Location Rebel – how did I do in August?

In July I registered for the Location Rebel course (read about my buying decision).

First, I should say that when you purchase the Location Rebel course, Sean Ogle advises that you allocate ten hours per week to spend on it. This is a feasible amount of time to fit in around full-time working and other unavoidable commitments, and allows you to see real results. I was aware when I bought the course in July that I don’t have ten hours per week to devote to it this year, as I have other priorities until Christmas. However, I thought it was worth buying while there was a sale and bonus offer, and I thought I could spend a lesser amount of time on it each week, which would allow me to be in good shape to start devoting more time in January 2017.

In August, I read through the initial Location Rebel course and completed all the question-answering activities. I also chose two blueprints which were of interest to me, and read through them in more detail. These were project management (which I do in my daily work) and technical writing (which seemed one of the less popular options, so I thought there might be more opportunity there). I also introduced myself in the forums and have expressed interest in an accountability group. Towards the end of August, I signed up for the CopyHour course which was included as one of my bonuses. I therefore plan to go back and read the copywriting blueprint, to see if that also seems to be of interest. If not, at least I’ll have learned more about how copywriting works and be in a position to apply it to my own website.

One of the key concepts introduced in Location Rebel is Relative Expertise. In many areas of your life, although you may not know enough to consider yourself an expert, you may know enough more than other people to consider yourself a relative expert. For example, at my work, my colleagues don’t know much about social media and WordPress. When we have a new project, I set up a WordPress site for it, along with Facebook and Twitter accounts. Although this is pretty basic stuff which only took me a few hours to pick up, and although there is still a HUGE amount I don’t know about these topics, within my team I’m the expert. Location Rebel suggests that you identify this kind of area in your own life, and work to establish yourself more efficiently as a relative expert, so that you can leverage this expertise when looking for location-independent work. For example, if you want to get into SEO or copywriting, and you’ve established yourself as a relative expert in cookery, then you have a good reason to approach companies working around cookery and offer them your services, since you’re providing what they require, and have a background that means you’re likely to be better at it than someone who doesn’t know anything about the field.

I speak a number of languages, so am now thinking of establishing myself as a relative expert in the language field. To this end, I’ve set up a new WordPress blog.

Aims for September

• Work through CopyHour assignments as received.
• Update the pictures and contact information on my language blog.
• Read through the Location Rebel copywriting blueprint.
• Write one post per week on my language blog.

Simplify – weekly wishes w/c 05/09/16

Last week’s wishes – 29/08/16

1. Social: host lunch for my mother- and brother-in-law. 100% completed.
2. Strength: complete three Les Mills body pump workouts. 100% completed. Done on Tues, Thurs, Sat.
3. Letters: finish one half-written letter. 0% completed.
4. Declutter: put five items on eBay.100% completed.

Healthy habits

1. Strength
   1. Walk for 20 minutes. Tues, Weds x 2, Thurs x 4, Sat x 2, Sun x 5
   2. Complete one primal sprint session.
   3. Complete a long and steady run. X
   4. Go for a bike ride. X
   5. Do 10-minute strength training session (including 30 Day Shred). Tues, Thurs, Sat
2. Flexibility
   1. Do 10-minute yoga session. X
   2. Do 5- to 15-minutes semi-supine and Alexander Technique directions. X
   3. Do super brain yoga. Mon, Fri
   4. Body brush. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat
   5. Use Better Back: Mon, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
3. Mindfulness
   1. Do 10-minute writing meditation session. Mon, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Practise mindfulness during a daily activity. Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Do 5- to 10-minute mindfulness meditation session. Sun
   4. Complete mindfulness journal. Mon, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   5. Use Happify or another stress relief technique. Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
4. Eating
   1. Enter meals on MyFitnessPal or blog. Mon, Tues,Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Eat under 150g carbohydrates in a day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Have an added-sugar-free day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   4. Eat 5 portions of veg or fruit. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
5. Brain
   1. Come up with ideas (based on this post). Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Write 750 words. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Language study: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
6. Positivity
   1. Think of 3 things I’m grateful for. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Listen to affirmations: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Volunteer: Sat

Category	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Strength	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	5
Flexibility	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
Mindfulness	3	0	1	3	3	3	5	18
Eating	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	35
Brain	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	35
Positivity	3	3	1	3	3	5	3	21
Total	17	15	14	18	17	20	20	121

Weekly wishes for 04/09/16

1. Schedule: work out what I’m doing on evenings and weekends this month, and schedule in pending activities.
2. Letters: finish one half-written letter.
3. Declutter: put two items on eBay.
4. Finance: find out how to log into an old bank account, transfer remaining funds and close it.

