Author: No Place Like Gone

Categories
Finance

Quick Money Hacks

Step right up and get your Quick Money Hacks – audio version!

Inflation – it’s no surprise to most Americans. It’s been on the horizon and has smacked us all in the face with full force this year. The cost of everything is rising due to various factors: COVID, government legislation, supply and demand shortages across every industry, and, you know, the entire world shutting down. Now in the fall of 2022, is absolutely the worst time to buy anything – as compared to any previous time in history. It’s expensive for anyone to buy their first house, first car, food, clothes, or really anything in this economy.

Here are various statistics referred to as the CPI (Consumer Price Index) provided by the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) – a government entity:

This information is tracked from June 2021-June 2022.

  • Food has risen 10.4%
  • Energy has risen a grand total of 41.6%
  • The most annoying one to many: Motor fuel (this includes gasoline, of all types) has increased a whopping 60.2%
  • New vehicles cost 11.4% more
  • Used vehicles are up 7.1% (still a mind blowing phenomenon here)
  • Household furnishings and supplies are up 10.2%
CPI (Consumer Price Index) Graph – provided by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Enough of the facts, let’s jump in to the practical things that we all can do to save money in this perfect storm of economics.

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1. Why Shop Name Brand?

Listen, name brand products have their place and there is a reason that they got their fame as being a “name brand.” Yeti makes great products, their coolers and mugs are fantastic products. However, the fact of the matter is that if you are paying for a Yeti product then part of that cost is higher simply because of the Yeti name. This increase goes back into their massive company – distributed throughout share holders, execs, marketing, advertisements, paying employees, etc. This extra price hike is not usually the case with cheaper products that most consider “knock-offs.”

Here’s a great example:

Move the slider all the way to the right ($25 Yeti mug) then move the slider all the way to the left to see the “knock-off” at less than half the price ($8 Walmart mug – VERY similar product).

2. Become a Great Cook

Who says you can’t have gourmet food, like eating out at a fancy restaurant that you love? Teach yourself through YouTube, Food Network or even good old fashioned cook books (like gramma used) to become a fantastic chef. With simple ingredients you can buy at any grocery store you may be the next master chef.

One of the greatest things is that you don’t even have to tip anyone for their service! Unless you’d like to tip yourself, I guess? Oh! And pants are totally optional.

3. Check Your Subscriptions

According to the Motley Fool, the average American spends $219/month on entertainment subscription services. I think it goes without saying – that is a lot of money to most people! Let’s be honest, do you really need to keep up with 20 separate TV series at the same time? Do you even really have the time in the month to watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Paramount +, HBO Max? The crazy thing is the list goes on, that was just scratching the surface of subscriptions available. I think you get the picture. Or if you cancel all of these to save money – you won’t.

Easily replace some of your entertainment watch time with a new hobby, taking a walk, or spending more time with your kids/animals. These few ideas can distract your mind from always wanting to keep up with the newest hit TV series that keep taking your money and help you live a fuller life anyway.

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4. Make Coffee at Home or Work

Did you know that the Starbucks corporation pulled in almost $32 billion in annual revenue last fiscal year? No, I’m not joking. This is a number that most of us literally can’t fathom. Here are some of those numbers for your viewing pleasure:

Starbucks revenue numbers based off of the stock market – from Macrotrends.net

There’s a reason that coffee is such a global phenomenon … not many people can get wonderful, relaxing sleep anymore. We are all over-stimulated throughout the day with the constant buzzing of our smart phones and the over-stimulation from the chaos of the modern world. We never allow ourselves to truly rest and our tanks run on empty on the daily. This drives us to search out the next “hit” of energy so we can make it through another work day, PTA meeting, school play, or client meeting – lucky for us, at only $8 a coffee, Starbucks has us covered.

Next time, make your coffee at home in the morning. Put the coffee pod in while you are getting ready first thing in the morning. It takes mere minutes – less than the time it takes you to sit in the drive through while the fancy baristas make your overpriced Iced Caramel Macchiato. Or, even better, take advantage of that dusty Keurig in the corner of the office kitchen and make it for “free” at work. There’s no excuse.

5. What’s a Library?

Many people might not realize that there is a thing in society called a library. You might remember this from back in grade school, when you were forced to go check out a book for your English report. Yes, libraries do still exist – even in this digital age of Kindles, iPads, and smart phones. Drop by your local library and see if they have a few books that interest you. In the process, you’ll save tons on each book that you would have bought online or at a fancy Barnes and Noble. You can read for free from the library’s wonderful collection, and can take it home for two weeks – FOR FREE – for your viewing pleasure.

Also, another thing to note is that libraries are not just a thing of the past when we wrote on stone tablets and gathered around camp fires in caves. They also have high-speed internet connections, top of the line computers, cutting edge data resources, and more – that you can use – FOR FREE. Printers are also available for small fees that you can use as well. Many libraries even offer free internet hotspots that you can take home to use with your own devices. All you need is a library card – which is, you guessed it, also FREE!

6. Start Carrying Cash!

Hopefully everyone recognizes the above image. Look familiar?

Yes, start carrying cash. Go by the local branch of your bank and withdraw a few hundred for restaurants, gas, and shopping for the month. Chances are that many of the places you visit on a daily basis will offer a cash discount, I’ve seen this as high as 8% at a local restaurant. If you visit your local luxury store – I mean gas station – then you will see on the gas price board that there is both a cash and credit price per gallon. According to NACS (the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing), credit card processing fees at gas stations average about 2.5% of the total transaction price. See here.

See cash price of $4.19 versus the credit/debit price of $4.29.

Let’s do some quick math and see why this is worth it! Per AAA, the nation’s average gas price is currently $3.70 as I am writing this blog in September 2022. If you take 2.5% of $3.70, that’s a small savings total of 9 cents per gallon. But if you multiply this out, you’ll realize some actual savings. As an example, let’s say you have a 20 gallon gas tank, and 20 times 9 cents equals $1.80 that you could have saved on your single fill-up. Sure that seems like such an insignificant number, but the savings truly can add up.

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Let’s look at the savings over the span of a year:

Close to 50% of Americans fill up once a week (pre-pandemic times)

So we can safely assume that we fill up close to 50 times a year, at the savings rate of $1.80 (shown in above paragraph) equals out to savings of $90/year by paying cash instead of with a card. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Another HUGE area for saving money is by taking advantage of the cash discount at the register. Next time you go out to eat (if you aren’t on the beans and rice diet by Dave Ramsey) check the bottom of your receipt. Most likely, there’s a line that says something like this:

Cash discounts are typically around 4% and do add up over time.

7. Pay Less for Groceries

Sure, there’s a stigma in society about shopping at health food stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes for only the best in organic products. The honest truth is that you can still eat healthy, and even have certain dietary restrictions, even with your goal of saving money on groceries. My personal favorite grocery is Aldi; they pride themselves on some of the cheapest prices around, while also maintaining quality. Aldi goes a step further with their products – promising no certified synthetic colors, added MSG, or partially hydrogenated oils.

Another one of the low cost contenders is Wal-Mart. My girlfriend’s least favorite store on planet Earth. Here’s why: the downside with shopping at Wal-Mart is that you must be resilient with your spending. You can easily get lost in their hundreds of aisles and end up with everything from a new rug, to shoes, to groceries all in one visit. It can be a trap – don’t overspend here! But, if you stick to your grocery list, Wal-Mart does offer considerable savings on every day staples compared to regional grocery stores like Publix, Ingles, Menards, or the like.

8. Insurance Isn’t a Scam

Have you been with the same insurance company for years? Whether it’s home, auto, boat, RV (Hey! That’s us) or life insurance, there are plenty of companies competing for your money. It never hurts every few months to shop around at multiple insurance companies to find the best rate and coverage options. You never know what you could be saving, potentially hundreds of dollars per year. A pro-tip here is to make sure you work directly with a high quality insurance broker. Working directly with a broker allows you to get educated in each type of insurance, what certain coverages are and whether you even need them, which companies best match your needs, and also allows you to shop around multiple insurance companies for rates.

I also want to mention that many people believe insurance is a scam, which is difficult for me to disagree with a majority of the time (ha!). However, what ends up being more expensive is when you actually get into an accident and it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. When these major life events occur, insurance is able to take the cost and reduce it tremendously. Over time it just makes more financial sense to pay smaller amounts monthly into the plan vs. losing everything as a result of what would have been a covered claim. Insurance can save you money and heartache in these extremely painstaking circumstances.

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9. Ditch Your Debt

I’ll let this paragraph from Ramsey Solutions speak for itself, folks.

