Second the vitamix. They are expensive but useful, if, like me, you think fruit and veg. are a good investment. Fiber and all that.
I find that a smoothie is a very good/easy/cheap meal replacement too because you can pretty much chuck anything in there. Usually I do kale/ carrot/ apple/ banana/ avocado/ yogurt/ peanut butter/ walnuts/ almonds/ milk. Any combination, or sometimes all, of those things. A dash of vanilla extract is good. Amazingly it does not taste bad!
Full disclosure: received mine as a gift so I didn't bear that crazy high cost myself
akratic's ERE journal
I have a lower-cost option to the Vitamix. I was about to take the plunge to buy one, then I thought it was overkill just to make smoothies so I bought the Nutribullet. I saw it on an infomercial where it was priced $120. I went onto Amazon to research it and saw somebody say that Target carries it for $100. When I went to purchase it (1.5 weeks ago) it was discounted $10 for a $90 purchase price. Sold!
Since acquiring it, I've made a breakfast smoothie each day with spinach, mixed frozen fruit, almonds and flax seed. I can't taste the spinach even a little bit. If I use lighter-color fruits, like peach and banana, the spinach will discolor the smoothie an unappetizing brown color, but it's still delicious.
I found that most of the critical reviews on Amazon were regarding people who didn't screw the top on tight enough causing leaks. I've been careful about that and haven't had any issues. I'm so pleased with this device - it's way more powerful than any other blender I've ever owned. The best part is that it doesn't take up as much space on my counter as a full-size blender. I've also made some bean dip and blended vegetable soups (carrot and squash). It handles all beautifully.
http://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Bullet-NBR- ... B007TIE0GQ
It's worth a look IMHO.
Since acquiring it, I've made a breakfast smoothie each day with spinach, mixed frozen fruit, almonds and flax seed. I can't taste the spinach even a little bit. If I use lighter-color fruits, like peach and banana, the spinach will discolor the smoothie an unappetizing brown color, but it's still delicious.
I found that most of the critical reviews on Amazon were regarding people who didn't screw the top on tight enough causing leaks. I've been careful about that and haven't had any issues. I'm so pleased with this device - it's way more powerful than any other blender I've ever owned. The best part is that it doesn't take up as much space on my counter as a full-size blender. I've also made some bean dip and blended vegetable soups (carrot and squash). It handles all beautifully.
http://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Bullet-NBR- ... B007TIE0GQ
It's worth a look IMHO.
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BeyondtheWrap
- Posts: 598
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:38 pm
- Location: NYC
@all: thanks for the Vitamix feedback, etc. I put it on the Wishlist, but expensive things on that list usually sit there for a few months or years before they get purchased.
June 2012
Unusual expenses:
- $194 for an eight day trip to Seattle (four days hiking/camping, four days couchsurfing)
- $61 for gear for the hiking part of the trip
I killed my side business this month! Or rather: I sent shutting down emails to all customers notifying them that the service was closing October 2012. To appease the customers I open sourced all code for the business, and I'm not charging them for the next few months. I need to learn from this experience and be careful to not be exposed to non-creative work in the future. I'm terrible at things like the following: responding to customer emails, invoicing, solving problems I already know how to solve, paperwork, marketing, cashing checks, returning phone calls, PR, etc.
Another big new development this month is my girlfriend and I figured out how to cook dried beans so that they taste as good as beans from a can. Finally! Since we eat beans 4-5 times a week, this saves us around $10/mo, is healthier, and will require fewer trips to the store. The trick for us is to use a slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker.
I made a new graph this month of what real returns I need from my investments to be financially indepedent. For this SWR chart I use the average of my last 12 month's expenses, whereas for the net worth chart I use just my expenses for the past month multiplied by 12. So the SWR graph should be smoother. I'm declaring victory when the SWR graph hits 3.00%. I turn 30 during in the middle of February 2013, so it'll be a race to hit 3% while I'm still in my 20s. My projections have me succeeding around 1 January 2013, so there isn't much room for error.
My landlord raised my rent $50/mo ($25/mo each for me and my girlfriend), effective in September. I look forward to owning my place instead of renting, just as soon as owning is compatible with my lifestyle. I guess by that point I'll probably just buy the place with cash, which will be fun.
