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Personal Freedom vs Living Costs

We are brought up thinking that money can buy happiness, but freedom of time is what really leads to happiness. Yes, having money can give you the ability to choose how you spend your time, but this has more to do with your cost of living than it has to do with how much you make. If you can reduce your cost of living to the point that you are living substantially within your means, can stay as debt free as possible, can build savings and wealth, and can find ways to earn money that either doesn't require your time (like residual income) or is time you would be spending doing what you love to do anyway, then that will lead to true security, personal freedom, and happiness. Think of it kind of like a business. In business, you want to generate profits and invest those profits to build more profits. Here you want to generate time savings and invest that time to generate even more time savings. To generate that savings, you need to first consume less than you produce, then s...
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2025 New Year's Meal Routine

Reflecting on 2024, I had some great successes in keeping up my meal habits even when introducing a child into my life. The struggle still remains traveling but I could also improve on my home and work routines.  Just too many temptations that are usually born from not having a plan in advance which leads to giving into cravings.  Here is the new meal routine that I am planning for this coming year. It involves a rotation of two daily routines over six alternating days then one day to mix things up. Mon/Wed/Fri Breakfast - morning fruit and veggie shake Drink - coffee Lunch - sandwich, wrap, or chips and dip Drink - seltzer Afternoon Snack - nuts Drink - water Dinner - rice and beans dish Drink/Dessert - coconut based sweetened drink Tue/Thu/Sat Breakfast - soaked oats Drink - tea Lunch - fast salad Drink - seltzer Afternoon Snack - fruit or veggie Drink - water Dinner - noodle dish Drink/Dessert - water based sweetened drink Sunday Breakfast - cold cereal with coconut milk Dr...
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How to Mount a Perfectly Level TV

Most TV mounts require that you find two studs to drill into. This direction is for that setup. The trick is how to make sure the holes you drill are perfectly level.  The first step is to find the studs. Go to an area of the wall that you know for certain will be somewhere behind your TV. It doesn't necessarily have to be where you plan the mounting bracket to go. Now grab a stud finder and use it to find the studs behind your TV. I like to triple check by drilling small pilot holes near where the stud finder says the stud should be. I space each pilot hole about 1/4 inch apart. If the drill bit goes through the drywall into empty space, then I know I'm not at a stud. I move over another 1/4 inch until the drywall hits wood and doesn't go all the way through. Then I keep moving 1/4 inch still likely continuing to hit the stud until I hit the 1 3/4 inch (7 holes) at which point I should be back to drywall. Now I know exactly where the stud is and can find the halfway point....
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Thanksgiving Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Butternut Squash

Neither my wife and I are fans of the green beans on Thanksgiving. The traditional green bean casserole method is too goopy and having them plain isn't all that enticing either. So we decided this year to try a combination of Brussel sprouts and butternut squash and it was such a better side dish. It complimented the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes so much better than green beans. Plus I happen to grow my own butternut squash so it is the perfect way to showcase some of my own garden bounty as part of Thanksgiving. We will definitely be making them again this way from this Thanksgiving forward. Ingredients 1lb fresh whole Brussel sprouts (ideally organic) 1.5lb whole butter squash or 1lb pre-cubed (must be fresh not frozen) 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp olive oil Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and trim the ends off the Brussel sprouts. Cut in half lengthwise. Cube the butternut squash. If starting with a whole one, the easiest way is to cut...
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How Trump May Inadvertently Cause a Recession

Well what an election it was this past week. Now it is time to prepare for what looks to be a radical new approach to the role of government. I am a libertarian at heart so I am cautiously optimistic, however, we have a President that disguises himself as looking out for the little guy when really he is like any other wealthy elite looking out for himself and other elites. No doubt, every policy move he makes will be to somehow enrich himself and other wealthy individuals/corporations some more. He'll keep giving lip service to trickle down economics, but in reality the money never leaves the hands of the wealthy. It stays there accumulating more and more money. One thing I will be watching closely is how he seems to want to gut government bureaucracy and oversight. If he starts making massive cuts to departments like the Department of Health, Education, Defense (through stopping the wars we are fighting), the SEC, even lowering interest rates, eventually the cuts will impact the c...
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Canned Tomatoes Starting From Fresh

I had the most productive tomato plant ever this year. One plant produced over 35 pounds of tomatoes! I had so many tomatoes that I had to figure out things to do with them. So I decided to take a crack at making my own canned (jarred) tomatoes. To make processing simpler, I came up with a method that does not involve peeling or de-seeding the tomatoes. Every part of each tomato gets used. Some might say that effects the taste and texture of the finished sauce, but to me it turns out great.  Note, I am not an expert canner and I am only learning from other blogs and videos. Do not try my techniques without doing your own research on what is safe or not for your situation. Now onto my technique. Ingredients and Tools 10-12 lbs fresh tomatoes 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp white vinegar Paper towels High powered blender 7.5 quart stock pot 15 quart stock pot Steamer rack/liner for larger stock pot Large ladle 5 pint size wide mouth jars 1 quart size wide mouth jar 6 wide...
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Simple Secret to Creamy Mashed Potatoes

I ate out at a restaurant recently and had the most decadent and creamy mashed potatoes I ever had. I happened to have a connection to the owners and asked if they could find out what the recipe was. It turns out in true chef fashion, they don't have it written down. It is simply a combination of potatoes, butter, salt, garlic, and heavy cream all done to taste each day. Back to the drawing board I went, but realized the list of ingredients is nearly identical to a great alfredo sauce for pasta with the addition of parmesan cheese. But that would make them taste even better. It then dawned on me. Why not buy or make a delicious alfredo sauce and add it to basic mashed potatoes? Well, it totally worked! These potatoes were so fast and simple to make, yet so creamy and delicious. I may just make them this way from now on, including for Thanksgiving dinner. Ingredients (for 8-12 servings) 3 pounds of russet potatoes 2 cups of your favorite alfredo sauce Directions Wash, peel, and dice...
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Note to my representative on the national debt

I live in Colorado's 4th Congressional District and I have an interim U.S. representative after our elected Republican congressman stepped down before the end of his term. Our new representative is Greg Lopez and he is one of the few trying to call attention to the dangers of our country's massive deficit spending and ballooning national debt. He wrote an op-ed piece in one of our local newspapers about it: https://www.greeleytribune.com/2024/10/03/congressman-greg-lopez-national-debt-americas-next-crisis/ I was inspired to thank him for calling attention to this matter and this is what I wrote back to him through his email comment box.  Representative Lopez, thank you for highlighting deficit spending which is my top national concern. As an investment manager with a background in mathematics and economics, I closely follow macroeconomic trends. Deficit spending directly leads to wealth concentration among corporations and the wealthy. It's disguised as public good but it p...
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Dumbbell Arm Routine

This is my dumbbell arm routine that I do with 10 pound weights. It's not much weight but I focus on reps for each one until I feel a burn.  Overhead press - raise weights to shoulder height and then raise above your head Curls - just an old fashioned front bicep curl Front lift - put the dumbbells by your side at your hips then lift up close to your body and then finish under your chin with your elbows out Overhead tricep curl - put arms behind your head and then lift up above your head Rows/Side lift - with your arms by your side and your body in a slight bent position lift up and back focusing on contracting your upper shoulder blades Flies - still in the bent position swing your arms from the center of your body outward to your side while keeping your arms straight Tricep swing - still in the bent position swing arms behind you focusing on your triceps and your lower shoulder blades Side overhead press - with one hand down by your side and the other at should height nea...
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Concord Grape Processing Tips

