Baby Steps

                Work hasn’t left much time to try new things, so instead the hubby and I have had time to think (A LOT and maybe a little too much as you’ll see below) about adventures we want to have and accomplish and things (for lack of a better word) we want to see and do.  Well, here are a few:

 

1. Travel to the East Coast
2. Go skydiving or at least try a simulation (we are both afraid of heights fyi!)
3. Adopt a dog (yes, we love our little pup, but my man wants a real “man dog”…aka a big dog)
4. Buy/Build a house (not that we are looking now, but someday)
5. Take a car camping trip (we’re thinking up through Glacier National Park and up into Banff Park in Canada)
6. Try lobster in Maine (because I won’t try it anywhere else!!)
7. Hold a koala (who wouldn’t want to do this?!)
8. Visit the penguins (no, not in the zoo, but Antarctica silly)
9. See the fjords
10. Go mushing (I’m not sure if that’s the actual term, but that’s what we are going to call it!)
11. Learn to SCUBA dive
12. Learn how to make cheese
13. Go on a Scotch tour of Scotland (ok, so the hubby wants to do this one, but what sane woman wouldn’t want to do this just for the accents…and the scenery, but mainly the accents?!)
14. Make a home brew (yeah, my man is on a learn everything about every alcohol and bartending kick. And believe me, I’m not complaining!)
15. Learn to sail
16. Hunt something and be successful at least once
17. Successfully ski a black diamond
18. Go ice fishing
19. Hold a baby sloth
20. Make it into the Guinness Book of World Records
21. Go to New Zealand and take a LOTR (Lord of the Rings—for those who don’t speak geek) tour
22. Build a fort/treehouse
23. Catch a fish that weighs more than 10lbs
24. Go on a bike trip (at least town to town)
25. Learn a dance and become proficient at it
26. Go cross-country skiing
27. Go sledding
28. Go skiing on the Big Island of Hawai’i
29. Visit all the 50 states and their capitols
30. Learn to fish (particularly fly fish)
31. Throw a 20’s themed party (this will happen no matter what—and I just watched Gatsby and LOVED it!)
32. Throw/attend a James Bond themed party
33. Make our own wine
34. Learn to drive a stick well and then drive/purchase/win a Camaro (any of those would be fine by me)

 

And we add something every day! Obviously some of these are a reach, but many can be accomplished with a fair amount of willpower and budgeting.  

Speaking of which, I have found creating a budget extremely satisfying.  We have been saving every receipt to enter into Excel and keeping track of both incomes.  At this point in our lives, we aren’t in a pinch for funds, but it is helpful to know where every penny goes and where we will need to cut back in the future.  For instance, I caught a mischarge of fifteen dollars on a receipt after analyzing it to be entered into our spreadsheet.   It would have gone unnoticed otherwise. 

                 On another budgeting note… Now, I don’t know if I’m the only person who does this (oh wait, I know I’m not…), but I buy groceries and don’t think twice about how much they cost or which supermarkets might have a better deal.  I even made myself believe that our health food store was the only place that sells healthy and organic food and the only place to buy such items.  Well, I’ve been learning that many other places are now hopping on the organic band wagon (which I am all for).  Costco was the biggest shocker though! They have produce, fish, eggs, peanut butter and so much more at (usually) cheaper prices! 

                Okay, back to my point… I decided that I need to be more like my coupon cutting grandmother who still uses coupons at the store even though she has enough money to buy groceries without them. No, I’m not going to scour the Sunday newspaper for the grocery ads (especially because I don’t receive a Sunday newspaper).  Instead, I have become more aware of prices and have begun to realize where I can save money (like a newspaper specifically).

                A couple of days ago, I went on a shopping trip for craft supplies and a few household items and every place I went, I took my handy-dandy cell phone (which I have not used to go on Facebook by the way) and compared prices on websites such as Amazon.  Although I did waste a few minutes of time, I found some good deals online and some better ones in the stores.  And apparently coupons aren’t as uncool as they have been portrayed.  I saved 40% at Michael’s on a glue gun!  I guess you could say I’m learning something new; how to be a savvy shopper.  And I’m enjoying doing so!

 

Now that I have an official beginning of a list, I have incentive to keeping trying new things and to not disappoint myself or the readers! I'd love to hear what's on your list and what I should definitely add to mine.