Yearly Archives: 2009

Mortgage Free Countdown

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Early next year (around February or March 2010), I’ll soon be making my last mortgage payment on my primary house.  I’ve been make extra payments for the past 11 years, and finally, I’m almost there.

After I pay off my mortgage, I’ll be able to increase my cash flow by $12,000.  I don’t know what I’m going to do that extra money yet.  I’ve been playing around with some ideas…  I do know that in some way, it will go into investments of some sort.  I’m not sure if I’m going to go with stocks, bond, rental property, gold or what yet… but it should be an exciting time and decision!

In some ways, I’ve been fortunate with my “paying off the house” decision.  The anxiety this year of companies laying off workers, and stock market losses in general, has definitely been lessened.  By knowing that I could pay off my house at any time, if I needed to, was a great relief.  Have the basic need of shelter checked off on the “to do” list is always a plus.

Initially, I had a hard time deciding whether to pay of the mortgage early or invest the additional money in stocks or other investments.   And to be honest, my choice wasn’t the best for everybody.  I decided to go the “pay off the mortgage early” decision because I didn’t think I had the will power to invest the difference in stocks, and the fact that I hate to be in so much debt.

So anyhow, that’s my current financial position.

I feel like I’ve completed a large step towards financial independence.  Unfortunately, there appears to be 3 or 4 more steps to go.  But I do think this 1st step was the hardest.  I now have a “I can do it” attitude.

Saving Gas At Lunch

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High gas prices

Fight back against gas prices!

Lately, I’ve been trying to cut back on car gas consumption cost.  Not that long ago, I would go to McDonald’s and order off of the dollar menu a few days a week, via the drive-thru line.

What I never thought about was the amount of gas I would waste waiting in that long line, not to mention the carbon emissions.  Sometimes, the wait in line would take up to 10 minutes or longer.  While it’s true that gas consumption when a car is running at idle is less than the gas consumption while driving, it’s still a waste of gas.

So after thinking about it, I decided that if I were going to a fast food restaurant for lunch, and the line was long, I’d stop and go in and order instead of wait in a long drive-thru line.  Ironically (at least where I work), the lines inside the restaurant would be very short, and I actually could get my food more quickly by going in, than waiting in the drive-thru line.

That said, I have to admit, if it is raining hard or really cold outside, I still go through the drive-thru.  I think every little bit helps though!

While this new way of buying lunch, might seem like it wouldn’t matter… it could be a huge both economically and environmentally if more people started doing the same thing.  Gas wasted in drive-thru lines are one of the small costs that adds up, that nobody takes into account or even thinks of.

-MR

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Great Almost Free Entertainment

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My daughter just finished her last soccer practice session tonight.  She looks so cute out there running around (she’s only 5…).

I especially love it when she scores a goal and looks for a head nod and clapping from us, confirming that she did a great job.  My wife and I, are usually beaming with pride.  But honestly, I don’t really care if she make a goal or not, just as long as she is out there having fun and looking cute.

Typically, at my daughter’s games, my son (9 years old) and I will go up to concession stand and buy hotdogs, coffee, and root beer (my son’s favorite).  It might not be the same as a college or professional football game, but in some ways it feels like it is.  Especially with the team’s parents cheering for all the kids from the sideline.

I say it’s almost free because we have to pay for the soccer session, and clothes, etc.  But if you divide the cost over the games and practices played, it’s still pretty cheap, a lot of bang for the buck.

Sometimes we invite our parents, or our brothers and sisters up to hang with us.  It’s fun for everybody as we discuss what’s the latest news in each other’s lives.

-MR

Additional Uses Of Grocery Bags

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I always hate to throw away my used plastic grocery bags.  It seems such a waste and is bad for the environment.

One way to reuse plastic grocery bags, is to use them for small trash can liners.  I’m pretty sure just about everybody does this.

Another way to reuse them is to use the grocery bags (especially the target brand bags) as liners for cat litter trash cans.  I use the old litter boxes as trash cans (using the lid to close the cat droppings in the bucket) and line them with plastic grocery bags.  This works great!  Sometimes I double-line them, just to be safe.

This next way might look silly, but…  I wrap the bags around my shoes when I use the weed-n-feed spreader.  That way the chemicals don’t get on or in my shoes or clothes.

Well, these are my primary uses of used grocery bags…  Hopefully, I’ll come up with more as time folds…

Updates:

  • I keep plastic bags in my car glove compartment for when I know I would come back to my car with muddy shoes. Just plop them in the bag and put them on the floor. Keep you car clean.
  • I keep one in my bookbag side pocket, just in case the need arises. They are great for wet swimming wear (trunks).
  • I also use the bags for dog droppings (poop) when going for walking in our neighborhood.
  • I also put plastic bags in a bucket and use that configuration to put dog poop in the bag.

-MR