theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

A year in review: 2019

filed under: my so-called life, recap, review

I cannot believe how fast 2019 came and went.  If I had to sum the year up in a few words, it would be the year of reuniting with family and friends.  I got to go to Germany in the spring to see one of my best friends get married, I reunited with not one, not two, not three, but four old friends, and attended my nephew’s first communion.

I got to hang out with  some “local” (as in, Californian) friends this year, I kept running many miles and also added cycling to my routine. In October, we were able to go back to Germany a second time last fall to surprise my parents for their birthdays. 

I started this year with being furloughed for 5 weeks, but also finally secured a permanent position at my job, and Jon and I went on a few weekend trips this year. Here’s what else happened in 2019. 

JANUARY

In January, I welcomed the new year. I recapped our Christmas and my year of running 2018.  I was furloughed and a bit consumed by it. For Tuesday Topics, I talked about how I fuel for a run and how I deal with stinky running clothes. I shared a list of things I wanted to do in 2019.

FEBRUARY

In February,  I chose my word for the year. I shared our 2018 spending report. I also talked about why I (still) love running and the books I read in January.

MARCH

In March, I celebrated my birthday and got a new bike.  I shared my favorite moments of the previous year. I talked about my sleep and my favorite non-fitness hobbies.  I also spent a weekend in Southern California with my friend Tanja and took my first spinning class. 

APRIL

In April, I shared my favorite cross training activities and my travel carry-on essentials as I was getting ready for my trip to Germany. I shared my Germany bucket list and then traveled to Germany and saw one of my best friends get married and reunited with a few more friends that I hadn’t seen in a while.

MAY

In May, I was able to attend my my nephew’s first communion. I posted a recipe for an amazing tortellini soup and Jon and I went to see NKOTB’s Mixtape Tour. I also talked about how you survive your first cycling class.

JUNE

In June, I talked about what you can do to get over emotional jetlag and shared some more memories from my trip home. We spent a day in Napa with friends and I shared some thoughts on running for Global Running Day. We also tried a new gnocchi recipe.

JULY



In July, we had a big earthquake in Southern California that we felt in Sacramento. Jon completed his first 5k at the Davis Moo-nlight Run. I shared some awkward & awesome things, showed you some new running products that I had tried, and spent the last weekend of the month in SF to run the SF Half Marathon for the 4th time.

AUGUST

In August, I made milk rice a lot, because it’s my favorite summer treat. I talked about the intricacy of friendship and took an overnight trip with Jon to the North Bay. I also posted about my favorite running shoes for Tuesday Topics.

SEPTEMBER


In September, I told you about my 6 favorite skin care products and explained how I pick which book to read next. For Tuesday Topics, I shared my thoughts on taper time and running pet peeves.

OCTOBER

In October, I shared how to pull off a birthday surprise when Jon and I traveled to Germany to surprise my parents for their 70’s birthday party.  I also talked about staying sane at the grocery store,  shared some of my favorite Friends quotes, and why you should read books (and watch movies) in their native language. I posted about what else was currently going on in October.

NOVEMBER

November was NaBloPoMo and I participated for the last decade, so I wasn’t going to break the streak. I told you about my parent’s ‘Oktoberfest-style” birthday bash, shared some of my little everyday luxuries, and answered some of your questions.

For Tuesday Topics, I talked about my warm-up routine and how I budget for races. We spent a weekend in Ventura and I finally showed you some pictures of our duplex. I organized the 4th annual Secret Santa Mug Swap and asked for your addresses again in my Holiday Card Roll Call.

I compiled another fun list of German idioms and told you who I am at the moment and what I am thankful for in 2019. I shared a few recipes for German Chicken Fricassee, Greek Gyro Salad, super-simple, super-delicious apple cake, and light spinach pappardelle alfredo.

DECEMBER

In December, I shared our Thanksgiving weekend with you.  I posted a Christmas Wish List (just for fun!) and talked about the holiday season. I shared how we spent Christmas this year and what else was going on in December.

Share some highlights of 2019 with me in the comments! And thanks for always reading and commenting here. Your support means the world to me.

RECAPS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS:

2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.

My 6 favorite skin care products

filed under: beauty, review

I wish I was more fancy with my skin care routine, but alas, I am not. I am not a beauty blogger. I don’t have “extensive” knowledge about beauty products and, like most of us (I would assume), I have been switching and trying new products ever since puberty. 

I go through phases where I am totally into all things skincare, I research and read up on brands and search for beauty blogs and recommendations from other bloggers. Then, I fall into my old habits and just stick with what I know.

I know some people drop a pretty penny on high-end skincare products, but I don’t have that kind of money, so I sometimes splurge on something really nice, but I also use a lot of drugstore products (and some of them are pretty good, IMHO).

Here are 6 products I actually use:

Micellar Water – I use Garnier All-in-1 Micellar Water* facial cleanser and waterproof makeup remover first in the evenings to get the grime and makeup off my face. It works in a pinch by itself, but I like to follow up with a foaming facial  cleanser.

Facial Cleanser – My go to is the Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser*. I have tried other cleansers  in between, but this one is gentle, it leaves my skin soft and hydrated and doesn’t make me break out.  What else would you want from a cleanser? 

Moisturizer – I use St.Ives Timeless Moisturizer for sensitive skin* at night and the Aveeno Hydrate and Protect SPF 50 Sunscreen* during the day (for the SPF, of course). I love both of them and have been repurchasing them, without going to something different, for at least 2-3 times now. Don’t change what ain’t  broken.

C-Serum –  I’ve been using the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum* for brighter, healthier skin underneath my moisturizer and makeup in the morning. By itself, it can feel a little drying right after application, but I love the citrus scent and it works well underneath my moisturizer.

Exfoliant (once or twice a month) – The Dermalogica Multi-Vitamin Therafoliant* was recommended during my  last facial (which was over a year ago), but I’ve been using this every other week and really like it. It’s a great exfoliant, it makes my skin feel soft and makes it look fresh and clean.

Save for the last two products, these are all drugstore brands. If I am blown away by something fancier, I am willing to invest occasionally, but most of the time when I’ve tried more expensive brands in the past, they didn’t really live up to the hype and I went back to my drugstore products.

As always, I love to hear what you’re using, where to splurge and where to save in the skincare department. Leave your recommendations in the comments, please & thank you.

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

What I read in July

filed under: books, review

I read two books in July, hooray! It’s a miracle. J/K. Just happy to see that I invested some of my precious time in two good books last month.

The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us about Ourselves by Eric R. Kandel (★★★★☆)

Knowing many people with (diagnosed) mental disorders, I found this book fascinating in how it described (in layman terms) what was actually happening in the brain, because it’s hard to grasp what the processes are that lead to anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses.

It’s – not surprising, but nonetheless – fascinating to better understand how tediously everything in our neurological system is organized and intended to work together, and how “easily” this system can be disrupted. It makes you wonder how anything in the body actually works hand-in-hand and well most of the time.

All we ever wanted: A Novel by Emily Giffin (★★★★☆)

Emily Giffin picked an important and timely topics surrounding social media, privilege, and racism. The story centers around a student from a well-off family, who’s being accused of circulating a provocative picture of a female classmate with immigrant background. The story is written from three different perspectives: the male student’s mother, Nina, the female student, Lyla, and her father, Tom.  I thought this book was well written and definitely thought-provoking. The way Giffin chose to end this story left me a little bit disappointed (you’ll understand if you read the book), but it still gave me a lot to think about as the book raises issues of class, wealth, entitlement, and just how far parents will (or should) go to protect their child.

What did you read in July? Anything you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment, and then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch.

Monthly recap | March

filed under: my so-called life, review

READ

Reading is still slow…. still reading the same book (all month. Sigh). I actually had to re-borrow it from (a different) library because I didn’t get through it in 3 weeks.  

COOKED

I’ve cooked modified versions of this tortellini soup. One time, we used ground beef instead of sausage, another time with had spinach tortellini and extra spinach instead of kale. This is such a quick and delicious dinner!

WATCHED

“Happy Feet” (for the first time!)(★★★★☆)

So cute! I really enjoyed this one.

“Christopher Robin” (★★★★★)

This movie was so lovely. I urge you to watch it sometime.

Do you see a pattern? I’ve been watching quite a few children’s movies lately. I just need something uplifting and feel-good at the end of the week. Nothing too sad or dramatic or action-packed.

Oh, and I watched an episode of “Tatort” (translation: “crime scene”), which is a German crime series, at my friend Tanja’s house last weekend and it was so fun because I hadn’t watched an episode of that show in a long, long time.

LISTENED TO

I’ve listened to “Pod Save America“ (the only podcast I will regularly listen to) and also downloaded “SkimmThis”, the podcast that goes with The Skimm emails. News compressed into a roughly 10 minute (week)daily pod. Maybe I can manage that?

BOUGHT

I feel like I bought a  lot of things this month: flights, a bike (well that was technically  a gift, but if you’re married, it comes out of the household budget), hotel  reservations, dresses. Does spending money make you uneasy sometime?

RAN

I ran 55.5 miles this month. I rode my bike a couple of times and then I threw in a cycling class with my friend Tanja last weekend (which was awesome and I might start doing that more often for cross-training).

GOING-ONS

+ As you know, I had a great birthday. In fact, I had a pretty good birthday month!

+ I’ve ridden my bike to the Farmer’s Market and I can’t wait for the weather to be more agreeable to bike riding.

+ As mentioned in my Currently post, I finally booked my flight(s) to Germany and I couldn’t be more excited to finally go home for a visit again.

+ I went shopping for dresses this month (I’ll have a wedding and communion to attend in Germany) and man, I have a hard time finding something that I like. I used to enjoy weekend shopping trips, but for some reason, spending hours upon hours going through clothes’ racks has become less and less appealing to me. Where do you shop for clothes these days?

+ My position was advertised earlier this month. (I am currently on a  term appointment that cannot be converted, but I have to apply to a new “vacancy”). I didn’t expect this to happen before the summer, but I am glad they’re getting the ball rolling early.

+ I got to work on one of my favorite projects at work this week and that, of course, made this whole month awesome.

+ I spent the last weekend in March visiting my friend Tanja in SoCal. It was nice to get away for weekend. We got some (much needed) girl time and we had so much fun! I’ll tell you all about it in a separate post (because yes, it warrants its own post!).

How was your March?

Monthly recap | February

filed under: my so-called life, review

 

READ

This month was slow going. I only finished one book, This might be the place. Woomp. Hoping to pick up my reading pace again in March.

