Before we graduated college, we both knew our next steps were onboard Navy destroyers. Before we resigned our commission, we had a 5 year plan: Get married on November 1st, and then make something of ourselves in the oil and gas industry. We have always had a plan and been anxiously looking to the next thing. Adam was so anxious to get to the next thing in North Dakota that even on our honeymoon, it was a chore for him to relax. His body would be eating boeuf bourguignon at a zinc bar in Le Marais, but his mind was in the oil fields, excited to learn about the corporate world and get involved in the company’s growth. You can imagine how this drove me nuts, but nevertheless…What a contrast to our situation now.
We don’t have a definitive plan like we did as we entered the oilfields, but what we do have is Time. And, what is even better is that we can afford to take that time to breathe and think for ourselves. So, What in the world do we do with our days? How could you do the same should you ever find yourself living unencumbered? Well, it’s like this…
A Day in the Life
Our eyes open to a six o’clock alarm. We wake up slowly, and around 630 eventually muster the strength to put our feet beneath us. We stumble through making our bed and clumsily dress for a run. Lucky us, we live about ½ mile from the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail – 20 miles of pavement alongside railroad tracks and the Reedy River that link Greenville to Traveler’s Rest. I jog, and Adam runs circles around me. We return feeling much more alive than when we began.
We like to follow our runs with a fresh juice. Kale, carrots, apple and ginger mix into an awful color but a tasty treat. Breakfast is always eggs and bacon, and we sip cappuccino and lattes from our wedding gifted Jura throughout the morning.
By nine o’clock we are showered and show some semblance of being ready for the day. We form blocks of time between 9-12 and 1-5 to be productive. We rotate between shopping for real estate and researching alternate income opportunities. We frequent coffee shops and get to know local business owners. (It’s a dream of Adams to open his own restaurant.) We eat lunch at home and have recently made a habit of walking down to Falls Park to work at outdoor café tables in the afternoons.
In the evenings, we go to various community meetings in efforts to learn more about what makes Greenville tick and the leaders who are making waves. Greenville is happening, y’all! #yeahTHATgreenville
On our most enjoyable evenings, we find ourselves at my dearest in-laws’ house. Their screened-in back porch with globe string lights, fresh flowers and pitchers of mint-sweet tea set the stage for home-cooked-dinners and long, meandering conversations.
Life is not shabby. In fact, it’s lovely, but we are not so ignorant to believe this stage of life can go on forever. We are ready for momentum, but we want to share how many – A Day in the Life – days have been possible, and why we didn’t have to FREAK OUT when we lost our jobs.
Four Steps to Follow Now to be Ready for Whatever Life Throws At You Later
- Develop a support system. You CANNOT do it alone. Surround yourself with people who have your best interests in mind, even if your best interests go against the norm. Develop relationships with people that will support you regardless of circumstances. At any time of crisis we should all be able to turn towards our friends or family.
- Not only does living in Adam’s parents’ apartment free us of a major living expense, but having both of our parents’ support and encouragement as we go through this transition is huge. Monumental. We are fortunate we have our family, but if they were not supportive or close by then we know we have many friends who we could count on if needed.
- Eliminate debt. Between college, cars, and credit cards, you’ve got to get rid of it.
- College – Adam had like 14 scholarships that covered his ride to The Citadel, and I (between my scholarship $ and a Naval Degree Completion Program) was able to pay off my school debt within a year of graduation. Make good grades in high school kids! If you do have college debt, don’t sweat – just make a plan and pay down your smallest balance loans first. Create a debt snowball to increase your success.
- Cars – Calling all those Thousandaires… Car payments are not cool. I bought my Kia Forte in 2010 and paid it off within two years, and Adam’s car…Well, have you seen #RhondatheHonda??
#RhondatheHonda in Denver, CO.
- Adam bought his ’93 Accord in 2005 for $3500, and it WILL NOT DIE. As much as Adam obsesses over planes, trains and automobiles, he has always valued not having a car payment and that discipline is paying off now. Thank God for #RhondatheHonda.
- If you do have a car payment, look for ways to pay more than the minimum payment. At best, pay it off in less than 6 months OR sell it now and buy a different set of wheels with cash. Poof! A monthly bill could disappear!
- Credit Cards – Girls – You know that even if it’s a SALE, you’re still spending money, right?! If you cannot pay off your credit card at the end of the month, something has to change.
- This is still an everyday battle for us as we have to monitor our expenditures monthly. We dream of the lifestyle where we can spend casually, but your 20’s and 30’s is not the time (unless you’re the Elon Musk type). Make the sacrifices now, and get AHEAD of your finances instead of endlessly trying to play catch up.
- Minimize living expenses. Reduce your living expenses to increase your living experiences. Take a look at your credit card statement. Where is your money going, exactly? I bet you have auto drafted expenses being drawn from your accounts that are NOT necessary.
- Adam and I were forced to make cut backs to reduce our living expenses, but don’t wait to be forced. Lighten your load of recurring charges.
- A few examples…
- Reduce your cell phone, cable and internet bills. We combined two phone bills into one, lowered our data plan and committed to using wi-fi more. This is saving us over $80/mo.
- Cancel Unnecessary Subscriptions. Like our subscription to a monthly credit report, $12/mo.
- What about Netflix/ Amazon Prime/ Spotify/Hulu/ HBO GO/ Sports Packages and Cable? Do you need them ALL? I canceled my Netflix and saved $8/mo.
- (Note that just with these three simple examples, we are saving $100/mo and $1200/yr!)
- Another option is to cancel cable and get a cool digital antenna like this one. We can get our fix with ABC, NBC, CBS and a total of 30 FREE Channels, but I should note that this success only applies if you are living in the developed world. We tried this same antenna in North Dakota and had only marginal success with 2 botched channels.
- Automate Savings. This is the real kicker. We saved the best for last, but this is where you should start (if you haven’t already). Set up an auto draft from your checking to a savings account and ALWAYS pay yourself first. Shoot for 10 percent of your income. If that’s not doable, start anywhere.
- As you eliminate expenses and debt, turn that newfound “income” towards your savings until you hit the 10% mark. Once your 10% savings is in fully-automated swing, switch your focus to paying down your debts. After your debt is paid, start looking into other investment opportunities before increasing your living expenses.
- Warning: This is not easy or without sacrifice. You have to commit to focusing on your goals, but I promise the reward is WORTH IT. We cannot stress this enough. Despite all of our other advantages, we would not be able to afford our current flexibility if we hadn’t individually and faithfully saved our money.
- What we did well: Adam moved from his 2 bed 2 bath apartment downtown San Diego to sub-lease one room and one bathroom from a friend. This enabled him to save and invest an average of 50% of every paycheck during his last two years in San Diego. Automating our savings for 4 years allowed for us to pay for our wedding and a 3 week European honeymoon, contribute to multiple investments and an “Emergency 6 Month Living Expenses” account.
- Where we went wrong: We took too much comfort in our supposed job security, and by the time we were let go, we had not recovered a full six months of expenses. Learn from our mistakes, and don’t assume anything. No one is watching out for you, like YOU. Are you taking care of yourself and your future?
There is a quote that I love, “Self-discipline is the ultimate freedom”, and these beautiful “Days in the Life” have been made possible by these set disciplines. It’s a new day!, as I like to tell Adam in the mornings, and we welcome it with open arms, feeling in control and ready for whatever life brings us.
Living Unencumbered 