Debt. A uncomfortable topic commonly avoided by the majority of people. Whether you find yourself owing student loans, car loans, credit cards, or store cards, it all is a burden. The cruel honest truth is that if you have debt, you are inevitably paying more for something than you should. Debt allows you to have something now, pay more for it later.

Debt allows you to have something now and pay more for it later. Oh, and there’s plenty of traps along the way for your wallet to stub its toe on: late fees, interest charges, balance transfer fees, maintenance fees – OUCH!

– No Place Like Gone, 2022

If you have “extra” money hiding under your mattress, are willing to work a plan to get out of debt, or are down to work a side hustle – let today be the starting point. Check out Financial Peace University by Ramsey Solutions, as it’s one of the most well-known financial plans out there that can work for anyone – as long as you follow it! The sooner you get your butt in gear by working an extra job, staying on a budget, and being intentional, is the sooner that you can be saving thousands in debt charges and be on the path to financial freedom.

10. Have a Yard Sale

Do you have a garage attached on your house that’s slap full of junk … I mean old books, clothes, workout equipment, tools, and other things you haven’t used since last spring? Or are your attic rafters falling through your ceiling with too many holiday decorations that you no longer have the willpower to put up and take down every year? Anything can be sold – at the right price. Have a garage sale with any thing that you haven’t used in the last six months. If it doesn’t spark an emotion in you (like joy or peace) then it doesn’t need to be living in your house rent free. It’s spring cleaning time, baby! We all know how the saying goes, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” You could end up with hundreds of bucks in one weekend! Ca-ching! AND your house will be a less cluttered home for you to enjoy the things you do keep.

Bonus #11: BE RESILIENT!

It’s Saturday afternoon and you find yourself in the car again driving through downtown, glancing at all of the shopping you could do. Retail therapy is the name, and shopping is your game. If you are trying to save money, don’t let this be you. I will even take this a step further and say that if you are shopping to cope with being sad or depressed, talk to your doctor or seek out a therapist immediately. I did. Stuff can never replace real human connection or “make” you feel better. So stop buying more of it to fill the void. You will save tremendous amounts of money in the long run by solving your underlying problem today. Get the help you need ASAP so that you can enjoy shopping, within your means, and not rely on it as an unhelpful and damaging coping mechanism. Your future self will thank you!

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In Closing:

Desperate times call for desperate measures – in the midst of 2022 following a global pandemic, we are all trying our best to combat economic inflation. The good news is that you don’t have to be all that desperate or alter your life tremendously to save money. After this read, you can walk away knowing that you have a better handle on what to do next. The future is in your hands now.

The best way that you can be prepared for bad financial times is to:
take control of your finances, find ways to save money each day, get on a budget, and to continue educating yourself on the matter. Ready to dig deeper? Check out some other money tips in the articles below:

Similar Reads:

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#RANTS

Karen, Put the Phone Down

The world is already hard on teens. Why should we make it harder on them by handing them instant judgement in the form of social media apps on their smart phone?

Cell phones, oh God. They have said that AI was going to take over the world one day, but too late – your smart phone already has! You can’t walk down a single street without 4 out of 5 people staring at their phone screen. Is there anything bad with being able to talk to people at any time of the day? What’s wrong with searching Google for the best restaurants near you? Let’s find out.

Honestly, smartphones are the greatest thing ever invented. Really. Thank you Steve Jobs for your wonderful contribution. Even your 3 year old cousin has one already, they are freaking wonderful! No seriously, these computers in our pockets can empower us to do pretty much anything in this day-and-age. Research for school, write a blog (WOO!), check your bank account; it’s magnificent. It’s impossible to deny the benefits of having smartphones within our grasp.

So what’s the problem?

Social media. The end. Thank you for reading my new blog, hope to see you back next time!

Seriously though. Social media is most of the problem. If you haven’t watched the Netflix film Social Dilemma, I highly recommend doing that right after you finish up this blog. Listen, I’m not going to sit here and rant about conspiracies and that Mark Zuckerberg is an alien. I’m going to present to you how catastrophic social media is to our society, and it’s spiraling out of control.

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For teenagers growing up in society now (considered Gen Z), have lived their entire life with social media, basically. They will never know a world without Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.

My first argument is that the amount of data and information that these corporate giants can collect from all of our underaged individuals should make your skin crawl. With algorithms and complex coding, these social media sites are able to track and monitor search history, time spent viewing posts, and so many other nuggets of information that you might not even realize.

With all of this information, they can generate a file of each individual, which allows them to sell and market the information to any business. See, it used to be that products were marketed to sell to us through television commercials and newspaper ads. Now, WE as people are being marketed to sell our information to the businesses and companies! It’s the inverse, and when did this flip happen? Most of us never have taken the time to notice.

Another scary thing is the effect that social media inevitably has had on this younger generation. Many studies and reports have came out showing drastic increases in suicide, especially in teenage girls, ever since 2007. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Myspace and Facebook begin to get popular in these early years. Plenty of other social media came to rise later on like Vine, Instagram, TikTok, and plenty more.

In general, the effects that social media may have on young teenagers’ developing minds is frightening. Likes and comments are injected as dopamine through the form of notifications. If you aren’t aware, dopamine is a chemical within our brain that is known as the “pleasure” chemical. When you get a spike in dopamine chemicals, typically something has triggered your brain to feel happiness. Since the brilliant engineers behind social media giants took this into account with their design, they realized they can supply fake dopamine hits through notifications and psychological tricks.

When all you have ever known is the smart phone and Instagram since you were a kid, this becomes your lived reality. You can’t have a universe without social media and a phone to compare to, because you’ve never seen it. That’s a thought.

Cyberbullying. A word that hopefully everyone hates (unless you are one). For a young teenager, a few harsh comments or bullying can flip their entire world upside down. This isn’t even taking into account any of their lived experiences or at-home situations. Some children simply have a difficult life, especially at home with potential parental issues. When you combine the two, easily it could lead down a bad path that they can’t come back from without help.

I’d like to insert some valuable resources for suicide here. I believe that mental health is insanely important, and it’s very often left untreated in this country and in many others. Here are some resources if you know anyone who needs help today:

There are people waiting to help today. Everyone deserves the gift of life.

All in all, I’m not trying to say social media (and any specific platform) is terrible. Although, they can play a huge part in the development of society and it impacts kids and teenagers the most. Unfortunately, I feel like there are many cons around this discussion, and even Facebook’s own designers have admitted to working with psychologists to write their code in a way that sucks in the human brain. More clicks, more profit, Facebook wins. All of the social medias have these kinds of dopamine hit or attraction to them that can continue to bring you back to them.

At the bear minimum, I am asking that every help play their part. Educate yourself and understand what these social media platforms are capable of doing. Bring the kids and teenagers into these discussions, and limit their use so that they will not end up in a fantasy of chasing likes on a digital freaking picture for the rest of their life.

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Categories
Lifestyle

Things I Learned From Therapy

I felt like I was in a rut for quite a long time. Unfortunately, I felt trapped. I worked crazy long hours thinking that the harder I worked, the more I sacrificed, the more sanity I lost – it was truly worth it. But for what? Autopilot is the mode that I was set on, believing that I was a money making machine for a company, with no other goals of my own. I didn’t have many hobbies (outside of video games), nor did I care to get out and make friends, or try new things. After dating in my early 20’s I finally met my lovely girlfriend of almost two years now. She helped me realize that I was sabotaging myself and sinking bit by bit. Fast forward more and my mother lined me up with an excellent therapist she found, so I took a leap of faith.

I had never recognized myself as a person who needs therapy. Sure, I wasn’t happy in a lot of areas of my life. However, I kept feeling like if I could keep producing at my career and also clear levels in video games, then I couldn’t go wrong. I was constantly progressing, even if only on digital screens. I literally became a machine, turning off emotion and feelings so that I could complete my projects by their deadlines. I didn’t have much of a social life. The average person looking in at me would probably realize how weird and struggling I was, but I just couldn’t bring myself mentally to ask for help. Whether it was medicine, counseling, or divine intervention, I didn’t think it would cure me. You might know someone else like this or find yourself in the same boat as me. Hear me say: You Are Drowning.

There’s always a storm coming. Are you well enough to weather the next one?

Medicine Breaks the Cycle

Having self-deprecating habits and vicious thoughts in your head for a prolonged period of time can lead to mental health issues. You’ve heard of the most common: anxiety, depression, eating disorders. What most people don’t understand is that your thoughts and mentality are the commanders in charge of your body. If you constantly hear negative thoughts or have spiraling anxiety, it’s no wonder why you are in a depressive fog. Take the time to acknowledge it if this is you. Even watch the people around you to check their well-being. The crazy thing is that no one ever really teaches you about mental health unless you decide to research it yourself or get in touch with a therapist.

