The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here's an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 170,000 times in 2014. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 7 days for that many people to see it.
4 years, 2 months.
Dear Jack,
In theory, two weeks from now we should already be sleeping in our new home; as the closing date is January 29th.
So obviously, our family is very excited about our upcoming move…
However, at the same time, I’m equally nervous about it. Because I’m not kidding myself on the potential logistical problems that can and may easily occur before or on our closing date.
Mommy and I are both taking off from work the day after our closing date to facilitate the move; for me, one of my assignments is to be there for the guy to install our Internet and also for another guy to move in the refrigerator.
And I’m anxious about the “final walk-through,” worried it won’t happen this week as it’s supposed to, and worried that for the things we do find that need to be fixed, that they won’t be fixed in time to move in on time.
From there, I fear that we will have to choose sacrificing moving in the day we are supposed to… over having some small issues taken care of, like some of the doors not closing as smoothly and the front porch light already having a crack in it.
Well, I guess we’ll find out pretty soon how that part of the story works out.
As for now, I’ll spotlight some of the finishing touches we noticed on our visit yesterday, after seeing Paddington.
They put in grass, shrubbery, and trees for our yard; they finished the construction of our fence, and they stained our shutters for us.
It’s pretty cool to be able to look out the windows of the back of the house and see ourbackyard.
Our backyard. We’re going to have a backyard. That is definitely a new concept; as constrasted to the townhouse we’ve lived in all these years.
We’re almost there. I’m really looking forward to us already being moved in though.
That’s why this whole thing doesn’t end once we do move; there will surely be much more to the story.
Love,
Daddy
4 years, 1 month.
Dear Jack,
As your Daddy, it is one of one my responsibilities to help teach you how to manage your money.
These days, it’s not as simple as saving more than you spend. It’s just as much about planning further ahead; decades ahead, as well as investing our money; as Robert Kiyosaki teaches in his book, Rich Dad Poor Dad.
In a modern culture where it’s “normal” to be in debt, Mommy and I are doing our best to lead you by example, in hopes you will likely grow up to have the same mindset.
We worked very hard to earn our “debt-free status” (other than the mortgage) back in July 2013; we lived without smart phones, cable or satellite TV, eating out, pets, or buying any new gadgets or appliances; nor can I deny that having you as our only child has had a lot to do with it.
Really, I’m just now becoming more open-minded to the idea of having another child; largely because we are much more secure in managing our money now, and also obviously because we are moving into a bigger house, which makes more sense as compared to our 2 bedroom townhouse we’ve lived in this whole time, up until recently.
And so with that being our norm and our lifestyle for the time leading up to going debt-free, it’s something we’ve naturally maintained since then.
Without our family being “weird” in regards to living without certain things, it’s an absolutely fact we wouldn’t be able to move into our new house.
For the record, we are not able to buy a new house because Mommy and I are suddenly began making a lot more money all of the sudden; in fact, I make less now that I stopped writing for Parents.com last July.
As you get older, I want you to notice the definite irony in congratulating someone when they buy a new car. Because in almost every case, you’re in essence congratulating them on having to now make monthly payments; the majority of which, at first, goes straight to interest.
They have now inherited a new debt to have to worry about, as part of their family budget.
One of my coworkers, who was a banker for a couple of decades, likes to say this: “Those who understand how interest works, charge it. Those who don’t understand how it works, pay it.”
I recognize that, in reality, the commonly perceived glory of that new car will essentially be gone by the time it’s paid off; since it’s a depreciative asset, unlike a new house. The true glory is when the car is less shiny and impressive, but is paid off.
It used to mean something to see a person driving a nice new car. But these days, it typically just means they’re making payment.
Why should that impress anyone?
Nearly anyone these days can go into more debt by financing a new purchase; not everyone can buy something in cash.
Or if it’s not a car, we can use other examples of perceived status symbols: clothes, electronics, house furnishings, vacations…
However, a true status symbol is a paid off one. Like Dave Ramsey implies, being mortgage free is the new retirement.
I’ve been thinking about this stuff a lot here lately we are exactly 2 weeks away from closing on the new house we are building.
There for a while, it looked like there was a good possibility my paid off car was going to be totaled, when I was hit by an albino deer the night before Thanksgiving.
Thank God, I missed the “totaled” criteria by a couple hundred dollars. I am so grateful that I won’t have to worry about a new car payment, in addition to our mortgage payment on our new house.
I get to continue driving my 10 year-old 2004 Honda Element with 143,000 miles on it! I am so happy about that.