Over the past 7 weeks I've lost around 0.50 lbs/week. My goal is to lose 1.00 lbs/week, so I need to eat better and exercise more to make faster progress. I guess it's a sign that I'm getting older that I need to try harder than I've needed to try in the past.
June 2012
Unusual expenses:
- $194 for an eight day trip to Seattle (four days hiking/camping, four days couchsurfing)
- $61 for gear for the hiking part of the trip
I killed my side business this month! Or rather: I sent shutting down emails to all customers notifying them that the service was closing October 2012. To appease the customers I open sourced all code for the business, and I'm not charging them for the next few months. I need to learn from this experience and be careful to not be exposed to non-creative work in the future. I'm terrible at things like the following: responding to customer emails, invoicing, solving problems I already know how to solve, paperwork, marketing, cashing checks, returning phone calls, PR, etc.
Another big new development this month is my girlfriend and I figured out how to cook dried beans so that they taste as good as beans from a can. Finally! Since we eat beans 4-5 times a week, this saves us around $10/mo, is healthier, and will require fewer trips to the store. The trick for us is to use a slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker.
I made a new graph this month of what real returns I need from my investments to be financially indepedent. For this SWR chart I use the average of my last 12 month's expenses, whereas for the net worth chart I use just my expenses for the past month multiplied by 12. So the SWR graph should be smoother. I'm declaring victory when the SWR graph hits 3.00%. I turn 30 during in the middle of February 2013, so it'll be a race to hit 3% while I'm still in my 20s. My projections have me succeeding around 1 January 2013, so there isn't much room for error.
My landlord raised my rent $50/mo ($25/mo each for me and my girlfriend), effective in September. I look forward to owning my place instead of renting, just as soon as owning is compatible with my lifestyle. I guess by that point I'll probably just buy the place with cash, which will be fun.
Over the past 7 weeks I've lost around 0.50 lbs/week. My goal is to lose 1.00 lbs/week, so I need to eat better and exercise more to make faster progress. I guess it's a sign that I'm getting older that I need to try harder than I've needed to try in the past.
Thanks to a few good days in a row for the PP, today I hit assets of 30x "trailing twelve month expenses" for the first time.
That means financial independence indefinitely with a 3.33% real return from my investments, and financial indepence for 70 years with a 2.88% real return.
33x is the only real milestone left. Until I get married and have kids and my expenses double, I guess.
I'm not sure what to do after 33x. I would consider dying with a bunch of money in the bank to be sub-optimal planning. I guess I could inflate my expenses a bit.
I'm not sure what I want that costs money that I don't already have. I've been brainstorming and here's what I've got:
=> an apartment with more natural sunlight
=> an apartment with a second bedroom just for when guests stay over
=> to travel (slowly), although I'd probably travel somewhere much cheaper than Chicago, so the lower cost of living would more than make up for the expensive flights.
=> pre-chopped onions (I'm sick of chopping onions)
=> join a crossfit gym
A normal way that people inflate their expenses is by going out to eat more, but one of the biggest unexpected surprises of my ERE journey is nowadays my girlfriend and I are freaking ninjas at cooking. We cook the following meals out of cheap ingredients:
=> quinoa/brown rice/black rice/bulgar wheat + chicken/chorizo + black/chili/white/kidney beans + onions + garlic + sriracha sauce + olive oil + sometimes banana peppers / bell peppers
=> pulled pork (surprisingly easy to make!)/salmon burgers + sweet potatoe fries + ketchup
=> pasta + chicken + pesto/tomato sauce
=> asian noodles + chicken + asian sauce + pot stickers
Preparing these dinners takes about 10 minutes of effort and around $2. Compared to restaurant meals, they taste just as good, but are healthier and more satisfying and faster. It's getting harder and harder to enjoy going out to eat for me, although due to social obligations I usually end up going out around once every week or two.
I still cant' seem to figure out breakfast though. As mentioned earlier, a Vitamix might help. Maybe that'll be my 33x celebration: the purchase of an expensive unnecessary product. It appears I may have missed the point of this whole exercise.
