When one door closes, another opens

April 2, 2016

I am officially saying Good-bye to my wonderful blog here at Blogger.  It has served me well through the last three years as I have shared my journey.  It is a little sad, as I have really liked the Blogger platform for learning the in and outs of blogging.

But when a door closes, another opens.  I am excited to share that now that we are official "retired" I am taking on a new challenge!  I have created a new hosted website and hope to share even more often with my readers.

So I am not giving up blogging, and I hope you will follow us over to:

www.followinglifesbreezes.com



Remember we are all just Following Life's Breezes!

P.S. I decided to push this post back one day, so you didn't think it was an April Fool's Joke!

What's for Dinner? Meal Planning Made Easy

Do you ever have the blank state when someone in your family asks you "what's for dinner?" Or are you spending an insane amount of money on Pizza, Fast Food or Restaurants?

This is one area where I have struggled in the past.  I then came up with a great system to make meal planning so much easier for me and my family.  I wanted to share it with you and hopefully you might be able to gleam some helpful tips!  If you could save just a few dollars on your food category that is is something that you can add towards your goal of early retirement, plus improve your health in the process.

Meal planning is personal to each individual and family, whether you are on a restricted diet, or receive special foods through a program like NutraSystem or Blue Apron. This system can work for you no matter what your preferences. My meal plan has changed over the years, and continues to change as my son's taste change.  I was diagnosed with Cancer in 2013 and while on chemotherapy found that my taste change drastically.  They are slowly getting back to normal now, but I have continued to adjust what I eat.

In order to plan meals for my family, I took the time to write out approximately 20-30 meals that we like to eat (and yes, this even included a few of the restaurants where we like to eat).  I wrote each meal on a little Post-It note that fits on my calendar.  I like to color code things, so I used different colored post-its.  For fish I used Blue post-its, for chicken Yellow, Red Meat is Pink, Other meats like Pork or Turkey is Orange, Green for Vegetarian, and Purple for eating out.  This color coding allows me to glance at my calendar to see if we are eating too much red meat, or not enough fish in our diets.

Next I placed the meals on each day of the month, this would allow me to look at what is happening each day on the calendar and make adjustments.  Plans change and that is OK because I can easily move the post-it notes around.  For example, if I find a sale at the store, or have some vegetables in the fridge that I need to use up, I can look for meals that cover those items and move them into the current weeks rotation.

Now here is the HUGE timer saver that I discovered; are you ready for it?  Once you finish the meal, skip ahead a few weeks and find a new date to place the post-it!  each time you finish a meal you do this, and you will NEVER have to do meal planning again.  Sure you might add a new dish from time to time, or remove something your family doesn't like, but over 80% of our meals we eat over and over.

So are you ready to NEVER have to spend hours agonizing over what's for dinner?

Here it is broken down into simple steps:

STEP 1: Brainstorm 20-30 meals that you and your family like to eat (this can include eating out)
STEP 2: Write them down on post-its that fit on your calendar (you can color code this is you want)
STEP 3: Move the meals around as necessary
STEP 4: When you finish a meal, move the post-it ahead a few weeks to a new date!

There you have it, you can do this and benefits: LESS money spent on wasted food and eating out, NO more agonizing over what is for dinner, and LESS processed food and junk food so LESS inches around your waistline!

We Did It - The Jump to Early Retirement

It has been over a year since I have posted in this wonderful blog, and I am sorry to all my loyal followers.   I will say that recovering from Cancer hit me harder than I could have ever imagined.  Health is something we take for granted until we lose it, so my family and I have made some life changes that I hope will be beneficial.

Brief summary of what has happened over the last year:

- We decided that we could find a way to manage our income and investments, and I made the jump into retirement.  That being said I did take on a part time job that allows me to mentor and help others, but this is more about my passion that an income.
- Mr. Breeze went back to school for his Master's - so honestly we are both home right now as he completes his online masters.
- Last month we moved from the mid-west to sunny Colorado.  This puts us closer to my family, and well Colorado is a MUCH more active state than where we lived, so now we are enjoying the sunshine and getting active - which is another step in the right direction for my health.
- Baby Breeze is now 3 and every 30 seconds goes from being cute and adorable, to funny and entertaining, to exhausting, to an emotional terror.  It is so nice that both of us can be home with him at this time.

So that is the brief update of the last CRAZY year!  We are terrified and excited about our new adventure, and I love that I have other Blogs that I can read from those who has paved the path before me.  I look forward to share with you what challenges and opportunities we experience as we enjoy this new found freedom of Early Retirement (FYI - my goal was to do it by 40, but I just had my 38th birthday and I am so glad I didn't wait)!