Frugal – Year 3 of free fun – Month 3

This month’s fun activities were:

• Visited my parents for a week (£16.30 train ticket)
• Exchanged my library books in Birmingham (included in above)
• Visited my grandparents (on both sides)
• Went for a drink with my sister and her kids (£7.56)
• Visited an old friend at her house
• Went for dinner with my parents and one sister (my parents paid)
• Went for lunch with my dad and nephew (my dad paid)
• Went to a spa with my mum (LivingSocial deal – she paid)
• Read eight library books
• Went to a barbecue at my sister’s house
• Played with my parents’ new kitten
• Went for lunch with my parents and my husband (my parents paid)
• Went for coffee and cake with my parents and my husband (my husband paid)
• Walked around a marina and looked at canal boats for sale
• Had a takeaway (£37.95 – food budget)
• Played a free online game (Elvenar)
• Studied languages online with Duolingo
• Went for dinner with my Japanese group and my husband (£30)
• Went back to Birmingham to exchange my library books again (£3.90 metro ticket)
• Had lunch with a friend at work (once for two different friends, free, took my own lunch)
• Visited a friend at her house
• Watched TV via Amazon Prime (paid for last year – Arrow, Parks and Rec)
• Exercised using workouts on YouTube (£12 dumbbells)
• Walked in the local park
• Studied copy writing with CopyHour (course included with purchase of Location Rebel course)

Total – £107.71

I was lucky to get treated to lots of activities around my birthday at the beginning of the month. Towards the end, a couple of meals piled on over 50% of the month’s expenses.

I also bought a replacement phone and laptop as the old ones were broken / not fit for purpose anymore. I’m not sure whether or not I should include them here, but they cost £545 altogether.

Are you ready to die?

Death can be an uncomfortable subject, and many people prefer to avoid it while they’re in good health. However, there’s never a better time to discuss it.

We recently had a death in the family, and the affected couple were the type who never talked about it. That has made things a lot harder for the spouse left behind. There are some very simple things you can do to make sure that if anything happens to you, you won’t be leaving a mess for other people to sort out.

All the information below applies to the UK, specifically England.

Will

• Make a will. This is incredibly simple and probably cheaper than you think. A quick Google will reveal stacks of online websites which can help with this. My husband and I have prepared ours now, using Ten Minute Will. You can do a mirror will, leaving everything to each other, and nominating someone else, should you both die at the same time. We own our house jointly and don’t have much money, so our inheritance wouldn’t be too complicated even without a will, but we have one now anyway for peace of mind. You should definitely have one if:
  • You live with someone but are not legally married / in a civil partnership
  • You live in a house with someone else and don’t own it jointly (in which case, why not? It will be much simpler and cheaper if one of you dies)
  • You have children
  • You want to make any specific bequests
• Get your will signed. It’s not enough to just write one, you need to sign it in front of two people who are not beneficiaries. A bit of a faff, but it’s not legal without that.
• Pick an executor. Just thinking about this and asking someone if they’re willing to do it will make things simpler if you die unexpectedly. There’ll be someone who knows that a will exists, and hopefully where it is (make sure you tell them where you keep it). With our online will, we received a summary to send to our executors, along with some instructions about what an executor has to do. If only one of us dies, the other will be the executor. If we both die at the same time, we’ve each nominated a family member so they can work together.
• Leave details of your final wishes. We talk about this in my family, but I’m one of four siblings and my parents always forget who wants what, which is why written wishes kept with your will are important. Do you want to be buried or cremated? Do you want your remains to go somewhere in particular? Do you want the ceremony conducted through a particular religion or a non-religious ceremony? Do you want any specific hymns, songs, readings or anything else? Do you care about an expensive coffin? Or having an environmentally-friendly one?