This year I had my best Concord grape harvest yet. I picked a total of 15 lbs of grapes from one bush. And I still had several grape bunches that I couldn't reach or left alone. However, I ended up picking too much for what I could process in my off time. I ended up throwing away about half the batch due to the grapes turning moldy before I could turn them into juice or freeze them. This post is about lessons learned for processing grapes to avoid making similar mistakes in future years. Grapes should ripen around mid August. Tools needed are some sharp kitchen scissors and a 5-gallon bucket or similar. Also some garden gloves to prevent bee stings. Pick early in the morning or late evening to avoid bees and wasps. They like to suck the juice out of the grapes and get active when the sun is up. Probably best to pick before 7am or after 7pm. Even during these times, watch out. I ended up getting stung by a small bee that I didn't see when I reached for a bunch to cut. Pick only ...
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No-Yeast Quick Pizza Crust

Now that I've stopped nurturing my sourdough starter for the time being, I've begun to really miss my cast iron pizza. I was determined to figure out a fast pizza crust that didn't involve needing a starter. In fact, I wanted it so fast that even using yeast and waiting for the dough to rise would take too long. I wanted a crust that I could make and start using right away. After some trial and error, this below crust works pretty well. Sure it lacks the fluff and chew. It is more cracker like than pizza crust, but it holds it's shape well along with the ingredients on top. And it tastes delicious. The best part is, I can go from making the crust to having the pizza in under 45 minutes. I show two different options, one for a thin crust and another for a slightly thicker crust. I use both in a 12 inch cast iron skillet and will select the version depending on the amount of toppings. For lighter toppings, the thin crust works great. But for heavier or extra toppings, I u...
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Zucchini Banana Bread Combo

This is the time of year where I get more zucchini than I know what to do with. One of my favorite recipes is my Vegan Zucchini Bread however I didn't have any applesauce. I decided to play around with the recipe by subbing mashed ripened banana for the applesauce. And I also added an egg to improve the texture after getting a tip from the Starbucks banana bread recipe (see inspiration link below).  This new recipe turned out so delicious. The perfect combination of zucchini bread and banana bread with a fantastic texture. I will definitely be making this more frequently as a tend to have frozen ripened bananas always on hand. Ingredients 2 cups all purpose flour (300g) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 2 eggs 1/2 cup sugar (120g) - I prefer organic sugar 1/4 cup cooking oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 mashed ripened bananas (about 1/2 cup) 1 cup (8oz) cooked grated zucchini - about 2 cups (12oz) raw Directions Grate the zucchini and cook in a skillet over medium heat with...
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2024 Garden Notes

Production Garlic - 7/14 2 large bulbs for seed 3oz, 8 small bulbs 4oz Kale - 7/14 12oz, 7/21 8oz Swiss Chard - 7/14 3oz, 7/21 6oz, 9/15 2 lbs, 10/27 2 lbs Snap peas - 7/13 6 edible, 7/14 8 dried, 7/21 1 edible, 30 dried, 9/15 4 edible, 8/20 20 edible Zucchini - 7/17 14oz, 7/21 21oz, 7/28 21oz, 8/4 23oz, 9/8 3.5 lbs, 9/15 4 lbs Carrots - 9/9 2.5 lbs Tomatoes - 9/9 4 lbs, 9/15 5.25 lbs, 10/13 11.5 lbs, 10/20 15 lbs, 10/27 2.5 lbs Red onions - 9/9 12oz Butternut squash - 9/9 4 lbs, 10/13 2.5 lbs Green beans - 9/9 1.5 lbs, 10/20 1.25 lbs Peppers - 10/13 3 oz, 10/20 1.5 oz Aug 24 Kale - 32 oz Swiss Chard - 16 oz Carrots - 19 oz. Most were still really small likely because I planted them too closely. However, I did get a couple full size carrots over one inch in diameter. I will likely try a different variety of carrot next season. Green beans - 15oz. Still getting a ton of Japanese beetles on this plant but it is now producing pretty well.  Mayakoba beans - around 150 pods (7 plants). ...
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