COOKED

I found this Chimichurri beef and rice dish online and loosely followed it but substituted the ground beef with steak. It was delicious, fast and so satisfying. You need to try this. 

WATCHED

Parenthood (★★★★★)

Gasp. I know. You all have probably finished that show a long time ago (twice over), and to my defense, I was totally on track to finish it myself, before I fell off the bandwagon, as things go.

As I mentioned, I don’t watch that much TV (except for news), so it’s hard for me to find the time to keep up with shows, even if I love them, even if I am invested in the characters. But I watched an episode (or two) this month and I am determined to keep going until I finish it, damn it.

Did you hear about the Morgans? (★★★★☆)

I took J’s advice and just “put on a movie” one Saturday night and randomly landed on this 2009 movie with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. Actually quite entertaining and just what I needed. Have you seen it?

Ratatouille (★★★★☆)

I am usually not a huge fan of animated movies, but I’ve come to appreciate some of the ‘adult’ wit and humor in some of them. It’s just nice to put one of these on in the background and get an occasional laugh out of it.

I also watched the Oscars last weekend (did you?). I was a little underwhelmed, some of the big actors/actresses were MIA and since I haven’t seen any of the movies that were nominated, I didn’t have any stakes in the game.

LISTENED TO

I’ve been listening to “Pod Save America“ and also downloaded a few episodes of “This American Life“, which I’ve enjoyed on and off in the past.

BOUGHT

Well, what did I buy this month? Not much. I bought a new screen protector for my phone, because mine cracked (but luckily protected the phone screen, as it was supposed to).

We also finally had to replace the filters in our Berkey water filter (after 3+ years! This is consistent with what they advertise) and they’re not cheap, but I gladly spend that money for years of clean, filtered water!

RAN

I ran 53 miles in February and I’ve seen a bit of an improvement of my paces, which is really cool to see. Sometimes it seems like progress takes forever, but discipline and consistency usually pays off.  I took 204,769 steps, which is an average of 7, 313 per day. That’s better than last month. I’ll take it!

GOING-ONS

+ I finally went back to work on January, 28 because the president caved to Nancy. 

+ I went to a workshop in Denver for a week at the beginning of the month and it was so, so good. We don’t get to do this nearly often enough. Every conference or workshop is a hassle to get approved when you work for the government (just ask me again about wasteful government spending, it’s not happening in our office).

+ We went out to dinner with the couple we saw for Christmas Eve and we had a great time. We hope to meet up soon again.

+ I got our taxes done, woot! And to my relief, we pretty much came out the same way as last year. We’re getting a few hundred dollars back (which actually showed up in my bank account today!), which is nice, but it’s not a big enough refund that would make me ‘rethink’ our withholdings. I think I got them pretty much nailed down.

+ I found out this month that I am probably – oh, only after 14 years of working here – will finally get my permanent position this summer. I feel like I’ve run a marathon at this job (and then some extra miles). Remind me again why I stuck it out? Oh yeah, because I (mostly) like what I do here.

+ I spent a day with my friend Susi in the snow in the Sierra foothills, which was fun!

+ Here in the Central Valley, it’s been a pretty rainy month. It’s good, we need the rain but it’s always like this: we get none or too much at once. Another flood warning was in effect the last couple of days.

How was your February?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the products/websites.

Monthly Recap | January

filed under: my so-called life, review

I am trying a new blog feature this year which was inspired by the monthly recap posts that my blog friend Stephany was sharing last year. I liked the idea of a monthly recap so much that I decided pick up the idea for my blog. I’ve tweaked the format a little bit, but I am excited for these recaps. They’re mostly for me, I guess, but I hope you’ll enjoy them too.

Read

I read four books this month, two fiction, two non-fiction (which I will review in a separate upcoming post, as always). The two novels I read were Every Note Played, which I enjoyed very much, and The Incendiaries, which I didn’t care for too much. The two non-fiction books, Tomorrow Will Be Different and This Is the Way The World Ends are both must-reads in my book!

Cooked

Remember that I said that I would like to try new recipes this year? I can already recommend the two that I tried this month: Fish Florentine and an adapted version of this Tuscan Lentil Stew. Both were very good and will definitely get a spot in my recipe binder!

WATCHED

I watched more TV than usual (also due to the shutdown situation). In a regular week, I usually just watch some news every night and then MAYBE one movie or a show on the weekends. January was definitely an exception. Here’s what I watched (besides the news, which I was also glued to a lot):

Salt Fat Acid Heat (Netflix) (★★★★★) – This is a mini-series and I wish there were more episodes to watch. I was never someone who watched cooking shows, but this was super-intriguing.

Lila Lila (★★★★★) (on Amazon Prime) – This is a German movie and it was nice to watch something in German for a change (I hardly ever do). I don’t know how to describe it but German movies have a different ‘flow’ than American movies. I feel like they’re “slower” and they don’t fill every single second with words or action. 

Sing (Netflix)(★★★★☆) – I had heard about this (animated) movie before. I am not the biggest fan of animated movies, but this was supposedly quite funny: an optimistic koala tries to save his theater with a singing contest featuring a timid elephant, a teenage gorilla, an overworked sow. 

Saving Capitalism (Netflix) (★★★★★) – Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor and Professor,  takes his book and his views to the heart of conservative America to speak about our economic system. I am a sucker for these kinds of documentaries.

