Andy Hough

My Lifetime Goals from 10 Years Ago

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While sorting through my important papers I came across a list of lifetime goals I made about 10 years ago. It is rather sad to see how little progress I’ve made towards those goals. I plan to make much better progress on them in the next 10 years.

  1. Run a marathon.  – This is the only goal I’ve actually completed.  I’ve run 4 marathons since then and plan to add more.  I like the idea of running a marathon in every state and D.C. but not enough to make it a goal at this time.
  2. Write a book. – I wanted to write a novel back then but I’d like to write a non-fiction book now.  I have an idea for a non-fiction book (not personal finance) that I should write a proposal for but I’ve never gotten around to it.
  3. Visit all 50 states.- I’ve visited a few new states since then.  The states I have left are AK, CT, DE, ID, LA, ME, MD, MI, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SC, SD, VT, WA, and WI.  I’ll knock out a few of them when I hike the AT later this year.
  4. Visit 20 foreign countries.- At that time I had been to three foreign countries-Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico.  I’ve visited all of them again since then but haven’t added any new countries.  I’ll be in Maine for my hike. Maybe I’ll take a side trip to Canada and 0ne more country to my total.
  5. Be able to retire at age 40.- That didn’t happen. It doesn’t look too bad for 50 though.
  6. Learn Spanish or another foreign language.- This one I put quite a bit of effort toward but didn’t make much progress.  At one point I had some basic Spanish skills and could carry on a simple conversation with a patient Spanish speaker. I never did develop close to the fluency I wanted though and my Spanish skills have diminished in the last few years from lack of use.

Although it has been 10 years these are all still goals I would like to achieve.  Check back in 10 years and I’ll let you know how I did. 🙂

What do You Want to Read?

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To improve this blog I am considering having several days of the week dedicated to a specific subject. This would also make it easier for me to decide what to write about and maybe make me less lazy since one step of the writing process would be partially completed. For example, I used to reserve Saturdays for writing about law school and now plan to use them for posting about good deals. I would like to expand that concept and have Mondays be for frugal tips, Tuesdays be for extra income ideas, etc. I would like to leave at least a couple days open though to give me flexibility on what to write about and to just not post when I’m not feeling creative. Just let me know what you would like to read and I will try to implement your ideas. Of course, this system will go out the window when I’m hiking but I’d like to get it established now and I’ll resume it when I return from hiking.

My Last Vice

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photo credit: muztiko

Gambling is the last costly vice I have left. This used to be a major money drain for me and is now one of the few areas where I feel I waste money but I certainly don’t spend money on it like I used to. I’ve lost about $100 in three gambling sessions this year. That isn’t too much but I don’t feel that I am receiving a good value for my money. I only play poker but I need to get a lot better or luckier before I can justify playing on a regular basis. I do feel that my gambling is completely under control but I am going to give it up for the rest of the year as a test of my self-control. Also it does seem kind of silly to do many little things to save a few bucks and then blow several times that during a couple hours gambling.

Mini-Retirements

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photo credit: Joe Lazala
The concept of mini-retirements was one of many ideas in The 4-Hour Workweek that I like. Before reading the book I’d already come up with my own similar concept of semi-retirement. The idea is that instead of waiting to have one retirement at the end of many years working you take occasional mini-retirements during your working years.

Now that I am out of school I am ready for my first real mini-retirement. My hike on the AT later this year is what I’m considering as my first real mini-retirement. I’ve taken similar trips and breaks in the past but this one is different. The main difference is that I won’t be spending all my money to take it and should actually have about as much money at the end of it as the beginning of it. The other difference is that I will have the ability to resume making money as soon as I return from my trip. In the past taking a trip of this sort usually meant quitting a job before the trip and then looking for another one after the trip was over. Now I’m not nearly as dependent on job income. I may look for a seasonal job when I return though to increase my income. This method of taking mini-retirements will likely delay my ultimate retirement but I consider the trade off worth it.

Garage Sales and Thrift Stores

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Shopping at thrift stores is an often recommended piece of advice for those who are looking to save money. I don’t often shop at thrift stores since most of them I’ve encountered are dirty, poorly-organized, and the prices aren’t much cheaper than what I’d find on the clearance rack at a discount store. I did recently happen to find a thrift store to my liking though. I’ve been needing some hiking shorts and decided to check out a nearby thrift store while my GF was shopping. I was hopeful when I walked in because the store was clean and the stock was well presented. After checking the prices I knew I had finally found a decent thrift store. I was able to find two pairs of like-new hiking shorts priced at $2.30 each. The store was having a 50% off sale so I ended up getting both pairs for that price. This was much cheaper than I would have paid for these new and exactly what I needed.

As good as deal as the thrift store is it still doesn’t have prices as cheap as many garage sales. The drawback to shopping at garage sales is that it can be difficult to find what you want. Shopping at a community garage sale makes it much more likely you will find what you want. I went to a community-wide garage sale this weekend and there were over a hundred different garage sales. I didn’t really need anything and just bought a few books for 25 cents each. That may not have been a savings since I usually just get books for free from the library. Some of the books, like the two Calvin and Hobbes collections, are ones I will want to read again though. If I had been looking for something specific I had my mom and several aunts and cousins there shopping so they probably would have found it.