Shown are various versions of mental illnesses that people may suffer from.

Medicine like anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, and mood stabilizers are commonly prescribed by doctors. It is the belief by many that medicine won’t fix you, and you also wouldn’t want to take a “crazy drug.” I get it, I felt the same way. I take a few medicines now, and I still feel the same way. Let it be known that medicine will not fix you. So what’s the point?

If you continue to follow through with the same actions but expect a different outcome, that is the definition of insanity. The aforementioned medicines serve as a pair of scissors, safely snipping the wire between negative thoughts and your brain’s imbalance of chemicals. Further reading on how this works here. Once the cycle has been stopped, or at least slowed down in most cases, you can finally get to work on improving. Again, medicine will not fix you. However, it is a stepping stone that many people have to approach so that they can get well in the long term.

This is a chart showing commonly used psychiatric medicines for mental health. Educate yourself about them, and all of their side effects. Ask your doctor for info.

It goes without saying that you should always ask your doctor about all benefits, risks, and side effects that any medicine has before you take it. Not every medicine works for every person. Be careful and educate yourself on what you are prescribed, what it does, its side effects, and why you are taking it.

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Counseling Teaches You Improvement

We’ve all seen the corny movie scenes of a person sitting in a room with a hot therapist talking about their feelings. Yeah, that’s not real life. Thanks Hollywood. I would argue that many peoples’ beliefs about counseling is that they talk about their problems, get it out, then move on. That’s only a fraction of the purpose. This is important. You will not fix your marriage by going to one counseling session, screaming your feelings at a therapist, and then going back home to continue your same old behaviors with your spouse anyway.

You will not fix your marriage by going to one counseling session, screaming your feelings at a therapist, and then going back home to continue your same old behaviors with your spouse anyway.

No Place Like Gone, 2022

The main purpose of counseling is so that you can educate yourself on mental health, learn new processes, and grow as a person towards a better version of you. We all have things that we can work on, and I will never believe that anybody is perfect. Counseling works a little different for everyone, depending on how resistant you are to change. It usually takes going for at least a few sessions, talking about your feelings, realizing that you actually want to change, hearing your therapist when they teach you new behaviors to practice, and finally you implementing these changes into your life. Now hear me say that it takes patience. You will not get it the first time. Or the second. Think back to when you learned to ride a bicycle, or swim, or play an instrument. It took many times of falling off of that bicycle so that you could learn enough motor coordination as a child to learn how to balance and peddle in tandem. Learning anything in life is no different.

Use therapy as a chance to be heard with your feelings, but also soak up all of the practical advice that they have. Take notes down in a notepad as you speak with your counselor. This is serious. It’s just like sitting back in class when you were in grade school or college. Only this time, this is THE MOST important subject that you can learn in the world – you! Ask your therapist for practical tips and things that you can try differently with your life, behavior, and actions. Therapy is about you getting the help that you need, not your therapist just asking you questions for an hour every session.

Purposes of Counseling:

  • Having a confidential partner to talk to
  • Letting a trained professional speak into your life
  • Assessing your thoughts, habits, behaviors, and actions
  • Implementing a plan to become well mentally
  • Changing your view of people, the world, and life
  • Learning new skills of communication, how to cope, grief and forgiveness, understanding your thoughts and emotions better
  • Finding the resources and people that you need in your life
  • Processing trauma and powerful events in your life
  • Becoming a more positive and healthy YOU

It’s also important to note that not every therapist is the right match for you. It may take you some time to find the one that fits your style just right. Luckily, I struck gold on the second time and am blessed for that. Remember that going to counseling is about helping you improve, so don’t waste your time if it doesn’t feel right. But you definitely need to keep trying. No matter the stakes.

I’d like to take some time to mention Better Help. They are an excellent online community of licensed therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists willing to help you no matter where you live in the country (United States specifically). Currently, I am in no way affiliated with Better Help, but I have heard from multiple people that I know that this program can be excellent for new people discovering counseling. Their programs are quite affordable, between $60 and $90 per weekly session, which is compared to the average of $200-$400 for a typical counseling sit-down session in your local town’s mental health practice. Check them out here, to begin your journey now to getting well, from the safety of your home in this crazy world.

Community Keeps You Connected

There are times when you want to fall off of the wagon. Yes, that’s an old person saying but there is a reason that old people get to live to such an old age! They have wise life advice radiating out of them like a fountain. Arguably one of the best systems to keep you connected to getting well is a community. As a species, we have evolved from creatures that gathered in tribes, fought wars, struggled and survived together. No one wants to be left to survive alone.

Find your local community willing to stand next to you. We are social creatures.

Plug in to a community near you. It may be people your age, or different. People who like doing things that you like doing. Find a local hiking group, sewing club, or business development workshop. The important thing is finding people who accept you and who want to be around you. These people over time will want to protect you like you protect them. You become indoctrinated into the music tribe, the swimming tribe, the old cat lady tribe, or whatever it is! These people are the ones that can hold your hand when the nights get dark. When you want to skip the medicine because you are out of hope. When you quit trying to love yourself because you feel worthless. Look to this community of people that you are building to speak into your life.

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You are your worst critic, and therefore you will drag yourself down into a bottomless pit of sorrow if you do not grab a hand fast. Having loved ones, friends, colleagues, a mentor, all help to position yourself not to fail next time. You will make mistakes, you will miss taking medicine one day, you might skip practicing good behaviors, and fall off of the deep end quickly. Let others be there to help when you need it most. Lean on them, “because in counsel there is safety.” Humanity functions best when we are connected and working towards the same goal of survival together.

Lean on them, “because in counsel there is safety.”

Proverbs 11:14 – the Bible (KJV)

On the other side, be the light at the end of the tunnel for others if they need you by their side. Everyone is struggling in a different way. It may be under the surface of all of those smiles and laughs that you find the truth about them. Always be kind, and allow yourself to love.

Mental Health Must Be Treated Like Physical Health

Many people have the impression that you just are who you are. You can’t change, or improve. You’ll always be Chuck from New Hampshire, with the same old car and the same old behaviors. This is not true. When you gain weight, you may experience various health conditions related to that. When you go to the doctor they will tell you to exercise, get on a diet, and try this appetite-suppressing pill. If you have the willpower to stick through a tough regimen, you will undoubtedly come out healthier and happier on the other side.

Mental health is no different. People want to separate physical health, mental health, spiritual health and tackle them in order of what is the easiest thing to do (most of the time). But we as a society have a bad picture of this. Consider your body like a piece of machinery, let’s say a car just like you drive to work everyday. Without a working engine, the car won’t move. Without gas in the tank, the car won’t move. Without a working computer chip, the car won’t move. I know this is an abstract way of explaining this, but treat your wellbeing the same.

Physical + Emotional + Mental + Social + Spiritual Health = The Best YOU!

Your brain is a muscle which should be fed knowledge, books, and positive behaviors and actions to keep it healthy. Your body is composed of complex systems that need a balanced diet, but not in excess of too much food. Working out is crucial to your physical fitness, but also has phenomenal effects for your mind as well. You also have to change behaviors or make new lifestyle choices because of your age at times throughout life. Your spiritual health must be what your soul desires, based off of your belief systems, and so that you can feel peaceful inside. But all of these pieces of the puzzle work together to create who YOU are. Never separate them again.

When you feel sad or depressed, see your doctor or find a local psychiatrist. When a loved one passes away, or you lose a job, see a counselor immediately. These things need to be processed, so that your mind will not veer off into the shadow realm of negative. If you don’t feel like getting out of bed everyday (who does honestly?) then maybe you are burned out or feeling lost without purpose. Find a psychiatrist that can help regulate your biochemical imbalances. Trust me, every little step matters. Rome wasn’t built in a day, or by one single person either. You aren’t in this alone.

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Self Improvement – Other Options

There are dozens of mental health podcasts, books, documentaries, Ted Talks on Youtube, and so much more to find. Whether you have severe anxiety or have been diagnosed with a serious label by a licensed psychologist, there are resources out there to help you. Ask your counselor or psychiatrist for any options they can provide you. Also do your work to find your own systems that work. I also don’t recommend getting your mental health advice from TikTok (sorry gen-Z’s).

Here’s an excellent TedTalk video on the views of stress, and how anyone can combat it:

How to Make Stress Your Friend – Kelly McGonigal (via TedTalk on YouTube)

For me, I found a few different mental health podcasts that I enjoy listening to online. They really dig deep, and you basically get to listen to a counselor walking through trauma and actionable steps with a person in the same boat as you! The one I recommend the most undoubtedly to anyone is the John Delony Show on YouTube. John holds two PhD’s, one in higher education, and the other in psychology. He worked for years as the Director of Students for a university, and also was on call at all hours of the day to serve as a trauma response superhero. I had the pleasure of meeting him just recently at his show in Nashville, TN.