3 Türken und ein Baby (Netflix) (★★★★☆) – another German movie. Light, humorous entertainment: the lives of three dissatisfied Turkish brothers running a family bridal shop turn topsy-turvy when one of them finds himself in a situation where he has to care for his ex-girlfriend’s baby.

Along Came Polly (TV re-run) (★★★★☆) – I like Jennifer Anniston and Ben Stiller and this movie is just fun to watch. I catch re-runs of it every now and again.

Listened to

I mentioned before, I am not much of a podcast person, so don’t expect a lot of updates in this category, but I still want to mention it, if I listened to something worth recommending. As previously stated, I am enjoying the podcast “Pod Save America“, where former Obama staffers discuss the political events of the week.

Bought

Because of the shutdown and no money coming in, I really didn’t shop much (other than the necessities) this month, but I did get these awesome running leggings (that I mentioned in my “monthly favorites“) on clearance (+ sale) from Old Navy. I also bought this amazing European-style bread that I mentioned in my “Currently“-post, but I’d totally count that as a necessity rather than a splurge.

Ran

I ran 71 miles in January. That’s on the higher end of my average monthly mileage. I know it was due to me being furloughed and having more time on my hands. If I am frustrated, I run. I took a total of 192,326 steps with an average of 6,204 steps (or about 3 miles) per day. That’s not quite where I want to be, so I’ll have to keep an eye on that number.

Going-ons

+ As many of you know, I was furloughed for five weeks. While I can’t say that I ever get bored and definitely had time for things that I usually don’t find much time for, the not-knowing when I’d go back to work (and into paid status) was chipping away at me mentally.  January felt forever long.

+ I got my annual checkup right before Christmas and the results from my blood work were all normal, hooray!

+ I kinda fell off the bullet journal bandwagon last year and only used it on and off during the second half of the year. I wanted it to be an organizational tool as much as I wanted it to be a creative outlet, but I just didn’t put the effort in. But I read over and over again that it can take a while until you find your groove with a bullet journal and I am not ready to give up on it quite yet. For 2019, I am planning to change my approach a little bit to make it work better for me.

+ I gave my hair an at-home dye job and it turned out quite well, if I dare say so myself. I just can’t justify spending $150 at a salon all the time.

+ I received my Mom’s Christmas package in the middle of January and while it was about 4 weeks late, I was so happy that it arrived at all, packaging intact and no contents missing. 

+ We had two visitor’s in January (which must be some sort of record, because we hardly ever have visitors, let alone two in one month!). At the beginning of the month,  J’s friend came to visit from Portland for the weekend,  and then, J’s Mom came up over MLK’s holiday weekend. 

+ I found some unexpected extra time to work on my knitting this month. It’s been slow going (even though I usually get more knitting done during the winter month than the rest of the year), but I am making progress with my triangle shawl.

+ Before the shutdown, I found out that I’d be switching supervisors at work. I was very happy with my previous supervisor (I have known and worked with her for all the time that I have been with the USGS) and I wasn’t very happy that I’d be forced to switch, but I had my first meeting with my new supervisor this week when were finally asked to come back work and I am optimistic that things will work out with him.

+ Two days after we went back to work, we already received partial backpay for the time we were furloughed. That was a huge relief (especially since we don’t know what’s going to happen in two weeks, when the next budget deadline hits).

+ We had some rain but we also had some beautiful, sunny winter days here in Northern California. When the skies are clear, I can see the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada on my runs! 

How was your January?

Year in review: 2018

filed under: reminiscence, review

Another year is in the books. It’s hard to sum up a year, but as always, I’ll try. Like last year, I created this little infographic.

2018 was a mixed bag. Some things didn’t go as planned, some things were frustrating as hell (especially politics), but we also had some wins this year. 

I got to see two good friends get married, I got to turn a URL friend to IRL friend, J and I celebrated 12 years of marriage, and I ran my fastest half marathon yet.

We sold our house but found a great new place to live, and while this year ended with me being furloughed (again), we also ended this year on a good note!

JANUARY



In January, I chose a new word for the year. I shared my top 10 favorite books of 2017. I talked about the things I wanted to do in 2018 (spoiler alert: not all of them happened). I shared our 2017 spending report and ranted about the 1st (of multiple) government shutdown scenarios.

FEBRUARY

In February,  I talked about why I started a bullet journal for 2018. I shared the recipe for cherry crumble cake (one of my favorites) and the 6 things I love most about running. February was also a time I reminisced about the visit at Horseshoe Bend, AZ with my cousin and his girlfriend.

MARCH



In March, I celebrated another birthday.  I shared my thoughts on treadmill running. I wrote about my bullet journal essentials (contrary to popular belief, you really don’t have to invest in all the things!) and let you in on my favorite marble cake recipe. I also reviewed the Milestone Pod and shared the sad news that some unforeseen circumstances kept me from a trip back home to see my family.

APRIL



In April, I shared 12 tips to reduce trash. I recapped the visit at Lower Antelope Canyon with my cousin and his girlfriend.  I also told you why I am still using YNAB, the budgeting software I’ve been raving about for the last 4 years.  I also ran my first half marathon of the year and earned my first PR.

MAY



I started the month of May with a work field trip to Sonoma County.  I shared our first quarter spending report and went to my first ever Women’s Wellness retreat with my friend Susi. I also shared some information about getting your blog GDPR-compliant.

JUNE

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER



In September, I shared some random thoughts, one of which was about my 17th California-versary. I blogged about what is currently going on with me and more random thoughts.

OCTOBER

In October, I shared some thoughts on my fieldwork. I bought some things at Trader Joe’s. The Red Sox won the World Series and I shared what was currently going on in my life.

NOVEMBER

Untitled

November was NaBloPoMo and I participated for the last decade, so I wasn’t going to break the streak now. I shared 5 things you might not know about me. I posted a recipe delicious sweet potato gnocchi and told you why it’s so important to vote. I set a new PR in the half marathon at the Urban Cow.

I shared my nighttime routine and things to never do before I die. I blogged about the devastating California fires and stupid healthcare woes. I baked some very tasty zucchini-cheddar-scones and made a veggie-stuffed frittata.

My blog got hacked and I recapped the TMAC20 fitness challenge. I shared more German idioms and gave you a little life update.

DECEMBER



In December, I shared my Christmas Wish List, which is always fun to put together. I blogged about some race bling from last year and who I am at the moment.

Share some highlights of 2018 with me in the comments! And thanks for always reading and commenting here. Your support means the world to me.

RECAPS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS:

2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

20: Recap | The TMACFitness 20-day challenge

filed under: fitness, NaBloPoMo, review


Remember that I wanted to tell you about the fitness challenge I participated in a couple of months ago? When Susi asked me, if I would consider doing a 20-day fitness challenge with her in September, I wanted to jump on it. However, September was shaping up to be a busy month for me, so I didn’t know if it was going to be a good idea to add a fitness challenge on top of it.

But, I thought, nothing ventured, nothing gained, am I right? So, naturally, I was in.

I mean, how hard could it be? Guidance and a community of encouragement were built in and I had my accountability buddy in Susi.

The fitness challenge encompassed four parts:

STEP 1: Move

  • Move every day. Do what you love: Gym, yoga, tennis, 20 minutes workouts by TMACFitness.
  • Get in 10k steps a day

STEP 2: Eat Real Food

  • If you can plant it, pick it, or catch then it’s probably good for you.

STEP 3: Mindright

  • There was a daily #MINDRIGHT Challenge.

STEP 4: Food Prep

  • Twice a week throw some veggies in the oven. (Instructions in EAT CLEAN PDF) This will give you plenty of food for snacks when you get cravings.

This challenge was for beginners and seasoned athletes alike. We had unlimited access to 60+ Beginner and Advanced workout options with a daily workout calendar to tell which workouts to do on which days. The workouts were all bodyweight exercises – no equipment needed – and each workout ended with a brief meditation.

Everyone can find 20 minutes in their day, right?

There were also a lot of information to help with meal planning and grocery shopping (if that is something you need help with) and guidance to develop a positive mindset. I loved that this challenge didn’t just focus on the workout part, but that it emphasized how exercise, nutrition, and a positive mindset are directly interconnected.

At a minimum, I tried to get the 10k steps in every single day. I ran 3 days per week and on my non-running days, I did one of the 20-minute workouts.

On days when I didn’t run, hitting 10k steps was hard. You have to be intentional with your time. There were a few days where I ended up walking laps in the backyard to finish the 10k. 

For the #mindright challenges, we were supposed to meditate (for a few minutes after working out), connect with family and friends, make our beds (to start the day right) and write notes to people that are important to us (I am a big proponent of personal notes).

I did not follow the food plan 100% (I still ate dairy and grains) and I did not food prep. I am not much of a snacker and when I did get a craving, I stuck to a handful of almonds or fruit. I focused on eating lots of veggies, protein, and stick to real, unprocessed foods, but I didn’t really cut anything from my diet.

Even if you don’t stick to the challenge 100% – even though I’d encourage you to do so –  there is definitely a lot you can get out of it. I realized for example that even on a busy day, when you set aside these 20-minute blocks for yourself and your self-care, it actually feels like you have MORE time in your day, not less. It’s like these focused 20 minutes slow time down somehow. I also realized that I just really do well with a routine. I am much better at sticking with something if I regularly set time aside to do it.

There will be another 20-day challenge starting Monday (November, 26) and I think – after a few weeks of a schedule gone awry – I am ready to commit to a routine again. The challenge is free to join and you get an incredible community of support. Anyone in?

Review | Why I am (still) using YNAB.

filed under: finances, review

© ynab.com

As I mentioned in my Spending Report post earlier this year, I wanted to give you an updated review of the budgeting software I’ve been using for the last 3 years. I reviewed You Need A Budget (referred to shortly as YNAB*) once before, but that was before they migrated their software to an online subscription service a couple of years ago.

To be honest, at first, I wasn’t thrilled to be forced to go from a one-time desktop purchase to a subscription-based service (although that seems to be the direction many software are going these days), but I quickly made my peace with it because a) I just really like the software and b) the annual fee is totally acceptable and worth it to me. (To be completely transparent, I have to disclose that since I was a previous YNAB user, my subscription was grandfathered in after the migration and my annual subscription fee is lower than what they advertise on their website now. I still think it is worth the cost.)

The basic budgeting approach hasn’t changed. What sets YNAB apart from other money tracking software is that with YNAB you’re not just tracking your spending (in retrospect), but you’re looking ahead and assigning dollars for future expenses. Think of it as your income divvied up into little pots that hold the money for each of your monthly expenses, emergency fund, and long-term goals, and you always know exactly how much is in each pot.

