mindytempleton7371

Shout out for NO SPEND SATURDAY

OK so we DID get our Costco groceries haul for December, but just necessities..right along with milk and eggs, Cheez-it’s are totally necessary right?! Also, my uncle and cousin were passing through town and kind enough to take us out to lunch so we could catch up.

2.6 mile trail walk with kids FREE

Impromptu photo shoot FREE

Finding a tree stump to sketch FREE

Finding a cool leaf FREE

New walking stick FREE

New pet caterpillar FREE

Is it just me, or have you noticed that the less you spend, the more freedom you have to enjoy yourself?!

No stress of watching your hard earned money leave your bank account or worrying about if you got someone the right thing or if it’s the right size or color or whatever the many stressors that come with shopping are. No stress about how the other bills are going to get paid now that you decided to make this purchase, or the extra hours it will take to cover what you spent. I know that when I spend money, the dynamic changes. I now have expectations and pressure to make sure it’s a fun time or a good meal or the best most memorable gift. Maybe it’s just me, but if I take spending out of the equation, then I literally don’t have to worry about it. It then becomes about enjoying the moments and making memories with my peeps.

The weekends, and especially those leading up to the holidays are HARD. Everyone has a deal going and all of our senses are inundated with smells of candles or food, seeing a must have item advertised for $5 off, touching all those soft blankets and stuffed animals, hearing the ads and workers at the store telling us today is our last chance, etc. This is all that most of us are used to..our society has been like this for as long as I can remember, and as long as we continue to consume at the rate we do, nothing will change. We truly have to make an effort to avoid, so if you are able to stay strong on any shopping front, you are winning. A great way is to start with a No Spend day or weekend. Another great way to do so is 1) to set a Holiday budget and 2) stick to it. Know who is on your list, know how much you want to spend, and make sure you have the funds to cover any of this. If not, your family and friends would much rather you bake some cookies, or spend time with them than to have you go into debt to show your love. Trust me on this one!!

Who else left their stress at home and their money in the bank today? Any other tips for surviving the holiday season?

Intro time

Intro time! I want to learn more about all of you, so please share as little or as much as you want. I will get it started. 👋

My personal residence in the Kansas City area is what I call “the zoo”. Always lots of dogs and kids running in and out and if the garage is open, then let yourself in. 😉

I have two awesome kids..one who is learning to read and the other is reading lines in her latest city theater play. I have a very patient and supportive husband, with a beard, who breaks gender stereotypes by cooking, doing dishes, AND the laundry. 🧺

A few hobbies include meditating, yoga, running, reading, writing, eating but not cooking, and volunteering on the board for Habitat for Humanity and as a big for big brothers and big sisters. I work for an insuretech company and my degree is in sociology with a minor in psychology and I LOVE people watching. 👀

When I look back on what we’ve done this year since I started mysemibasiclife, it’s been a journey of finding our values, embracing minimalism, doing a No Spend Year, paying off $165,000 in debt, buying two rental properties, and continuing to build wealth through diversification. 💰

My goal is to help you take control of your mindset and financial future, so you can design a life and a legacy to leave your mark on this world. 🌎

I’m an open book, so ask me any questions and tell me about yourself. 👯‍♀️

Photo credit: my yelling and my IPhone timer

Value Based Budgeting

I know I’ve shared in the past that I am a big fan of the zero budget, which means that before each month starts, I go count every single penny I will have coming in, compare it to what’s going out, plan for any variable expenses for the month, and then put the rest to work. Since paying off the last of our debt, these remaining funds have grown as high as almost 70% that I am using to fund our real estate portfolio and other savings/ investment goals. When I put that all in writing, I know some of you on the FIRE journey (Financial Independence Retire Early) are probably pretty in line with this strategy and aiming for the same, or maybe already achieving it.

I also realize for someone who is anti-budgeting or brand new to budgeting, then my current path probably seems pretty extreme and even intimidating. Just know that I didn’t start here..I started somewhere though, and sometimes just getting started is the hardest part. So I have a middle ground solution for those that just want to dip the very tips of their toes into figuring out once and for all the following two things without counting every penny 1) where is my money going and 2) is that where I want it to go?