Here's to new adventures.

The Breeze Family

Time to Grieve

Just posting a little note, to share why we have been so silent on this blog.  Over the past three months we have lost 5 people who were close to us.  Their passing has affected our family deeply.  They include my boss, my grandfather, two close family friends, and one of my students.  It has been a tough time for all of us and we took time to grieve and heal as we dealt with each week.

It reminds me that life is precious, and to spend time with those that we care about now while we have the chance.  One again I am energized to achieve my goal of spending more time with Baby Breeze as he is growing up so quickly.

These deaths have given us time to reflect as a family, and have also created some new financial opportunities which I will blog about in future posts.

As we remember those that lost their lives on 9/11 and those that have passed recently I ask you to take time to give those who are special to you and give them a hug!

No more Overtime!

"Seriously I have to work overtime again?  It is almost Spring time for us snowmen to go on vacation!"

I agree Mr. Snowman - you should go on STRIKE - no more snow storms.  Unfortunately we woke up to another inch or two of snow on the ground this morning!

Another year older

Well Mama Breeze is another year old, and a year closer to wanting to retire at 40!  Today is an amazing day for me - I actually get to celebrate my birthday.

Last year at this time, I was losing my hair to cancer and wondering if chemo was going to make a difference on my aggressive cancer.

Today I am completely done with cancer treatments!  Yippee!!  I am 36 years old and happy.  I have my wonderful son, my amazing husband and a loving family.  I have my career, and I am building our net worth and reducing our debt so I have even more time to spend with Baby Breeze while I am still on this earth.

I am excited to celebrate my birthday today, and I am looking forward to a new year - one with A LOT less doctors appointments!  (I had 109 doctors appointments last year!  Whew!).

New Year's Anti Resolutions

I do not make New Year's Resolutions.  It seems like anything that I plan on January 1st, last about 1 week.  For some reason there is something in our society that encourages us to create resolutions that are set up to fail.  Not sure how this came about, but found that it does not work for me.

However I am always making goals.  Goals can be adjusted (I know, this is probably just my warped sense of thinking, to some of you these might be the same thing, but this works for me).  I set goals throughout my life, some are short term, some longer term, and all get adjusted as time goes by.

So before 2014 officially get here, I decided I would set some yearly goals for next 12 months.  One thing I have continued to  used since Business school is setting SMART goals.

Smart Goals for 2014:
- Spend more time with my son [each day set down the electronics and get down on the floor and play for a minimum of at least one hour - this might be tight during the weekdays, but I am going to make the effort]
- Increase Net Worth by $100,000+ [through reduced debt and increased savings]
- Establish Healthy Habits [focus on healthy eating more healthy dinners at home and eating out less than 5 times a month, lose 25 lbs. by January 2015 and getting out and moving for at least 5 hours each week]

That's it, just three goals.  Yet these goals, will give me a sense of purpose, help me sleep at night, and allow me to live a long happy life.

I have read that by telling others your goals you are more likely to achieve them.  So maybe I will have to do a goal update each month to see how well I am achieving my goals, and to have everyone hold me accountable.  We are already tracking the Net Worth, so maybe I need to add Healthy Living and Time with my son as well.

Okay I am ready to bring on the New Year!!!  Here's to 2014!

Today I am thankful . . .

Things I am grateful for this year.

1.  I am thankful for my son, who I have gotten to watch experience life through his fresh new eyes. Thank you for letting me be your Mommy.

2.     I am thankful for my husband.  He amazes each and every day, you are a wonderful father and husband.

3.     I am thankful for my family [including my husband’s family] – their unconditional love and support, has helped me in more ways than I will ever be able to repay them for.

4.     I am thankful for my co-workers and boss.  Their support this year, bringing dinners, and cheering me up was more than I could ever ask for.

5.     I am thankful for my friends (close and far).  From cards and emails, to Facebook posts, to the occasionally phone call, thank you all. And to those that just posted adorable pictures of their children or pets, thank you, as your posts helped get me through a lot of sleepless nights and cheered me up while battling cancer this year.

6.     I am thankful for my neighbors, who stopped by to check on us, or cheered us up whenever we were out and about.  Thank you for being there.

7.     I am thankful for the Doctors, who helped both my son and me this year.  Each day you have given us is a precious gift and I am thankful for the opportunity to watch my son grow.  And my therapist who has given me hope that I will have full range of motion in my arms again some day, and has given me the chance to start becoming self sufficient.

