By: Revanche

Slow goals are long term goals

January 30, 2017

With the whole house thing dropping down on my head like I’m the Wicked Witch of the West, plus the feeling that the world is coming apart at the seams, I need a reminder that slow and steady has brought us through some pretty tough times, and can still serve us well.

I’m reminding myself that not having a cool million in cash with which to buy a home in cash does not a massive failure of me make. (Sherry bought her half of their new home in cash and I’m STILL chuffed by that.)

Highlights

  • I weathered a year of unemployment during the Great Recession.
  • I started investing in 2012 in one stock, 7 whole shares worth $500 in total. We now hold 1100 shares of mostly dividend bearing stocks, worth $60,000 at our brokerage with Tradeking. I heartily recommend them. It was so easy to use when I first started out and continues to serve our needs.
  • We once had a large mortgage loan, a bit of retirement savings, and my cash. Now we’ve halved that mortgage and double my cash savings, doubled the value of our tax-advantaged accounts, and own an investment property.

We’re by no means wealthy, but we have done well. A dear friend pointed out my money management was nearly miraculous given the obstacles and commitments we’ve honored. While I think she might have been at least a little hyperbolic, I respect her opinion immensely, particularly with regard to money given her background in financial fields.

Health and Fitness

I’m uncommonly tickled about this discovery. I was aiming to establish an average of 2000 steps per day starting last June. It was a struggle to get out from behind the desk twice a day, but Seamus and I have hit a nearly 100% success rate in getting out the door for walks two, and even three, times a day, every week day, even when pain was so high I could barely feed myself.

We walked, dadgummit!

My average to date is about 3900 steps daily.

I haven’t been nearly as good at the yoga, so that’s a work in progress. There’s something much more compelling about telling yourself that it’s for the dog’s good, and having Seamus yodeling at me, that gets me off my duff faster and more consistently than telling myself to stretch because it’s good for me. Maybe I need to train Seamus to yodel at me until I stretch every night?

This month, I signed up for an account with Achievemint which pays you $10 per 10,000 points earned. I’m already pushing myself to walk consistently and a little more each day, why not get paid for it?

This took me three minutes.

1. Use my referral link to create an account. This nets both of us 250 points, so right away, you get points.
2. Choose an app to link to Achievement. My choice was the existing Health app on the iPhone. You can choose from, among MANY others: Fitbit, Foursquare, MapMyRide, Microsoft Health, MyFitnessPal, even Twitter!
3. Download Achievement to your phone if you’re linking to an app on your phone. Linking an app nets another 50 points.

I only started out with 50 points since I didn’t have a referral link (sadface) but you can (look up there!) leapfrog over with a lot more points. It doesn’t look like you’ll earn remarkably quickly but this is my one of my favorite things – getting paid for doing something I’m already doing.

The world

Like I said, the state of American politics and government in this very moment has me incredibly concerned for our democracy and Constitution. Is the American experiment over? Did it fail?

I was raised in the bosom of staunch Republican families, surrounded by serving men and women, but none of them recognize what the party has become today. I sure don’t. To see some conservatives still speaking out against what’s happening now does give me a little bit of heart, but I think we’re still deep in the muck and a whole lot of vulnerable people are going to be hurt before it’s over.

This weekend was Lunar New Year. The airports were filled with protests against the unconstitutional Muslim Ban, and Custom Border Patrol officers were refusing to enforce court orders. Lawyers were on the ground doing pro bono work to help those who were being illegally detained: green card holders, visa holders, citizens with dual citizenship.

It’s hardly been any time at all in the new administration and we’re already seeing civil rights being violated left and right. There is almost certainly an intent to fatigue citizens who can’t protest forever, while it’s quite easy for the administration to roll out EO after EO violating our rights. It can be overwhelming.

BUT.

PiC and I are going to stand up for ourselves and our neighbors, families and friends, all of whom are fully deserving of the rights that our Constitution affords us, regardless of age, race, sex, religious convictions, disability, sexual orientation and any other way we can be defined and divided up. I can’t physically march, but we can speak out, organize on a one-on-one basis, donate to those organizations and individuals doing tireless work to protect our civil liberties and reminding us that we were never perfect and that we can improve.