Initially, I found it helpful to divide our spending into three categories:

  • fixed expenses (e.g. rent, Internet, subscriptions, etc.) that are the same amount every month,
  • fixed expenses with actual numbers that might slightly vary (e.g. gas, electric, groceries, etc.),
  • irregular recurring expenses (e.g. car insurance) that only have to be paid once or twice a year, but you still need to budget.

Once you have a ballpark number for those expenses and know how much you have left over to put into an emergency fund, savings, and discretionary spending, you can start building a budget.

YNAB’s budgeting approach still works with four simple rules. They have been rephrased since the early days, but the idea is basically the same.

Rule One:  Give Every Dollar A Job

The secret is to be intentional about what you want your money to do before you spend it.  Look only at the money you have on hand and ask yourself, “What should this money do before I’m paid again?” You either budget it towards your expenses or decide to put it into savings, but nothing is left “unbudgeted”. If you have all your fixed expenses budgeted, the leftover money can help to “cushion” your expense categories to ‘have a little extra’ just in case, go into your emergency fund, or towards “fun money”, but regardless of where it goes, you have to assign it a ‘job’.

What I do:

At the beginning of each month, I put money for all fixed expense (mortgage/rent, utilities, other bills) in the appropriate category. I also always budget a certain amount towards groceries, fun money, gifts, etc., even though I know that those are numbers that will fluctuate every month (but at least, I have a ballpark number in my budget. This is where rule three comes in!).

Rule Two: Embrace Your True Expenses

(used to be “Save for a rainy day”)

This second rule helps you budget in advance for less-frequent, but recurring expenses (like the car registration, quarterly insurance premiums, Christmas, etc.) and also helps to stash away some funds for expected, but less predictable expenses (like car repairs, vet bills, etc.) By putting a little bit of money in these categories every month, you embrace your true expenses by setting money aside for them in advance. You’ll have peace of mind that you’ll have the money in your account when the bill comes due. No “shit-I-forgot-about-this-bill”-surprises anymore!

What I do:

I divvy up irregular, reoccurring bills (like insurance payments, annual subscriptions, etc.) into “monthly payments” and budget that amount in the appropriate category every month. That way I make sure that I have the money sitting in my account when the bills come due. I also budget a small monthly amount in categories that could trigger an unexpected expense (e.g. car maintenance, home repairs.)

Rule Three: Roll With The Punches

A budget is not rigid. It not only will, but needs to be adjusted every month. The goal of budgeting is not to be able to anticipate your spending down to the penny and stick to the same budget amounts every month. It’s simply not feasible. Life is not predictable like that and every month will be a little bit different.

The goal is to ‘roll with the punches’ and adjust and tweak your budget every month accordingly. Overspent in one category? Make adjustments (e.g. take away some dollars from another category to cover the extra-costs). If you can’t or choose not to, the software will automatically deduct the overspent amount from next month’s money and you’ll just have to tighten your budget next month. On the flipside: if you don’t use the budgeted amount in a category, it will roll over to next month, too and you’ll have a little extra money as a buffer. Not every month will be the same, but you can strive to balance out between the months. It all comes down to try really hard to just spend what you have!

What I do:

I absolutely embrace this rule.  

I think this rule is one of the most important rules to keep in mind because people forget (or falsely believe) that if they set a budget, they must live by it ‘down to the dollar’ and that is not just exhausting to think about, but also highly unrealistic. No wonder people have bad connotations of the word ‘budget’.

If we have leftover money in the grocery category, for example, but ate out more than usual, I ‘transfer’ money from the grocery category to the ‘dining out’ category for that month to the cover the shift in expenses. I also sometimes simply roll over leftover grocery money to the next month because I know that during a month where I do a Costo-run, my grocery budget will automatically inflate a little bit.

Rule Four: Age Your Money

(used to be “Live on last month’s income”)

You want to increase the time between the moment you earn a dollar and the moment you need to spend it. The longer each dollar sits in your bank account, the ‘older’ it will be. The concept follows a ‘ first in, first out approach’, so the dollar you made in the previous month will be spent before the last dollar that you made.

This last rule is really geared towards people who currently live paycheck to paycheck and struggle every single month to pay their bills because they’ll be covering those bills with money that don’t yet have in their possession. The goal here is to save up enough money (roughly the equivalent to what your regular monthly income is) and then live off that money the following month. This is not technically ‘saving’, it just means you’re creating a buffer in your bank account, so you’ll always be “one month ahead”. So, to get to the ‘last month’s income” point, your money needs to be at least a month (30 days) old. Of course, the more you age your money, the more financially secure you will feel.

What I do:

We’re luckily in the position now that we already budget for the current month with last month’s income. So, even though I don’t have any debt to pay off and savings that I can dip into if need be, this way of thinking about your budget and how to manage your money makes a lot of sense to me. I treat every month as if I only had last month’s income available. I know that fixed amount (I get paid bi-weekly, so it’s usually two paychecks) and can budget with that amount for the month.

The interface

This is what the (new and improved) interface of the software looks like (obviously, this is just a test screenshot, not my budget).

