September Update
I think this was the first time missing a monthly update. I was busy over the last couple months and more social than I've been since early 2020. Out enjoying the beautiful summer and abroad for a few weeks on holiday.
Financial:
We saw a nice increase of 23,244 in July and then a drop of 2,517 in August. I updated my spreadsheets after getting back from our trip around August 20th, then watched our accounts lose 15k+ over the next ten days to end up down for the month. Spending has been higher over the last two months as a result of the vacation and more social activities, but most of the expenses were planned out or in line with my values.
Reading:
Books Finished-
Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion
Hail Mary - Andy Weir
Pachinko - Min Jin Lee
The Moneyless Manifesto - Mark Boyle
Currently Reading-
The Moneyless Man - Mark Boyle
Hold the Enlightenment - Tim Cahill
Gratitude:
It took me around 5 years to finish my first gratitude journal after DW gave one to me for Christmas a while back. The journal should have taken 6 months if I was actually doing it daily. Well....I finally established a morning and evening gratitude habit last fall as part of my ERE mastermind group. I finished my current notebook in 7 months. It is such a simple but valuable practice to reframe how I look at the world. It is a bit like exercise or nutrition, in that it takes prolonged habits and routine to begin to see results.
Social Activities and Travel:
July and August were packed full of activities and travel. Shortly after my last update I went to Montana for an annual camping trip with a bunch of old friends for five days. We were on the Clark Fork river again this year, but didn't have to deal with wildfire smoke. The vegetation was lush after several months of above-average precipitation. Lots of fun swimming, cooking, playing horseshoes/cornhole/can-jam, and hanging out by the fire. Bald eagles would fly back and forth along the river, occasionally swooping down to catch some fish.
This guy found a nice spot to perch above my tent:
DW spent quite a bit of time hanging out by the local river this summer. It isn't ideal for swimming in but is a great spot to cool off. I'd usually bring my guitar and a couple beers, or we'd bring some books and enjoy the sun and scenery. We also met up with old friends visiting town, and went out to a couple different lake cabins for barbecues and swimming.
Our preferred spot to cool off by the river this summer:
Mexico was the big highlight of the summer. We spent 20 days there, and scheduled a four day stopover in Seattle to see friends and family. Overall, the trip went really well without any major hiccups. At this point in our lives we prefer to travel a little more slowly and try to limit the amount of time we need to spend in trains/planes/buses. We spent the first week in Playa Del Carmen and celebrated our ninth anniversary there. Then went down to Tulum, back up to Cozumel, and back to Playa Del Carmen. I was initially disappointed with my Spanish, but after the first day or two, I gained some confidence and felt much more comfortable conversationally. One evening at our first AirBnb I hung out on the rooftop pool for a couple hours and had a 60 minute conversation with a couple from Mexico City. That felt pretty amazing and inspired me to keep learning on the trip, and after my return.
We spent about 2k for 24 days of travel - just over 3k with airfare. I could have used points to lower some of those costs, but was saving them for some domestic travel. We also had the regular carrying costs (apartment, internet, car insurance, etc) back home. It was definitely a bougie trip but that is basically what we wanted. Infinity pools, one or two meals out per day, and a few adventures like cenotes, ruins, and snorkeling. Even with the luxury, we still flexed our frugality muscles with local buses, rented bicycles, keeping groceries on hand for breakfast and snacks, and going to the best value restaurants for meals out. The food was amazing and very affordable. Cochinita Pibil is a specialty in the region and I got a little obsessed about sampling it from different places. Cozumel was a good change of pace because we stayed in a condo in the hotel zone, stocked up on groceries, cooked all our own meals and snorkeled and read all day.
One aspect of everything that was a bit hard to swallow was being in the middle of so much consumption. It started with the large international airports, and just seeing the masses of people flying everywhere, thinking about how that is happening every day. Tulum, in particular, was a challenge for me because it seemed to be developing so quickly without very good infrastructure, and expanding outward into the jungle. So much plastic everywhere due to the lack of potable water. Reading The Moneyless Manifesto while I was there probably didn't help. DW was a good sport about discussing some of this stuff, but I also tried to curb these thoughts so I wasn't being too much of a downer. The experience had me reflecting on how I might handle long-term slow travel as a transition into non-traditional/FI lifestyle. I experienced a lot of these dynamics and observations while traveling in my 20's, but I think I've been subconsciously ignoring them while remembering the highlights of those trips.
It was great connecting with friends and family in Seattle. We got out to explore some parks and trails that I hadn't seen before. The costs were a bit of a shock after getting back from Mexico. I covered a meal for three that was basically the same price as a week worth of eating out in Mexico. Returning home and getting back to my regular routines has been really nice as well. I've hung out a lot with friends and family, and managed to head out for a quick, overnight backpacking trip on the edge of the bitterroot mountains.
New trails and parks in Seattle:
Wind, clouds, and peaceful evenings up in the mountains: