Sunday, January 31, 2016
Money Saving
I am trying to save money for my world travels. I have a lot of places on my list to see and no dough to do it with. A couple of my recent ventures are: Ibotta, is an app that gives you rebates when shopping for groceries. I've saved 15 dollars this month. Foap: you sell your photos and enter contests and hopefully win money. I just started this yesterday so here's hoping. I started the 52 week challenge at the beginning of the year. I started with 2 dollars week one, 4 week two, 6 week six, etc. Supposedly I'll have 1000 dollars saved by the end of the year that way. I also started a change challenge which started with 1 cent on the 1st 2 on the 2nd, etc. This one is supposed to save you like 500 dollars as well. I also downloaded digit which links to my bank account and takes money that I am not using and transfers it to a savings account. I saved 250 dollars in 5 months last year using it and that was my spending money for my cruise. You can transfer extra money in whenever you want as well. Digit themselves takes small amounts, that 85 cents that you'd use to buy gum and what not. I made some obvious changes as well. I cancelled my gym membership and my disability insurance (for now), dropped my car insurance to liability ( I don't use it much for my nanny job), I pretty much cut out eating out all together and I make a majority of my meals at home. I just moved so I am still playing catch up from the life change and the cruise I went on so I haven't made it far in my savings but I thought now would be a good time to share my plans so I can comment on how they worked later on
Caribbean Adventure
November 2015
I went on a cruise this November with my cousin Samantha. We have had a rollercoaster friendship but the last year we have really become best friends and this was how we capped off our epic year as besties. We travelled Royal Caribbean and were aboard Oasis of the Seas.
We flew to Ft. Lauderdale a day early so that we could see a bit of Florida and also to avoid an travel hassels.
We stayed in a great little resort called The Best Florida Resort(http://www.thebestfloridaresort.com/)
The rooms were tiny but it had a beautiful courtyard and was only a block from the beach and only a short walk to Lauderdale by the sea, the boardwalk and some great restaurants. We started our evening by having dinner at The Village Grill and checking out the Atlantic Ocean. On Saturday we woke up and walked down to the pier and found the BEST pancakes ever at a place called the Beach Café (http://www.anglinsbeachcafe.com/index.php) their food was some of the best we had our entire trip. If you are EVER in ft. Lauderdale check them out. We checked out some of the shops, listened to music and took another stroll down the beach to pack up and head for our ship.
The bus was not our friend. We waited over an hour for a bus and they dropped us off on the opposite side of the pier from where our ship was. This left two girls to treck a mile to our ship with all of our luggage. Thank goodness we are fairly light packers. Next time: take a taxi!! But we made it. The ship was massive and daunting and so exciting all at the same time. This was my third cruise with royal Caribbean and I couldn't have been more excited.
Oasis has so much to offer and I won't bore you with every single activity we did but there was an ice skating rink, several swimming pools and hot tubs, multiple dance clubs, broadway, ice and aqua shows, a rock climbing wall, a wave simulator called the flowrider, a carousel and a whole towns worth of shopping. There was a bar that floated to the sky and more food places than I can name. Johnny Rockets had an amazing breakfast selection and the dining room was to die for for dinner. Windjammer by far had the nicest staff members. Oasis was not my favorite of the ships I have travelled on. We had a flowrider instructor named Ryan that was friendly and great but he seemed to be one of the few people we met that were excited to be there. It seemed that the staff was overworked and there were entirely too many people. The lines were long and the places were over crowded a lot of the time. Don't get me wrong it was an amazing experience, I think from now on I'll just stick to the smaller ships.
In Nassau we went to Blue Lagoon Dolphin Enounters where we were able to play with, pet, kiss and feed a dolphin. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have had in my life and I'm not sure i'll ever really be able to top it. We had such a great time there and we had fun exploring Nassau when we got back to town as well.
In St. Thomas we had a hard time getting to town to check things out but we took a ferry called "The Island Girl" to St. John's for a snorkeling adventure. I had never been snorkeling before and it was so phenomenal. I could never have expected how fun it would be. We say mantarays and fish of all sorts as well as coral and just the most beautiful water and scenery I could imagine. I loved every minute of it.