Estate

One of the first things your executor (or your administrator if you didn’t leave a will) has to do, is complete an inheritance tax form. In order to do that, they have to work out the value of your estate. If you don’t have a will, your next of kin can’t even apply to become your administrator until they’ve done all this. It is going to be a massive pain for them at a time when they’re already grieving. You are the person best equipped to provide all this information, so why not do it on an ongoing basis?

• Bank accounts. A list of where you have current and savings accounts, either single or joint (both have to be included in your estate), along with the account numbers.
• ISAs. Account number and company where you have any cash or stocks-and-shares ISAs.
• Premium bonds. If you have premium bonds, leave a list of the numbers.
• Stocks and Shares. Your executor or administrator will have to price these up, so a list of the names and amounts held will make their life a lot easier.
• Peer-to-peer lending. Easy to forget as they’re relatively new, but form part of your estate.
• Pensions. Provider and reference number for any private or company pensions.
• Other. If you’ve got a car, that’s probably easy to find, but items like expensive jewellery should also be included in your estate.

It’s useful for you to know how much you have in your estate anyway, as you’ll have an idea of whether inheritance tax will be owing. You can give a certain amount of cash as a gift each year, so maybe it’s worth doing that if you’re getting older and are close to the tax limit (£325,000 at the time of writing).

If you’re on a roll once you get all that done, you can sort out a Legal Power of Attorney, both for finance and health. You could also leave a list of addresses so that people can get notified in the event of your death. For example, I have a number of penpals living overseas, and my husband wouldn’t know how to contact them if I passed away.

Frugal spend w/e 04/09/16

Out of this week’s budget of £20, I have spent nothing

Total £0.00, £20.00 into savings.

From savings I spent £34.98 on a barbell to use when doing Les Mills Body Pump at home.

Food shopping

• Turkey thigh – £2.25 (reduced)
• Peppers – £1.00
• Grapefruit x 2 – £1.00
• Carrots – £0.50
• Courgettes – £1.40
• Kale – £0.79 (reduced)
• Broccoli – £0.50
• Cabbage – £1.00
• Bacon – £2.50
• Tomatoes x 2 packs – £1.20
• Mushrooms x 2 packs – £1.70

Subtotal – £13.84

Total – £13.84

Running total for September – monthly budget £150, £13.84 spent, £136.16 remaining.

Counselling savings- £109.80/£435 (to cover initial consultation and ten sessions) – 25%

Frugal spend w/e 28/08/16

Out of this week’s budget of £20, I have spent:

• £3.90 – metro ticket to go to the library
• £5.00 – case for new phone
• £12.00 – make up through No 7 deal

Total £20.90, -£0.90 into savings.

From money I received for my birthday, as well as savings, I bought a secondhand laptop from eBay (my existing laptop broke) for £245 and a secondhand iPhone 6 from eBay for £300 (the iOS on my old phone was no longer being recognised by many apps).

Food shopping

• I didn’t save the receipt from last week but we spent around £32.50.

 

• Peas – £1.50
• Chicken thighs – £4.50
• Beef mince x 3 – £10.15
• Lamb chops – £4.50
• Frozen vegetables – £1.50
• Prawns – £7.00
• Pork chops – £2.55
• Choc ices – £2.00
• Wood pigeon – £1.89 (reduced)
• Sausages – £3.78 (reduced)
• Rump steak -£2.49 (reduced)
• Pork chops – £2.89 (reduced)
• Chicken thighs and drumsticks – £0.99 (reduced)
• Top side beef – £5.34 (reduced)
• Olives – £2.00
• Bacon – £2.50
• Fish pie mix – £2.59 (reduced)
• Pork loin – £6.50
• Mushrooms – £1.50
• Mushrooms – £0.85
• Coleslaw – £1.00
• Mangoes – £2.00
• Custard – £0.70
• Sauerkraut x 2 – £2.25
• Madeira cake – £1.30
• Potatoes – £0.90
• Coriander – £1.25
• Avocadoes x 2 – £3.50
• Onions – £0.45
• Cauliflower – £1.00