That means financial independence indefinitely with a 3.33% real return from my investments, and financial indepence for 70 years with a 2.88% real return.
33x is the only real milestone left. Until I get married and have kids and my expenses double, I guess.
I'm not sure what to do after 33x. I would consider dying with a bunch of money in the bank to be sub-optimal planning. I guess I could inflate my expenses a bit.
I'm not sure what I want that costs money that I don't already have. I've been brainstorming and here's what I've got:
=> an apartment with more natural sunlight
=> an apartment with a second bedroom just for when guests stay over
=> to travel (slowly), although I'd probably travel somewhere much cheaper than Chicago, so the lower cost of living would more than make up for the expensive flights.
=> pre-chopped onions (I'm sick of chopping onions)
=> join a crossfit gym
A normal way that people inflate their expenses is by going out to eat more, but one of the biggest unexpected surprises of my ERE journey is nowadays my girlfriend and I are freaking ninjas at cooking. We cook the following meals out of cheap ingredients:
=> quinoa/brown rice/black rice/bulgar wheat + chicken/chorizo + black/chili/white/kidney beans + onions + garlic + sriracha sauce + olive oil + sometimes banana peppers / bell peppers
=> pulled pork (surprisingly easy to make!)/salmon burgers + sweet potatoe fries + ketchup
=> pasta + chicken + pesto/tomato sauce
=> asian noodles + chicken + asian sauce + pot stickers
Preparing these dinners takes about 10 minutes of effort and around $2. Compared to restaurant meals, they taste just as good, but are healthier and more satisfying and faster. It's getting harder and harder to enjoy going out to eat for me, although due to social obligations I usually end up going out around once every week or two.
I still cant' seem to figure out breakfast though. As mentioned earlier, a Vitamix might help. Maybe that'll be my 33x celebration: the purchase of an expensive unnecessary product. It appears I may have missed the point of this whole exercise.
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jacob
- Site Admin
- Posts: 17147
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
- Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
- Contact:
'What costs money' is a partner who is not FI but which one is tied to "for better or worse". Hence, a secondary goal could be to cover two people because the lack of financial freedom of the partner does restrict you as well to some extent as in "sorry, I can't go and have fun with you, because I gotta work."
After that, I don't know ... "build a playground", maybe.
After that, I don't know ... "build a playground", maybe.
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LiquidSapphire
- Posts: 510
- Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 6:40 pm
http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henckels ... 0778802566
Available at my local library and maybe yours too
Or any of these fine unitaskers might suit you well!
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Inter ... on+chopper
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-EHC6 ... on+chopper
http://www.amazon.com/Vidalia-Chop-Wiza ... on+chopper
I always enjoy your posts, thanks.
Available at my local library and maybe yours too
Or any of these fine unitaskers might suit you well!
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Inter ... on+chopper
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-EHC6 ... on+chopper
http://www.amazon.com/Vidalia-Chop-Wiza ... on+chopper
I always enjoy your posts, thanks.
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borisborisboris
- Posts: 67
- Joined: Sun Aug 08, 2010 4:12 pm
We have one of those unitaskers (a great word) LiquidSapphire linked to, only for chopping garlic instead of onions. Even though I HATE chopping garlic, I continue to use a knife because the unitasker is a bitch and half to clean.
Incidentally, the same point about cleaning applies to our Vitamix, although I do use the Vitamix quite a bit due to extreme usefulness / awesomeness.
Incidentally, the same point about cleaning applies to our Vitamix, although I do use the Vitamix quite a bit due to extreme usefulness / awesomeness.
Now the more difficult part of ERE starts for you, being financial independent.
I have enjoyed your posts to reach your financial goal. What now? Perhaps what Jacob suggests to do the same for your spouse or friend. But after that the same question arises again.
Is your disciplined mind (see all your graphs and documented journey) also suited to make us aware of how and what your next development will be?
I have enjoyed your posts to reach your financial goal. What now? Perhaps what Jacob suggests to do the same for your spouse or friend. But after that the same question arises again.
Is your disciplined mind (see all your graphs and documented journey) also suited to make us aware of how and what your next development will be?
akratic
I'm really enthused by your progress!
