Sometimes it’s hard to get into an article you know has good information. Financial topics can often be dry and boring. And we readers of today are such a visually oriented lot, aren’t we?

Enter Visual Economics. Check out these fun visual snapshots of interesting financial topics. I find that they make me want to go research into the data behind them. Either way, it’s a great way to get a quick idea about something.

For instance:

How American Consumers Spend Their Paycheck

 

 

 

 

 
The Financial Journey of Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Fun, no?

getting to the now from Procrasti

Procrasti-Nation that is. Its where I seem to live perpetually according to Val, and I have to say, if there is something I don’t really want to do, I’m really good at finding reasons not to do it. Thus I am not writing this so much for everyone else’s benefit as it is mine. Not that you might not get something out of it as well.

Setting goals and making plans that get us to those goals isn’t always enough. Getting out of my own way and putting my mind to actually doing something is what I need to do. Yesterday Val and I took pictures of my weight bench and placed an add on Craigslist to try and sell it. She took the pictures and wrote the add, I just gave her the information regarding the bench and moved furniture around to let her get the pictures. I really do want to get rid of the old life and start a new one. My heart is there, but my mind is still looking at all the work between us and the goal. Therein lies quite a bit of my problem I think. I dream big, I see what could be and reach for it, but then the work to get there rears its ugly head and I hear that familiar groan in the back of my skull that tells me I could be playing the computer game. Or if something like the bench, which sold this afternoon, works out, the dream shines and I look at it and then a bit of that money runs through my fingers like trying to hold sand.

As if proof was needed:

Today we decided to stay home and not spend any money. We ate a frozen pizza from the freezer, and played around on the computers. We let the ferrets out and watched some TV… that’s where I let it all go bad. I bought a pay per view, then after the pizza, my sweet tooth acted up, so Val let me go buy some doughnuts.. on the way home from the Shipleys, I stopped at Sonic and bought a couple of their Blizzards for us too. It wasn’t until I got home and had eaten the sweets that sense kicked in and I knew I had wasted money that could have helped us get debt free and moved. I’m a pretty weak willed shopper. Impulse buys are big for me. I see something I want, and I let it gnaw at me for a while, then I just go buy it. It’s how I got myself into all the trouble with Harley-Davidson too.

The FIX is?!:

So how can I fix this? What do I need to do to become a more responsible goal seeker? Does that make me a goalee? Well trying to get the things done that I need to accomplish needs to be something I can break into smaller bites. That old adage about ‘biting off more than you can chew’, yeah, that’s how I usually feel. So to break the larger goal of getting moved and into a better life, we broke it into several smaller parts;

Begin getting out of debt.

Begin searching areas we would like to live.

Begin studying what things about our life we have the power to improve and plan to make the necessary changes.

 

Debt free:

So the debt issue is several parts already. We are selling everything we own to use monies gained from those sales to pay off the debt. We are using the snowball theory, the one that says pay off the accessible debts first, then take the money you were using for those debts and add it to the next one you want to get rid of, then take the money from both of those and go after the next. and so on and so on. Thus you build the amount of money you are able to use to pay your debts off, thus you are able to pay off the larger less reachable debts.  Looks good on paper, but not a lot of fun, thus the hesitation, leading to the procrastination.

Where to now?!:

Next is the searching for the places we want to go live. I like to travel, that part already seems fun. But there is a down side. I see hundreds upon thousands of options of where to go. That and every step we take towards the day we move is a step taken away from the familiar stomping grounds. Not to mention my family and friends that all live here. So how do I break the mental blockade that’s telling me to stay here? As much as I dislike the monotony, it is a structured and secure feeling to know what your schedule is every day. Its nice to know you have friends and family to fall back on. So cutting the strings and getting away from that safety net… hesitation leading to procrastination.

This cocoon is kinda tight:

The last thing is when we move the job changes, the things in my home that held that air of familiar will be gone, sold, somebody else will be building an air of familiar. People I don’t yet know in a place I don’t know, leaving the job, friends, and acquaintances here that I do know how to deal with. Valerie already did all this once, she dropped her entire life in California and moved out here to Texas to be with me. She jokingly claims that her doing that proves she loves me more. Well its a sorta joke. That is a joke on the surface with that underlain truth implied. Her coming here to live with me made me fall that much deeper in love with her too, though. And the great changes and support she has given me in my life and all the times she has had to stand by me while I pick myself up out of what ever new life hurdle has knocked my proverbial butt in the dirt, well it reaffirms that love for me every time.

So all the hesitation can be divided up into two categories really;

My desire to stay in the “familiar”.

My desire to keep things in life “Easy going”.

