Yard Sale and Weekend Update

(Betsy): Dave Ramsey has coined several phrases and ideas (i.e. "Live like no one else so [that later,] you can live like no one else.") One of our favorite components to his teachings is his idea of attacking debt with "gazelle intensity." Let me explain.

Imagine a camera skimming Africa's grassland habitat (think: Discovery Channel/Travel Channel). You may spot an occasional tree or pond, but we all know the camera man's true intentions. Somewhere nearby is a herd of animals--probably gazelles--with a predator--the cheetah--close by. The camera man continues filming as the gazelles become aware that their enemy is on the prowl. When the cheetah makes his move, darting towards the group of seemingly helpless animals, the gazelles scatter and run like hell. Usually, the cheetah chooses one victim, and a cat and mouse chase develops over the next few seconds. If you concentrate on the gazelle, you will notice that he (or she) is running from the cheetah with a 'focused-intentsity'. In other words, this gazelle is on a mission: to get away from this cheetah, and get away fast. His life depends on escaping his hunter.

We, the American consumer population, are much like the gazelles; our predator, credit card debt. We are constantly being encouraged to go into debt so that we can have what we want instantly. We are encouraged to finance cars, furniture, cosmetic surgeries, televisions, homes, the list goes on... When we finally realize that our lives our now swallowed in debt, we begin to panic. Dave Ramsey argues that we should run like hell from credit card companies, with this 'focused intentsity' that the gazelles use. Likewise, we should be using this same intensity to pay off our debts. Sell things you don't use or need. Work extra hours. Pick up an additional job. Whatever it takes.

Scott and I are fortunate to only have car debt. But, let me tell you, we HATE it. Scott makes double payments each month, and we are both making compromises and sacrifices in order to stick to our budget. We are on schedule to pay off the loan in 12 (or fewer) months. We are incredibly happy with that, as the loan was originally scheduled to be paid off in 5.5 years! To illustrate our 'gazelle intensity' (our roommates now have it too!!), we had a yard sale. Not only was this a great time to make some extra cash, but we also were able to spend some quality time with my roommates. We had many laughs and many customers. The yard sale also gave us the opportunity to meet some of our neighbors and learn some interesting history about our 18th century home.

 

On a much different note, Scott and I started a new book, Super Freakonomics. The authors, two economists, put a unique twist on interesting topics. For example, they propose that you are at greater risk by walking drunk than by driving drunk. We are currently reading a chapter on why "A Street Prostitute is Like a Department Store Santa." Interesting stuff... 

Everyone, have a great week!

Labor Day Weekend

(Betsy): Hello all! I hope everyone is enjoying the transition from summer to fall. While I'm a huge fan of warmer weather, I'd have to say, fall is probably my favorite season; there is something refreshing about crisp air, and who doesn't love the beautiful outdoors during September/October?!

Like most of you, Scott and I started our September with a long, fun-filled weekend (with a lot of studying in between). Friday afternoon, we drove to the central library where I was able to get a significant amount of reading done for class, and Scott was able to finish up some things from his work week. The downtown library is gorgeous. In the past couple of years, the structure has changed quite a bit, and visitors get this cool "old/traditional meets modern/state-of-the-art" experience. It is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

On Saturday, Scott's parents came down for the last Indianapolis Indians' game. We enjoyed some wine at Tastings before heading to Weber Grill where we met Scott's aunt, uncle, and cousins (It was so great meeting you guys!). After a great dinner, we headed to the game (less than a mile walk) on a perfect night. Although I've never been a huge baseball fan, it has been fun learning baseball lingo. I now know what a pinch-hitter is, and I am slowly learning the dynamic between the different professional levels (i.e. Indians versus Yankees,etc.). Scott is super excited to take me to a Cubs' game (on our 30 list!), and, from what he has told me, the subculture at these games is nothing short of exciting...Anyway, I don't know that I've ever sat through an entire baseball game, but the fireworks show at the end of the game certainly made it worth it! We also were able to enjoy the entire night for less than $40. Between Tastings, dinner, and food at the game, we could have easily spent $70-80, but by budgeting and only spending cash, we were much more aware of where our money was going. Call us nerds, but we were SO excited about that!

We also spent Sunday with family. We headed to Danville, IN for my family's annual hog roast. Here are some pics we snapped:

Breena and Scott

My dad and his beautiful wife, JC :)

Only the sweetest little cousins ever....Chris and Nick!!!!

The poor hog!

Hanna!!! and myself

Grandpa Al, my wonderful mother, and Janet L.

