2023 goal progress

 I am not a New Year's resolutions person. I heard this week that less than 10% of people keep their New Year's resolutions. This doesn't surprise me as I see them as aspirational. I prefer to set goals for the year. Just the act of writing it down makes me committed. Since today is the last day of 2023, I will report on my goal progress for the year.

The first two goals are similar- eat down the pantry and freezer. This time last year both were full to almost bursting. I am proud to report excellent progress on both. I am going to continue to focus on this next year.

House DIY: this consisted of several small house items that needed attention. These were all accomplished. 

Finish the Unfinished: this was another categorical goal with several subgoals. It consisted of buying some small replacements parts for various things as well as some other house projects. I am happy to report these were all completed.

Better sleep hygiene: this is a fancy term for being better at going to bed at a consistent time each night.  I did better some nights than others, but overall I would say I have improved. One thing I have definitely noticed- it's much easier to get to bed earlier when it gets dark at 6 PM vs. 10 PM.

Redeem free food offers: I had received quite a food free food offers, and I wanted to make sure I didn't let them expire. I also had two offers with no expiration dates. I did well on this goal. I still have the two with no expiration dates, but they are obviously not urgent/

Overall I am very pleased with the results of my 2023 goals. I am current pondering what my goals will be for 2024. Hopefully I have as good of results with whatever I choose.

Dear companies: It is not 1923 any more

 Several times recently I have come to the conclusion that some companies refuse to modernize their practices to reflect the current times.  This is my PSA to them: It is not 1923 anymore. I will provide 3 examples to illustrate my point.

1. I wanted to make a change to one of my investments. What were my options to make this change? Use the investment company's allegedly secure website? Nope, not a choice. Contact customer service? Oh no, they can't process this type of change. My choices were to send a fax (technology of the 1840s, literally) or send a request via USPS. Really? It's 2023. Since like most people I lack access to a fax machine, I mailed in the form. This is absolutely ridiculous. I don't think this requirement had anything to do with security either. It's about money. The change I requested resulted in me receiving money with no fee instead of the investment company getting a cut. Thus, I think they want to make it as difficult as possible for this change to be made.

2. A family member was helping another family member request life insurance benefits for a deceased family member. What were the options to file the claim? Why USPS of course. What were the options to receive payment? ACH (aka direct deposit) like many of us receive our paychecks and how the federal government has offered tax refunds for years? Of course not. The only option is to receive paper check, again via USPS. Not only is this much slower for the beneficiary, there is the chance the check could be lost or stolen. Again, I think this requirement is all about money, specifically float.  Every day that the insurance company holds onto the money, they are earning more return on your premium dollars. 

3. Employers unwilling to face the present recruiting reality. I am a recruiter, so I see this frequently. It includes things like not adjusting your pay scale to reflect what has happened in the talent market in the last few years. Another area is remote work. So often employers "want" their employees in the office for vague reasons they really can't articulate. "Collaboration" and "brainstorming" are two that come to mind. In life, we don't always get what we want. A lot of these same employers would probably also like to pay all their employees minimum wage, but they know that won't attract the talent they need. Guess what? Remote work may be the exact same way, depending on the job. Some jobs simply must be onsite 100% of the time due to the nature of the work. However, if there is a way you can do it, try to offer at least some telework in your jobs. One of the things employees value is choice. Some would love to work remote at least part of the time, and some will want to be in the office all of the time (we saw that at my employer early in the pandemic). If you want to attract talent, you have to offer the things the talent values.

In summary, companies must adapt to changes in the market if they wish to survive and thrive.

This does not add up

My neighbors had their 3 child earlier this year, and they are now looking to move in the spring as they need more space. I got an update this week about some of the houses they have been looking at. They are at least $300k. For reference, they paid $150K for their current house in 2018 (the power of online property records). In this same conversation, it was mentioned that they were 2 days late on one of their 2 car payments, and they have pushed out a needed home repair of $800 because they don't have the money right now. I was thinking in my head "You can't afford the lifestyle you have right now, but you're looking at a house that's twice as much and interest rates are much higher than when you bought". It does not add up to me. 

