Recently I have been listening to the M.O.N.E.Y. show which inspired me to re-read the Total Money Makeover. All this information has me wanting to jump straight into action. The problem is I get paid once a month. While I can plan, budget and scheme, I can’t really do much which leads to the downtime and me wondering what I can do. I reached out to J Money…the comedy of the MONEY show, who also runs www.budgetsaresexy.com and asked his advice. His suggestion was blog. Find something you love and write about it. As it happens, I have had a blog for a long time now. It’s never really had a focus, hence the “James the Generalist”. This has always been more like an online journal with all of three people who might read it. :^) However, this also has its benefits since I can chronicle what I’m doing, get some of the thoughts out of my head and maybe…finally…define my goals enough to start making some solid plans.
My current interests are:
- Traveling. I like traveling alone, but now that I have an amazing travel partner (my hot wife Kelly) it’s way more fun.
- Travel points. With travel, I have tried really hard to travel cheaply. Using points, flying Spirit, etc. The obvious problem with this is you usually have to use credit cards which is always a slippery slope.
- Travel writing. Sort of. I use Tripadvisor anytime I hit a town, even one I am familiar with. You generally get both good and bad reviews of a place from travelers and locals. I take the time to rate and review places I find, have been recommended or that I frequent at home.
- Camping. I have purchased some great gear from REI, much to my wife’s chagrin, but it makes being outdoors all that more fun. She doesn’t camp much, but I have friends that do and my daughters also love it.
- Real Estate. I have always had a fascination with buying and selling homes. I worked for Dream Homes, a build on your lot builder, before they were purchased by Jim Walter Homes. That sparked my interest and I read all kinds of books, attended seminars and did precisely nothing with that knowledge. Now that I have a solid career, I am revisiting that interest.
- Eliminating debt. I’m not sure if this is an interest or obsession. I have tried more than a few times to dig out of the hole, but it seems like there is always something to pull you back in. Travel, camping gear, points collection…:^} This one is usually in conflict with the others because I’m impatient.
That seems like a pretty good list to get started working on. We’ll see what catches on.