Finally, on Monday, Scott and I got to spend some quality time together at one of our favorite spots at the Lily Gardens in Indy (pictured to the right). The Lily Gardens is a seriously beautiful  hidden treasure, located behind the Indianapolis Museum of Art. There, we finished Mindfulness which turned out to be a really great book despite the sometimes drag content. I'll save my thoughts on the book...and share my absolute favorite story from it...for another post!

Also, I wanted to let some people know (specifically, Mo and Amanda) that you can subscribe to our blog (down at the bottom of the blog page) or "follow" us if you have a gmail account. You will automatically be sent updates when we update. I'll also send you the directions in an e-mail.

I cheated!!

(Betsy): Ok...so...you know that whole request from me in my earlier blog about praying that I didn't burn the house down...well, I was serious! I need your prayers, people!

Tuesday started out a lovely day. The weather was perfect, I was on time to work, and my amazing boyfriend had my lunch ready to go--tortilla chips, cheese, and a yogurt. My morning flew by, and I was all smiles....

Those smiles quickly turned to looks of horror when I realized I had set my office microwave on fire. I was trying to melt some cheese on the tortilla chips when I noticed the smell of smoke. Apparently, you can't microwave paper plates with aluminum on them (they were little plates from a child's birthday party with some crazy cartoon character)...who knew!

I quickly put the small fire out (turns out, I exaggerated a bit in the previous paragraph--i only sent the plate up in flames--not the entire microwave) with some water from a sink nearby. Needless to say, my lunch was burnt, and I had a major headache (probably induced from the stress of putting out a fire combined with an empty stomach). Then, I totally broke down. I admit it! I drove to the Mexican restaurant down the street, Real Hacienda, and bought chicken nachos!

Scott helped me rationalize the situation and made me feel better about eating out. So, we are adding one more day to our challenge to counteract my little episode at work. September 24th can not come soon enough!

Quick Trip to Tastings Downtown

(Scott) - Hello there, I have not posted for awhile, so I believe I am due to write.  I have chosen to discuss our experience at Tastings which is a wine bar in downtown Indy.  Tastings is a progressive wine tasting experience as it utilizes a unique way to sample their vino. 

You start your experience by purchasing a prepaid card, putting as much money on the card as you desire.  The prices of the samples range from a couple dollars up to several dollars. You walk around to various stations and have several wines to choose from.  Each wine has a description to assist you which will hopefully prevent you from making a bad decision that could result in that bitter face that we have all made at some point in our lives.  Once you make a selection, you insert your prepaid card, put the glass under the nozzle, push the button and out comes a 'sample' amount of wine to be swirled, smelled and drank or just to be chugged...the preference is yours.  I am a fan of just throwing it down in order to get to the next sample.  If you are finished sampling, or prefer not to sample, you may buy a bottle of wine to enjoy along with various food items.

The crowd was definitely one that aimed to please the avid people watcher. You could determine who was on a date, who was there to impress, who was tipsy and who was having a good time.  The typical patron that night was dressed in very formal attire and 'appeared' to have significant cash flow; although, don't interpret that to mean Tastings is expensive, as you determine how much you wish to spend.  

In all, Betsy, Lauren, Will and I had a great but short time at Tastings even thought I felt very under dressed.  It was a short time for us as the prepaid card ran down quickly (we put a whopping $15 on our card), and it was time to move on.  I would definitely recommend trying this at least once due to the technology, location and the variety of wines.  That's all from me...hope everyone is doing well.

Quick Update

(Betsy): Scott and I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I'd update everyone with what has been going on in the last couple of weeks. We aren't aggressively pursuing anything on our 30 list right now, but we are being mindful of the list and doing things like reading together, budgeting, etc.

Speaking of being mindful, we are currently reading Mindfulness, written by this guy, Ven. Henepola Gunaratana. We are having a difficult time getting through it, partly due to reading time limitations and partly due to the content of the book.

The meat of the book is about meditation: how to meditate, where to meditate, what to do and not do while meditating. You get the picture. Scott and I have no  intention of practicing meditation, but what we do appreciate about the book is the author's approach to viewing the universe and in particular, the human experience. Details to come. 

I must admit that a bulk of what we have read is over my head, but Scott has a really great skill of interpretation and is able to explain some of the content to me in ways that are applicable to our relationship with each other and with others around us. So, with that said, I'll leave the details of the book for Scott to explain in another blog.

In other news, we have started our Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University course and absolutely love it! It is so great to be around others just like us (only older) who want to live life debt free. We feel so encouraged after hearing stories of other couples in our class who are actively working to change lifestyle habits they have developed over the years. We also feel fortunate that we are taking this class at a young age so that we can build a solid financial foundation with no debt. We are fired up about our finances and are so pumped to see our official budget set into action in September.

