cmonkey's journal

[_JT]

Cool, thanks for sharing. I have quite a bit of cash on hand I'm looking for places to invest, but with stocks and real estate both high in the areas I'm knowledgeable about I've been looking more to P2P.

[cmonkey]

Cool, thanks for sharing. I have quite a bit of cash on hand I'm looking for places to invest, but with stocks and real estate both high in the areas I'm knowledgeable about I've been looking more to P2P.

If you go with LC, the two criteria that I have deemed most important to my higher returns are 1. Zero Inquires and 2. Income greater than 72K annual (6K monthly). Outside of these two, I don't have much other than focusing primarily on C & D grade loans. Two other things I do to boost returns is no more than the minimum ($25) per note and don't invest less than $2500. I'd say to get good stable returns you should invest at least $5000-$10000, but LC states anything over $2500 is best.

[Dragline]

+1 on the loan criteria. I've been trying to go with incomes higher than $8K per month.

[steveo73]

This is why I pursue FI. So when this happens again, it won't even matter.

I think that this is a big positive in relation to pursuing FI.

My job is similar in that they are constantly restructuring and retrenching. They did it last year and I kept my job but you never know when it will happen again. I actually want to get retrenched but I'd prefer it to happen in a year or two's time. That way it would probably mean that I'm FI via the retrenchment package.

I think the process of becoming FI though is so important. I haven't worked much this week at all. I don't have much work on. I don't feel though that I have to turn up and push for more work. I think the process of becoming FI gives you more resiliency or at least it feels that way.

[_JT]

Cool, thanks for sharing. I have quite a bit of cash on hand I'm looking for places to invest, but with stocks and real estate both high in the areas I'm knowledgeable about I've been looking more to P2P.

If you go with LC, the two criteria that I have deemed most important to my higher returns are 1. Zero Inquires and 2. Income greater than 72K annual (6K monthly). Outside of these two, I don't have much other than focusing primarily on C & D grade loans. Two other things I do to boost returns is no more than the minimum ($25) per note and don't invest less than $2500. I'd say to get good stable returns you should invest at least $5000-$10000, but LC states anything over $2500 is best.

Great tips, thanks! I was looking at doing C & D loans, and I'd probably invest 10k or so for starters. But I'm waiting to hear back on a few real estate deals I may partner on instead.

[cmonkey]

It's Always Darkest Right Before Dawn

As of 3 pm yesterday.......CARPET!









With the pad, it is about 1.5-2 inches thick* and SO DAMN SOFT. When you have spent months and months walking on nothing but tiling and plywood......you just have no idea how wonderful carpet is, let alone luxury quality carpet. Yesterday completely justified the last 10 months of slaving away on this project. It's like walking on clouds, or cotten candy. It feels like I shouldn't be walking on it, lest I ruin it.




October

Anyway, October has been a pretty great month, but admittedly hard since we have be SO close to wrapping up this project....yet quite a lot to do yet. I think I had all the drywall up on the Weekend of Oct 8 and we also ordered our carpet on the 7th. Then I spent 2 weeks finishing the drywall and also finishing the drywall in our staircase. This was difficult! I had to use a ladder and it was extremely awkward. We spent the past week getting everything painted and I put the last coat of paint on the stairs the night before the carpeters arrived. Everything worked out perfectly.



DW's cousin also arrived on the 16th and she has been great to have around. She is 22 and is student teaching near our home. Its fun having someone new around, and someone who isn't like us**. We went out and celebrated turning the corner on our renovation last night by going to a local Indian restaurant. I have never been to one, and I have fallen in love. Too bad the price turns me away.


The next 2-3 weeks I will meander my way around putting all the trim on, the rest of the outlet covers and a couple of ceiling fans. All the little finishing touches. After that we need to fix up the old hardwood floor in our new bedroom. Nothing will be as intense as the last few months, and I am feeling really great.


In the mean time I have appropriately gotten a jump start on my long "to-read" list by picking up this classic by Tom Hodgkinson. I spent yesterday reading it while the carpeters worked away, and I skipped work in the afternoon by taking some much needed vacation (aka Skiving Off to you Brits ).




Sunrise

If July and August were the darkest parts of our year, September saw the sky starting to brighten a little bit. October has seen vast swaths of red and pink clouds filling the sky and November will see the sun dawn of the next phase of our life where we can enjoy our new home and raise a little ERE-style family. I am really excited to be reaching the end of this and get on with what comes next. I won't work so hard from now on....I promise. I will have one more update for this project - I'll post before and after photos of everything and also whip up some floor plans of before and after so you can see what we changed. Expect this in late November I think. Eventually I will finish the rest of the basement, but not for a while. I need a break.


Oh one more thing - tomorrow I get paid and it's the first paycheck since April where I will actually SAVE again and keep saving. So thrilled.