Bison Bison Everywhere

On our trip to North & South Dakota, my mom & I were thrilled to get to see bison at 4 different places:

• Badlands National Park
• Wind Cave National Park
• Custer State Park
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Since we've gotten back, I feel like bison are everywhere. CBS has had 2 recent stores about bison:

• Yellowstone Bison Revival
• American Prairie: Restoring Bison to Northern Montana with a Patchwork Nature Preserve

My local library also had this new book on bison that I really enjoyed. I definitely feel I have bison on the brain.

All 50 states visited

Last month my mom and I vacationed in North & South Dakota. In addition to seeing beautiful scenery and great wildlife, we each accomplished a life goal: visiting all 50 states. I am still in a bit of awe that I've been able to do this. Our original plan had been to fly into North Dakota and then fly home from South Dakota. However, that quickly changed when my mom came across the "Best for Last Club".  We knew we wanted to be a part of this great club. When we checked in at the visitor's center in Fargo, there was a couple there who had also just completed their 50 states, and we even got to meet the lady who was the creator of the club (she has also been to all 50 states). Here is a picture of my t-shirt. It is definitely going in my clothing rotation for future vacations.

Here is a list of FAQs that my mom and I have experienced regarding visiting all 50 states.

1. How long did it take to accomplish this? My whole life. 

2. How long have you been working on this? I think this is probably really what people mean when they ask #1. A few years back, my mom and I were talking, and we realized that based on how many states we had each already visited, seeing all 50 states was definitely achievable. My mom traveled quite a bit with her parents as a kid as well as with my dad. I had also been privileged to have visited quite a few states by that time. Starting in 2017, we starting taking a 2 week trip each year with the express purpose of marking new states off the list.

• 2017: Hawaii (and California for me)
• 2018: Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, & Montana
• 2019: Alaska
• 2020: None
• 2021: Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, & Vermont
• 2022: Orgeon
• 2023: North & South Dakota

3. What counts as visiting a state? Our rule was you had to be on the ground. So, flying over a state doesn't count, but being on a layover at the airport does. That is how I marked off California- LA airport on the way to Hawaii. I did see a little bit more of the state last year when we drove into California from Oregon, but the airport was enough initially to move it to the "visited" category.

4. What is your favorite state? I can't give you 1. I can do a top 5. There is just so much to see.

5. (When we told people we were going to visit North & South Dakota as our last two states): Have you been to (insert any of the other 48 states)? My mom and I both got this. If we only have 2 states left, then by extension, we have visited every other state. 

I feel very thankful I have gotten to visit all 50 states. I would encourage you to count how many states you have visited. My niece and nephew (14 & 11) can tell you. They've tracked it for several years, and they'll get to add 2 new ones this week. What's your state count?

How your purchases reflect your priorities

The sermon this weekend at church was centered on Matthew 6:21 "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (NIV). Once we get beyond a subsistence level of income, how we spend our money is a reflection of what is important to us. If someone looked at our spending without knowing us, what would it appear our priorities are, and how does that align with what we say our priorities are?

I had had a thought along these lines Friday when I was driving home from the pool. I am a water person- whether it's a lake, river, ocean, or a pool, if it's safe to do so, I want to be in/on that body of water. As I was heading home, I reflected on how the gear I have reflects my love of water.

• Swimsuits (I'll just say several and leave it at that)
• Rash guards (Also several. These are your friend if you spend lots of time in/on the water. They prevent you from burning without the hassle of sunscreen)
• Swimsuit coverups (a couple)
• Beach towels (only 2 but looking to buy more)
• Water shoes- 2 pairs
• Prescription snorkel mask (if you wear glasses/contacts and spend of lot of time swimming, do yourself a favor and get one. I paid about $50, and it is life changing)
• Snorkel
• Annual pool pass for my local pool
• Life jacket
• Inflatable kayak 
• Prescription sunglasses

I did not spend a lot of money acquiring all these items- I am always on the hunt for a deal. However, the sheer number of items on the list would lead you to believe that water time is very important to me.

What does your spending say is important to you?

On the opposite end of the spectrum

The week before last I did mock interviews with several students from a local college. Overall, they did well and gave me hope for the future of the workforce. My bigger impression, though, was how I am on the complete opposite end of the workforce spectrum. They are young and eager, and I am ready to be done working. One of them asked me a question for which I gave an excellent company-representing, HR solid answer, while in my head thinking "I do not care about this topic at all". 