Dr. John Delony (far left) and Dave Ramsey (far right). Why are we so short?

Another podcast on Youtube that I highly recommend is Healthy Gamer GG. He gives great advice to various content creators on the platform, all live and raw for you to listen to and process through. There’s also plenty of books that can help educate you about mental health, I’ll leave a few below:

In Conclusion

At the end of all of this, know that you are worth being well. Also know that whatever you choose to do moving forward, you will always follow you. You can continue to carry baggage, pain, suffering, and mental health conditions around with you like a pet. Or you can work on positive change every single day. It’s not easy, but it will always be worth it at the end of all of this.

PS: Please send this blog to someone that you know. They could be struggling today, or they know someone who is. We are in this together.

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Charity

I have chosen to donate $100 of my own to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – and below is a fundraiser for additional support that I will send to them. For every $1 that is donated, I will match it with another $1 of my own (on top of the base $100 that I am donating). Please feel no pressure to do this yourself unless you decide that you want to. You can also donate directly to NAMI here.

Categories
Lifestyle

Choose Your Beliefs

All across the world, countless people are believing different stories that they have been told. Whether they are born a different color than another person, speak a different language, or don’t have access to the same education as others due to their home location. Beliefs truly shape our perspective of how we see life every single day. Sometimes we take these for granted, especially if you are part of a more fortunate social class. Regardless of where you fit on the social spectrum, keep reading to empower yourself with the ability to live a better life, free of chains, and by choosing your own beliefs this time.

Beliefs typically can come from those closest to us: our family, our friends, and our local community. Beliefs can also push their ways into your life by interactions on the internet these days! Wow, technology… (welcome to the internet, where one idiot can say anything dumb and millions of people believe it without question!) It is ultimately up to you to cultivate the life that you want to live, and with the principles that you stand for. The problem is that not many people tell you this throughout your life. It’s a slippery slope of misinformation.

Sure, you’ve probably heard one of the most common sayings, “If you believe something enough, it will eventually come true.” However, most of us never take the time to step back and understand what this actually means. Hell, even I thought this was just motivational jargon for the longest time. Only recently am I seeing the blinding light at the end of the tunnel. What could possibly be so powerful about being positive, or believing in something whole heartedly? Envision yourself leaning full force into a new belief system and changing your legacy, because it does exist.

I was speaking with a friend recently who has a Masters degree in Psychology, and also holds multiple certifications beyond that. She specializes in dog behavioral training and specifically aggression (you can find her on her website Horizon Dogs). We were talking purely psychology, because I’m a learning freak. I mean really, who doesn’t want to understand how to read minds? Anyways, I asked her the question, “I’ve heard that being told something over and over until the point of you actually accepting and believing this as true about yourself is a problem. This can lead someone down into the depths of hopelessness and depression. What causes this, and why does it feel like they are hopeless once they believe something like this so strongly? Like being told they will never find a better job because they aren’t educated enough, and will never be able to afford the opportunity to either,” as a crude example.

Her response summarized was that once a person believes something so strongly, it inherently becomes part of their identity. Once this acceptance of the identity happens, the person will not be able to see an alternative to this identity belief for themself. Combined with the brain’s job of keeping you alive, it typically only fixates on the bad that happens so that it can alert you when to look out for danger. Rarely does the brain look for good things to happen. If it did constantly look for good, then you would never know when danger is coming at you, like a bear! Once you are stuck in a bad identity crisis, your brain will continue the cycle of warning you about bad after bad, which can lead you down the road of anxiety, stress, depression, and more. This is typically where you see mental health conditions surface (not sure what other word to use here) within a person, because their identity closely ties into what your biochemistry produces. Your amygdala responds in a way that shocks your body into fight or flight, which is all part of our ancient anatomy system. Once this happens, your brain solely prioritizes survival which leads to the focus of your neurochemistry network producing adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress chemicals. Because of this, your body also will begin to stock pile fat, which is the reason that most people gain weight when they are depressed or at rock bottom, so to speak. In return, your neural network stops producing things like serotonin and dopamine like it used to. Now, your brain limits your feelings of happiness and pleasure consistently. Essentially, your brain has alerted your body that its time to survive, and all of the bad will continue to cycle through your head until eventually you embrace medical intervention or counseling treatment to interrupt this vicious cycle.

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Woah. Line break. Take a breather. Don’t forget to hydrate. Insert cool G-fuel sponsor that I don’t have, but totally need.

Pulling back from the super specific science behind what I just said, it’s important to realize that your beliefs will change the way your brain and body respond to the world around you. There’s countless research studies out there that mention people who are stressed, or always fighting an uphill mental battle with things like depression, will end up living shorter lives. Hear me say that there is ZERO benefit to being angry, sad, or in freak out mode every day. It is your job to focus on your wellbeing, and that includes mental health. Also, here’s a quick video to challenge your view of stress.

If you haven’t connected with a counselor, psychiatrist, or even a doctor, let this be your sign that it is finally time to do just that. I’ll also mention an AMAZING RESOURCE to help you with your perspective of anxiety. Dr. John Delony’s book: Redefining Anxiety, What It Is, What It’s Not, and How to Get Your Life Back.

In this book, Dr. Delony does an amazing job of explaining what anxiety is, how to change your perspective of anxiety, and how to make peace with it in the future. He also has another great book worth checking out for everyone, but he hasn’t paid me enough to mention that one (joking).

Now, let’s move on to productive things that can help you right away.

1. Choose Your Community

What benefit would you get from being around negative people all of the time? The only people that can seriously enjoy being talked down to are not mentally stable. Read that sentence again. This person would surely have low self esteem, and not think much of themselves.

It is undoubtedly your responsibility to go out and cultivate the community that you want to be around. They say that you become like the five closest people that you spend the most time with. So why spend this time with negative people who bring you down? Don’t. Get out and find a group of people who work on furthering themselves. Who see themselves as strong, capable, and healthy. Just because you grew up in a “small town” doesn’t mean you have to keep the same lethargic friends around you forever.

This goes doubly the same with family. Not all family members are positive, and sometimes they can be the worst perpetrators. Your family is generally brutally honest with you. Because of this, they may say things like, “You’ll never be able to live out your dream. It’s just not realistic. You should get a stable job like plumbing, or another trade.” You always hearing things like this aren’t healthy for your belief system.

Go to new places: church, meetups for young professionals, the library, and anywhere else where you can find the people that you most want to be like! I will not listen to the excuse that you are stuck being who you were born to be. No one is stuck being anyone that they do not want to be. Get out and change!

2. Select Your Location

Now I get this will be controversial among different groups. Not everyone can just pick up their life and move to a more prosperous side of town. Especially when you don’t make a lot of money, or have a difficult life situation. I get it, I’m not beating up on anyone in these unfortunate situations.

If you can find a better job, take it. If you can work a second or third job, do it. I just simply don’t buy that you “can’t” get out of poverty in most cases. Yes you live in a bad side of town, yes your family doesn’t have much, yes you were lead to believe that you can’t become anyone in life because of a poor generational mindset in your family. This is a lie. Excuses are easy to make, actions are hard to replicate. Get out there today with a plan to better yourself. This is your life. Don’t settle for anything less.

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Spend a period of your life saving up money by working every minute that you possibly can. I know it’s hard, but it’s only temporary for a better future. I mean really, ask yourself this. Are you really furthering your life by sitting around and drinking every weekend with friends? Are you getting raises at work by being distant with your employer, and always calling out because you just don’t want to be there?

As soon as you can, set your sights on a new part of town, new city, or new state that has what you are looking for. More opportunities, better pay, less cultural setbacks; make this your life goal. And lean on your community if they are willing to help you. No one has to do life alone, and you can be in good company with the right motivated people.

Story time! I worked with a guy who was born into a bad part of town, his family was in poverty, and he didn’t know any better as a teenager. He just simply didn’t have the circumstances or opportunity to further himself with his current lifestyle. So, he found the right couple people in his life and once he turned 18, he packed his bags and left home with only $200 to his name. He took buses as far as he could, almost 2 hours away to a larger metropolitan area. He found a factory job paying better than anything would have in his home town. He lived with multiple people he had met, cutting his rent into a fraction of the cost. He put himself into technical college to learn mechanical engineering and schematic drafting. After that, he’s happy with a wife and kids, and a great salary to afford anything he wants now. He didn’t sit around and complain about how crappy his life was. He didn’t wait on the government or Joe freaking Biden to give him a handout. He knew what he wanted, and he went and got it.