:: Can you share any financial or fitness goals you’ve achieved over time? What’s a great activity day for you? What’s your approach to defending our civil rights?

20 Responses to “Slow goals are long term goals”

  1. I’m so sorry you’re going through that with your neighbor. That must be incredibly stressful! Yeah I think those tough times really teach us about who we are. But still…
    Congrats on your fitness goals. I think any “step” in the right direction is a good one! As far as civil rights, I’ve been contacting my lawmakers giving them my two cents on how I feel about this whole ban on muslims and refugees. OMG what is happening!!??!
    Tonya@Budget and the Beach recently posted…January Rewind: Spendy Spendy SpendyMy Profile

    • Revanche says:

      Oh yes, the neighbor adds a layer of stress we really don’t need. But we’re doing the best we can to also live our lives.

      I hope we keep hoping that this nightmare ends soon but I know that we’re in this for the long haul.

  2. “A dear friend pointed out my money management was nearly miraculous given the obstacles and commitments we’ve honored. While I think she might have been at least a little hyperbolic…”

    Ahem… I don’t THINK so. You are more amazing than amazing, when it comes to money management. No hyperbole there.

    “I was raised in the bosom of staunch Republican families, surrounded by serving men and women, but none of them recognize what the party has become today.” This whole thing makes me hyperventilate…but it ain’t a-gunna keep me off the barricades. Yes, I was a Goldwater girl and raised in the same staunchness. But…guaranteed: my parents would BARF if they could see what’s going on in Washington today. Even my father, the bigoted old Roosevelt-hater, would agree: WE DID NOT AGREE TO ELECT KING GEORGE III.

    Promise: I will march for you in every demonstration I participate in. And somewhere in there, every time, I will holler NO FEAR: IMMIGRANTS ARE WELCOME HERE!

    And quietly thank God your parents caused you to happen in America. <3
    Funny about Money recently posted…Update: CRP V5000 Call BlockerMy Profile

    • Revanche says:

      Thank you for standing up too. We need every voice, and every body, for the next several years to come. May we all have the strength that’s necessary to get through this together!

  3. Leigh says:

    Yes, Sherry bought her half of their new home in cash. It certainly wasn’t a million dollar house though – IIRC her half was about $300,000. That is a pretty decent difference between your house plans and hers and she’s a unicorn to have bought it in cash! Plus, her real estate market is more reasonably priced than yours.

    I’m so sorry about your neighbor and I really hope you can find a place you both like and can afford.
    Leigh recently posted…2017 Joint Spending PlanMy Profile

    • Revanche says:

      That’s true, but coming up with $300,000 on your own half is still pretty impressive 🙂

      Almost everyone’s real estate market is better. If only we weren’t tied here!

  4. Sense says:

    Oh hell yeah! We have a long fight ahead of us. I am also very concerned about the breakdown of our democracy. It’s very important to pace ourselves. I seriously had to take a mental health break from the news/twitter this past weekend. I was close to having a full on breakdown/panic attack combo.

    I am lucky that I can take a break. So many more out there can’t.

    #resist

    • Revanche says:

      Taking breaks is actually quite critical to the health of our activism. We can’t possibly keep going every single day for years on end without taking breaks, but I think they’re counting on the fact that we don’t know that. We’ll spell each other.

  5. Interested readers who aren’t sure where to start or want more suggestions can check out our activism tab (upper right on our blog) for links to groups to join and/or weekly/daily list serves/twitter accounts with action items.
    Nicoleandmaggie recently posted…The Last Mortgage PaymentMy Profile

  6. Sounds like you’re doing a pretty awesome job!! I can definitely relate to your need to focus on the little wins in your life, it’s those things that give you motivation to keep working hard. Stay focused on your family and things will continue to get even better.
    Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope recently posted…How Are We Going To Pay For College . . . With Five Kids?My Profile

  7. Stephonee says:

    My husband and I have, at times, competed to reach 100 miles in a month before the other. It’s ambitious, but it absolutely worked to get us moving. We’d go to the mall on rainy days just to have somewhere to walk (and window shop – we’re actually very good at shopping without buying anything!), or Wal-Mart if it was late (since they’re open 24 hours/day). We’re both people who thrive on competition (him more than me, but still), so a friendly competition really works well for us.