8.   I am thankful for my iPad, as it was my constant companion while others were sleeping, and when my range of motion in my arms would not allow me to do anything, I was always able to use the iPad! J

9.     I am grateful for the ability to sleep in my bed again.  After sleeping in a recliner for much of this year (due to nausea, surgeries, etc).  I am happy to be sleeping in my bed again.

10. Truly I am thankful for each and every morning.  I wake up knowing how today is another gift, and our time here is unknown.  I am grateful that I have today!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

What to do with all that Free Time

While I know in reality, free time is quickly taken by new activities, as I found when I graduated from my MBA.  I kept telling myself I would have all this free time, yet I never seemed to have it.

So I wanted to start a "bucket list" of things, that I wish I could do now but can't because I am working so many hours right now.  Hopefully I can refer back to this when I am retired.  I am especially looking for things that make me happy, but are low cost and not wasteful [i.e. a shopping spree at the Mall is OUT.  Taking Baby Breeze to the park in the middle of the week on a gorgeous Fall day is IN!]

So here is my list so far:
- Take Baby Breeze to and from School every day
- Take Baby Breeze to the park on a beautiful day just because the weather is nice
- Take Baby Breeze to the Community pools
- Take Baby Breeze to a local farm
- Take Baby Breeze to Museums [Art museum, Airplane museum, Science museum]
- Take Baby Breeze to the library at least weekly
- Enjoy breakfast with my family every morning
- Go for a walk in the middle of the day while everyone else is at work
- Go on family picnics and explore Nature
- Go to the grocery store [not at 5 PM or on the weekend!]
- Go on a 3 week or more vacation to explore others areas of the country [or world] in depth
- Come up with wonderful creative meals for my family which will also improve our health
- Be a "classroom Mom"
- Dry clothing on a clothes line and not a dryer
- Finally organized my closets and cupboards and purge the unnecessary clutter
- Go through ALL those wonderful "Pinterest" Ideas and do some of them
- Get my scrapbooks organized
- Really focus on my photography hobby [get creative with pictures, organized digital files]
- Find ways to give back [volunteering time, reading to kids, helping others achieve financial goals]
- Enjoy preparing for holidays [rather than just rushing through them]
- Spend time with family and friends
- Read a couple books a week to learn new things [use the library, don't buy more books]
- Ride my bike more, and continue to exercise and get fit

Most of these items don't take a lot of money, I am starting to wonder if I really even need that much to retire anymore, or if getting out of the rat race will allow me to spend even less while enjoying life more.

So here is my advice to my future retired self: Enjoy life at a slower pace . . . remember you got out of the rat race so that you didn't have to feel like you were running a race everyday.  Enjoy it!

I would love to hear others suggestions about how to spend their free time.

Happy Halloween

Just a quick picture post to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!

It's Baby Breezes 1st Halloween!

Following Life's Breezes

I am a planner.  I love spreadsheets, numbers, setting goals, and just structure in general. The one thing life has taught me in my 35 years is that the most important part of your plan is the ability to be flexible.

I thought I would graduate college at 22, get a job, get married by 25 and start having kids by 29. I had a plan.   Well that did not happen.  I did graduate college at 22, but after a failed marriage (looking back it was the best thing that could have happened to me), I readjusted my plan.  I went back for my MBA and met the most wonderful man who finally convinced me to get married again.  I created a new plan, but life has a way of interfering.  We struggled with infertility, running our own business, corporate layoffs, moving across the country for jobs, bankruptcy (due to not being able to sell our over priced homes during the housing bubble in our previous location and the seller financing our business which the new owner defaulted on) and most recently cancer.

None of these things were in my plan.  So I have learned to adjust the plan each year. My husband [affectionately referred as Mr. Breeze in this Blog] and I have become parents through the adoption process, I am in the process of beating breast cancer, and I now have a new motivation to retire in 5 years (at age 40), when my son starts Kindergarten so that I can be home when Baby Breeze gets home from school.

So why am I starting this blog? I want to share my experiences with others and hope that you can gain insight, if you so choose.  By setting goals and publicly tracking them, I hope to help motivate others and keep myself on track.  Currently the areas that are going to be my main areas of focus are:
- Raising an Adopted Son [Adoption]
- Battling Breast Cancer [Cancer]
- Financial Independence and Retiring Early (March 2018 is my goal - I turn 40 that month) [Money]

As I write these post I will label them so if you are only interested in one area you can just review those posts.

No matter what our plans may be we have decided we just need to . . . Follow Life's Breezes