Subtotal – £81.87

• Smoked salmon – £2.09 (reduced)
• Frying steak – £2.09 (reduced)
• Smoked salmon – £1.92 (reduced)
• Sausages – £1.18 (reduced)
• Pork shoulder – £4.16
• Chicken – £4.67
• Mushrooms – £0.79
• Beetroot – £0.69
• Peppers – £1.35
• Romaine lettuce – £0.89
• Kale – £0.89
• Purple sprouting broccoli – £1.39
• Cucumber x 2 – £0.74
• Bacon – £1.15
• Parmesan – £2.29
• Chorizo – £2.19
• Earl Grey tea x 3 – £2.97
• Tomato puree – £0.37
• Passata – £0.35
• Ale x 2 – £2.78
• Salad seed mix – £0.39
• Cashew nuts – £1.72
• Roasted peanuts – £0.99
• Crisps – £0.99
• Baguette x 2 – £0.38
• Rolls – £0.60
• Shower gel x 2 – £0.66
• Cotton buds – £0.52
• Washing powder – £4.99
• Moisturiser – £1.29
• Chicken thighs x 2 – £3.78
• Pork belly slices x 2 – £4.58
• Diced beef – £4.69

Subtotal – £60.83

Total – £175.20

Running total for August – monthly budget £175, £225.01 spent, £50.01 overspend.

Counselling savings- £109.80/£435 (to cover initial consultation and ten sessions) – 25%

Simplify – weekly wishes w/c 29/08/16

Last week’s wishes – 22/08/16

1. Emails: write five emails.0% completed.
2. Home: phone plasterer to arrange a quote.50% completed. Identified and called a plasterer but got no answer.
3. Strength: Do an online body pump workout at home three times. 100% completed. Done on Weds, Sat, Sun. 
4. Family: visit a family member in hospital every day. 100% completed. Done on Mon-Thurs. Sadly, he passed away on Friday. 
5. Eating: do Whole30 from Mon to Sun. 100% completed. Done on Mon-Sun.
6. Volunteering: do one Samaritans shift and one training session. 100% completed.

Healthy habits

1. Strength
   1. Walk for 20 minutes. Mon x 2, Tues x 3, Weds, Thurs, Fri x 2, Sat x 6, Sun x 4
   2. Complete one primal sprint session.
   3. Complete a long and steady run. X
   4. Go for a bike ride. X
   5. Do 10-minute strength training session (including 30 Day Shred). Weds, Sat, Sun
2. Flexibility
   1. Do 10-minute yoga session. X
   2. Do 15-minutes semi-supine and Alexander Technique affirmations. X
   3. Do super brain yoga. Mon, Weds, Thurs, Sun
   4. Body brush. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   5. Use Better Back: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
3. Mindfulness
   1. Do 10-minute writing meditation session. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Practise mindfulness during a daily activity. Thurs
   3. Do 10-minute mindfulness meditation session. Mon, Sat
   4. Complete mindfulness journal. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   5. Use Happify or another stress relief technique. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
4. Eating
   1. Enter meals on MyFitnessPal or blog. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Eat under 150g carbohydrates in a day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Have an added-sugar-free day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   4. Eat 5 portions of veg or fruit. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
5. Brain
   1. Come up with ideas (based on this post). Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Write 750 words. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Language study: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
6. Positivity
   1. Think of 3 things I’m grateful for. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Listen to affirmations: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Volunteer: Tues, Thurs

Category	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Strength	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
Flexibility	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
Mindfulness	3	3	3	3	3	1	3	19
Eating	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	35
Brain	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	35
Positivity	3	5	3	5	3	3	3	24
Total	18	20	18	20	18	16	18	127

Weekly wishes for 29/08/16

1. Social: host lunch for my mother- and brother-in-law.
2. Strength: complete three Les Mills body pump workouts.
3. Letters: finish one half-written letter.
4. Declutter: put five items on eBay.