* It's so thick I needed to cut 1/2 inch off the bottoms of the doors, despite shimming them up 3/8 inch when I installed them.
**She is very extroverted/energetic and enjoys going out, as opposed to DW and I who would willingly spend 2-4 weeks huddled in our home if given the chance.

[vexed87]

@cmonkey, your place is really coming on. Is the cat indoor only, you're brave letting him/her on such a light carpet if not, although I guess they are cleaner than dogs... For this very reason, our homes have always had wooden/tiled flooring. Although I do like plush carpets, particularly in the winter! Dogs bring in vast amounts of dirt and water so it's impractical, ours is particularly clever and opens doors, even to get into the bedroom, so even for the technically off limits rooms, carpets are not feasible!

P.S., technically skiving isn't taking annual leave entitlement, it's like "playing hooky" which is naughtier, just sayin .

[cmonkey]

@vexed, Well I didn't log the vacation in our system, so.

Thanks for the compliment on the house. We are really happy to be this far. The trim won't take too long since it is pre-stained wood. Just cut and put it up. The two girls are indoor only and Monty is put into our fenced-in garden when the weather is nice. The only bit of carpet he can be on is the staircase, since we keep him in the basement. Even so I wiped his feet yesterday when I brought him in.

[FBeyer]

Indian food man... It's the proverbial bee's knees!
I've slowly dialed in a tarka dal recipe that I think is pretty close to what we can get at the local Indian restaurants around here. I also finally took the time to bake naan recently to complete the experience.

Let me phrase my excitement with an external image:



Despite the bad rap lentils get, dal might be one of my favorite foods right now!
Recipe coming to the Lifestyle section soon

'grats on the house. Enjoy it. And work hard not to let hedonic adaptation set in.

[llorona]

It's fun seeing your cats cautiously explore the new carpet.

Indian food is the bomb! With a few basic spices like cumin, coriander, tumeric, etc. and a good supply of garlic, ginger, and onions, you can replicate many recipes at home. This site has great recipes: http://showmethecurry.com/

[steveo73]

Despite the bad rap lentils get, dal might be one of my favorite foods right now!

One thing I don't get is how people give all beans bad wraps. To me they taste great.

Cmonkey - your house looks great.

[cmonkey]

Leaf Mould & Some Garden Photos

In the spirit of breaking some of the political monotony on the forum, and the renovation monotony in my journal I thought I'd post some photos of what's going on on our homestead. I didn't work outside at ALL until November. It's sad, but hey, better late than never.

I spent about 5 hours yesterday collecting/mulching our leaf harvest for the year. We make leaf mould each year, but I'm still learning how to do it properly. This time I am going to flip the pile and water it thoroughly each time. I am going to post an update each time so you can see how it's coming.

Here's the collection. Leaves on the ends and compost in the middle. Also, Monty on the lookout for voles. We have dozens around.



Chickens

Our chickens are doing well. We are getting 1 egg per day right now because they are molting and the daylight is short. We also got rid of Bee a couple of months back. Flock anxiety is gone now.

I use my oak leaves for mulch in the chicken run because they take forever to break down. Years!





One of the few photos of our garden I'm willing so share. We got this cleaned up a bit but still lots of work to do. I love it though.

Anyone want any frozen hot peppers??! As you can see we planted way too many again.



We planted a hedge in the back with native fruiting/flowering shrubs. The Aronia Arbutifolia is fruiting!! So beautiful. They also have bright red leaves



We planted a couple of Goji Berry bushes a couple years ago. This year we have hundreds of Goji Berries! The taste is different. I kinda like it but DW isn't a fan.




Rose Hips




We still have roses blooming despite our first freeze two nights ago.






Remember, politics will always be ugly and gardens will always be beautiful. Where will you put your energy?

[jacob]

Your leaf pile makes my tiny garden waste/leaf composting efforts look downright pathetic. (I actually think I don't have enough density for much composting to take place give how it's about 5 sqft or maybe 25 cubic feet. We have two big trees out front and I've been collecting 1/4 of the leaves. I'm thinking I should scale up my efforts.

You could have converted all those chilies into sambal oelek. I've been adding mine into that tomato sauce recipe I posted on the garden log thread.

[halfmoon]

I'm so happy to see new photos from you! Your journal, with its beautiful chicken and garden photos, was the one that sucked me in when I first wandered by here. I was just emerging from a dark period of work stress and depression, and your journal was a reminder of the things that used to bring me joy.

What is the meaning of "too many hot peppers"? Not possible. Can't you dry them or make salsa?

[cmonkey]

I'm thinking I should scale up my efforts.

You might just collect a few of those bag folks set out on the curb. Let them do the collecting for you. If I'm ever in need of more leaves, I have thought of just doing that.

I'll have to try that recipe next year. We inevitably grow "too many" hots each year.

