Hristo's FI Journal

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Hristo Botev
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:42 am

Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

suomalainen wrote:
Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:06 pm
I'm certainly no expert on American conservatism, and what conservatives in general do and don't stand for, but what conservatism means to me is that we should be as skeptical of big business as we are of big government (I suppose in the vein of Teddy Roosevelt), and for many of the same reasons, as big business has the potential to become tyrannical just as big government does. And the way to practice that personally is through supporting businesses that are small and local and independent. On a policy level, it seems like conservatism have become synonymous with Ayn Rand libertarianism, which doesn't seem right to me. I don't think it is a traditional American conservative position (see Russell Kirk) that the free market and business should be allowed to run amok, unfettered and unchecked by regulation. Rather, I think traditional American conservatives would believe that there is an important role for government (federal and local) to play in checking big business, to ensure as level a playing field as possible and to make sure they aren't doing things like ruining our rivers and air with no recompense. And that government impose those checks when necessary through regulation and through the antitrust laws. I think the problems conservatives have (or should have) with government regulation is that they often result in making the playing field less level because a small family-run farm can't afford to put in handicap accessible bathrooms for its non-existent employees, or whatever. Big business uses these regulations to increase barriers to entry and stifle competition.

On the government side, I don't think it's necessarily accurate to say that conservatives are always for lowering taxes. I think there's some nuance there. I think it can be a conservative position to say that the federal government has gotten too big and has way too much control over our daily lives in a way that does not create healthy and productive communities, families, and individuals. And so we should be in favor of giving the federal government less of our income. Conversely, I likely would be totally in favor of redirecting those federal tax dollars (and even sending more of my tax dollars) to state and more importantly county and municipal governments. Because I can vote with my feet and choose to live in states and municipalities that use public money wisely in a way that does in fact create healthy and productive communities, families, and individuals.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Just saw this on the Kirk Center website (https://kirkcenter.org/conservatism/ten ... rinciples/), which says what I was trying to say much better.

Ninth, the conservative perceives the need for prudent restraints upon power and upon human passions. Politically speaking, power is the ability to do as one likes, regardless of the wills of one’s fellows. A state in which an individual or a small group are able to dominate the wills of their fellows without check is a despotism, whether it is called monarchical or aristocratic or democratic. When every person claims to be a power unto himself, then society falls into anarchy. Anarchy never lasts long, being intolerable for everyone, and contrary to the ineluctable fact that some persons are more strong and more clever than their neighbors. To anarchy there succeeds tyranny or oligarchy, in which power is monopolized by a very few.

The conservative endeavors to so limit and balance political power that anarchy or tyranny may not arise. In every age, nevertheless, men and women are tempted to overthrow the limitations upon power, for the sake of some fancied temporary advantage. It is characteristic of the radical that he thinks of power as a force for good—so long as the power falls into his hands. In the name of liberty, the French and Russian revolutionaries abolished the old restraints upon power; but power cannot be abolished; it always finds its way into someone’s hands. That power which the revolutionaries had thought oppressive in the hands of the old regime became many times as tyrannical in the hands of the radical new masters of the state.

Knowing human nature for a mixture of good and evil, the conservative does not put his trust in mere benevolence. Constitutional restrictions, political checks and balances, adequate enforcement of the laws, the old intricate web of restraints upon will and appetite—these the conservative approves as instruments of freedom and order. A just government maintains a healthy tension between the claims of authority and the claims of liberty.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Not surprisingly, this is all a whole thing that I wasn't even aware of. David Brooks talked about the difference between economic conservatives (your libertarian types) and traditional conservatives (your Russell Kirk types) 7 years ago. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/opin ... -mind.html

suomalainen
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by suomalainen »

Just saw this too. Very timely.

https://www.vox.com/2019/1/10/18171912/ ... -trump-gop

I'd be very interested to see the Republican party regain some semblance of...well, of sanity frankly, but also to move towards some vision of governing that's actually tethered to reality. It's just been...weird...

Jason

Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Jason »

This thread seemed like the most appropriate place to link this:

https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2019/01/48506/

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

DW and I are doing the Whole30 thing for January (my idea, not DW's, as DW knows way too much about nutrition to think that Whole30 is anything other than a stupid, pseudo-science based fad diet). Some thoughts 15 days in: (1) it's expensive to buy groceries on a diet that eliminates cheaper, plant-based proteins in favor of more expensive proteins; (2) seriously, no legumes?!?--why the f*#k not?; (3) sadly, the last time I went even a day without drinking was during my 10-day hospital stay in August--I was well overdue for a reset on my alcohol consumption, and it's been great; and, finally, (4) I do feel great, incredible even, better than I think I have felt during my entire adult life--though I'm pretty positive that has nothing to do with eliminating legumes and everything to do with eliminating alcohol, sugar, and processed foods and limiting carb intake.

