10-Speeds to Work

About a month ago I was driving my car to work and approximately 15 minutes into my commute the engine compartment squealed, revved, made crazy noises....my timing belt had snapped.  Luckily for me this is an interference engine and the repair is much more involved then replacing the timing belt; the short of it is the entire engine will be replaced as a result of improper maintenance.

"Huh? Wha-!?  You said luckily."  

You bet!  I am certainly capable of performing the repair myself and could have the car back running in about a days worth of labor.  Yet it still sits with the engine prepped for removal on jack stands in the garage.  Why you might ask?  Let me run you through my new morning routine:

My morning begins like just about every other working American, everyday I hit snooze a couple too many times, I groggily get out of bed stubble to the bathroom and begrudgingly being the process of making myself look like a human being again.  When I get to the dressing myself part of my morning I diverge from the crowd.  I don't don the typical business casual work attire, I head for my phone and check the weather app.  Will today be cold or cool?  Will it be rainy?  How is the wind?  I  make a determination for the next 12 hours of weather and put on the appropriate biking clothes.  WAIT BIKING!?!

Yep!  I have ridding my bike to work everyday* since Jan 24th and love it!

See, its all luck!  Had my car not broken down I would have never motivated myself to commit to biking my work commute; something I have been mulling over for over a year.  My reasons for considering this option started as financial coupled with increased exercise, but the rewards have been far more than I ever anticipated.  Mother Nature on more than one occasion has decided to test my willpower with a few 30-degree rainy days, several inches of snow, and 30+ mph wind gust.  The first time dealing with each of this scenarios seems impossible but is more mental than physical, however the reward of arriving to work on time during one of our famed nor'easter is amazing!

My morning routine have also been turned on their head and replaced with the nastiness that is responsibility.  No longer can I just out of bed at the last possible minute and speed like a maniac to work.  Every morning must be carefully planned else I am late for work, or worse yet broken down on my way.  Is my chain lubed? Tires inflated? Does my lunch have enough calories? Lights charged? Work clothes protected from the elements?  I am now an active participant in my day to day activities.  I get to experience the beautiful 45-degree winter days for more than a 10 foot walk from the car to the door.  I arrive at work fully awake, endorphins rushing, ready to work (imagine that).  Bonus:  part of my commute is 30 minutes of light rail, unlike a car I can sit back and read while the train is driven for me!

To be continued...


*Full disclosure: I on occasion accept rides for a portion of my commute due to bad road conditions, etc.

Look-Back At 2012 and Resolutions for 2013

Why do we make resolutions?

According to a a study University of Scranton - Journal of Clinical Psychology approximately half of all Americans usually make a New Year's resolution; mostly on the typical topics of self-improvement, money, weight, etc.  Looking back at my 2012 resolutions I fell into three of the four more popular resolution topics!  

I would surmise that most people make resolutions to become a) something they are by nature not or b) a better person.  The same resolution can be made and depending on the state of mind and reasoning the resolver had at the time of making the resolution.  The most worrisome statistic in the study states that approximately 8% of people are successful in achieving their resolutions!!!  Again I refer back to my reasons people make resolutions, many make unrealistic resolutions to become someone or something they are not and can almost never become; emphasis on unrealistic.

Was I successful in keeping my resolutions?

Last year upon thinking about making my resolutions I believe I was making them just to have something to achieve, which in my opinion is STUPID!!!  After punching myself in the face for acting as a lemming (sorry for the jab lemmings!) I looked into my 2012 fallacies and determined that I was 37.5% successful (aka: F).  Lets break it down:

• Walk/run a minimum of 3x per week (min 1 mile travelled). - FAILED

Here is a screenshot of my RunKeeper milage log for 2012.  Now, in my defense I did walk, run, hike, snowboard, etc numerous times without tracking it; but if it is not tracked I cannot prove it so we will go with only what we can quantitate.  Including my cycling milage (red) I would conclude that this is a failed resolution due to 
inconsistency.

• Increase my savings to more than 20% of my net income. - PASSED

I have already discussed my 2012 financial recap previously.  I blew this resolution out of the water, this best sums it up:

My personal gap (the difference between income and spending) was approximately $20,200 or 34%  - F@&KING INCREDIBLE!!!

• Be. More. Punctual. - UNDECIDED (50%)

This would be really hard for me to quantify without pulling my years worth of timecard punches - not happening - but I believe I have made great strides with my punctuality.  With my newer trend of commuting to work by bicycle I am forced to plan way in advance what time I am leaving and therefore on time!

• Complete my degree - FAILED

Simply put this did not happen and I am not certain what my intentions will be.  I will eventually get this piece of paper, but the road I am traveling down is indicating that it will be just that - a $75K piece of paper.

Being resolute in 2013!

This year will be different (how many times have we heard that?) mostly in approach, but there will be a lot more grit to drive me to success.  My resolutions will lead me to be more committed to discovering and developing my hobbies, character, and career path.  In the coming days to weeks I will be writing more about my pursuit to be successful.  For now they will be listed in bullet form (mostly to oppose Jeff Bezos - just kidding!!)

• Peddle to work more than 50% of the year
• I have a goal set for 3500 miles through the end of the year
• Walk regularly until I can run consistently
• Confused?  Well, I need to get health issues under control before running again.
• Pay off all debt
• This is a long-shot and will be very difficult given the outstanding $56K in debt.  By design and in line with mustachian principles this will only be possible if I can reduce eliminate my vehicle commuting expenses.
• Go outside more
• Eliminate all negativity in my life (internal and external)
• Explore career choices, including volunteering, internships,  etc
• Take more pictures.  Of anything, everything, nothing in specific.
• Get outside of my safety zone.
• Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera With 18-55mm IS II Kit - REBEL T3i (Google Affiliate Ad)

Financial Recap 2012

Where did all my money go in 2012??

Lets look at the numbers:

• In 2012, I took home $60,100.  An increase of 122% compared to 2011.
• I paid $26,500 or 25.5% total taxes on my gross total earnings.  This places me squarely in the middle of the $60k bracket according to the Washington Post.
• It pains me to think that had I not reduced my taxable income by contributing to my 401k I would have paid thousands more.
• According to Mint.com my spending was $39,868.
• Omitted from the graph is my uncategorized cash spending of $840...I need to be more diligent in tracking my spending.
• I paid just shy of $50 in fees last year.   Due to my 401k I will never be able to get these fees to zero.
• My personal gap (the difference between income and spending) was approximately $20,200 or 34%  - F@&KING INCREDIBLE!!!
• $9,000 of this was used to max out my 2011 & 2012 IRA.
• My bank balance increased 270%
• My net worth have leaped from -$63.7K to -$10.2K!!!!

This was an incredible year.  I have converted a crap collections job where the median salary in 2010 was $31,310 into a SIX FIGURE POWERHOUSE OF MONEY CREATION!!!  My fiscal health is looking good.  I have become nearly immune to tax changes and/or job loss.  This year will see the realization that I am no longer a slave to my debt and can start building up a stockpile of ammunition (money working for me) to live my life as I see fit.

Here's to hoping you have a kick-ass 2013!