In St. Maarten we went to Loterie Farms for a zipline tour (http://loteriefarm.com/activities/fly-zone/) again this ended up being a phenomenal adventure. We had so much fun. Our only complaint was that there wasn't enough time. I could have done the obstacle course another time for sure if they'd have let me.
There were so many great adventures on this trip. Things I would change would be to not book ourselves with as many excursions. We didn't have much time in st. Thomas or st. martin to really explore much of these locations and I love to be in a place longer. But I wouldn't trade what we did for anything. For pictures check out my facebook album (https://www.facebook.com/kate.gladstone.16/media_set?set=a.10208230274416874.1073741833.1302930023&type=3)
I went on a cruise this November with my cousin Samantha. We have had a rollercoaster friendship but the last year we have really become best friends and this was how we capped off our epic year as besties. We travelled Royal Caribbean and were aboard Oasis of the Seas.
We flew to Ft. Lauderdale a day early so that we could see a bit of Florida and also to avoid an travel hassels.
We stayed in a great little resort called The Best Florida Resort(http://www.thebestfloridaresort.com/)
The rooms were tiny but it had a beautiful courtyard and was only a block from the beach and only a short walk to Lauderdale by the sea, the boardwalk and some great restaurants. We started our evening by having dinner at The Village Grill and checking out the Atlantic Ocean. On Saturday we woke up and walked down to the pier and found the BEST pancakes ever at a place called the Beach Café (http://www.anglinsbeachcafe.com/index.php) their food was some of the best we had our entire trip. If you are EVER in ft. Lauderdale check them out. We checked out some of the shops, listened to music and took another stroll down the beach to pack up and head for our ship.
The bus was not our friend. We waited over an hour for a bus and they dropped us off on the opposite side of the pier from where our ship was. This left two girls to treck a mile to our ship with all of our luggage. Thank goodness we are fairly light packers. Next time: take a taxi!! But we made it. The ship was massive and daunting and so exciting all at the same time. This was my third cruise with royal Caribbean and I couldn't have been more excited.
Oasis has so much to offer and I won't bore you with every single activity we did but there was an ice skating rink, several swimming pools and hot tubs, multiple dance clubs, broadway, ice and aqua shows, a rock climbing wall, a wave simulator called the flowrider, a carousel and a whole towns worth of shopping. There was a bar that floated to the sky and more food places than I can name. Johnny Rockets had an amazing breakfast selection and the dining room was to die for for dinner. Windjammer by far had the nicest staff members. Oasis was not my favorite of the ships I have travelled on. We had a flowrider instructor named Ryan that was friendly and great but he seemed to be one of the few people we met that were excited to be there. It seemed that the staff was overworked and there were entirely too many people. The lines were long and the places were over crowded a lot of the time. Don't get me wrong it was an amazing experience, I think from now on I'll just stick to the smaller ships.
In Nassau we went to Blue Lagoon Dolphin Enounters where we were able to play with, pet, kiss and feed a dolphin. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have had in my life and I'm not sure i'll ever really be able to top it. We had such a great time there and we had fun exploring Nassau when we got back to town as well.
In St. Thomas we had a hard time getting to town to check things out but we took a ferry called "The Island Girl" to St. John's for a snorkeling adventure. I had never been snorkeling before and it was so phenomenal. I could never have expected how fun it would be. We say mantarays and fish of all sorts as well as coral and just the most beautiful water and scenery I could imagine. I loved every minute of it.
In St. Maarten we went to Loterie Farms for a zipline tour (http://loteriefarm.com/activities/fly-zone/) again this ended up being a phenomenal adventure. We had so much fun. Our only complaint was that there wasn't enough time. I could have done the obstacle course another time for sure if they'd have let me.
