Podcast 12 - Changing Daily Habits for More Time and Money

We are wrapping up season 1 with a collection of the habits we have changed this past year. As a result of these changed habits, you guessed it, we gained more freedom, time, and money.

We are taking a quick break between seasons and will announce a date in the future for season 2!

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We cover a lot in this episode. We have been making little changes here and there. Looking back our whole lives have changed. In a kind of strange turn of events it has become harder to relate to people in person because our daily activities are so different now. We have gotten so wrapped up in the FI community that what seems “normal” online isn’t quite the case offline.

Regardless, we wouldn’t have it any other way and it gives us a reason to meet new people in a local FI meetup. Back to the show, there is a wide range of topics. We start with our morning routines. Turning your mornings into productive, high performing machines of routine to get shit done! This means getting up earlier but there are alarm clocks that make it easier.

Speaking of mornings, we do need our coffee. We have changed from expensive Nespresso pods to our very own espresso machine. Fresh roasted coffee in the morning that tastes better than Starbucks? Cheaper than Nespresso? Yes it’s real and we have done it.

While still hanging out in the kitchen, we have switched our entire grocery shopping to bulk. This means Costco for us. With only 2 people in the house we still are able to get through all the produce. If it is going bad for you before you can eat it…then I hate to say it but you probably need to be eating more produce anyway. This was true for us, before it would go bad, now we are eating more veggies and fruits. Win-win? Shopping in bulk also makes it a nice way to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

With food intake, there is the other side of working it off! HerFI and HisFI have different exercise routines with their own benefits and disadvantages. HisFI makes his commute fun by biking while HerFI still goes to the gym with friends.

When time was more idle, we had the habit of shopping. This was a hard habit to kick and for HerFI it required a shopping ban. HisFI inadvertently shopped less when he filled his time with more productive things. It also helped we were both trying to save more money in the pursuit of FIRE.

This made it easier for both of us to change our dating habits (with each other). No more was the dinner and a movie date. Instead was activities like hiking or even cooking dinner together for an at home date night. We were spending less while gaining an ever stronger relationship.

Speaking of saving money we both automated our finances. Talk about less stress! Might as well throw this habit change in with relationship building. It took the unknown out of our money and only requires us to check our money maybe 10 minutes a month.

The biggest change and most beneficial to us was the least expected. You’ll have to listen to find out…hehe!

Lastly, we talk about an idea that was the basis to this episode. An idea of resistance that is the invisible force that prevents people from making the changes they need. It was an idea we learned from the book called The War of Art. It was a quick read(listen for us) but packed in such an important revelation that it changed our very perspective on our daily actions.