Moto
Since 03 Sep 2006
2698 Posts
Still a gojo pimp!
Moto Mouth
Mon Oct 19, 09 10:04 pm
pdxmonkeyboy wrote:
Bottom line wheather you like it or not is that money provides opportunity and opportunity opens the doorof experience and growth. While living the salt of the earth has it's merits so does helli boarding in Alaska, kiting all over the place and sleeping on combed egyption cotton sheets.
My life has revolved around balancing my career with my passions in life. its a real tough game to play. The bottom line is - to each their own. For some people - its worth working all day long and working the weekends so that they can take expensive trips. For others, it is more fulfilling to just take it easy and ride older gear and have an older car - but have more time to enjoy your life.
This past winter I went down south and hung out with the SOKA crew for a weekend - had a great time kicking it with Solflyer. We have chosen different paths in life - but in my opinion - we are more similar than we are different. Both looking for the same things out of life. I admire the lifestyle that he has created.
I do my best to just live my life - and I have chosen to live a more simple life than some of my coworking counter parts. For example - i was driving a 95 geo prizm for the longest time (it was my car from college and ran great - up until about two months ago when the transmission decided to take a huge dump on me in the middle of the freeway ) - But talk about a reverse status symbol - but I didn't care - I got to spend more money on the things I enjoy, kiting, snowboarding, mountain biking, and salsa dancing.
I find ways to live life simply - but still enjoy it to the fullest. A lot of money can be saved with food - eating healthy doesn't have to cost a lot. A couple of investments in some kitchen instruments can go a long way - a rice cooker is super convenient, crock pot, and a george forman grill. With those things I can prepare meals quickly, healthy and inexpensively. Its a no brainer for me - to save money preparing food - so that I can spend some more dough on kiting.
another thing that I have made a conscious decision to avoid are status symbols. Seriously, think about all the money people spend in trying to prove to other people that they are succesful. Cars, houses, trophy wives, expensive clothes, etc. - don't get me wrong - I'd like all that stuff to - but i got to ask myself - is it worth it? is it worth putting in all those extra hours so that I can have other people view me as succsful? Time and time again - the answer is no. Don't really care if people view me as succesful - i would rather just kite or snowboard or be on my mountain bike. and the friends that I have - don't give two sh*ts about my material posessions - if they did care about what I drove or the house i lived in - then they wouldn't be my friends.
I'm rambling - but this is an important topic and many, many times I am surrounded by people who do not share my views on life - they would rather spend their very valuable time chaising dollars. Which is why I am happy to have met so many cook kats out there like Matty who value life more than dollars. _________________ Still rockin gojos, *ssless chaps, and ankle weights!
colby
Since 23 Apr 2005
613 Posts
Celebrity
Photographer
Tue Oct 20, 09 1:42 am
wow, incredible posts!! please don't hold back!
yes, should draw a distinction between being single or not - compromise being the operative word, and don't want to get hung up on a dollar figure but whatever stretches your thinking in terms of what's possible.
BTW, the surfwise movie bettyboarder is talking about is a stretcher for sure…roller coaster of emotions.
It's easy to fall in line with what you've been told all your life and then hear yourself telling it to others, but once in awhile, probably out of necessity, your reference points are turned upside down and you start asking questions about how you've been living - whether you've been on autopilot this whole time, and maybe it's worth changing some things. It's about consciousness and degrees, and how far someone will take it will be 'extreme' to another as it's uncomfortable or unpractical or something un-like, but living by what you think other people think is a bit of a downer too, or so I've heard!
OK, enough opinionating and carelessly mashing sentences into themselves - sorry Spike! _________________ www.WestRoots.com
pdxmonkeyboy
Since 16 May 2006
6081 Posts
forever labled as the
retired kiter & motorhead Unicorn Master
Tue Oct 20, 09 7:14 am
A good thread indeed. Reading these posts reminds me of the poem by Mary Schmich that was made famous when Kurt Vonnegut read it at an MIT commence speech.
r... Hit Costco once a month and buy your groceries in The Dalles.
If you're shopping at Costco-- you've got money to burn--
Too bad there's no Winco in HR. There's enough migrant farm workers to make it work...
Oh yeah...check out this rip-off that just hit the small screen for home depot...
Link Last edited by Kraemer on Tue Oct 20, 09 8:50 am; edited 1 time in total
Kodiak
Since 01 Aug 2005
1114 Posts
Slidey
Tue Oct 20, 09 8:19 am
That is an awesome link. I think I will have to listen to it every few days and maybe some of that advice will sink in.
Blue
Since 03 Jul 2007
469 Posts
I used to be
Obsessed
Tue Oct 20, 09 8:25 am
"Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth." nwkite motto?
If you're shopping at Costco-- you've got money to burn--
Kraemer, that's incorrect.
Baby formula is $0.82 per ounce at Costco. That's 15 cents cheaper than the next lowest, Target. I buy 170 ounces of formula a month. That's $25.50 per month I'm saving by shopping at Costco.
You have to run a pretty strict budget to realize the savings though.