3. Decide What You Believe

At the end of the day, there are good people and bad people. You can not control what others decide to do. But you can control yourself. By setting up your community and a better location, you’re gaining traction. Now it’s time to lay down your belief systems and re-write them. Do you really believe that you can’t go to college for the dream job that you’ve always wanted? Have you even applied to any colleges? Have you done any research to see what it takes to get into college?

Today, start with speaking to someone close to you that you absolutely trust. Whether they are family, a friend, or a mentor. Let them pour into you good knowledge. Not that negative bull crap that only sets you back more in life. You need to always be moving forward, not backward. Claw and scratch your way into that opportunity that you’ve always wanted, if that’s what it takes. And it doesn’t have to be college, but that’s just an example. Were you told that you can’t amount to anything? Lay that down. It’s too heavy for you to carry now, unless you are John Cena. Do you truly believe that you will always work at fast food restaurants? Why can’t you go work somewhere different? Why can’t you go learn a new skill by working for someone else?

Now is the time to lay down all of those false realities that you have allowed yourself to believe for far too long. Now, it’s time for you to believe what you decide is right for your life. Do you want to go into college and become a nurse, a lawyer, or start practicing a trade like carpentry? Now is the time. Do you dream of a large beautiful ranch house with plenty of land, but never thought it was possible because of your family situation growing up? That’s in the past. You get to believe in what you want to believe now. And you will achieve more as you set your mentality on the prize. Dreams do come true.

In Summary:

It doesn’t matter where you came from, how you were brought up, or what you believe. That all changes today, tomorrow, and the next day. Find a therapist that will question your beliefs and strip down your thought processes. Put the past in the past. Set down those bricks that are too heavy to carry. Find a thriving community of people, new location with boundless opportunities, and let your beliefs run wild. Instead of putting every idea down with a negative thought of, “I can’t”, decide to start saying, “How can I achieve that?”

I wish the best for you all.

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Lifestyle travel

Turtle Season! 🐢

The year is 2022, and I’m not sure what the hell is going on with American politics anymore. Regardless, 4th of July is always a great time to party and drink a lot… I mean, celebrate the freedoms we have here in America! We invite you to come along on our journey!

Happy Birthday America – original song by NoPlaceLikeGone

We spent our week dressed in red, white, and blue at the beautiful Edisto Beach State Park located on Edisto Island, SC. We don’t have enough to say about this lovely, quaint place. As a South Carolina resident myself, I’ve actually never been to Edisto. Traditionally, I’ve vacationed at Myrtle Beach or Charleston because of the vast amount of things to do in these places. They are super touristy, and if you’ve ever been there then you know! Sometimes it’s nice to really take a step back and relax away from the craziness of the world. Especially in these “dark” times (considered by many…). Edisto Beach might of just been the place for us!

Edisto Beach State Park
Peep the license plate!
Campsite #74 views
Beautiful marsh
A wild Luna in her natural habitat
Hello from us!

The second we got into the campground, we were enjoying beautiful views of the marshlands, and could hear the ocean right near by. Our spot actually had a point right on the marsh where we could sit out and let Luna (our puppy) play! Instant highlight for us. She’s a Chesapeake Bay Retriever mixed with a Labrador Retriever, and let me just say that she loves water and hunting any type of bird or duck. We had campsite #74 which is right at the entrance of the beach campground, across from the Camp Host. If you don’t know, a Camp Host is someone who typically volunteers to help campers as they come into the campsite with any questions or information, often in return for themself getting to stay free on the campground for weeks, or months at a time. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the common sense to look at the map and drove around aimlessly looking for our spot which we passed multiple times! It happens.

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Campsite #74 – Has a point right on the marsh!

Oh, another thing I should mention, CRABS! 🦀 There are hundreds of those little pinchy monsters. You will discover that they live all over the marsh and at most of these sandy campsites. Luna spent the majority of her time chasing them like the hunter that she is. I will say a good thing about the crabs is that they scatter the second you get near them. This is a major upgrade over ants 🐜 and constant annoying bug bites at other places that we are used to being at!

Pinchy pinch Mr. Krabs. PS: Luna did not eat this one.

If you have dogs and are worried about fireworks here during the 4th or New Years, we didn’t hear a single firework. They truly take the rules seriously here. HUGE WIN! They did have a fighter jet fly over by the military, and a golf cart parade going on. Again, no crazy BOOMS for the doggos.

Don’t get me started about the beach. WOW doesn’t even do justice for this one. If you are tired of tourists and being crowded on your vacation, Edisto Beach State Park has over a mile of private beach you can enjoy. No tourists and hardly anyone there (even during the 4th of July!) If you are used to beaches like Myrtle Beach, SC or Panama City Beach, FL then you know that crowded is an understatement. Spring Breakers come to these places quite often to PARTAY! We did not get that vibe with Edisto even in the slightest.

Can you find the “hot dogs” in this picture?
Beach day smiles
MERICA’ 2022
We need Usain Bolt for this one…
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Another super exciting thing to us is that Edisto Beach is known for turtle nesting. From the months of May-October you can walk down the beach and see hundreds of Loggerhead turtle nesting areas. There are local DNR and Turtle rescue volunteers (I know what you’re thinking, no not Ninja Turtles) that help track and locate all nesting sites where proud mama turtles lay their eggs.

Typically they do a guided tour at night to walk the beach and witness all of the turtle nest areas, with the chance of seeing baby turtles hatching and making their first journey into the ocean. Although they were not doing the tours while we were there, because it was only certain days of the week. We took things into our own hands and went out at 2am with our red light and walked the beach for an hour looking for baby turtles. I think we found one site that was close to hatching because of how it was staged by DNR, but no luck actually seeing them!

Hundreds of these nesting spots can be found on Edisto Beach

Let me say, it honestly felt like ghost hunting this late at night with a tiny red light in the darkness. Definitely do not recommend this to the feint of heart. Not to mention that the moon was behind the clouds, and there’s no ambient lighting anywhere. Total. Darkness. Except. You. And. The. TURTLES! That we didn’t see. We will be back to find them!

2am turtle hunting – it’s Spooky Season!

In Conclusion – Edisto Beach

We have nothing but great things to say about Edisto Beach, especially if you crave the most natural experiences possible. There isn’t a ton of touristy things to do like rides, shopping, or museums in our experience. However, you will enjoy your well sought after relaxation nonetheless. We hereby name Edisto as a word meant for natural relaxation, baby turtles, and pure Southern beach bliss.

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Uncategorized

*Read* An Important Update

Hello wonderful people! If you have been following for a while, then you know that this blog used to be branded as Life Hack Logic. While I created this name and brand and still have ownership of it, I have decided to merge content universes’ with my girlfriend. This new baby of creation (no pun intended) is called No Place Like Gone!

The story behind No Place Like Gone is that we are currently selling our cars, house, and most all of our possessions. We recently bought an RV, which is one of the greatest decisions that I have ever made. Along my journey, I have struggled with various mental health conditions and my bad belief systems. I finally realized through medicine, therapy, and friends, that it’s time to make a change. Here begins that change.

We are taking off on the road to full-time RV (vanlife) for a full year starting here soon in July. The goal with No Place Like Gone is to write about our travels, create videos and upload to YouTube and TikTok of the various travel we are doing, and to help encourage others to take this plunge! We truly believe that there is No Place Like Gone.

I hope that you continue to follow me and our brands. Please find our Instagram and Facebook with the links on the home page. Soon, I will be uploading YouTube and TikTok videos also, so feel free to follow us there.

Next time you see me, I don’t know where I’ll be. Our house is on wheels, and there’s no telling where the roads will take us next.

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Lifestyle

Things Aren’t Enough

I hope every day by telling my stories and life experiences, that I may enrich others with advice and life skills to help them become better people. That’s the ultimate goal. We’re all in this game of life, together.

We’re all in this game of life, together.

No Place Like Gone, 2022

I thought by buying video games that I could make up for my childhood. I thought by hoarding things that I had accumulated over the years that I could keep every memory I’ve experienced since birth. Why? I constantly found myself walking into the same stores weekly to look for something to purchase – again and again. Never-ending. It was affecting me more than I ever truly wanted to realize.

When did I start believing that the more things I accumulated, the happier that I would become? A false pretense, for sure. To leave things short winded, I had a bumpy childhood with the whole family situation. Not to mention that becoming a teenager is already hard on its own. Jesus, have you ever been in a middle school? You’d think they were capable of overthrowing the government, if given the power!

A fairly accurate description of middle schoolers when they hear the bell for lunch.