A note on budget, we've been especially conscious of our spending this month, and halfway in we are going to come very close to actually sticking to our budget for most line items (we're currently on target for a 60% savings rate!). But, we had budgeted $400 for groceries (and home stuff, like toilet paper), and 15 days in we are already at $401.75. Granted, we are eating all of our meals at home this month (we've spent $16.08 of $250 budgeted for restaurant, all of which was money spent on the kids). And our separate alcohol category is showing a big fat $0 (as opposed to $270 spent in December and a whopping $360 in November). Nevertheless, when ALL of your calories for the month come from fresh vegetables and fruit, meat, eggs, and nuts, with no legumes or whole grains, it gets expensive. We've been having to go to the market every 3 days or so to re-stock, spending on average $45 per trip.

So, going forward starting in February, I think the plan for the remainder of 2019 will be:
  • Stick with whole foods and avoid processed foods, purchased from either our local farmers' markets or our larger, independent and locally-owned market;
  • Re-incorporate legumes and whole grains, especially for things like Instapot bulk recipes we can make on the weekend and then eat for lunch during the week (which will result in a drastic cost savings);
  • Limit alcohol intake to social settings and occasional red wine at home (probably 4-6 bottles of wine a month b/w DW and me); and
  • For meat and dairy, we've gone back and forth with veganism through the years, but my thinking now is to limit cheese intake to just the occasional cheese plate and wine date nights with DW, and to limit meat intake by only buying from local, environmentally-sustainable, grass-fed-type producers, which will be expensive enough to prevent us from consuming too much.
This plan seems to strike the best balance between eating: (1) healthy; (2) inexpensively; (3) in an environmentally-sustainable manner; and (4) in a manner that supports local, independent producers.

suomalainen
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by suomalainen »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:55 am
I do feel great, incredible even, ... everything to do with eliminating alcohol, sugar, and processed foods and limiting carb intake.
Approved
we are going to come very close to actually sticking to our budget for most line items (we're currently on target for a 60% savings rate!)
$400+$250+$270 = $920/month, on pace for $802. Congratulations
limit cheese intake
Heresy

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

I've struggled with various work/school commute options this school year. At first the thinking was I'd take the kids on bikes 3x week and DW would take them in the car 2x/week. That plan quickly deteriorated into some bickering because it just wasn't that clear who was primarily responsible for getting kids to/from school as various work/social things popped up and as weather played a factor. So I figured it was worth it to avoid the bickering if I was primarily responsible for the kids' school commute, with DW filling in on random days when I have a work thing or whatever. With winter, however, it's really not safe to have the kids riding bikes given that it's now pitch black when we should be leaving for school. The kids have lights, of course, and I have a pretty low threshold for what I consider safe when it comes to bikes; but even I have to draw the line somewhere. So I've been driving more than biking the past month or two, and I really, really hate driving. Anyway, starting this Monday we tried walking to school, at my 8-year-old's suggestion. I was skeptical that the kids could handle the walk, which is 1.6 miles. But they have seemed to enjoy it so far, especially because they get to walk by themselves (without me) for the last 1/4 mile or so when they are in sight of the school and my work is in the opposite direction. We've also found a route that goes through quiet neighborhood streets and avoids the major traffic arteries, so I'm not constantly worrying about my 6-year-old running into traffic. It's close to 5 miles of total, round-trip walking for me, as I have a little over .5 mile left to walk to get to work after I drop them off. But our city is one of those cities that's been inundated with the Lime/Bird e-scooters, so I might give those a try sometimes on my walk to pick up the kids in the evening. Plus, from an exercise standpoint, 4-5 miles daily walking would replace the 11 miles of daily bike commuting I was doing before I switched jobs, which would mean I can forego the gym membership. So I think that between walking and riding bikes (as spring comes along and it gets lighter earlier), we should be able to avoid the car 9 days out of 10; reserving the car for especially bad weather days.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Cord cutting costs more than cable? Shocker. And to think these people thought they'd get the better of the "cable" companies. As long as the library is free, and they don't figure out a way to re-charge me for listening to my CD collection, I'm set on entertainment.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Jason wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:37 am
This thread seemed like the most appropriate place to link this:

https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2019/01/48506/
@Jason: I missed that you'd posted this until just now. Good read. Of course, St. Ignatius says it better:

"Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. All other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him fulfill the end for which he is created. From this it follows that man is to use these things to the extent that they will help him to attain his end. Likewise, he must rid himself of them in so far as they prevent him from attaining it. Therefore we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, in so far as it is left to the choice of our free will and is not forbidden. Acting accordingly, for our part, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short one, and so in all things we should desire and choose only those things which will best help us attain the end for which we are created."

prognastat
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by prognastat »

How did you manage to spend more after cutting the cord? Did you sign up for a bunch of streaming subscriptions?