So here is a really quick and easy way, inspired by the book “Your Money or Your Life” By Vicki Robin. If you haven’t read this book, please do yourself a solid and follow the affiliate link below and pick up a copy, and maybe grab a few extra for gifts. It is a very influential book that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

https://amzn.to/376Bipl

One way to get started thinking about the two questions posed above is to make two lists. One should include your top 3-5 things that you value, and the next should list your top 3-5 things you spend the majority of your money on each month. That can give you an idea on if your values align with your spending each month. For your first time doing this, you should expect some room for improvement, so don’t be too hard on yourself and just focus on how you can get better. Before any purchase, simply ask yourself “is this aligned with my values?” If the answer is no, put that delivery menu up or put that shirt back on the rack.

Want to really make some value based budgeting and spending become your new normal? Another eye opener activity to help with this is to go back and add up how many hours you have worked for all your life and how much earned income over your lifetime you have made, and then compare it to what you have in savings/investments/assets. Is there a huge deficiency? Great way to see how all those little things quickly add up. Find 3 ways right now that you can start keeping more of your money and write them down.

Does anyone else currently do value based budgeting?

7 ways to increase your net worth

I posted back in May with our first 6 month check in on our net worth, and I cant believe another 6 months has passed since that first post I made on this topic. Here we are though, so you know I had to do some reflecting on our progress. I knew that we had made a lot of money moves, but I was like damn girl..go on with your bad self. 💃🏻 I was very happy with seeing a 58% increase since this time last year, and wanted to help others with ideas on how you can do the same!

So, how did we do it?!

1. Goal Crushing-Did you know that you are 42% more likely to achieve a goal JUST BY WRITING IT DOWN?? This is one of the easiest ways to increase your net worth, or really a way to change anything in your life, even outside of finances. You’ve heard me talk about always having 2-3 goals and then a few “micro goals” to help you break it down and make a plan to get to those bigger goals. Go ahead..go get your paper and pen..I will wait. 📝

2. Becoming Debt Free-It’s always nice to increase those assets, but make sure you are decreasing those liabilities first. See number 1 if you aren’t sure how to become debt free and also do some research on debt snowball vs debt avalanche. While we are on this topic, please promise yourself that you will stop adding new liabilities. 🙅‍♀️

3. Investing in myself-Two years ago, I only read two books the whole year, and I used social media as a rabbit hole of memes and scrolling through pictures of people that I didn’t even talk to in high school, binge watching Netflix, drinking several nights a week and I listened to a ton of murder podcasts and rap music. This past year, I have read almost 40 books, created a community of sharing and encouraging others changing their lives through financial literacy, stopped drinking, started exercising more consistently, and I still listen to murder podcasts and rap music, but sprinkle in podcasts about financial independence and real estate investing also. 📚😎

4. Buying real estate-Did you know that 90% of self made millionaires grew their wealth through real estate? Refer to numbers 1,2, and 3 above or refer to my previous posts on real estate if you’re not sure where to start.

5. Investing in our 401k’s and other tax advantaged accounts-If there is a match and/or tax advantages, that’s a good indicator you should be maxing these out. If maxing all of your options out seems like a lofty goal that makes you want to stop reading anything I ever write again, then please start with the employer match, then next open a Roth, then contribute to your HSA. You can choose your contribution amount, sometimes as little as $50, and even pause contributions if needed. Always remember that something is better than nothing.

6. Lifestyle Design-Read my previous post on lifestyle design vs lifestyle creep. Inflating your expenses to match your income is a silent wealth deflater. It’s easy to let your WANTS slip into your NEEDS category. Trust me..I know because I was guilty at one point myself. 🙋‍♀️ Once I got real real honest with myself, we were able to cut out unnecessary expenses that weren’t in line with our values, got back to basics and are now sitting at a 66% savings rate. 🙌🏼

7. Increasing self worth-Not only should you focus on increasing net worth, you should focus on increasing self worth. I promise you the two go hand in hand. Leave behind those limiting beliefs that are holding you back already-bye Felicia. 👋 You ARE amazing and you CAN blaze your own damn trail and you CAN become whatever you want to be..yes you!

