@2Birds1Stone

This reminded me a while ago on the forums someone mentioned calculating the bare minimum to survive or was it more like a diet starting point? Basically it was your caloric needs in white rice and the price of that. There was a term for it...will have to search around to find it. My mind is fuzzy lately.

@ertyu

I'm here now: https://livingafi.com/2014/08/28/the-jo ... ear-12/14/ Almost done. I've been using this to kill time at work lately...work has just been so terribly slow in the government space. Lots of folk on PT or planning leave...Our contract is coming to an end soon so there is an overall atmosphere of very little care as well.

Super ironic in 2019...I raise my income from $65k to $93k salary but end up with a job where the work is actually simple once I got a hold of it and automated most of it. This is an important reminder by end of year to see how far you've coming in regards to absolute dollar savings. Important to reflect here and there. Damn my net-worth grew a lot and I ended up in a better position salary-wise. Huge win.

Also one of comparison - whenever I think my job sucks...the author in livingafi.com has had it FAR worse.

[jacob]

Basically it was your caloric needs in white rice and the price of that. There was a term for it...will have to search around to find it.

viewtopic.php?p=188143#p188143

[ertyu]

Also one of comparison - whenever I think my job sucks...the author in livingafi.com has had it FAR worse.

No shit one of his jobs sounds like absolute hell

He had the same experience as you - at some point, the suck stops but you command a much higher pay for essentially no effort

[fiby41]

calculating the bare minimum to survive

It is possible to survive on 1 coconut/day.
What's that saying? A coconut a day keeps Alzheimer's away.

[Lemur]

@jacob . Thanks! Now I remember...Would like to calculate this myself soon. Maybe add some different foods as well such as potatoes, beans, lentils, etc...and see what the math comes out to.

@ertyu
Yes. As for me...I have a great tolerance for boredom. Ideally I want to stay in this role for as long as possible. Nothing better than easy money...My personality has had a seismic shift this year. With the growth of my networth and being settled into my role...I've changed from a 'Type A' to a 'Type B' person...The only drawback (which I gotta stop making excuses) is that when I get bored I eat and our workplace has a cafeteria, snack machines, subway, etc.. :/ Need to bring in some more snacks. This is like the opposite of web of goals lol.

@fiby41
One could survive on just potatoes for a long time as well but typically a few minerals/vitamins need to be checked out: Vitamin B12, Calcium, Essential Fatty Acids (likely found in coconut but not potatoes), and more protein intake...but otherwise I agree with the sentiment. A diet with variety for the sake of variety doesn't mean its well planned.

[Salathor]

@jacob . Thanks! Now I remember...Would like to calculate this myself soon. Maybe add some different foods as well such as potatoes, beans, lentils, etc...and see what the math comes out to.

The good news is that pretty much all the real staples are similar prices (except for white flour, which is CHEAAAAP but lacks enough macronutrients that it's really only good for use baking in combination with whole wheat). Most of the time you can find lentils and beans of all sort for $1 a pound or less, dry, which makes for a pretty comparable koku cost.

Potatoes can be found on super sale sometimes, but I've found we have a hard time eating them fast enough, since they aren't dry.

I recommend investigating: white flour, whole wheat flour, pinto beans, white beans, lentils, brown rice.

[Lemur]

@salathor

Investigated... I have been playing a bit in Excel and found an equation to use to derive any foods monthly cost.

Cost = ((X/Y) x (C/Z)) x 30.4167

Where

X = The cost of a product w/ tax
Y = The # of Servings in the Product
C = Ones caloric maintenance level (bodyweight * 14 is quick to derive this)
Z = The # of Calories Per Serving

As an example...I googled a 5lb bag of rice near our local Walmart and pulled this information:

X = $5.08 (including a 6% sales tax)
Y = 50 Servings
Z = 160 Calories Per Serving
C = 2562 (my bodyweight of 183 * 14)

The result: $49.48.

If 100% of my caloric intake came from this product, I would be at $49.48 month food budget. Simply put ....any food that is under $100 I can eat and any over that I should limit. A better idea - A diet mixed with really low cost foods like rice (for instance if 40% of my caloric intake came from rice would be $17.92) would allow some flexibility for more higher costs monthly foods if one desired. So could do something like 40% rice, 20% beans, 20% potatoes, etc...get 100% and see what the total cost is. You get the picture.

[Lemur]

Saving my link here:
https://courses.edx.org/courses/course- ... 9a/course/

[Lemur]

Investments: $148k. With investments on the next paycheck + some market growth I may be able to see $150k before year-end. Equivalent to $6,000 a year @ 4%.

Physical Health / Diet: Good news is I was able to quit PT after a few sessions and now just doing what I need to do from home. I bought a lumbar support for my back for my commute and that has actually worked wonders. No regrets on that $15 investment. Weight has slightly increased but a 7 day rolling average still has me at 183 which is interesting and expected. I've been in the same 182-184 range for many months now after tracking for a while. The body is amazing at regulating body-weight. Read: Body-weight set point https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990627/

Mental Health: I've been taking Vitamin D3 every morning. So has my spouse & son. I find that after regular use after a few weeks mood increases. Useful for fall/winter times.

Job: Got a new career coach today which is interesting (my employer requires every employee to have a career coach that is one step above the ladder where they are). This was a bit stressful at first...I really want someone who is not gonna try to gun-ho me into career ladder climbing. New coach and I talked about 'specialist' career tracks. While I do want a more technical role, my current role keeps me in a broader arena for now which I'm comfortable with at the moment. The good news is my coach has many connections in our data analytics community so even if this is the case, I see a very symbiotic relationship here.

Gardening: It has been a while since I've built another plot. I want to build a few more during the two-week break I have coming up. My compost bin is still growing.

Family/Other: Extended family hasn't contacted us since the drama a few months back. I kind of like it that way but with Holidays coming up I think we can all get along. The good news is, according to my sister since the expensive car was repo'd, they've been able to make rent but are still struggling on other bills due to lack of any basic budgeting and blowing money on nonsense. Recent news says the only car they do have is now having problems with the radiator so the car is being driven around and filled with water :/ . Not a good idea in the winter. I'm handy on car repairs so I will offer to fix the leak and fill with actual coolant as a Christmas gift if accepted.

[ertyu]

Mental Health: I've been taking Vitamin D3 every morning. So has my spouse & son. I find that after regular use after a few weeks mood increases. Useful for fall/winter times.

I'll shamelessly copy you on this one.

Fingers crossed on the 150k target!

[mooretrees]

Good stuff Lemur! That is really good the family drama settled down. It is a tricky situation that you seem to have navigated well.