Reaction to action:

Knowing all this doesn’t really help me do anything about it. That’s going to just have to come from the dream that things can and will be better. I get to keep Valerie, and there is something familiar to hang onto. And she is a great organizer and able to sometimes show me the smaller parts of the big picture to keep it in an “easy going” prospective i suppose. But then a lot of that implies there would be no plan without her, that she is the linchpin or keystone for our foundation. That doesn’t work for me. I need to take more ownership in the problems and the solutions that we as a couple are trying to get through.

So I have decided I am moving out of the nation! The procrasti-Nation. The first steps have been taken, now I guess I just need to do it. Any thoughts suggestions, or extra support appreciated.

Anticipation is high for this plan to take effect. I want it all to fall into place and just be here now! Debt gone, the home selling/shopping and worries about starting over in a new job, state, and or life – just a funny story to talk about with family and friends.

Truth for breakfast:

Reality is that every place you live, work or play will have things you do and don’t like about it. Its a hard truth to swallow if you, like us, are just so ready for the change to take effect. I’m like every other guy on the planet. I want my satisfaction now. Instant gratification and payoff is what we men are most chided for and I don’t understand why. I mean come on. If we’ve done it since caveman times and are still doing it, why would you think we are going to change now? What, in all your experience with our gender, has lead you to believe that one day we’ll wake up and just say, “Okay, I can wait.”

Ramble over, back on track here… if there is a track:

I want the trips to the places we want to live to be over and the choices made. I want all the debt and all the “stuff” in our house already “purged”. I want us to have sold down to the bare walls and packed our meager clothes, laptop, and her Kitchenaid into our jeep (my dream vehicle) with the animals and be headed for the new house. There’s going to be a lot of work to do whereever we move to. You never find the perfect house with all the perfect things you want already done. So we’ll end up using the nest egg (part of the plan) to begin buying furnishings, repairing the minor fixes and applying the coat of paint to the new house. We’ll scout the new neighborhood for best grocery shopping areas, restaurants, and routes to and from our new jobs. We’ll make sure the yard has a decent fence for the dog to get out and play (along with her other outdoor activity). We’ll start the court paperwork for new state license and registration of our vehicle(s). We’ll have to look into phone, cable/satellite, high speed Internet, water, electricity, and H.O.A. stuff. Garbage pick up, local taxes, where the closest cinema is.

Moving is a lot of work:

We are planning on selling everything that isn’t nailed down and starting from scratch, but that doesn’t mean we won’t end up taking a few things along with us that were not expected originally. Things change fast – you never know. So, aside from the bed we love, there could be some other furniture to move. Plus we will have to re-buy a lot of large purchases when we get where ever we are going. Refrigerator, big screen TV, microwave, assorted furniture, probably a new desk set up for the office/study we are planning on etc. etc. Towels, window coverings, maybe lawn equipment depending on where we end up. Did I mention the big screen TV?

Thoughts:

I’ve been thinking about life and how different it will/could all be. I’ve been thinking how great it would be to not have utility bills that rival mortgage payments in the summer. About living on a small plot of land with my nice rustic homey lifestyle. Being able to sit out on the porch swing or throw the ball with Luna (my dog) and not instantly break out into sweat. Having fun outdoorsy stuff to do and not having weather that makes you just want to stay indoors ALL THE DAMN TIME!!! The peace of coming home to Val and the pets and being able to relax and not worry about what new hole in the wall or broken window or destroyed (insert expensive home whatcha’ call it here). Don’t get me wrong, I love my kid, wouldn’t trade him for all the tea in China, but I’ve raised him by myself since he was 3, he’s almost 18 now and lets just say he’s a handful. He’s got the next five years to figure it out and get going. After that papa bird puts him out of the nest – with or without his wings.

Me time:

Hey we all gotta have our dreams. Mine is not all that complicated. Life where there is money at the end of my bills, comfort and relaxation at the homestead, and something to do besides hide in the air conditioning hoping not to pass out from heat exhaustion. While I prefer to be hot over really cold, I’d rather just be comfortable. Call it the Taurus in me. ;P

My P.O.V.

Val gave you the basics, I’m just going to give you my point of view on the why & how. Once you’ve been floundering around for a while in life and not really able to put your finger on what’s not right, you kinda get to a point where nothing is making sense. Kids, job, life in general is just sort of a familiar routine that never really gets you anywhere. You repeat the same steps day in and day out and you do it because that’s what you’ve always done but you really aren’t sure anymore why. Don’t get me wrong, you still love your kids, you enjoy your time with friends and family, but it just seems like you’re not getting anything real out of it. Well then someone (Valerie in this case) says something out of the blue that you had in the back of your mind for years. Something like, “What would you think about dropping everything and starting all over?” And from that begins the brainstorming that brings to the front of your mind all the things you have been feeling and unable to say.