After examining where our money has been going the last few months, we have found that most of our cash goes to eating out (aside from fixed expenses--Scott's mortgage, my rent, utilities, etc.). We really enjoy the quality time and conversations that accompanies eating out; however, we are always in shock when we get our bill--"60 bucks! That's a whole weeks worth of groceries!"

To counteract our eating out habit, we have done two things. First, we have challenged ourselves to not eating out for 30 days. This includes sit-down restaurants and fast food. We had made plans to eat out with Scott's parents before an Indians' game prior to our challenge, so this will be our one and ONLY exception. Scott frequently has to take clients to lunch/dinner, but that is on his company's tab. Our challenge is strictly for financial purposes, so while Scott gets to enjoy Indy's finest restaurants for lunch (on Blue), I'll be enjoying Lean Cuisines and turkey sandwiches. I'm not jealous or anything... :)

Secondly, we have subscribed to a genius website, e-mealz.com. The idea behind the website is to keep people from grabbing fast food or going out to eat simply because they don't have all ingredients at home to make a quick meal. For just 5 dollars a month, you subscribe to a menu of 7 meals. Additionally, the website generates a grocery list, so you know what to buy. Many of the ingredients are used in several of the meals for that week, so you are not wasting and throwing out extras. You can also personalize your menus. For example, Scott and I chose "Walmart for two," and we got a menu specifically designed for two people who buy groceries at Walmart. You can also choose options like "Vegetarian Kroger for a family." The options are endless. Pray I don't burn down the house while attempting to cook.

In addition to our financial class and new eating challenge, Scott and I are both keeping busy with our personal agendas. I started my Masters of Public Health this past Monday. I am currently going part-time but hope to eventually attend as a full-time student. Many people ask me what I would do with a Masters in Public Health; I am currently deciding between two "majors"--Health and Policy Management and Epidemiology. I'll keep you posted, but I am sure loving my Epidemiology class right now.

Epidemiology is essentially studying why people get sick--on a population level, rather than an individual level. Epidemiologists look at groups of people and study illness and disease trends. All of the course material is really fascinating. In my Wednesday night class, we were discussing mortality rates among women in the United States. If you ask the average woman what the number one cause for death among women is, she will likely answer breast cancer. Clearly, this is because breast cancer is marketed so well. We constantly hear about breast cancer--the risks,the causes-- though advertising by organizations such as the Komen Foundation. Each year, millions and millions of dollars are pumped into marketing the disease, but what many do not know is that much of this marketing is funded by tobacco companies. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. There is a direct correlation between smoking and heart disease, so by exposing breast cancer so aggressively on a national level, tobacco companies are redirecting attention from the true number one killer to another disease. What a clever, yet dangerous marketing ploy! Good stuff...

Scott recently interviewed to be on the board for Fresh Start of Indiana, an organization designed to support victims of abusive relationships and help them successfully transition out of those relationships. If given the position, he would serve as the board treasurer. Please keep him in your prayers. We are really wanting to involve ourselves with helping the less fortunate, and this would be a great opportunity for him to volunteer his area of expertise, accounting.

Well, that is our last couple of weeks in a nutshell. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at the downtown library...a lot of studying for me and a lot of work for Scott. Everyone have a great weekend!

White Water Rafting in West Virginia

(Betsy): I am finally getting around to posting about our white water rafting trip. Thank you to everyone who reads our blog!

A few weekends ago, Scott, Lauren, Will, and I packed up our gear and headed east for a weekend of ultimate white water rafting. Lauren and I went on a trip last year, had a blast, and decided to take our beaus along this time around. The company we rafted with, Cantrell Ultimate Rafting, is one of seven rafting companies left in West Virginia. According to our river guide, Walt, there were, at one time, 27 companies. But, not unlike other businesses, the big eat the small, and only the strong survive. Cantrell is locally owned and operated, and we absolutely loved rafting with them. Definitely consider them if you are thinking about taking a trip!

Lauren and I definitely took advantage of our "expert rafting" status and had Will and Scott a little worked up and anxious on the six hour drive to Fayatteville. The conversation went a little something like this:

Betsy: "Hey Lauren, did you mention to Will that we'll be rafting over a 14-foot drop? I forgot to tell Scott..."

Lauren: "Oh. Shoot. I forgot to tell Will, too. Don't worry honey. Only a few people have died. We will be fine."

Meanwhile, Will and Scott started looking a little uneasy, but Lauren and I milked it for quite a while before admitting the trip would be pleasurable and not dangerous.

When we arrived to our cabin on Friday night, let's just say the boys were less than impressed by our rustic bungalow (coined "rusty bungalow" by Lauren and I last year). While the cabin was a step-up from tents and air mattresses, I was certainly looking forward to my own bed after two uncomfortable nights of sleeping.