Simplify – weekly wishes w/c 22/08/16

Last week’s wishes – 15/08/16

1. Emails: write five emails. 100% completed, written five emails. 
2. Strength: Do an online body pump workout at home three times. 100% completed, done on Mon, Weds and Sat. 
3. Social: go for a meal with a language group on Thursday.100% completed.
4. Eating: eat Whole30-compliant at the meal on Thursday.0% completed. I thought I was eating compliantly, but it turns out that sushi ginger contains sugar:(
5. Eating: do Whole30 from Mon to Sun. 86% completed. Done Mon-Weds, Fri-Sun. 
6. Side hustle: complete a proofreading job by Sunday. 100% completed.
7. Volunteering: do two Samaritans shifts (half my monthly commitment).100% completed. Done on Fri and Sun.

Healthy habits

1. Strength
   1. Walk for 20 minutes. Mon, Tues x 2, Weds x 4, Thurs x 2, Fri, Sat, Sun x 2
   2. Complete one primal sprint session.
   3. Complete a long and steady run. X
   4. Go for a bike ride. X
   5. Do 10-minute strength training session (including 30 Day Shred). Mon, Weds, Sat
2. Flexibility
   1. Do 10-minute yoga session. X
   2. Do 15-minutes semi-supine and Alexander Technique affirmations. X
   3. Do super brain yoga. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat
   4. Body brush. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat
   5. Use Better Back: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
3. Mindfulness
   1. Do 10-minute writing meditation session. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Practise mindfulness during a daily activity. Mon, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Do 10-minute mindfulness meditation session. Weds, Sat, Sun
   4. Complete mindfulness journal. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   5. Use Happify or another stress relief technique. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
4. Eating
   1. Enter meals on MyFitnessPal or blog. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Eat under 150g carbohydrates in a day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Have a sugar-free day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri, Sat, Sun
5. Brain
   1. Come up with ideas (based on this post). Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Write 750 words. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Language study: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
6. Positivity
   1. Think of 3 things I’m grateful for. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Listen to affirmations: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Volunteer: Fri, Sun

Category	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Strength	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
Flexibility	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
Mindfulness	3	3	5	3	3	5	5	27
Eating	5	5	5	3	5	5	5	33
Brain	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	35
Positivity	3	3	3	3	5	3	5	25
Total	14	18	20	16	20	20	22	130

Weekly wishes for 22/08/16

1. Emails: write five emails.
2. Home: phone plasterer to arrange a quote.
3. Strength: Do an online body pump workout at home three times.
4. Family: visit a family member in hospital every day.
5. Eating: do Whole30 from Mon to Sun.
6. Volunteering: do one Samaritans shift and one training session.

Simplify – weekly wishes w/c 15/08/16

Last week’s wishes – 08/08/16

1. Letters: write two letters. 0% completed. 
2. Strength: find a body pump workout online and do it at home. 100% completed. Done on Mon, Weds, Fri and Sun.
3. Eating: do Whole30 from Mon to Sun. 100% completed. Done Mon-Sun.
4. Laptop: find out whether my laptop can be repaired or needs to be replaced, and have a working laptop by Sun. 50% completed. My husband (who works in IT) says it can be repaired and has ordered a new cooling fan, which will arrive next week.
5. Social: go to knit group on Tuesday. 100% completed.
6. Social: make a decision about going to a friend’s party at the weekend. 100% completed – not going.

Healthy habits

1. Strength
   1. Walk for 20 minutes. Mon, Tues x 3, Weds x 2, Thurs x 3, Fri x 2, Sat x 5, Sun x 2
   2. Complete one primal sprint session. Mon
   3. Complete a long and steady run. Weds
   4. Go for a bike ride. X
   5. Do 10-minute strength training session (including 30 Day Shred). Mon, Weds, Fri
2. Flexibility
   1. Do 10-minute yoga session. Mon
   2. Do 15-minutes semi-supine and Alexander Technique affirmations. X
   3. Do super brain yoga. Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   4. Body brush. Mon, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   5. Use Better Back: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
3. Mindfulness
   1. Do 10-minute writing meditation session. Sun
   2. Practise mindfulness during a daily activity. Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Do 10-minute mindfulness meditation session. Sun
   4. Complete mindfulness journal. Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   5. Use Happify or another stress relief technique. Weds, Fri, Sat, Sun
4. Eating
   1. Enter meals on MyFitnessPal or blog. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Eat under 150g carbohydrates in a day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat
   3. Have a sugar-free day. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat
5. Brain
   1. Come up with ideas (based on this post). Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Write 750 words. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   3. Language study: Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
6. Positivity
   1. Think of 3 things I’m grateful for. Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
   2. Listen to affirmations: Sun
   3. Volunteer: Sun

