Why another health and personal finance blog? I would love to tell you that this blog is very different from all the others you have read on the internet, but to be perfectly honest I am not a seasoned blog pro so I have no authority to make that claim. My life has been going through some transitions and right now is an excellent time to throw myself at achieving goals that will help me grow and develop. I want to be free of the $26,511.17 of college debt I have hanging around my neck. I am getting married later this year and I would love for my wife and I to spend as little time as possible shackled by debt, so that we can freely pursue our life together. She has debt of her own. I’m sure eventually that’ll work itself into this blog, and this blog will chronicle our journey out of debt. There are many plans and strategies for getting out of debt. Dave Ramsey recommends using the “debt snowball” and pay off the smaller loans first and use that momentum to continue to pay off debts until you’re debt freeeeee. Another strategy is to pay off the loans with the highest interest rate first, so that the long-term total you’re paying is lower. Budgeting and creating a plan is usually something that excites me, but tackling my debt has been so intimidating that sitting down and implementing a strategy is scary! I have been making the basic regular payments toward my loans, but have had no real game plan to get that number as close to zero as possible. By the beginning of February, I am hoping to publicly share the strategy I have for the next several months.
I discovered that I am really motivated by posting my successes but especially my failures on social media when trying to adopt new habits. Recently, I have been using an app called Buffer to help me get out of bed earlier. I had developed a horrible habit of sleeping as long as possible before heading into work. By scheduling a post to go out every morning to Facebook saying that, “I decided to sleep in and since I did I am willing to pay people over PayPal or Bitcoin 3 dollars,” has been plenty of motivation for me to get up and delay the post to the next day. I learned that trick from the Listen, Money Matters podcast. Through that podcast I discovered Tim Ferriss, and his book the Four-Hour Body. I have been longing to treat my body with dignity and respect that it deserves, but figuring out how to start and what to do has always been a huge barrier. Weighing in at 5’10” 228 pounds I am not a picture of fine health. Getting down to a healthy weight of 170 pounds is another goal. I have other shorter term weight goals, which I will be writing about but 170 is the ultimate goal. Regularly exercising is a practice that I have been slowly forming and would like to continue to see develop into a full-blown habit. Eating well, and using the Slow-Carb Diet, to drop down to an appropriate weight is a positive change I am making toward that weight-loss goal. That battle will definitely be logged and shared on Concerning Habits. Listening to podcasts by successful entrepreneurs has motivated me to pour a lot of energy into my finances and health, and I hope that this blog and the accountability of sharing my progress with others will help that willingness to fight to continue.
How to be frugal, sustainable, and healthy is a dream of mine, and is something I see reflected in Tolkien’s hobbits (the inspiration for the title of this blog) Recording my journey with my college debt, general personal finance, and health and sharing it with you is a huge motivation to actually take on these behemoth-like, but conquerable enemies, so sustainable healthy living can actually be something I practice day-to-day. I am honored that you are reading this, and I hope you will stick around a bit. I know that this blog will develop and (hopefully) get better! So, the journey begins.
~ Micah W.
“The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the week with as much hope as the strong. Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world”
Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Concerning Habits 