With that being said, our new house is not a true status symbol. Unless we strive to get ahead of the game, it would take 30 years to pay off our new house; I would be 63 years old.
That’s why it’s going to be one of our new challenges to figure out strategic ways to pay off our mortgage early. In a strange way, it’s something I look forward to.
I recognize that for the first 15 years of that 30 year mortgage, the overwhelming majority goes straight to interest, not to the principle. I’m very passionate about taking advantage of the situation by paying as much as we can on the principle whenever we can.
Until we pay off our new house, however many years it ends up taking, our new house is just like any other financed, perceived “status symbol” a person can have.
Love,
Daddy
4 years, 1 month.
Dear Jack,
Yesterday our family visited our new home for the final random time, as our next visit will the final walk-through!
So obviously, as we are scheduled to be moving in 3 weeks from right now, the carpet is finally in. Not that there is anything particularly glorious about carpet in general, I would have to say that having the carpet installed in our new home now makes things feel very real and official.
Mommy brought the tape measurer so we could measure for the TV in our bonus room.
We also took a good long walk around the living room downstairs as we are, in all seriousness, considering getting a pool table instead of a couch; when that time comes. (We’re not immediately furnishing our new home; just as it fits the budget.)
With Craig’s List, there’s a good chance we could get a pool table for free if we are willing to come pick it up from someone’s house. We’re not quite ready to make that decision now, but we are in the consideration stage.
I thought I was just joking when I mentioned it to Mommy, but to my surprise, she apparently thought it was a cool and relevant way to utilize our living room; since our TV will be upstairs anyway.
We also noticed that our yard is being filled in with dirt; meanwhile our fence’s construction has begun.
Next weekend we’re planning on going to see Paddington in the movie theatre, then just a few days later is our final walk-through.
The time is almost here. And I still haven’t taken the time to officially declare that our town house sold a couple of months ago…
Again, until I can know how much money we made off the deal, I just don’t feel closure with that story yet. We are still waiting on a refund to come in the mail on that.
We are so close to moving in. Our family is more than ready!
Love,
Daddy
This week I had someone ask me a very relevant question. I have to admit, I feel honored that someone would come to me for my take on this!
“Hey Nick. [My husband] is trying to loose weight and I am trying to eat healthier along with him. We are trying to eat less processed foods and more vegetables and protein. We will still eat meat but do you have any tips or websites of healthier food plans or recipes?”
So today, I am going to simplify this for anyone else as well who is wishing to stay fuller but eat healthier this year.
Yes, I am a vegan and have been for more than a year a half, a vegetarian for over 3 years, and kosher for over 6 years. See Dairy And Egg Free Testimonials: Nick Shell- A Year And A Half Later.
But let me be clear, this is not propaganda to try to convince people to adopt my lifestyle. It was a gradual process of several years for me. That’s why I am sharing this plan which actually includes meat.Because back in 2008, when I first starting changing my lifestyle, I was still eating meat.
So this is an invitation to adopt part of my lifestyle.
I propose that you give up all dairy, eggs, and high fructose corn syrup for an entire month. I want you to see what life is like when you free yourself of those ingredients alone. From there, you can decide whether this is something you would like to maintain.
I want to clarify why I am suggesting you specifically eliminate all dairy, eggs, high fructose corn syrup, and soda from your diet. See Dairy And Egg Free Testimonials: Ben Wilder, 6 Months Later.
Specifically, I am going to focusing on the concept of avoiding cholesterol from dairy and eggs, but focusing on “good fats” from plants. Plants do contain a small amount of cholesterol, but never enough to even register as 1% on the food label! That’s pretty cool. See I Survived A Year Of Being A Vegan, Part 1.
My plan also helps you avoid processed foods.
There are 7 things I’m saying you can eat, and 5 that you can’t:
Can eat: vegetables, fruit, grains (rice, pasta, oats, etc.), beans, nuts, seeds, and yes… meat.
Can not eat: dairy, eggs, high fructose corn syrup, soda (even diet), and fruit juice.
See 5 Reasons Your Facebook Friends Are Going Vegan.
I am a vegan who is telling you that if you’ll abide by the rest of my criteria, you can still get away with eating meat.
Granted, it will still largely increase your chances of cancer, diabetes, and stroke in the long run…
But for someone who is new to this whole “plant-based lifestyle,” I’m not going to tell you to get rid of meat… yet. That part will work itself out later on your end.