To those of you getting ready to enter the workforce- bless you. We need you.

To those of you who are ready to exit the workforce- I feel you 100%. 

Alaska on the Cheap(er)

 After we visited Hawaii in 2017, I wrote a post about things we did to make our trip more affordable. I thought about doing something similar after our 2019 trip to Alaska, but I never did. A couple months ago my mom asked me for some travel information for a friend who's going to Alaska this year, so I decided it was well past time to write this post. As with our trip to Hawaii, our goal was to have a great time at a reasonable price. The things were did were very easy, and they made a big difference in our budget. We had a great time, and nothing we did made us feel at all deprived.

- Like we did for Hawaii, we got an airline credit card to earn enough miles for our round trip tickets to Alaska. This time it was the United Airline card. I don't recall the spend requirement, but it was $3000 in 3 months or less. The annual fee was waived the first year. If you are interested in the card, try to wait until they offer at least 65,000 miles, which they do occasionally. In addition to the miles, it comes with the following perks:

•  First bag checked is free 
•  It will reimburse you if you get TSA pre-check or Global Entry. If you get this card, definitely at least do Pre-Check. It makes airport security much faster and easier. Global Entry includes Pre-Check, but appointments can be hard to get.  
•  Two airline club passes are included. This provided invaluable to us when the second leg of our outbound trip was delayed when the entire airport was closed due to a thunderstorm. In addition to lots of space to spread out and free good and drinks, the lounge had its own dedicated in person customer service staff. We talked to someone on a later flight who was on hold with United for something like 7 hours. I stood in line for a while in the lounge customer service line, but nothing like that. 

- We are national park people. While we didn't visit all 8 of Alaska's, we did see 3. Denali & Kenai Fjords are easily reached, but Glacier Bay is only accessible by boat or plane. I was out on the boat option, and airlines tickets were expensive. Again, credit card to rescue. I got the Alaska Airlines card. I think the spend requirement was around $1000 in 3 months, and the annual fee was not waived.  However, it was well worth it. I got enough miles for my mom and I to both fly to Glacier Bay. We paid only $11.20 each (mandatory fees) instead of $392.59 each. We also each got a checked bag for free.

- When I was researching our trip, I read about the Alaska TourSaver book. It is on sale right now for $69.95 (regular price $99.95). We paid the regular price, and it was completely worth it. We did a buy one, get one free fare on the Alaska railroad from Anchorage to Denali (We took the bus back. I saw this recommended as obviously what you see is different on a train versus traveling by bus, and I would do the same thing again.). At the time, they also offered a buy one, get one Major Marine Kenai Fjords cruise. My mom and I both agree this was our favorite thing we did in Alaska.

As with Hawaii, you can spend buckets of money going to Alaska. The year I went, I was talking to someone else who was planning to go the same summer. She said she and her husband thought it was cost them about $10k. I about fell over. We were in Alaska for 2 weeks, and we spent not even anywhere close to that. We did several not inexpensive items and I even bought some jewelry, and it still was only about double what we spend we do a week at the beach in AL or FL, and we do those on the cheap too. Some planning and research can make your dream trip more in reach than you may realize.

 

Inquisition by a 4 year old

When I wrote this post about my 3 year old niece, I knew I needed to share this story about her older sister. This took place 4 years ago when my niece was 4. I was watching her at my house for a bit while my sister did some things that are easier done without a 4 year old in tow. In a short time after she arrived, she had already posed the following questions to me in fairly rapid succession:

- "Why don't you live with anybody?"

- "Why don't you have any carpet in your house?" (my main floor is a mix of laminate, hardwood, and tile)

- "Why don't you have a car seat?" (I couldn't drive anywhere with her while she was here because I didn't have one.)

As you can see, there was a lot going on in her little head.

In case you are curious, here were my responses:

- "Because I like living by myself"

- "Because I don't like carpet that much"

- "Because I don't have any kids" to which she promptly responded "I stay here sometimes."

I love watching my nieces' and nephews' brains at work, even if they do sometimes make me feel like I am at an inquisition.