I think the hardest thing is to reformulate your goals, which have been FI/RE focused. I'd take time to explore things that interest you to see if they are something that you wish to pursue more seriously.
Jacob has written a few posts about how to switch your mindset once you reach FI. To me, you need to take a few weeks away from your usual surroundings to reset and once you return actively pursue your new interests for a few hours each day.
Good luck!
I'm really enthused by your progress!
I think the hardest thing is to reformulate your goals, which have been FI/RE focused. I'd take time to explore things that interest you to see if they are something that you wish to pursue more seriously.
Jacob has written a few posts about how to switch your mindset once you reach FI. To me, you need to take a few weeks away from your usual surroundings to reset and once you return actively pursue your new interests for a few hours each day.
Good luck!
I'm not sure what's next. There's lots of possibilities. And while I am in a rush to be financially independent, I'm not really in a rush to quit my job. I do plan to keep updating my ERE journal though, so we'll find out together.
borisborisboris's point about cleaning difficulty is definitely relevant here. Remember we're talking about someone who is too lazy to chop onions twice a week. I actually even know the knife skills trick where you remove the outer layer but keep the onion whole, then you make a bunch of cuts, and it all falls apart in the end in pieces.
I'm still somewhat allergic to possessions though, so these unitaskers are going on the wish list instead of the shopping cart.
What I really want is the onion equivalent of this Costco purchase. From what I can tell that's a better deal than even chopping garlic yourself, and way more convenient.
borisborisboris's point about cleaning difficulty is definitely relevant here. Remember we're talking about someone who is too lazy to chop onions twice a week. I actually even know the knife skills trick where you remove the outer layer but keep the onion whole, then you make a bunch of cuts, and it all falls apart in the end in pieces.
I'm still somewhat allergic to possessions though, so these unitaskers are going on the wish list instead of the shopping cart.
What I really want is the onion equivalent of this Costco purchase. From what I can tell that's a better deal than even chopping garlic yourself, and way more convenient.
How do you like them chopped? The closest equivalent to that garlic would be reconstituting dried onions:
http://www.creativehomecook.com/2010/08 ... nions.html
I imagine, if sourced correctly (i.e. buying from a McDonalds supplier, not an individual bottle from the spice aisle), this would end up being much cheaper than fresh onions.
http://www.creativehomecook.com/2010/08 ... nions.html
I imagine, if sourced correctly (i.e. buying from a McDonalds supplier, not an individual bottle from the spice aisle), this would end up being much cheaper than fresh onions.
Wow dragoncar! That's awesome. I'll have to try that. (By the way, I think your link is broken, but now I know what to research, which was the hard part.) That's two very random mysteries that you've solved for me, between the onions and the electric bill.
This is why I plan to keep the journal even after FI: I find you all's feedback helpful, plus posting every month keeps me focused.
This is why I plan to keep the journal even after FI: I find you all's feedback helpful, plus posting every month keeps me focused.
How are you currently chopping onions? I learned an amazing way to dice an onion quickly in an Indian cooking class I took.
1) Peel the onion
2) Chop off the top and split the onion in half (cut the root in half)
3) Slice horizontally towards the root but not all the way so it stays together
4) Slice down towards the cutting board
5) Slice down perpendicularly to the direction in #4
It's probably much easier to just watch a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDjNl5gs4nM
I can now dice an onion in like 30 seconds, which has pretty much completely changed how I cook.
1) Peel the onion
2) Chop off the top and split the onion in half (cut the root in half)
3) Slice horizontally towards the root but not all the way so it stays together
4) Slice down towards the cutting board
5) Slice down perpendicularly to the direction in #4
It's probably much easier to just watch a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDjNl5gs4nM
I can now dice an onion in like 30 seconds, which has pretty much completely changed how I cook.
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jennypenny
- Posts: 6910
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm
LOL, this thead has derailed.
For chopping with no peeling necessary (I just quarter them with a knife to fit into the chopper). I've had mine over 10 years...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Chopper-Mac ... 1c29b745d5
For chopping with no peeling necessary (I just quarter them with a knife to fit into the chopper). I've had mine over 10 years...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Chopper-Mac ... 1c29b745d5