The Friday Feast ~ the 24th of April

I love learning. Always have. So when I find a blog or writer that interests me I devour everything I can find. Every day I move countless amazing articles from an array of  frugal, simple living, FI-minded writers into my Amazing Reads folder to be read at my leisure. These articles inspire me and the Mr. to think about things in different ways, to keep open minds and to constantly keep learning so we can be the best possible us.

In this episode of Friday Feast: the Frugalwoods, Frugaling, Wealthy Winters, First Quarter Finance, Fervant Finance, White Collar Freedom, Save Spend Splurge, So Over This, Retire by 40, and the Mad Fientist .

Here are my picks for this week's Feast. I hope they inspire you to set financial goals and take control over your heart, mind and - yes, your pocketbook.  There is a fire lit within each and every one of us, and the sooner we find that flame, the quicker we can use it for the energy we need to master our own happiness.

Relationships?! Again?:

Does this seem like a theme for anyone else? There can be so much conflict in our relationships when it comes to money that it's an area ripe for thought-provoking articles.

This week the Frugalwoods and Frugaling teamed up to do an article swap. Sam from Frugaling guest posted on the Frugalwoods blog about a single person's guide to frugal and happy living and then Mrs. Frugalwoods guest posted on Frugaling with a married person's guide to the same. Great pairing! I learned something from both articles and it was interesting to see the similarities and differences that relationship/lifestyle can play on living the lives we want to live.

Mrs. Frugalwoods wrote of her relationship where she and her husband came from two sides of a frugal coin and complemented each other on their journey. Wealthy Winters shared A Tale of Two Spenders, a very personal look into how she and her husband developed their spending habits and the difficulty they had aligning those habits with their goals. She shares some great insights into how to help your spouse get on board the frugal train without causing unhappiness in the relationship.

Interesting Ideas:

Two bloggers showed this week how, with persistence and the right mind set, great things can be accomplished. First Quarter Finance explained how he was denied the Discover card that he had researched extensively and knew he wanted for his first credit card. Did he stop there and get a different card? No way! He persisted, or as he put it, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and finally was accepted as he should have been. Persistence pays off! Meanwhile Fervant Finance explained how anything is negotiable. I am awful at this but I am getting better. I hate conflict. Any and all conflict. So I hate dealing with sales people or canceling contracts or anything like that. I never would have thought to negotiate a medical bill. But Fervant Finance showed you can! Something I need to keep in mind the next time.

Two other featured bloggers this week talked about lifestyle though in very different ways.

White Collar Freedom wrote about how it's not all about the data and that many are missing the point. His bottom line is that tracking expenses and finances is a form of heightened awareness that leads to a lifestyle of conscious decision making. So while tracking your expenses for a month or two won't make you rich, tracking them over a lifetime will give you the mindset to succeed.

Lifestyle is important to Steve and I. We are major health nuts and prioritize our health above most things (which is why more than 50% of our grocery budget is spent on veggies and fruits). This week has been rough for me since I haven't been able to go to the gym all week (dropping a knife into your foot makes for slightly difficult walking). But, we are still eating healthy as we always try to do.

Save Spend Splurge wrote a great article about money and health with the premise that you can't enjoy your money if you're sick. Too true. Too many people prioritize making money when young by working way too many hours. These people will often eat fast food and only walk as much as necessary to get to their desks. Their mindset is I'm young. I'm healthy! I need to make this money now and I don't HAVE TIME for the gym, walking, cooking dinner, etc. As Save Spend Splurge argues, and I agree these people may be enriching their financial futures, they're bodies may not hold up long enough for them to enjoy it. Health now = health later and that is key for our early retirement plans.

Life stories to learn from:

Some personal stories and reflections shared with us this week.

First, So Over This quit his job! Woohoo! I have never seen someone come at finding a new job quite like this and I LOVE it. If I ever change jobs this is what I want to do. Amazing.

Meanwhile, Retire by 40 asked if they could survive without Mrs. RB40's paychecks! This is always an interesting question. We're not quite there yet but the plan is for me to quit my job so we can move to Sedona in a few years. Steve will continue working since his job is location independent. Naturally, we'll be studying this question a lot in the future.

Lastly, the Mad Fientist decided to share his personal story about how he's gotten to where he is today and what he hopes/plans for the future. He says the best thing about the journey to FI is "the happiness you get from realizing you’re not trapped for the next four decades is immediate and the power you get from having a bunch of money in the bank follows shortly after". So true. I love hearing the personal stories of those going through the same process we are. We have found so many amazing and inspiring people on this journey and I love learning from each of them.

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Did you read something inspiring this week? If so let us know in the comments below!

They have been at a great feast of learning, and stolen the scraps.
- William Shakespeare