Despite our rough lodging arrangements, we woke up Saturday morning enthused and energized, ready to hit the river. A five minute, scenic drive took us to the Cantrell campgrounds where we were served a great breakfast--biscuits and gravy (Don't worry, mom. They did not taste better than yours), fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, and coffee.

Shortly after breakfast, we signed release waivers and geared up for the day, avoiding, at all costs, moldy life jackets and cracked helmets. Below are pics of Will and Scott signing their lives away as well as a group shot of us in all our rafting gear:

When everyone (about 35 of us) was dressed and ready for rafting, it was time to take the bus to the river to launch the boats. Surviving the bus ride to the river is an accomplishment in itself. Being escorted by a driver (convicted, we were told, of several DUI's) in a 20-year-old bus up and down winding roads lacking any sort of side railings is not my idea of fun. Needless to say, we arrived safely, and were thrilled to begin our adventure.

The scenery along the New River is breathtaking. I felt so lucky to be experiencing God's beautiful creations once again. The mountains are incredible, and believe it or not, there is an extreme sense of peace that comes along with white water rafting--the sounds of rapids, nice breezes through the trees. I was truly in awe of the beauty.

I must say, however, that our whole trip was not peaceful. Apparently, over time, river guides have developed some sort of river code of conduct, river etiquette, that is to be followed by everyone involved to ensure an enjoyable trip. Walt, our river guide, who has been leading trips for twenty-three years, has never picked up on these rules.

Walt is around 40 years old, about 5'6, and refuses to wear shoes. What he doesn't refuse to do is chew, use profanity, and cut other boats in line when rafting. Big no-no.

As a part of the rafting experience, river guides try to take their parties "surfing." From my understanding, surfing is the act of purposely getting your boat stuck in a hole or pocket of water, only to be released by mother nature. Sometimes river guides can maneuver their way out of the pocket, but sometimes outside help is needed--a pull with a rope from strong helping hands on land.

There are only a few pockets during summer months in which boats can surf. Summer is a busy time for rafting, so there is usually a line of boats waiting their turn to take a whirl. Walt, however, didn't have time to wait in line. He had an agenda, a plan, and that plan did not include waiting for other boats to attempt the pocket.

He commanded us to begin paddling, quickly, and we did as we were told. Soon we were passing other boats who had been waiting for a shot at surfing. While we were busy paddling our hearts out and getting glared at by angry rafters on other boats, Walt was busy cussing out the other river guides, telling them he did what he wanted and he didn't care what they thought or said. To top things off, Walt purposely kept our boat surfing for about 20 minutes (other boats surfed for about 45 seconds-no joke) in order to keep other boats from taking a turn.

Lauren, Will, Scott, and I knew that Walt was completely in the wrong; however, in just a few minutes of getting to know your river guide, you develop some sort of strange bond and alliance. So, despite our confrontation with about 15 other boats, we promised Walt that we would have his back that night at the campground, where he was expecting a fight with several other river guides.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of us actually on the water. An independent company sold video and picture dvds for an outrageous price, but because Scott and I are both being frugal right now, we opted out of paying an arm and a leg for a few pictures. No worries, the picture of Walt using his paddle to threaten other river guides will be forever ingrained in my memory.

Overall, the trip was relaxing and beautiful. There are several points on the river where you can jump out of the boat and float along, carefree. Scott and I did collide with a hidden rock (he has a giant bruise to prove it), but mostly, the trip was safe and fun. We would recommend it to everyone.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend in Florida

(Betsy): Scott and I are back from a great weekend in Florida. We spent some time in both Hollywood (at Polly and Bob's condo) and in Key Largo at the Key Largo Grande Resort and Beach Club. We had a relaxing weekend and were able to help celebrate the marriage of one of my sorority sisters (Michelle) and her new husband, Eric.

The wedding was beautiful--simple yet elegant. Two of my favorite things about the wedding were the reception room light fixtures and the beach-themed wedding cake. I snapped a few pics, of course:

I was also able to catch up with some great friends--Lindsey, Tricia, and Erica (all Chi Omega girls).

When we weren't celebrating with Michelle and Eric, Scott and I enjoyed lounging at the resort's beach and pool. I finished The Shack (Wm. Paul Young) and Scott got caught up on some work obligations. Don't worry. He didn't work too hard!

Here are some pictures of Scott and I at the reception, the resort pool, and the resort beach:

Nothing was accomplished on our 30 list, but I will say that this is our last vacation for quite a while. We are both inspired and motivated to save, save, save!

We both feel extremely lucky to have access to a great beach condo (thank you, Teta!), but feel that putting off vacations for a while (probably about a year) will be so rewarding in the end.

Stay tuned for white water rafting trip details!