Dairy (anything containing milk):
This mucus-like substance is a product of the endocrine system. When we get sick, we typically produce an abundance of mucus to help wash out the foreign substance and infection. So imagine how your body reacts to having a foreign mucus from a different species in your body. That explains why so many people notice their allergy and sinus problems greatly diminish once they eliminate dairy 100%.
Not to mention, milk products contain the fat from the animal as well. The more dairy you consume, the higher your cholesterol… more on that in a minute.
The 0% Cholesterol Substitute: Switch to almond milk. Substitute cheese with cashews for pasta dishes (mix ½ cup almond milk with ½ cup cashes, in a blender, for a sauce) and avocado for Mexican-type dishes.
Eggs:
The main reason to stay away from eggs is the cholesterol. I challenge you right now to walk over to your refrigerator and check out the daily cholesterol intake of just one egg. It’s going to most likely be close to at least 60% of your daily intake. And again, that’s just one egg!
The 0% Cholesterol Substitute: In baking, switch to applesauce and/or chia seeds. You’ll still be able to bake just fine without the eggs and dairy; my wife has been doing that for quite a while now.
High Fructose Corn Syrup:
This is the most processed form of sugar. When you consume high fructose corn syrup, your body spends the rest of the day searching for the rest of the food that naturally came with the corn it was derived from.
In other words, you are constantly hungry because your body knows it was tricked.
The 0% Cholesterol Substitute: Eat whole fruit. Bananas, oranges, apples… whatever kind of fruit you want.
Historically, the human race has depended on fruit as a snack or dessert. Fruit is packed with not only sugar, but also fiber, which serves as the combo your body is actually wanting.
Soda: Whether it’s sweetened with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or whatever strange artificial sweetener, there’s a reason people like me won’t drink it. It’s too unnatural to what the human body can legitimately toleration. If nothing else, soda (no matter how it’s sweetened) will ultimately make you hungrier.
Instead, drink water. My daily goal is to drink at least 2 liters of water per day, if not 3.
Fruit Juice: It’s the same thing with fruit juice: sugar water. Your body spends the rest of the day trying to consume the rest of the fruit.
So it’s simple, just eat the fruit. Don’t drink it- unless, you mix up it in a blender, which doesn’t extract the fruit’s sugar from its fiber. Your body was designed to digest all of the fruit, not just the water and sugar from it.
Now, To Get Started…
Keep in mind that you want to substitute fatty foods with cholesterol (like cheese) with fatty foods without cholesterol (avocados, nuts, seeds). Fat from plants is good and necessary; please make sure you are getting plenty of fats from plants each day. Otherwise, you’ll be tempted to eat dairy and eggs.
Breakfast: Your body wants oats. But don’t waste your money on packaged oatmeal which contains sugar and weird chemicals. Just buy a canister of plain oats. From there, mix in some hot water or almond milk, slice up a banana, throw in some almonds or cashews, and break off a square on unsweetened (and therefore dairy-free) square of baking chocolate.
Or, use your blender to make an awesome smoothie. Pour in one cup of almond milk, a banana, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a cup of a 2nd fruit in its whole form (like strawberries, blueberries, pineapple).
Lunch: Eat your leftover dinner from last night. See below…
Dinner: For the most part, most of your meals can be Italian (pasta, pizza, lasagna) and Mexican (burritos, enchiladas, or even just rice and beans with salsa and avocado). That’s mainly what our family does.
The majority of our family’s recipes come from this website: Oh She Glows. You will not disappointed once you try her recipes.
Make sure you have a dark green salad every night with dinner; there’s a lot of protein in dark green vegetables.
And for good dairy and egg free desserts you can make, please visit Gluten Free Vegan Girl.
Please consider my plan. Other “diet” plans are going to make you count calories and even go hungry at times.
My plan allows you to eat as long as you’re hungry, but just to cut out 5 things:
Dairy, eggs, high fructose corn syrup, soda (even diet), and fruit juice.
And don’t forget the things you can eat:
Vegetables, fruit, grains (rice, pasta, oats, etc.), beans, nuts, seeds, and yes… meat.
This has been your introduction to beginning a plant-based lifestyle. Sure, ideally, I’d love to see you stop eating meat, because long term it largely increases your chances of cancer and disease.
But for now, just try this.
Also, there are some wonderful documentaries on Netflix that back up everything I have to say:
Supersize Me, Food Inc., Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, and Hungry For A Change.
I will close by reminding you that I once started from somewhere too. Don’t get overwhelmed. Just start here and feel free to ask me any questions. I am happy to help you in your journey to a healthier life!