It’s completely customizable. You can create new categories, organize them in different ways (by pay cycle, importance, alphabetically…) and delete categories you don’t need. In the left column, you add your accounts (I listed all my bank accounts, credit card accounts, store card accounts, Paypal, and yes, a cash account).  

The software pulls in online account information automatically, only cash expenses have to be filled in manually. You can split transactions into multiple categories (which I routinely do after, let’s say, a Target run, where I bought groceries, personal care items, and household goods) which makes tracking your expenses by category really easy.

So, at the beginning of each month, you budget all your recently earned money (which will show in the green box at the top) into the different categories in the “budgeted” column, the software keeps track of your spending in the “activity” column and the  “available”  column tells you how much money is then available for each category. Ideally, the green box shows “zero”, when you have budgeted all your money. 

Once it’s all set up, working with your budget is really not all that time-consuming. I sit down once a week after my weekly grocery run and check in with my budget. That usually doesn’t take more than 30 minutes (often less). When I spend cash, I immediately put the cash expense into the app, so there is no discrepancy when I review my budget online. And then, I reconcile my account at the end of each month to make sure I didn’t miss anything and all numbers add up. I find this interactive part highly valuable in the budgeting process because you’re forced to log and look at every individual expense.

Why I have stuck with this budgeting software.

1. The software has an easy to use, eye-pleasing interface and to me, it feels pretty intuitive. I love that you can customize every part of it to your needs (you can add categories and omit the ones that don’t apply to you.)

2. I love that the software goes hand in hand with a very handy app that makes tracking “on the go” really easy and then automatically syncs with the web version.

3. YNAB has been an invaluable tool to keep on top of all our irregular, recurring expenses throughout the year. I know where our money goes at any given moment. I have gained a better understanding of our spending habits and priorities. 

4. One of the most important parts of this budgeting approach for me is that I don’t pay much attention to my bank account balance anymore but instead look at the ‘available column’ in the software. My bank account shows me all the money I have, but because this money is set aside to cover various upcoming expenses, the ‘available column’ has much more meaning. You put in your spending as you go and the software does the math for you and always tells you how much more money is available for each category for the rest of the month. By just looking at how much is available in each spending category I make sure that I know how much I can spend while meeting all my other financial obligations.

Conveniently, you can check this in the app while you’re out and about and before making any purchases. Talk about holding yourself accountable!

5. Since it’s now a web-based service, I can access it from anywhere. I initially thought that wouldn’t be something that wasn’t important to me, but I realized: it is. It’s convenient to be able to check in with your budget wherever you are.

For me, YNAB just works. 

Phew. This post got longer than I thought. Can you tell, I have a lot to say about YNAB. Let me know if you have questions for me. I’d be happy to help.

In case you want even more information, YNAB creates insightful reports that will give you pie charts, spreadsheets and more in response to all your pressing questions about your budget. Our ‘spending report‘ post from earlier this year was created with the help of YNAB’s budget reports.

YNAB also has a very informative blog and offers online classes if you need help to get started or if you’re having trouble with a particular issue. Their help team is also very responsive, in my experience.

* This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by YNAB or anyone for this review. The opinion is solely my own. However, the post does contain affiliate links. If you feel like this software could be for you, download the fully functioning trial version and give it a shot! If you like it, you can use this link to activate the software and we’ll both get a month free!

Review | My first impression of the Milestone Pod

filed under: fitness, gadgets, linkup, review, running

I’ve mentioned it before: I am a numbers nerd. If you can measure it, I want it measured. I guess this is why I’ve been using a Fitbit and Garmin simultaneously (and then try to make sense of the measured differences, ha!). I know the concept of step counting and calorie counting is theoretically bullshit and never ever an exact science, but it doesn’t have to be 100% accurate for me. I just enjoy having a general idea of what I am doing on the daily and it helps me to hold myself accountable. It really is just for me to have fun with, nothing to obsess over… just give me #allthedata!

To add to my arsenal of gadgets, you might remember that I mentioned that my friend Susi gave me a MilestonePod* for Christmas (after she saw that it was on my wishlist. She’s a smart one, this one!). Hooray, another gadget to ‘measure things’. My nerdy little heart couldn’t be happier.

The MilestonePod is a small tracking device that you clip on your running shoe, which then in turn measures a bunch of extra running statistics. Insights that you obviously can’t all get from a GPS watch (except for these**). It includes:

  • Workout time**
  • Distance**
  • Calories burned**
  • Step count**
  • Pace**: Pace is your average minutes per mile (or kilometer) for the duration of your workout.
  • Location of foot strike: Foot strike is where your foot first makes contact with the ground. The App will display your average percentages between heel, mid-foot and toe.
  • Cadence: Cadence is the average number of times your foot hits the ground in one minute. The generally accepted “golden” standard is 180 steps per minute (spm).
  • Ground contact time: Ground contact, also known as stance time, is measured in milliseconds (ms). It is the average amount of time your foot spends on the ground. Ground contact differs dramatically between running and walking. As your speed increases, the amount of time your foot is on the ground decreases.
  • Rate of impact: Every time you land, your foot impacts the ground with a certain amount of force, which is counteracted by an equal and opposite force applied by the ground to your foot. Rate of impact is the amount of time your body has to deal with that ground force. A higher rate equals shorter time (independent of ground contact time). A lower rate equals more time.
  • Stride length: Stride length is the average length of one full stride. A stride is the distance between your left and right foot touching the ground.
  • Leg swing: Leg swing is how high you get your foot off the ground and towards your butt following push-off. Higher is better. A higher leg swing means you are keeping your body movement closer to your center of gravity.
  • Runficiency Score™: Runficiency Score™ incorporates your cadence, ground contact time, leg swing and stride length into a proprietary measure. We look at your data inputs and compare each measurement to an ideal target value. We then combine the scores into an algorithm to produce a Runficiency Score™. The best possible Runficiency Score™ is 100. It’s fun to see how high you can get! The global average Runficiency Score™ is currently 73.