What are you waiting for?? Go get you some worth. 😉

No more tampons..period

Let me tell you something that’s going to blow your mind. I used tampons for a good 20 years of my life, and much like all the other topics I write about, I did it because everyone else was and I literally didn’t know there was another way. Sure there are pads if you want to throwback to your diaper days and feel disgusting for a week out of every month..ummm..hard pass. I still remember in great detail my struggles as a teen learning how to install my first tampon with the super unhelpful directions and diagrams that come with the box. Even after twenty years of practice, it still never felt like it was installed right. 🤷‍♀️

Imagine my surprise about four years back when another woman casually mentioned to me her menstrual cup. Ummm..excuse me..are you getting a drink for your vagina or something?? WTF is a menstrual cup?? Better yet, why has nobody told me, your fellow woman, in all these many menstrating years, that there were other options?? I felt like y’all have been holding out on me, and I don’t want anyone else to go even one more cycle without the period knowledge I’m about to flow upon you. Because the menstrual cup is a GAME CHANGER. 💃🏻

How a menstrual cup will change you:

1. Comfort-Seriously..nothing like the feeling of inserting a tampon on a light flow day and having the experience of pulling that bad boy out at the end of the day..ouch. Also, the leaking..the freaking leaking..why do I even bother with wearing it if it’s still going to ruin my underwear? Don’t worry..these are concerns that I have never had with my menstrual cup!!

2. Better Periods-Because if you’re going to have one every month for 40ish years, might as well make it your best version right? I swear that my periods have been shorter and lighter since I stopped using tampons. Also, the cramps are almost gone and bloating has decreased a lot. I really think a lot of period symptoms are due to all the tampons laced with chemicals. ☠️

3. TSS-See my above mention of the chemical and dye soup that is just begging to attract bacteria into your body from tampons. Also, I used to get UTI’s and yeast infections and haven’t had not a single damn one since I stopped wearing tampons four or so years ago. Coincidence? I think not. 💁‍♀️

4. Convenience-I used to change tampons every 2-4 hours, and first I had to find another tampon, go buy one if I’m out, and sometimes the only option is the gas station sandpaper ones, and then next was go install it and find a trash bin for the applicator and wrapper. Now I simply just have to bring myself and my cup, and only empty it out every twelve hours. So I do it when I wake up and when I get home..that’s it. I’ve never had it leak during a run or downward dog, and no it doesn’t look like a murder scene when I empty it like the menstrual cup memes make you think. I’ve had one incident where I spilled, and I cleaned that shit up like a good murderer and went about my day. No evidence. No big deal. I would however advise you to leave your four year old son out of the public bathroom with you if you need to empty, because well, they have questions, and loud voices, and they tell EVERYTHING to EVERYONE.

5. Mother Earth-Did you know that each of us menstrating women generates 1,000 lbs of waste in our lifetime from tampons, and the applicators take 500 years to break down?! Ditch the tampons for the turtles!

6. Money-If you go through the average 12,000 tampons in your lifetime, then you will also spend around $4,000 in total. Go get you a $30 menstrual cup that will last you ten years, and invest the rest. Throw that money into a Roth IRA instead of a landfill. 💰

Alright..I know you have questions and I’m not shy..so ask away. 😉

And if you’re sold like I was..link below to change your menstrual life today!

https://amzn.to/2ITT9VZ

Rental House #2 Details

Our newest tenant moved in on October 1st, so I figured it would be a good time to stop slacking and post the details. This one has a funny story with it. House #1 we bought on location location location, and house #2 is no different, being an adorable 2/1 that’s walking distance to a cute downtown with shops and lots of activities like a farmers market on the weekend. Turns out I totally have a type. 😂

First off..let’s talk money, because I know y’all are nosey like me..lol. Since we are paying the mortgage on house #1 out of our own money. (we no longer have daycare, so replaced that payment with the mortgage payment) This allowed us to use the rent funds from house #1 to fund the down payment of house #2. Our tenant for house #1 had paid the whole year up front, which was around $10,000, so talk about creative ways to leverage other people’s money. I decided to put that money to work, instead of letting it just sit in our account being lazy. 🤷‍♀️