 

Love is comfortable

 The 13th of 1st Corinthians lists some of love's many qualities. It is sometimes known as the "Love Chapter" and is often quoted at weddings. Jennifer Lopez even referenced part of it after she married Ben Affleck. Here is the NIV Version:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Love is definitely all these things. It is also, of course, much more. One of those is comfortable. This was illustrated to me on 2 different occasions by my 3 year old niece. Last month, a group of us were attending her older sister's swim meet. In between events, we were sitting and talking. I looked over, and my niece was sprawled in her grandfather's lap, as relaxed as if she were on the couch at home watching her favorite tv show. A couple of weeks later, another group of us went out to dinner. After everyone was finished eating, my niece migrated to a table with my sister and her husband (aka my niece's aunt and uncle). My sister was holding my niece's sister, and my niece made herself at home while my brother-in-law held her. Again, she was completely kicked back, just as comfortable as she could be.

Both of these occasions made my heart happy. I knew that my niece was completely comfortable because she knew she was loved, safe, and cherished. Would she tell you that's why she was so relaxed? No. First, she's 3. Second, I think it's something intuitive for her and the rest of us. We don't consciously think "I can relax around this person because s/he loves me, is protective of me, and values me for who I am." We just know that we are comfortable. Being in this situation is a great gift and very precious. I am so blessed to have witnessed it in action. 

The dreading is worse than the doing

Several of the blinds in my house have needed replaced since I moved in 4 years ago. Most of the issues were pretty minor, with small pieces of blinds missing. I did have one that completely broke a while back. It was in a guest bedroom, and there are also curtains in the room, so I just took it down and never replaced it. Recently the blind in bathroom has seemed determined to force the issue. It has been losing pieces with increasing frequency. Replacing all missing and broken blinds was placed on my goal list for 2023.

I started by measuring all the windows. They are all the same size, so that made shopping easy. I started doing some online research, and fairly quickly I discovered this is a standard window size, so blinds were readily and cheaply available. I placed an order, and they were shipped to my house at no charge.

Once the blinds arrived, it was time for installation. I was thrilled to find that 2 of the blinds that needed replaced used the exact same hardware as the replacements. I simply removed the old ones and put in the new ones. The others required removing the old mounting brackets (very easy) and installing the new. The first one took me a few minutes to figure out, and then the rest were identical so I was able to do them with little fuss. The end result: I am thrilled. The blinds look great. This project was an example of the dreading being worse than the doing. Had I known how little time, effort, and money it would take, I would have tackled this project long ago. Below are before and after pictures of the bathroom blind that forced this project. I think you'll agree it was past time to replace it blind, and the end result was a definite improvement.

The Right Tool Makes All the Difference

 Have you ever struggled to accomplish something, then it almost miraculously becomes easy when you have the proper tools? It could be a literal tool, a piece of software, access to data you need, instructions on how to do the task, or anything else that is renders the job much simpler to do. I experienced this myself recently.

Last year as part of a larger project I replaced the brass door hinges in my house with oiled bronze ones for an updated look. At that time my plan was to add hinge pin door stops when I installed the new hinges. For reasons unknown to me, there was not a single door stop in this house when I bought it. Hinge pin door stops are easy to install. You remove the hinge pin, put the hinge pin stop on top, then reinsert the pin. Easy peasy. 

Part of my house is an addition with a different style of hinges, so I had to purchase two different brands. One brand of hinges worked just like I described above. The pins were easily removed with a hammer and screwdriver. The pins on the other brand seem to have been inserted with superglue. After trying to remove several of them unsuccessfully, I knew I need to stop because I was soon going to damage one or more of the following:

• the door
• the door frame 
• the hinge
• the hinge pin
• my hand 

I looked at the online reviews of the hinges that were giving me fits, and sure enough, I was not alone in having difficulty removing the pins. I did some internet research to find a better way to free the pins. I found out there are actually hinge pin remover tools. They were cheap (under $10) and had good reviews, so I thought it was worth a shot. I bought one of these yesterday at Home Depot. I gave it a try today. OH MY GOODNESS. Worth every single penny and then some. The tool was very simple to use. The pins came out with just a few hammer taps, and there was no damage to any objects either inanimate or human. I had my remaining 7 hinge pins installed in no time. It is amazing the difference the right tool makes.