There were so many great adventures on this trip. Things I would change would be to not book ourselves with as many excursions. We didn't have much time in st. Thomas or st. martin to really explore much of these locations and I love to be in a place longer. But I wouldn't trade what we did for anything. For pictures check out my facebook album (https://www.facebook.com/kate.gladstone.16/media_set?set=a.10208230274416874.1073741833.1302930023&type=3)
quarter life crisis
my quarter life crisis started right on time. I turned 25 and kind of lost it. I have no idea what I am doing with my life, what I want out of it. I am single, no kids, no "real" job and no direction. All I have is credit card debt and two cats. So I decided to try to embrace my crisis and find a direction. I have stumbled for the last year or so. I went through a lot of changes and my depression kind of overtook things for a long time but now that I have been through therapy and gotten a bit of a direction to my life I have to make a plan.
Step one: develop a mission statement. This is a statement that you use to define and guide you through your journey.
" I will take every new adventure with enthusiasm. I will travel to new places, learn new things and learn to love and discover myself along the way."
This is my mission statement. It gave me a direction and some goals. I want to learn and do new things, travel and figure out who I am and what I want out of life.
Step Two: Read
I started with pinterest and read blogs and quotes from other twenty somethings. I got advice and workouts and made boards all about adulating. I read a book called "Adulting". I read another book called "You're a Badass" I started taking tips from people who had been through it.
Step Three: Let go of your past self
This is one of the hardest things for me because a larger portion of my life has been about other people. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for many years and my life pretty much became all about him. I didn't have my own identity other than his girlfriend and the last two years have been extremely hard overcoming that and letting go of the person I used to be.
Step Four: what do you want from your future
there are some things I am sure of. I don't want children. I don't want to be married and I want to see the world. Those are my only real constants. They have never changed and they never will so that is where I started. This is the step I am currently on. A little bit of three is still working its way out but step four is whats up.
Step one: develop a mission statement. This is a statement that you use to define and guide you through your journey.
" I will take every new adventure with enthusiasm. I will travel to new places, learn new things and learn to love and discover myself along the way."
This is my mission statement. It gave me a direction and some goals. I want to learn and do new things, travel and figure out who I am and what I want out of life.
Step Two: Read
I started with pinterest and read blogs and quotes from other twenty somethings. I got advice and workouts and made boards all about adulating. I read a book called "Adulting". I read another book called "You're a Badass" I started taking tips from people who had been through it.
Step Three: Let go of your past self
This is one of the hardest things for me because a larger portion of my life has been about other people. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for many years and my life pretty much became all about him. I didn't have my own identity other than his girlfriend and the last two years have been extremely hard overcoming that and letting go of the person I used to be.
Step Four: what do you want from your future
there are some things I am sure of. I don't want children. I don't want to be married and I want to see the world. Those are my only real constants. They have never changed and they never will so that is where I started. This is the step I am currently on. A little bit of three is still working its way out but step four is whats up.
2016 is going to be my year
I've set some lofty goals for 2016. I am on a mission to lose 50 pounds, finish my book list, and start a few different blogs. I wanted this blog to be a way to track my progress working out, traveling, what ever it is that I am trying to accomplish.
I have never had the motivation to workout. My short term goal is 20 pounds by april. My cousin sammi is getting married then, and I would like to be 20 pounds lighter when I return home to see my friends and family. The first step I have taken is increasing my water consumption. This one blows because I hate water. I also feel like I am drowning after drinking 5 bottles in a day and I am constantly needing to pee. The second step is that I am eating every two hours. Sometimes it's a meal, sometimes a snack but something every two hours. And the third is a "lose the muffin top" workout. Today was day 2 so my workout was crunches, leg lifts, elbow to knee, and flutter kicks. 60 second circuits 2 times. My abs are on fire. I have to pee and I'm sweaty. But here's hoping
I have never had the motivation to workout. My short term goal is 20 pounds by april. My cousin sammi is getting married then, and I would like to be 20 pounds lighter when I return home to see my friends and family. The first step I have taken is increasing my water consumption. This one blows because I hate water. I also feel like I am drowning after drinking 5 bottles in a day and I am constantly needing to pee. The second step is that I am eating every two hours. Sometimes it's a meal, sometimes a snack but something every two hours. And the third is a "lose the muffin top" workout. Today was day 2 so my workout was crunches, leg lifts, elbow to knee, and flutter kicks. 60 second circuits 2 times. My abs are on fire. I have to pee and I'm sweaty. But here's hoping
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)