1. A goal builds from the brainstorm.
2. The goal becomes a plan.
3. The plan becomes viable through a series of smaller plans.

Excitement builds, life seems somehow, less routine. You have a reason for the monotony of your days. Suddenly creative juices flow and everything seems less stressful. Your job issues that always seem to balloon out of proportion through a series of management decisions and controls, no longer bother you. Your kid destroys something else in your current home, and you think, ‘well at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.’ The ‘Five Year Plan’ has become your support to lean against when everything else isn’t working.

The Hard Part:

The last part of this five year goal will be the toughest for us because we are planning on moving to a new state where we are going to rebuild from scratch. We are reinventing our lives in a fashion that will set up how we have always wanted to live, and our future (all too quickly approaching) retirement years.

We are planning on researching various locations around the United states based on both our priorities and several influences such as cost of living, housing, employment, climate, crime rate, and how friendly the area seems. We are going to be taking several trips at various times throughout the year to see the locations in each season. And while we are at it, we are looking at homes in the areas and building a priority list for what we want, need, can’t live without. Biggest one on that list is kitchen of course, (Val is a great cook!) but we are going to make sure we have very nice guest accommodations as well.

When Valerie and I get to the moving part of the plan, we have decided that it will be about us and what’s best for us. It’ll be about finding our peace, our happiness, and our needs. Family and friends are still a big part of that and we want you all to be aware that during the chaos that all this shifting, planning, and changing is going to cause we will keep you appraised of our decisions through this website and hope for both your support and your faith that no distance or change made will separate you from our lives or our hearts. Sometimes peace of mind comes from familiar surrounding, but sometimes it comes from the strength and drive it takes to make a change. While we have good lives here, they aren’t what either of us want for ourselves.

Desires to bring about the change:

I have always wanted a warm rustic home life with all the modern conveniences we have come to love. Val wants cooler climate, but to stay connected to the city. I want a more ‘creative’ focused career with both direction and growth opportunities. Valerie likes her job, but doesn’t love it… Maybe its too much to ask for all of this. Maybe we are being obtuse in believe it’s possible. But it’s something we both need to try for. Someone very wise, I forget who and where, said (paraphrased) that, “hope is what drives us as a race. With hope all things are possible.”

Closing:

Before, during and after the dust settles, you are all welcome and even encouraged to make comments and suggestions. Help and understanding are appreciated, naysayers beware though, our goal is set in stone, only the path from here to there and beyond is up for debate.

Have you ever wished you could just leave? Just quit your job, move someplace far away, and start all over?

Well, we’ve been wishing that for a while. And we’ve decided we’re going to actually do it! We only get to live once and it sure seems like life is racing by. There’s no more time to waste on just getting by, on not being happy with where we are or what we’re doing. So we’re going to change it ALL.

Over the next five years, Bill and I plan to totally reboot our lives. We’ve established 3 goals, each contributing to the other, and all designed to put us in a much better place 5 years from now.

Goals

• #1 – PURGE! We’re going to sell everything we own (except for some few irreplaceable sentimental items) – and I mean EVERYTHING! All the junk, the clutter, the bits and pieces that have collected in the corners of our lives are going to go away, hopefully in exchange for dollars to help us with our second goal. But although that second goal is a big part of why we’re getting rid of everything, it’s not the only reason. We want to start over, begin fresh and go forward living simply, cleanly and have only what we need and really want.
• #2 – DEBT FREE! We will use the money we get from purging, our second jobs and any other avenue we can think of to generate income to become debt free. The next 5 years will be frugal ones so that every available dollar can go towards reducing our debts and improving our credit.
• #3 – FIND UTOPIA! During this time, we will also be researching and traveling to determine our ideal place to live. It seems as though we’ve just kind of “ended up” here, we didn’t choose where our lives took us. That ends now! We will make an informed and conscious choice about where to live, so that we can truly enjoy living there. This is one area where some money will have to be spent, but it is all part of the bigger plan and therefore, well worth it.

Why Blog?

So why blog about it? This site will help keep us focused, remind us why we’re doing this, chronicle our trials and tribulations as we work toward these goals, and document our dreams and achievements.

It will keep our friends and family involved and up to date. Our goal is not to leave our families, but to get ourselves into a position where we are happier on a day to day basis, and free to travel much more often, so we can get out and see them!

We hope you’ll enjoy following along on our wild ride!