We found house #2 and put an offer back in June that was like $12k under asking, but a fair offer based on comps in the area. They didn’t accept it, and they ended up having someone else back out due to finances falling through. I found out because I was creeping online looking for the next deal and saw it pop back up on MLS. Funny part, they ended up dropping the price to the same amount we originally offered. So we decreased our offer by a few grand, and the seller accepted it. Should have just accepted our first one. 💁‍♀️

So total purchase price was $86k and we put 15% down, so around $13k to closing and our monthly mortgage payment is $595. We are renting it out for $875, so around $225 cash flow after mortgage and property management. For the property manager, we will pay around $50 a month, and one month rent for the initial showings and tenant screening. We didn’t have much of anything to do or money to spend to get rent ready, besides a whole lot of magic erasering and replacing the nasty toilet. 🤢

The tenant did ask if she could install a garage door opener (with her own money) and we told her no that we would not only cover it, but we would send our guy to do the install. She works crazy shifts and said she would feel safer being able to pull right in late at night. I honestly didn’t even notice it didn’t already have an opener and felt bad. Before she moved in, I did get a bid for converting the one car garage to a bedroom and think I will save up the cash flow to pay for that renovation after this tenant. We may even get crazy and attempt this project on our own. 😉

A few things I learned through this one.

1. Life was really busy when we got this one, so I enjoyed not having a lot of random little details like trim painting or landscaping or really anything to do, but I also feel like I’m ready to roll up the sleeves on the next one. 💪🏼

2. I am excited about the potential to increase the value and rent through adding a bedroom. It would only take about 2 1/2 years to recoup the project expense through increased rent, and that doesn’t even cover the added value that we could then use to BRRRR, just with a few of the r’s switched around in there. 😜

3. I’m so glad to have started the tenant move in baskets. It went over well and sets a good first impression for under $20.

4. I am feeling a little uncertain about the property management portion, and think we have learned a lot since we first started. I know we can handle on our own and my husband thinks opposite. So I’m working on my persuasive speech for self management on the next one (I can’t wait to report back on who wins this one).

5. I am ready for the next deal..since you know my type..who’s got it??

The Debt Epidemic

🚨Keepin it real rant ahead🚨

This is us..this is America..scary huh? What if I told you that we are all responsible for this culture of debt and living above our means and we all have to contribute to putting an end to this. It’s hurting us, our kids, our health, our planet, it’s an epidemic and I wish more people were feeling terrified about the topic. It just keeps getting worse each year, small credit card purchases, car payments, student loans, slowly adding up to over $13 trillion. 💳

Who’s ready to break the cycle?? And I don’t mean just pay off the minimums and maybe a little extra to continue to be a slave to debt for the rest of your life. I don’t mean to just do a debt consolidation or home equity loan or line of credit to pay off..because debt is still debt..whether it’s paying ten different people or paying one. And now that you’ve consolidated, guess what, you’re probably just going to add MORE debt now that you’ve freed up those credit cards. 🤷‍♀️

Your past will continue to haunt you if you aren’t ready to take a long hard look in the mirror and realize that YOU created this mess, and YOU have to do the hard work to not only get out of it, but STAY out of it. You have to STOP talking about how you don’t make enough money, you’re just barely scraping by and don’t have any extra to pay, maybe once you pay off the car or once you get that tax return you will, or once you get a raise you will, you are lying to yourself. STOP playing the victim and STOP making excuses for your spending habits. You’re only hurting yourself.

Also, those student loans, yeah those suck just as bad as the credit cards, but you CHOSE to go to school and you took them out, so guess what? You owe it..so PAY that shit back already!

YOUR kids SEE you living that lifestyle, and they HEAR you fighting about money, and they FEEL your stress at the end of the month when there’s not enough paycheck to go around. They see you treating yourself “because you earned it”, and they are learning that shopping makes everything better..new stuff will take away that rough week..only it wont.

Harsh words, but let me ask again..who’s ready to break the cycle??