Month: January 2016

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”

My family has this awesome cottage on one of the finger lakes in central New York. My dad tried selling real estate for a while and he sold one piece of property… to himself. It has been in my family since I was around 11 years old. The house is cozy, the view is spectacular and the lake is one of the cleanest in the country.

I spent most of my adult life living almost 7 hours away from the lake and only visiting for a few long weekends each year. My Little Blue Kayak and I love the lake! A few years ago I started longing for the lake and for my family and spent Continue reading “I Moved the Lake!”