    We haven’t done anything like that lately, though there are little “trails” on the Wii-U Fit Plus (or whatever it’s called), where if you wear your fit meter, it will show your avatar moving along these trails (such as a trek up Mount Fuji!). We were competing at those, before the baby came. Now I’m sneakily trying to remember to wear my fit meter more often than him, so that I get steps as I walk a crying baby around the apartment. 😛
    Stephonee recently posted…Pregnant on Obamacare: Third Trimester, Delivery, and BeyondMy Profile

    • Revanche says:

      I couldn’t do that myself but I love it! Even before I hooked up Achievemint, I was carrying my phone all the time to get credit for every single step 🙂

      Walking a crying baby is ABSOLUTELY worth recording your steps for! I’ve walked MILES for that.

  8. Ahhhh, where to start? I feel like I could have written much of this post. 🙂

    Yes, I’m terrified of the current government. Obviously about each individual act, but in whole, about the absolute corruption of democracy: separation of church and state, balance of power, and preserving any future ability for a free and safe election for all. Every day it seems to be getting worse, and I struggle with the need to keep myself sane, and stay involved. I have donated, protested, and called my local representatives. It feels grossly inadequate.

    We are (next week!) paying $650K for a down payment for a house, and I have very mixed feelings. I’m terribly concerned about the state of the housing market, and what will change with fundamental greencard changes in the tech industry. (I obviously care beyond my own selfish housing market concern, but from a financial perspective, that would be devastating). We have agreed to get out of our Seattle house as soon as feasible, to limit our exposure.

    Hugs. This is a really challenging time. Together, we will persevere, because once we lose all hope. . . well, then it’s really over.
    Hawaii Planner recently posted…January budget recap – how did we do?My Profile

  9. Oh, darn, I feel bad that when I mentioned Achievemint I didn’t have a link that paid off. I got my own “payback” through Swagbucks, but I didn’t even look at the referral possibilities.

    I am curious what more moderate and Libertarian-leaning Republicans are going to do. Will they give in to the bad to allow the anti-regulation legislation to go through or speak up against the reductions on the individual rights of certain groups? I feel like they are riding the tiger, and they’ll either have to strangle the tiger or get eaten.
    Emily @ JohnJaneDoe recently posted…State of the Blog: January 2017 and No-Spend January Wrap UpMy Profile

    • Revanche says:

      Don’t feel bad, I’m glad you shared it regardless. I should have thought to check Swagbucks to see if they had a sign up bonus but I was too excited 😀

      Honestly I don’t even know what they’re going to do. I hope they feel terrible about what’s happened and actively speak up to their representatives in any kind of effort to fix it.

  10. I was out for coffee with a friend who says she can’t sleep well since the American election (we’re in Canada), and just yesterday I read about the phenomenon of TDS- Trump Derangement Syndrome. People are visiting psychologists with this new syndrome. We recently had a horrible white supremacist act of terrorism in a Quebec mosque. I work at a high school that serves many Muslim students, and I wrote a poster-sized card that stated our collective grief about the murders (6 men died) and our respect for and commitment to protect religious freedoms. Hundreds of staff and students signed the card, and today, it is on its way to the mosque in Quebec. I believe that as we’re being pushed, we’re finding our limits, getting more definition, and standing up.
    Fruclassity (Ruth) recently posted…Navigating the Vast (Confusing?) Range of PF Blogs: Know ThyselfMy Profile

    • Revanche says:

      @Ruth: I feel for you, our neighbors to the north.

      That act of violence in the Muslim mosque was absolutely heartbreaking. It’s hard to fathom how the election of one terrible, unfit for purpose, political leader can open the doors to so much hate and violence but I hope with every bit of my being that the rest of us can stand firm together against it.

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