Category: My Little Blue Kayak Blog

Money Lessons From Mother Fran

Money Lessons

I come from a large family, very large by today’s standards. My parents had 9 kids and we jokingly refer to ourselves by birth order. I am child number 8, daughter number 6.  My dad was a cop and my mom stayed at home to raise her family. Looking back I believe she held many titles including Master Delegator and Chief Financial Officer. Dad brought home the bacon but mom was the one who made sure it was stretched effectively and distributed appropriately. She paid the bills, cut the coupons, made the shopping lists and took care of the budget. Continue reading “Money Lessons From Mother Fran”

Sculpting My Day

I am a morning person and when I get up I follow my morning routine. When I work a full day I plan on getting to work by 7:30 so I know I will be on my way home by 4:00PM. The funny thing is when I only have to work a half day I still end up getting to work by 7:30. I have not learned the fine art of sleeping late or lounging when there is work to be done. Don’t get me wrong if I don’t have to go to work I can sit back and chill and occasionally forget to change out of my pajamas! But when there is work to be done my brain only has one speed and it is the equivalent to 4th gear! My job is fast paced and productivity matters so procrastination is a really BAD thing. Continue reading “Sculpting My Day”

Spring is Coming

Spending time outdoors in nature is one of the ways I keep myself grounded. Getting outside helps me to get out of my head! Too much time inside is not healthy for me. Although we haven’t had much snow in the Finger Lakes area this winter we have had plenty of cold temperatures. Last night I went to bed and I just kept thinking that spring is coming but I woke up at 3:00 AM to see fresh snow on the ground. But spring is COMING!  I know it is coming because nature tells me so in many ways: Continue reading “Spring is Coming”

Kick Fear Out Of The Way

On 7/26/14 I had one of my AHA moments of insight and this is what I wrote down. “I let fear get in my way. Fear of hurting someone’s feelings, fear of feeling stupid. Fear of rejection, fear of not knowing what I am talking about or of not being able to express myself. This is self sabotage and I will no longer tolerate it.” Continue reading “Kick Fear Out Of The Way”

Creating Habits To Reach My Goals and Toes

I am learning to think consciously about what is important to me and how I spend my time. The last few years one of my primary focuses was to get out of debt and stop spending money recreationally.  Well back in April 2015 I paid off the last of my debt and have learned to spend money deliberately on things that I value. I have decided that my new will focus will be on my health by adding one good habit at a time to my day. Back in October I added my smoothie habit. See my post 52,000 Fewer Calories and I am happy to report that I continue to drink and enjoy my smoothies. I even have my honey requesting a smoothie several times a week. Continue reading “Creating Habits To Reach My Goals and Toes”

Choosing Health With My Wii

Although active and athletic, I never played organized sports as a kid. We lived far from school and transportation was a problem. Getting exercise however was never a problem. We had a huge garden to tend, a few acres to mow and a driveway to shovel. After school we had to pick a job to do for one hour such as weeding the strawberry patch, picking dandelions greens for the chickens or shoveling the dirt from the pond we dredged. Continue reading “Choosing Health With My Wii”

52,000 Fewer Calories This Year

Eating Healthy is a Choice

Eating healthy means different things to different people. I have been a vegetarian since 1998 but that doesn’t mean I have always eaten well. I used to joke that I was a cheese-itarian. Cheesy eggs for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch and pizza for dinner would not have been unusual. I love it all!  Fresh mozzarella, feta, cheddar, swiss, monterey jack. I am starting to drool just thinking about it. I seriously love cheese. Deep down I always knew that all that cheese was clogging my arteries and adding to my waistline but I could not help myself. Continue reading “52,000 Fewer Calories This Year”

Geese Fly South in the Winter… Right?

Last month, I was out walking my dog all bundled up against the January cold. Overhead I heard the familiar clatter of geese flying south. Actually I have no idea if they were flying south because I am directionally challenged… But that doesn’t matter because all of a sudden a few of them veered sharply off course and they reversed direction. There seemed to be no leader and small groups were soon flying in all different directions. The organized “V” pattern in which they normally fly became a giant doodle in the sky. I stopped and listened to the deafening noise overhead as the confusion unfolded. It was chaos!  CHAOS! But geese really do fly south in the winter in a “V” shaped pattern. Within the chaos was order and I have no doubt that order was restored.   formation-508038_1280

AHA… In order there can be chaos. And this is normal and ok! Continue reading “Geese Fly South in the Winter… Right?”

Make One Good Decision After Another

I am convinced that sometimes we struggle to choose between options for which there should be no struggle. We know the best option. We know  it 100% from our fingers to our toes. We know which decisions will bring us closer toward our long term goals and happiness and which ones will simply make life easier in the moment.  But life has a habit of getting in the way and some of us make a living out of complicating the simple things in life.

Go with the green arrow!

Continue reading “Make One Good Decision After Another”

Change a Little, Change a Lot

Back in August 2013, I had one of my AHA moments of insight which was “I can’t move the lake but I can move toward the lake.”  See my post I Moved the Lake to hear more about this change! This AHA moment prompted me to essentially stop spending money in order to allow me to quit my job and move closer to the lake. I have made a lot of small changes over the last few years that have helped me to dramatically reduce my annual expenses.

In and of themselves these little changes don’t sound like much but the end result has had a huge impact on my life. When I compare some of my 2013 expenses to 2015 expenses this is what I find:

2013 Monthly Expense 2015 Monthly Expense
Clothing $50 $10
Car Insurance $80 $50
Cable $70 $0
Internet $50 $15
Cell Phone $75 $50

If I add up all of the small changes I made and look at the overall impact on my monthly and annual expenses the impact is huge. In 2013 my expenses were roughly $2600 per month or $31,200 per year. Currently my monthly expenses are $1650 per month or $19,800 per year. In just over 2 years, I have reduced my annual expenses by $11,400! What would you do with an extra $11,400? Continue reading “Change a Little, Change a Lot”