Category	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Strength	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
Flexibility	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
Mindfulness	0	1	3	1	3	3	5	16
Eating	5	5	5	5	5	5	1	31
Brain	3	5	5	5	5	5	5	33
Positivity	1	1	1	1	1	1	5	11
Total	13	14	16	14	16	16	18	110

Weekly wishes for 15/08/16

1. Emails: write five emails.
2. Strength: Do an online body pump workout at home three times.
3. Social: go for a meal with a language group on Thursday.
4. Eating: eat Whole30-compliant at the meal on Thursday.
5. Eating: do Whole30 from Mon to Sun.
6. Side hustle: complete a proofreading job by Sunday.
7. Volunteering: do two Samaritans shifts (half my monthly commitment).

Frugal – buying decisions

I’m interested in simplifying both what I own and what I spend, which gives me two reasons to think very carefully about anything new I purchase. On the other hand, I’m very motivated by self-improvement and often want to try new things which will help me to change in some way. If they’re brand new to me, they sometimes require equipment or other items which would help to do them more effectively. How do I reconcile the two things?

Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme suggests not buying anything for a new activity until you’ve proven that you can stick with it (I think – I can’t find the exact post now). That’s generally a good policy, so I’ll usually set myself a timescale or frequency after which I can buy the equipment I’m thinking of. For example, last week I tried a Body Pump class and found it both interesting and challenging, so I’d like to keep going with it at home. I have some low-weight dumbbells and kettlebells which I have used for previous exercise, but I don’t have a barbell.

My first instinct, and what many websites about the course would recommend, is to go out and buy a barbell straight away, and in fact to assume that I can’t do the activity until I buy the barbell. Considering Jacob’s suggestion, I can try the activity at home with dumbbells and kettlebells to see if it really sticks or if I get bored of it very shortly. We did use dumbbells during the class for a few sections, so I know that those can definitely be adapted. The others may not be ideal without a barbell, but will probably be good enough as a form of movement and a form of strength training, even if I don’t get the full benefit I would get from a barbell.

I’ve therefore set myself the challenge that if I can do Body Pump three times per week at home, using the weights I already have, for four weeks, then I can look into getting a barbell. This has two advantages: I’m more motivated to undertake the activity because there’s a built-in reward after a few weeks; I’m giving myself time to make it into a habit before I invest in it. If I can do this regularly for four weeks before I even buy any equipment, there’s a reasonable chance that I’ll stick with it for another four weeks after buying the equipment.

Actually, there’s a third advantage as well in this case. My arms, shoulders and chest are pretty weak, so it’s to my advantage to get used to doing the movements with the lighter weights I already have, as this will make me less likely to give up in the early days. A barbell has a weight of itself, before you even add any plates to it, and I found the weights heavy enough during the class that I was failing halfway through the tracks rather than working to the end and then failing.

Setting a frequency for a new activity is useful to give yourself time to embed the habit. For things you already do, it’s useful to set a buying timescale. I often find myself urgently wanting something when I first read about it, but then forgetting about it after a couple of weeks, or losing interest enough that I don’t want to buy it anymore. For example, earlier in the year, I was thinking about buying a Fitbit. I looked into prices and the different models and almost made a decision to buy there and then, but I didn’t have the cash straight away, so said I’d leave it for a month. When I think about buying a Fitbit now, I can’t really get excited about it, so it seemed to be just a fad that I’ve moved away from. Even with time-limited offers, I’ll usually try to at least sleep on the purchase, and that often gives me enough time to change my mind or get a more realistic view of the value.