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

prognastat wrote:
Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:15 am
How did you manage to spend more after cutting the cord? Did you sign up for a bunch of streaming subscriptions?
Not me; this article popped up in my newsfeed about the Netflix price hike: https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/after-n ... ke-a-look/ Friends/neighbors tell me they are spending more now having cut the cord than they were with cable, once you add up the PlayStation Vue or YouTube or whatever and then all the add-ons (HBO, etc.) and the price of Internet, which had been bundled with cable. For us, we pay $20 for internet and then we are at the tail end of a year-long Amazon Prime membership that gets us their streaming TV, but we're not going to renew that as we try and spend more of our dollars on local brick-and-mortar stores and less time watching TV. We did a Playstation Vue subscription when the World Cup was going on so that we could watch the games, and that was fine as it was cheaper than going to a bar to watch the games. And that was fine, except I hated all the other time-sucking crap that was out there, and damned if I can keep the kids from turning on the Disney channel. My idea of cord cutting would be for FIFA, or MLS, or Premier League, to offer a standalone soccer only option without blackout restrictions. I'd pay for that. But I don't think that's likely to happen because the licensing deals are too lucrative. Live sports is the only thing I feel I miss out on by not having cable or some sort of cord-cutting streaming service. I love all the great TV serial dramas that are being produced (Game of Thrones, Homeland, Vikings, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, etc.), but I can get all of those at the library on DVD.

Jason

Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Jason »

Netflix stock popped yesterday after they announced a $2 per month increase - from $11 to $13 - in monthly subscription fees. Wall Street took it as a sign that people are hooked enough that they won't lose membership. HBO currently stands at $15.00 per month.

Since we've gone DVD, we have not wanted for content. Will me miss the GOT episodes? Yes, but considering that we didn't watch it in real time the first go round, we will survive. Our savings is $60 approx. per month.

prognastat
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by prognastat »

If you are trying to replace everything cable offered without having cable yeah you'll end up spending far more, but the idea is that you only get the things you really want and not all the stuff bulking up most cable packages that you'll never watch.

Prime + Netflix + Hulu = 8.25 + 8.99 + 7.99 = $25.23

Add in free content such as youtube, pbs, crunchyroll, funimation, crackle, local tv from an antenna, DVDs/Discs from your local library and you literally have a lifetime's worth of content available for far less than even basic cable packages. If you already have Prime simply for the shipping benefits the effective added cost is only $16.98 a month.

Jason

Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Jason »

I feel emancipated by not having the choices. The time wasted trying to find something to watch, starting it, not enjoying it etc. The feeling that since I'm paying for it, I have to use it. A borrowed DVD is just simpler in that regard.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Jason wrote:
Wed Jan 16, 2019 2:37 pm
I feel emancipated by not having the choices. The time wasted trying to find something to watch, starting it, not enjoying it etc. The feeling that since I'm paying for it, I have to use it. A borrowed DVD is just simpler in that regard.
I agree. It's similar to the "finishability" concept I read about in David Sax's The Revenge of Analog book, regarding why I prefer to read an article in a print magazine vs. reading the same article online, filled with a bunch of links to other stuff I think I should read as well. Watching TV through cable or some streaming service just feels more like wasting time, whereas borrowing/renting a DVD feels more like I've accomplished something, similar to finishing a book. The digital platforms can sort of simulate this feeling, like having a video library on Amazon or a watchlist on Netflix or whatever, but it's just not the same. Just as picking up and listening to a music record (or CD, or cassette) is superior to listening to that same album on Spotify Premium. There's something to be said for things having a beginning and an end, as opposed to a never-ending rabbit hole of brain-numbing and exhausting options.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

DW reminded me she signed up for a dependent care FSA this year, which is phenomenal for no other reason than it means I get to remove aftercare as a line item on our budget, because it's now being directly paid by non-take-home income money. I'll still factor it into the savings rate calculation, but the psychological effect of not having a big "aftercare/camps" line item on the monthly budget is quite nice.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Kid1 had the idea of the family giving up TV for Lent. Sounds like a plan.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

But on the topic of giving things up--I'm ready for a drink. 12 more days to go.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

For fun and inspiration I revisited Jacob's 21-day makeover on the ERE blog, and Day 1 prompted me to go back and look at some of our pre-move monthly budgets. Amazingly, we were paying ~$4,200/month just for mortgages (first, second, and personal loan repayment), as opposed to the ~$1,900/month (just 1 mortgage) we are paying now. That doesn't even reflect how much more we were paying for utilities and yard stuff (like shockingly frequent tree removal services) in the bigger, detached home vs. the smaller, townhouse we are in now. Depending on how you calculate it, ~$4,200 would work out to roughly 50% of the money we have going out of the checking account each month (including post-tax savings). Currently, less than 20% of money going out of checking each month goes to the mortgage, as opposed to over 40% going to post-tax savings like 529 plans, mutual fund contributions, and transfers to the savings account.

Another huge benefit of our current housing situation, we have so much more time in the evenings and on the weekends to spend with the kids doing things like playing cards/board games, going on hikes and to the park, reading, etc. In our prior house, weekends were spent doing yard work, cleaning, fixing stuff around the house, and so on. Now, none of my time is spent doing yard work, and cleaning and fixing stuff takes very little time because the house is smaller and newer.

Now if I can just convince DW that we really only need one car.

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