I'm so happy to see new photos from you! Your journal, with its beautiful chicken and garden photos, was the one that sucked me in when I first wandered by here. I was just emerging from a dark period of work stress and depression, and your journal was a reminder of the things that used to bring me joy.

What is the meaning of "too many hot peppers"? Not possible. Can't you dry them or make salsa?

Thank you! I'm glad my writing could help you out of a dark time. Have things improved for you?

We did actually make a lot of salsa. A little goes a long way. Also I think I have been somewhat of a "spice weenie" as of late. I used to really love it but lately....


Regarding the photos of the homestead, I'll definitely be more active going forward. I've finally gotten my life back and we are enjoying our house fully now, with just a few little things to finish.

[halfmoon]

I'm thinking I should scale up my efforts.

You might just collect a few of those bag folks set out on the curb. Let them do the collecting for you. If I'm ever in need of more leaves, I have thought of just doing that.

You might also just ask your neighbors to dump their leaves on your compost pile. They'd probably be happy to do so, and it might open a dialogue on a variety of anti-fragility topics.

I'm so happy to see new photos from you! Your journal, with its beautiful chicken and garden photos, was the one that sucked me in when I first wandered by here. I was just emerging from a dark period of work stress and depression, and your journal was a reminder of the things that used to bring me joy.

What is the meaning of "too many hot peppers"? Not possible. Can't you dry them or make salsa?

Thank you! I'm glad my writing could help you out of a dark time. Have things improved for you?

We did actually make a lot of salsa. A little goes a long way. Also I think I have been somewhat of a "spice weenie" as of late. I used to really love it but lately....

Regarding the photos of the homestead, I'll definitely be more active going forward. I've finally gotten my life back and we are enjoying our house fully now, with just a few little things to finish.

Looking forward to the photos. It's my experience that the spice weenie condition fluctuates, so don't write off the salsa just yet. We cut the peppers with a lot of cilantro, garlic or garlic scapes, and tomatillos or green tomatoes (no shortage of those in the PNW).

Things have definitely improved for me, and rediscovering the satisfaction of growing things was part of it. I know this sounds kind of dramatic, but reading your journal came along at the perfect time to help me remember this. I'll never be a fan(atic) on the level of DH, who literally can't resist planting anything that sprouts even if it's in the compost, but at my level it was revelatory.

***Wow; it took me about half a lifetime of trial and error to figure out how to get the quotes and replies to tile correctly in this. It's good to learn new things. It's good to learn new things. It's good to learn new things...

[Ydobon]

I love the cats exploring carpets photos

[cmonkey]

Sometimes Life Just Slaps You

I haven't written anything for quite a while, but not much has been "write worthy" until today. Since getting our carpet in back in October, I spent 2-3 weeks putting most of the trim on and then just chilling out. We emptied out the room that will be our bedroom and that's about it, I haven't done anything.

DW's cousin spent 2 months living with us and moved out on Dec 14. It was not as fun as we thought it would be, I spent much of the time stewing about her wasteful habits.

DW and I have also decided to not have a kid next year. Coming down off the stress of renovation and having a family member live with you has put us both into a 'let's just chill out for the indefinite future' mood.


Now we are with her family for the next 2 weeks in Minnesota after getting here in one piece thanks to one very kind old farmer. Our trip was uneventful until we actually got to Minnesota and found half the roads covered with blowing snow and black ice. I never switched on the 4WD and we managed to fishtail on some ice and drive right into the ditch! We sat there for an hour before even one person stopped, but the guy that did pulled us into the field and we drove out the field entrance with no harm done. It turns out we wiped out on the very LAST patch of ice between there and our destination....the next 35 miles were clear. WHY?!

2 hours later, the AAA guys finally called us to ask where we were.


I'm just really glad there are people out there who are willing to stop and help strangers. DW and I stopped and helped out a young guy get out of the ditch 2 years ago.....so now we know how we made that guy feel. Just really grateful.

I'm going to try to keep my eye open for opportunities to help someone out. I think we (more so myself) can really forget what it's like to help and be helped when you are in need. Day's like today slap you and bring you back to that feeling and its a wonderful feeling.




I thought I'd share this though. Here's what $20 buys you in MN if you know where to go to find it.

[George the original one]

Creamed corn comes in a tube like cheap hamburger? Man, the things you learn on the internet.

[halfmoon]

Creamed corn comes in a tube like cheap hamburger? Man, the things you learn on the internet.

My thought almost exactly (except substitute cheap sausage for cheap hamburger). I had to google this directly, and I see that it is indeed a thing. Note that the third ingredient after corn and water is high fructose corn syrup. No "cream" or dairy products. Really, cmonkey? You do know that you have a moral responsibility as icon of gardening, chickens and general healthful goodness? Don't stray to the Dark Side now!