I began to play video games and isolate as often as I could. Only now am I realizing at 26 years old that this was the case. I used video games as an escape, and I began to see people as threats. Why was this happening?

An anomaly that is impossible to explain are mental illnesses with the human brain. Scientists around the world continue to study its’ processes and why illness occurs, but it’s often difficult to pinpoint. Although, it’s universally accepted that we begin to experience things like depression or OCD because of certain life events. Most often when the brain can’t create a solution for something that it is not used to, it will develop mental conditions irregular to you. This still doesn’t explain why I found myself wanting more things, to replace black holes within myself.

So, I set out searching for an answer. Why aren’t things enough? I keep buying more, and my house is filling up. My video game collection is stacking up. Money is going out the door faster than I can make it. What was I missing?

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I only recently in the last few months began to see a therapist. I also have been listening to a mental health podcast, and reading material in my leisure. Looking back, I don’t regret any of these decisions. Regardless of what you are struggling with, it always will help to have a professional in your corner. I was skeptical for a long time that anything was even wrong with me. Surely I’m fine. I get up and go to work every day. I’m hardworking and diligent, but I wasn’t happy. It took a lot of introspection and working with others to locate my flaws. Trust me, they were deep under the surface. Most of us don’t have the skills required to dig deep into our consciousness and solve trauma or deep-rooted behaviors. That’s where therapy and getting educated comes into play.

A resource that I highly want to recommend to everyone is the book Own Your Past, Change Your Future by John Delony. Delony is a national best-selling author and part of the Ramsey Solutions team. He also has a mental health podcast and radio show broadcasted across America multiple times a week. With a distinct background in education and psychology, he holds two PhD degrees and many certifications beyond that.

Own Your Past, Change Your Future by John Delony

In the book, he speaks about how to recognize your current life situation. No matter where you come from or how your struggles affect you, he gives a step-by-step approach of healing from them and moving forward into your brighter future. I can’t recommend this book and his content any quicker. It will definitely aid you in your journey.

One of the most common things that keeps coming up is that I need connections. I needed friends. I neglected keeping in touch with people. From high school, college, the gym, I hardly kept up with anyone. I began to weaponize people and create excuses everywhere I looked. “Wow this asshole could of put his grocery cart back at the return area instead of leaving it in a parking space.” I began to believe that I hated people. “If people acted more like me then society would be so much better!” I continued creating every myth that I could, placing myself on a pedestal and allowing myself to hate humankind.

So why did I fixate on things? I’ve learned from therapy that things became an obsession for me because I thought that they would replace my incessant need for people. I thought that having more things would bring me safety and prosperity. I truly believed that I could plow through life without anyone in my corner cheering me on. These objects became my “friends” and they never let me down. After all, they can’t speak. They also can’t promise to hang out with you, then not show up. Wow, that’s deep. As I’m writing this, I can feel it. Hopefully this strikes a cord with you too.

I’ve also learned that money is a tool that you can use for good or bad. It allows you to spend money on things to your heart’s content. Money is one of the controllable things that you can make from working. Then you can control it and allow yourself to receive instant feedback. What I mean is, if I work 40 hours at X job, I know I’ll get paid Y amount of money. With Y money, I can buy Z thing. The amount of control that you can feel from spending money on any number of things is powerful. All of these letters makes this feel like Algebra class…

After all of the dust is settled, I have one last thing to say. If you are struggling with anything right now, seek out help. I’ve provided a few resources and examples throughout this read.

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travel

RV Necessity List

So you just bought a new RV? Or you’re dreaming about buying a new RV? Regardless, there’s a billion things to learn, and a million things to buy. Everyone wants your money. Let me give you solid advice of some of the best things worth the price tag for your new rig! I’ll also provide links to all of the things talked about so that you have to look no further. Let’s go!

My RV: 2022 Coachmen Cross Trail XL 23XG

Leveling:

Leveling blocks ($36) – Camco (heavy duty)

I recommend buying two sets of these 10 pack of leveling blocks, totaling 20 blocks total. I have used more than 10 on a few occasions.

These are required in most RV applications, but not all. Some RVs will come with specialty scissor jacks and other auto-leveling assemblies. If you have a basic RV like me, you’ll definitely need some blocks to get that big booty off the ground.

Camco heavy-duty leveling blocks

Wheel chocks ($21) – Camco, chocks without ropes

These are straight forward, and you’ll need them with pretty much any RV/camper. Level your rig, and then plan to chock opposite side wheels, to keep that pretty piggy bank from rolling away into the lake.

Camco wheel chocks, no ropes

Electrical:

Surge Protector ($68) – Powsaf RV 30amp surge protector.

Please, please, please buy a surge protector. It’s very possible that the electrical service on a campground could be faulty. If you don’t plug in a surge protector, it’s guaranteed that you will eventually pop a breaker, or fry some electrical wiring/systems in your rig. Keep it safe. This surge protector is only for 30A campers, so you will need to buy a 50A surge protector (or use adapters) if that’s what you’ve got instead.

Powsaf, RV 30A surge protector

Power cord ($64) – Kohree brand, needed for juice!

Now, there’s a chance that your RV dealer includes an electrical connection with your new purchase. If not, check out the link above, it’s for a savvy 25 foot cord rated for savvy 30A electrical service. Not only does this come with a carrying wrap, but also includes a 30A to 120V adapter plug. To wrap it all up, it also has a twist-locking fitting for where you hook up to the RV! It won’t come unplugged once it’s locked in place.

Kohree brand, 25′ electrical cord with twist-locking connection

30A to 50A RV Adapter ($17) – a.k.a. “dog bone” adapter.

This is a useful tool in the rare case that you camp somewhere that doesn’t offer 30A service. If you’re driving a smaller rig that’s 30A, then you definitely need to make sure you have one of these. It would suck to get to the campground, and not have a cheap adapter that can supply you with infinite power to your rig. Now you’re camping, not glamping 😉

Manshan, 30A to 50A adapter
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Plumbing:

Water Filter ($19) – Camco (RV/marine water filter)

Buy this day one. Often times, the water connections at a camping site are disgusting. It’s very common to get sediment and debris in camping water spigots. With a water filter, you can guarantee that most of the debris and sediment is being removed before it gets into your on-board piping and running through your system. This is a cheap, easy option. Most people will recommend much more expansive filtration systems but mileage varies here.

Camco RV water filter

Water Pressure Regulator ($34) – Kohree (handwheel adjustable)

This is VITAL for the plumbing on your RV. The reason for this is that most RVs plumbing is rated for something close to 40-50 psi. There’s no guarantee what pressure you will get at a camp site, because it will be different everywhere you go. This handy pressure regulator allows you to set a pressure (say 45 psi) so that your piping will not burst or crack. Trust me, it’s mostly all cheap plastic PVC. It will break.

Kohree water pressure regulator

Water hose ($38) – Zero-G 25 foot kink-free hose

Another thing a promising RV/camper dealership might provide you with a new vehicle purchase is a water hose. This is a vital component to get water delivered into your camper. If you didn’t get a hose included, I highly recommend purchasing from the link above. This Zero-G hose is kink-free, shrinks down to a smaller size when not carrying water, and also is quality material that will last!

Zero-G 25 foot kink-free water hose

Sewer hose ($38) – Camco (20′ with storage caps and transparent elbow)

Shitter’s full. There’s a chance that you’ll get a sewer hose included with the purchase of your RV. However, most of the time the hose they will try to give you is very flimsy and cheap. I highly recommend this Camco hose because of the quality, but also the clear elbow is an amazing additive when dumping your tanks. Watch that brown sploosh out before you disconnect the hoses!

Camco 20′ waste hose with clear elbow and end caps

Honorable Mentions:

United States Sticker Map ($20) – Fairwinds Designs travel sticker

If you’re planning on traveling across state lines, or one day want to see all 50 states, this is the perfect purchase for you. This sticker map comes blank with lines drawn for each state, and you add stickers for each state one-by-one as you travel to them. Genius! And you get to display it on the outside of your RV for everyone to gawk at and is guaranteed to start conversations with other campers!

Fairwinds Designs, sticker map of the USA

Fuse Assortment ($10) – EPAuto assorted car/truck fuses

You never know when you will blow a fuse on the road. Most RVs/campers will have both a house panel (standard home-style breakers that you just flip back) and also a car panel (requires car/truck style fuses). Always handy to have extra to replace on the go. There isn’t an auto parts store at the campground.

EPAuto, 120pc. fuse assortment kit
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RV Toilet Treatment Pods ($18) – Camco citrus scent

Keep your tanks clean by always keeping a little water in the tank, and drop in one of these pods to help keep it smelling fresh. These pods also help break down any potential waste/solids that may exist in the tank. You never want to have your black tank full with solids without treating it in some way.