Grocery Outlet in The Dalles is awesome as well.
Kraemer
Since 24 Apr 2006
1736 Posts
Sky Pilot
Unicorn Captain
Tue Oct 20, 09 10:01 am
If you can get out of there with only what you went there for in the first place--that's awesome.
On average people spend more at Costco than they would normally. If you’re strong willed and can shop with blinders on, and are smart to purchase things that will keep, then YES. Or if you have 10 kids, YES. But for the average person or family, Costco will only burn it up. You'll eat more; since you have more--and the next time you go; be careful you don't bring home that new LED tv. It's a love/hate relationship with me.
pdxmonkeyboy
Since 16 May 2006
6081 Posts
forever labled as the
retired kiter & motorhead Unicorn Master
Tue Oct 20, 09 10:13 am
Kraemer wrote:
Oh yeah...check out this rip-off that just hit the small screen for home depot...
just a word to the wise..Home depot has the worst friggin paint in the world. That shit is like water color. Spend the extra money and buy quality paint, it will go on easier, look better and last longer.
forrest
Since 21 Jun 2005
4330 Posts
Hood River
Hick
I'm the kind of person that does per ounce math on baby formula so yea, I'm strong willed enough, but sometimes I do bring home one of those giant briskets or racks of spare ribs.
I grew up retard-idly poor. Now that I have a decent salary, I can't seem to feel good about spending it in any way other than the most conservative way I can.
When you're checking out at Costco and the bill is $550 it can be surprising, but only if you didn't' do your planning/math ahead of time and expect it. You definitely have to look at a several month cycle and be very strategic.
Kraemer wrote:
If you can get out of there with only what you went there for in the first place--that's awesome.
On average people spend more at Costco than they would normally. If you’re strong willed and can shop with blinders on, and are smart to purchase things that will keep, then YES. Or if you have 10 kids, YES. But for the average person or family, Costco will only burn it up. You'll eat more; since you have more--and the next time you go; be careful you don't bring home that new LED tv. It's a love/hate relationship with me.
Sella
Since 21 Apr 2007
1794 Posts
Doin' The Dalles
FLY'IN HIGH PIE GUY
Tue Oct 20, 09 12:00 pm
3 good quotes from the video....
The race is long……and in the end it’s only with yourself.
Whatever you do don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance…so are everybody else’s.
Life is a lot like kiting. A journey of constant evolution, change and balance and you manage this alone. Yes, you may have a family but your decisions will be based on what brings you happiness. Your friends, your job, your hobbies...all based on your happiness level. If making money so you can send your kids to the best private school makes you happy. Perfect. Driving a Geo metro until the wheels fall off so you can kite more. Perfect. Saving money at Costco so you can snowkite Idaho this winter. Perfect.
Don't worry about it too much because change will happen and money is not the root of all evil. Money is a reality of our world and I've realized living with less keeps my life simple. Simple makes me happy. For others, maybe not. The cool thing about living in the United States is you have control and you can pretty much do whatever the 'eff you want. That is such an advantage we take for granted so leverage it by asking yourself; do you really know what makes you happy and are your current life actions getting you closer to achieving that?
Sounds to me like Colby gets it because he made a decision to make a radical lifestyle change to pursue happiness. Legit.
Oh yeah.......and don't forget to wear your sunscreen bee-otches!!
pacifichigh
Since 11 May 2005
1004 Posts
ATX
Texan
Tue Oct 20, 09 2:42 pm
Coolest thread on nwkite in a while.
typhoon
Since 02 Sep 2009
26 Posts
Portland
Â
Tue Oct 20, 09 2:51 pm
Try to figure out what makes you happy early in life and spend the rest of your life doing it. I know, easier said than done but my hat's off to those like blowhard who figure it out and drop everything to move in that direction.
Scribble
Since 18 Nov 2005
636 Posts
NoPo
Addicted
Tue Oct 20, 09 3:37 pm
I knocked up my wife and convinced her that I should be Mr. Mom.
I HATED my job and although I gave up the opportunity of possibly inheriting a very profitable landscaping business one day, quitting that big ball of stress was the best thing I've ever done. Time is way more valuable than money IMO. Now I love my boss. Even though he does scream just about as much as my old boss. In fact sometimes I think they are about the same in their maturity.
Of course I don't get to kite nearly as much as I had envisioned. So if there are any other Mr. Kite Moms out there we should hook up next summer and get some mid week sessions in.
Andy
tstansbury
Since 06 Jun 2006
649 Posts
Rowena and P.C
Addicted
Tue Oct 20, 09 3:44 pm
moto if you would like a nice car and a trophy wife but don't want to pay for them just rent them once a year.
genek
Since 21 Jul 2006
2165 Posts
East Po
KGB
Tue Oct 20, 09 4:23 pm
tstansbury wrote:
moto if you would like a nice car and a trophy wife but don't want to pay for them just rent them once a year.
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) - But talk about a reverse status symbol - but I didn't care - I got to spend more money on the things I enjoy, kiting, snowboarding, mountain biking, and salsa dancing.
nwkite motto?