Source

The MilestonePod syncs up with the MilestonePod app on your phone to display the collected data. You have to download  the app, register and then add your pod (turn on Bluetooth, if it’s not already turned on!).  

When you first set up your MilestonePod, you can go to ‘Settings’ and enter which running shoes you’re using. You’ll not only see your shoe stats (weight, heel drop, typical usage, etc.), but more importantly the pod will act as an odometer and track the mileage on your shoes.

You can use the pod right out of the box, no calibration needed. You clip it to your shoe and are ready to go. To sync after your run, you just hit the ‘tap to sync’ button on the upper left corner of the dashboard display. The distance recorded seems reasonable even when uncalibrated. However, you can improve accuracy by adjusting the distance/time traveled after your run, if you happen to know more accurate measures (e.g. from your watch and from a track or specific route that you know the mileage of). This will calibrate the Milestone Pod and save your calculated stride details.

I’ve used the pod for my long runs on the weekends a couple of times now and it makes me so giddy with excitement.

This is the dashboard view for one of my runs. As you see, it displays the usual metrics: pace, distance, time, and cadence.When you tap on the main display, it will display all the other collected metrics of your run.

Susi inquired right after I posted about it and wanted to know how I like it. I sent her these screenshots:

I had NO idea that I – apparently – heel strike. No IDEA. I thought I might at least partially mid-strike, but nope, 100% heel strike. That being said, my rate of impact is very low, as you can see. So even though heel striking is not considered ideal, I guess I would be more worried if I had a higher rate of impact.

I am pretty happy with my cadence (ideal is 180spm), but apparently my feet still spend too much time on the ground. I also wasn’t aware that I apparently don’t lift my legs off the ground enough (something that is considered more efficient, although it sounds like so much more work, doesn’t it?!). I guess that is something that could be worked on.

The app has some straightforward charts showing how stride-length, ground contact time, cadence and runficiency all vary with pace. The Runficiency Score™ is a little arbitrary, because it’s not really explained well how exactly they come up with the number, but all your mind needs to know is that a higher number is better, so the goal is to work on improving the Runficiency Score™.

Susi looked at the stats and replied: Interesting. But why do I need to know this for every run? Doesn’t this all stay pretty much the same?

So here’s the intriguing part for me and my answer to her question: not necessarily. I think the stats, or some stats at least, can change over time, depending on your level of fitness and your efforts on good running form. There is an option through the app where you can request tips on improving certain running metrics. The collected information might even help you find the right shoe, because apparently we run a little different in different shoes (duh!) and I am intrigued to try the pod on a different shoe to see if the statistics change/improve.

A few other tidbits:

  • The pod has a built-in battery that doesn’t require recharging (although I kinda wish it could be recharged).
  • The pod automatically tracks your runs without you needing to press any buttons (once you have a cadence of 100+ steps/minute for six straight minutes, it recognizes that you’re running. It goes back and captures those first six minutes, and will continue tracking until your cadence falls below 100 steps/minute for six straight minutes). I would prefer to start it manually by tapping it or via the app to really just “record” my main run, no warm-up or cool-down, but that’s ok… I get those metrics that are important for pace from my watch.
  • The app can handle multiple pods, each belonging to a shoe pair until the pair are ‘retired’. You can then ‘reset’ the pod for a new shoe, run history will be preserved in the app.
  • It can now be used as a real-time foot pod that communicates in real-time with some BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) devices which include: Polar V800, M400 and M430; Suunto Ambit3 and SPARTAN; Garmin Fenix 5 and 935 series. Since it doesn’t work with my particular Garmin model, I haven’t explored this more, but it might be interesting for you, if you own one of these devices. It’s also compatible with some apps.

Final thoughts: Sure, the MilestonePod has some (IMHO minor) flaws, but I’d say this can be expected from a device at this price point ($29.95). I am not an elite runner and don’t need 100% accurate feedback and therefore I can say that so far, I am really happy with all the extra information that the MilestonePod can provide. I am currently just using it outdoors on my long runs.

I understand that this little gadget might not be for everyone. Many runners probably aren’t interested to learn more about their running form or are not looking to improve their gait, but I find this super-interesting. I love that the app provides a full list of metrics and graphs that I can just peruse and geek out over. And more importantly,  that I receive feedback on my running form that I would otherwise only get through a professional gait analysis. I am not saying that this device replaces such an analysis (and I would love to get one done sometime), but for now, it gives me some tips and ideas what to consciously work on while I’m running.

I am linking up with with Erika, Patty and Marcia  for Tuesdays on the Run.

*Note: This is not a sponsored post, and I, ahm, I mean, Susi paid full price for the MilestonePod. I am not affiliated with the company, nor have they endorsed, sponsored or paid for my review. I am just sharing my personal thoughts on the product.  All opinions are my own.

…