Camco 30pc. toilet drop-in treatment

Under-sink Water Filter ($62) – Waterdrop ultra filtration

We talked about a water filter being a must-have necessity in the above plumbing section. But if you’re a health freak, you probably want more than just that one cheap filter. I recommend installing this filter underneath your sink, so that you can have fresh filtered water right there in your RV kitchen. Say aaahh.

Waterdrop under-sink ultra filtration water filter

Disposable Gloves ($8) – vinyl, disposable, 50 pack

If you don’t want to get soupy poopy on your hands, you might want to purchase a pack of disposable gloves. This will help keep your hands clean when you go to open the grey and black tank valves, and when the hose falls off the dump port and spills all around you.

50 pack vinyl disposable gloves

2-Way Hose Splitter ($13) – Heavy duty, shut-off valves

This little tool comes in handy if you want to hook up a hose pipe near the site utility hook ups. Meaning: If you want to hook up a hose to spray off your dog or campsite, then having a splitter like this makes it easy!

2-way hose splitter, with shut-off valves

Waste Port Adapter ($9) – Sewer hose sealer/adapter

Plug this little baby into the dump station/waste hookup at your campsite. Sometimes, the waste ports are different sizes and will not mate perfectly with your dump hose from your RV/camper. This little doo-dad is to adapt to different sizes so that there is no spillage.

Sewer hose sealer/adapter

90-Degree Water Hose Elbow ($6) – Camco, solid brass

This little brass fitting is to install on the side of your RV, so that when you connect the water hose it will be completely vertical and not kink. You don’t want the water hose to flex too much coming off horizontal of the RV, because this can result in stress/damage to the hose and fittings.

Camco, 90 degree water elbow

Tire Valve Extenders ($7) – Mellbree 2 pack, flexible valves.

If you have an RV on a dually truck chassis like me, then you definitely need a way to check the tire pressure of the inside tire. This won’t apply to everyone, but is a cheap accessory to make sure the tire pressure isn’t low on your drivable home.

Melbree, 2 pack flimsy tire valve extenders

There’s a billion more things you can buy that are useful, or to deck out your RV. I recommend not buying too many things, until you actually see a use or need for something. It’s easy to overspend when you type in “rv accessories” on Amazon, or even Google.

Hopefully this list gets you going on your first purchases for your new RV/camper. Leave a comment below to let me know what you bought and what your travel plans are!

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Lifestyle

Organization Simplified

We have all heard of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and how some people can literally brush their teeth 20 times before they are able to leave for work in the morning. Sometimes this diagnosis is so life-altering, that they may not even be able to leave the house become of germs, and their monotonous habits of extreme cleanliness. What causes these sometimes incessant behaviors? The better question is how can we learn from these habits and routines? Life is all about learning – and mental health is astounding itself.

Studies have discovered that people with mental health conditions often have higher IQ scores than a person without these conditions. Some of these being anxiety, depression, bipolar, and autism, just to name a few. Elon Musk, being the world’s richest man (depending on the day, could be Jeff Bezos the next day) has a condition called Asperger’s disorder. This lands on the autism spectrum, and is listed as being higher-functioning generally. This condition can affect the ability to effectively communicate and socialize, and also result in an all-absorbing interest in specific topics. To name a few of these for Elon Musk: rockets, electric vehicles, bitcoin; how interesting that science often proves true!

Elon Musk, SpaceX owner and CEO of Tesla

The reality is that almost 3 out of 4 millionaires keep a to-do list, and even schedule or “block off” time during every day for specific activities. Regardless of where you are in life, almost everyone can agree that daily tasks easily can get overwhelming and the days quickly get away from us. No matter whether you’re an engineer, a CEO, the President of the United States, time is our greatest and most invaluable asset. Learning to manage time and be organized might be the most life-changing systems that you can educate yourself on.

Here’s a few tips I’ve learned to stay organized:

1. Keep a Schedule

Whether you like Apple’s Calendar & Reminders, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, a physical day planner, it doesn’t matter. I suggest you try them all, so that you can decide which one fits you best. I personally use Apple’s own calendar and reminders, and have everything merged with my girlfriend so we can keep up with each other’s hectic schedules and lives.

Organization is key

Write it down every time that you make an appointment, have a deadline, a birthday party, or anything else. Practice this behavior every single day, so that it can become another extension of your body. Say goodbye to forgetting about a meeting or appointment, because it’s right there on your phone or planner. Check your calendar every day so that you don’t forget upcoming events, or add any events that you may have forgotten about. That phone call you received during a work meeting where Auntie wanted you to come by for a kid’s birthday party this weekend, yeh that also needs to be calendared too.

Another huge benefit of keeping a calendar is that you won’t be living life on the edge anymore. Your days become more predictable, and you can plan more efficiently where you need to put your energy. This will help reduce anxiety and stress in the long term for almost anyone. Another tip is that you can also schedule time for a hobby, or activity that you want to practice. There’s nothing in the planning guide that says you can’t schedule playing video games. It’s allowed.

2. Block Time Out

Do you feel yourself get overwhelmed and not finding enough time in the day to get specific tasks done? Often times if you work a lot, you might find that your work-home balance suffers. I know there are weeks when I don’t have the time to shave, or keep up with hygiene, and that’s life. Unfortunately, work will hit you in all different directions sometimes.

Try clearing a block of time out of your day, which is essentially the opposite of scheduling, or keeping a to-do list. Blocking time out refers to leaving an open slot for a certain task, or multiple tasks. An example of this could be: if I know I’m extremely busy with work, I might block out 8pm-9pm when I get home to be the designated time for eating dinner, taking a shower, and shaving.

In the professional world, many organized individuals will block time out for meetings, catching up on emails, pouring their energy into a new project, etc. Blocking time out is an effective way to organize your life, especially when used in combination with scheduling and keeping a daily to-do list.

3. Finishing Tasks

When you start something, make sure that you finish it! Procrastination can creep up on all of us, presenting itself as the demon of laziness. It’s easy to lose interest in an overly daunting task. A popular strategy here to implement is to break down overly complicated tasks, into bite size portions. You’ve heard the phrase “What’s the best way to eat an elephant?” and the answer “One bite at a time”. Some tasks are too large, or require too much energy than one day can allow you to accomplish.

Procrastination is like a credit card. You have fun now, but pay for it later.

If you have started something, and have trouble finishing it, try starting with the easier portions of the task. Break down the task into what’s easy, harder, or time-consuming. Eventually, after you’ve knocked out easy task after easy task, you can work your way up to the daunting portion of the project. I frequently use this method at work to build up confidence towards completing a mammoth of a responsibility near the end of the day.

One thing to note is that if you procrastinate, you might frequently find yourself falling into ruts. These ruts will allow you to think that being lazy, or not completing something, is OK. Maybe you are overthinking a task or responsibility, making it more complicated than it actually needs to be. You can seek guidance from co-workers and other people in your space. Sometimes you don’t need to put your entire soul into an email response. Just respond, and move on to the next one.

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4. Clean Up Regularly

It’s currently Winter and that means that Spring cleaning is right around the corner! Hell, where I live it’s Winter in the morning and Spring by the afternoon… the weather can be exciting, or bipolar. Depends how you look at it.

Cleaning your office desk, car, or home space can be quite valuable. This can allow you to reset your mental image of the mess that can follow you around all day, subconsciously. It will swing wide the door to a new beginning of the week, or month. I definitely suggest doing this once a month, or more often to keep yourself cycling old mess out, and new joys in.

You can clean out your mind, similar to how you can clean your house.

You can also allow yourself to clean out your to-do list, which feels like cleaning out your mind cobwebs, in a way at least. Maybe you’ve had a few daunting tasks that you haven’t made the time for yet. They either aren’t that important, so clear them off the list. Or if they are important, you can delegate them to someone else if time isn’t allowing you to get around to them. Often times your significant other, a family member, or even a co-worker can spare a little time to help. Clean up frequently, so you can constantly keep moving towards fresh behaviors!

5. Plan for Others

One phenomenon that I have discovered is that no matter how much I prepare for something, often things simply take longer than I had planned for. Often times the cause of this is another person in the meeting throwing the train off course by being late, or forgetting valuable information. You can’t control other people’s planning and behaviors. You can control how you plan for others though!

If you think that project meeting will take 30 minutes, chances are that the client has a lot of questions and will push it closer to an hour. Unless you great with setting timetables and boundaries, you’re going to be expected to spend more time with certain daily events. Always allow for more time than is actually planned. Although none of us can foresee the fortune, trust that planning for additional time will often not get you into trouble.

6. Simplify Decision Making

Making decisions can quickly complicate the organization process, but why is that? If we spend more of our time trying to decide what to do, rather than actually doing it, we clearly aren’t organized enough for the task. Burning time can quickly set you behind a deadline, or previously scheduled timeframe. Use your time wisely.

Rather than flailing around like a Magikarp in the ocean, quickly decide how important this decision could be and what else it affects. Schedule the time for important decisions to be made, and let them play out how they need to. Even so, you might find it useful to set a boundary of time. A recent technique that I have been implementing is to allow myself one hour for a task. When it’s around 30-45 minutes into the task, I make a decision on what’s the most important part of the task and what do I think that I can finish within the hour. Once I am nearing the hour mark, I make the final decisions and move on. Sure, there were three other right answers, but if I spent another hour or two worrying about that, I potentially risk throwing off the rest of my day’s schedule.

The decision making spiral leads into anxiety and fear of choices.

A very popular method used in counseling especially for ADHD diagnosed patients is called Goal, Plan, Action. That’s all you need, three steps. List a goal, create a plan, take action.

Goal: I want to clean the house.

Plan: I will clean the house at 6pm by sweeping, doing the dishes, and making the bed.

Action: At 6pm, I started sweeping. Next, I started on the dishes. Afterwards, I made the bed. Obviously these are actions, and describing them isn’t the same as actually doing them, but you get the point!

7. Delegate Tasks to Others

When time is not on your side, often it is in your best interest to allow the grunts to do the work! Kidding. Seriously though, if you have an assistant or coworkers who are capable of helping you, use them! There are many times when others may not have as difficult of a work load as you, and they can step in and take a menial task off of your stress meter.

You can also have productive conversations with your boss. If work is piling up faster than you can handle it, relay this to upper management. Typically there is a way to prioritize tasks, and some of them will always be the most important. Even though there are too many tasks to handle, maybe you can focus on the few higher priority ones and let the boss know the others aren’t possible right now. In some cases, they could hire another employee or outsource work, if the tasks are truly that important.

The same applies to family, or having a lovely significant other. You might have a crazy deadline at work and have to work extra this week, and your partner could make the grocery trips this week instead of you. Maybe you both are tied up and can’t find the time to cut the grass this week, well maybe it’s the time to find the additional money to pay someone to come and cut the grass for you. There’s always a way to plan a path forward, so delegate tasks that you can’t get done by yourself!

In Summary:

Once you set the systems in place and become organized, they begin to ingrain themselves into your daily routine with repeated patterns. A book that I can highly recommend to help you with creating healthier habits, and replacing your bad habits, is Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a great read that will explain the difference between having good habits (productivity, work-ethic, etc.) and bad habits (procrastination, laziness, etc.). It’ll also give you realistic approaches to re-shaping your bad habits into these new good habits, in every aspect of your life.

Remember when you used to be late to meetings because you slept in Time Management 101 class (this doesn’t exist I hope…) in college? Well now, you as a changed person can arrive 10 minutes before any meeting. Shirt ironed, presentation memorized, able to speak fluently or tackle any question at any given time. No one can stop you, and it’s a powerful feeling to have. Others will notice how prepared and organized you are, and will come to you for guidance!

You’ve graduated, young grasshopper.

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Categories
Adventure

My Plan to Travel the US in an RV

How crazy is it to sell everything you own and take off in a freaking house on wheels? Insane. How responsible is it to live your life on the edge, and potentially quit your was-to-be career? Not very. What benefit would a person get out of traveling the country on a low budget to all of the nature-filled fun times? Unlimited, possibly. Will everyone who knows you think you’re crazy for attempting something like this? Of course, that’s the fun part. I’m CRAZY, step back! Back I say.

We’ve all seen those nomadic journeys, glorified on social media as insane minimalism. “What would it be like if I sold all of my stuff, packed up, and took off on the road for endless opportunities of adventure?” you might ask. After feeling burned out of the day job expectation placed on me by society, I’ve put a lot of thought into the idea. Today, I think I’ve got some pretty good insight – and speculation into what I would like to accomplish in a near timeline.

For a quick background on me, I’ve worked basically full-time since I was in high school (around 15 years old). I often didn’t have the time to play sports or join clubs like the other kids. I worked right below 40 hours a week, usually 35 hours, all the way up until I was about 21. Meanwhile, I was taking AP classes and early college classes as a senior in high school on top of this. Then, I went on to take engineering classes as a college student for a few years. You can imagine by now that I didn’t have a life.

My days often looked like: go to class from 8am-5pm, work from 5:30pm-10:30pm on the weekdays, then do homework from 11pm-2am. Then turn around and get ready to do it all over again the next day, woo! It was exhausting, and I did it for such a long time. I never went to parties, or put myself into social settings or fun. I simply didn’t have the time. Pity party over! On the plus side, I did learn a lot from over working myself for such a long period of time.

It’s not as crazy as you think (depending on your age and familial responsibilities). As a 25 year old guy with a girlfriend, we have no kids and one dog. For us, traveling the world is a future goal. Understanding how much it costs just to fly across the globe, we think starting with the realistic approach that traveling the US is a better immediate objective. What better way is there to travel the US than in an RV? We would not have to worry about costs of hotels and Air BnB stays. Sure, there is maintenance costs, gas prices higher than gold, and campground fees if you are connecting up to a local RV/camping park.

Honestly, we have the freedom to experiment and plan where we want our life to head. We have plenty of ideas of what we think we want, but life isn’t that simple. We’d like to start with not only a journey to find ourselves, but also a plan to meet countless amounts of people and experience what it truly means to live – and enrich other peoples’ lives.

We plan to document these adventures along the way, so that others may see the beauty of the world. Our goal is to encourage everyone out there to travel and see things outside of their usual routine. This will encourage you to break out of your shell, and ultimately learn about new culture and skills. Life is meant to be lived in the way that you choose, and you shouldn’t just accept that life is always going to happen to you.

Fortunately, my girlfriend is lucky enough to have a 100% remote-based job. This allows her to work freelance for multiple clients. It’s a pretty sweet gig, and very popular these days during COVID. Myself, I am able to work from home but there is this awkward old-school expectation of being in the office. It seems that some people truly believe that if they can’t see you working in person, then you must not be getting much work done. Huh.

I’ll have to negotiate to figure out if I can work full-time from the road, or at least try to. To be completely honest, I’d like to take some time off from my working responsibility. I know logically though that if I keep the job and income, it’ll keep me busy and paying the bills on the road. But then that will limit my creative freedom of blogs, filming our travels, and documenting our experiences. We’ll see what happens with this… once I get up the courage to talk with them. Although, I don’t think that they are currently in the position to be able to hire an equally capable person though! Checkmate, a card up my sleeves.

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So are we insane to sell everything? Furniture, appliances, decor, electronics, lawn equipment, two cars, and even the house? Years of scouting department stores to find the best piece that will fit a room?

Of course it sounds insane.

But in this glorious year of 2022, housing prices are through the roof (hah! – gotcha). Another curious phenomenon is that car prices are through the hood (doesn’t work a second time, does it?). Sure, inflation is among us and its increasing the price of anything you could possibly want to buy at the store. However, this can be manageable when you don’t need to purchase things or consume much on a road trip!

If you aren’t familiar, Kelly Blue Book is a popular place to check the value of cars – new or used. I checked the price of my 2017 Honda Civic recently and it literally says that I can sell it for the amount of what I paid brand new for it back in 2017! I can possibly even sell it for thousands more to a person in need for this kind of vehicle. To simplify things more, even Carvana is willing to give me almost original MSRP that I paid for the vehicle brand new. I’ve never used them before, but I know that they will come to my door and pick up the vehicle and make it SIMPLE for me to sell!

I even lucked out on buying my house in January of 2020 – right before the pandemic. I couldn’t have been luckier with that decision. Now with the current strain on the housing market, it’s went up at least 40% in value since I purchased it. This is based off of a housing shortage in my area, local home values, and a Zillow estimate. It’ll be a significant pay day once I sell it!

I’m going to be able to set back a ton of money from selling all of these things to keep me safe for my journey on the road. So, is it crazy to pack up and leave everything behind now? No, I really don’t think so. It has been thought out and meticulously decided every step of the way of how to make this dream possible.

I’ll definitely miss family, and not being around to see them as often for a time. Although, I’ve lived in one place my entire life – for 25 years. I think it’s time to explore and get out there more. Who knows what’s waiting for me on the other side of those untraveled Country Roads? Consider me a wandering nomad, and I’ll see you on the other side.

Here’s another great read that will help explain a goal of mine with this journey – Financial Minimalism.

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