Abraham Lake + Crescent Falls - Winter vs. Summer

Several months ago now we made it out to see something I’ve been excited about for a few years, and it was everything I hoped for!

On a random Saturday morning we left home bright and early with the desire to make the most of our day in the mountains since it’s over 3 hours each way. Ryan and I had been to Abraham Lake about 3 times before and it’s been beautiful each time, but what I was after this time was the frozen bubbles.

If you’ve never heard of frozen bubbles before I wouldn’t be surprised. I've never heard of this anywhere else and every picture I’ve seen is at Abraham Lake. This strange and beautiful sight is caused by dead organic matter (leaves and animals) falling into the water and sinking to the bottom where bacteria can eat it and create methane gas.

If you are interested in finding it for yourself, there are only a few spots on the lake where the bubbles appear and you’ll probably know where that is because of how many other cars and people are there. If you plan to arrive before the crowds you’ll want to look for “Windy Point” which has no signs but does come up on Maps and is, unsurprisingly, extremely windy. I guess this information isn't terribly helpful at the moment, but there is always next winter!

As previously stated, it was pretty obvious once we arrived that this was the place. Plenty of people were around, all with heads down and cameras out, just as pleased as we were to have finally found the spot. The ice is some of the clearest I’ve seen and gives the illusion of walking on water, except when you step on a patch of bubbles.

During the same trip we visited Crescent Falls. I've been many times before but never in winter and I was curious about whether the fall would be frozen; it was.

In stark contrast, we've just been to visit again and it's a whole different world. Abraham Lake is Alberta's largest man-made lake, created by the building of the Bighorn dam in the 1970's. Because of the dam the lake depth fluctuates quite significantly between seasons and this year is was the lowest I've personally seen. We only spent a short time there during our trip but we were able to drive out to a point that is usually under water and therefore get a slightly new perspective.

Again, we made Crescent Falls part of the same trip due to its close proximity. I managed to convince everyone to hike to the bottom of the fall with me this time since no one would in the winter and it was much more fun. If you've ever considered going down but didn't like the look of the trail, just remember that I got a 6 year old down and up again without incident.

I took the aforementioned 6 year old as close as you can go to the base of the waterfall without getting your shoes wet and she screamed in delight that this was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. And that pure joy was one of the most amazing things I've seen.

Which do you prefer, Summer or Winter in the mountains?

The Very Best Soft and Fluffy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking is something I love to do and have for a long time. However, I also really like to eat the things I bake and since I have no self-control I try to limit how often I make treats.

Now, here’s the thing about chocolate chip cookies; I like mine without chocolate chips. I know it’s strange, and I’ve never met anyone else who shares my preference, but I swear it’s delicious! That being said, my most recent batch does have chocolate chips because I will be using them to make s’mores and this cuts out a bit of the melted chocolate mess.


1/2 cup butter - soft, not melted

1/2 cup coconut oil – I have used solid, soft and melted, all worked fine.
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla – I never actually measure mine, just pour!
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda - Dissolved in 1 tbsp. hot water
2 1/2 cups flour
Extras, however many please you! – Chips, candy, nuts or nothing at all


Preheat the oven to 350F
Beat the butter and coconut oil until smooth
Add white and brown sugar, beat until smooth and creamy
Add eggs, mixing between additions
Dissolve the baking soda in hot water
Add the soda water, salt and vanilla
Add flour, mix until dough forms
Stir in any extras
Roll the dough into balls, approx. 1.5 tbsp and place on a baking sheet
Chill for 2-5 minutes in the fridge
Bake for 13 minutes – Cookies will be pale with lightly golden bottoms and quite soft. They firm slightly while cooling.
Makes approximately 30-35 cookies

Here is my best cookie advice: Don't skip the chilling stage. Chilling the dough before baking allows the butter and oil to harden and therefore not melt as fast in the oven. When the butter/oil doesn't melt so fast the cookies don't spread as much and therefore stay tall and fluffy inside.

I know 1 tbsp seems a bit small for a cookie, but 1. I like the convenience of getting tons of cookies out of one batch, 2. I feel less guilty when I eat a lot of small cookies and 3. We all know that little desserts are very appealing.



How I Saved $35,000 in Under 3 Years While Still Having a Life

I remember a time, not so long ago, when paying monthly bills felt like a burden and I was excited to put $50 in my savings. I have come a long way since then and learned so much.


Working in restaurants and hair salons meant I always had cash, the biggest chunk of my income was from tips, and my minimum-wage pay cheque was pretty small. The issue wasn’t that I didn’t make enough, because I did, it was that always having cash meant it was easier to spend without thinking and the bulk of my money never made it to my bank account, never mind my savings. Since then I have moved to a well-paying salary job where I never see cash and it has been so much easier to save.


I don’t remember now why I started tracking my spending or following a budget, but it has been one of the best financial decisions I’ve made. I created a spreadsheet where I tracked every dollar going in and out of my accounts, tallied my savings and started reading my trends. Having to see, plain as day, how much money I was spending on “miscellaneous” is quite a slap in the face. Just to drive the point home I looked back on my monthly spending sheet, chose a random month and came back with $1062.80 in miscellaneous spending! That doesn’t include bills, groceries, gas, etc. and to be clear, this wasn’t a special month, it was very like many other months.


Now, I’m not going to act like I don’t waste money or shop unnecessarily anymore, I do, but I am much more aware of it and try to make better choices. One of the best ways to do that is moving money from the account attached to my debit card into my savings as soon as possible. Once it goes into savings it’s off limits.

Now that you know the back story, let me tell you how I got to where I am.


My desires and the motivation created by them have likely been the biggest contributor to my ability to save. I am planning for a big move sometime in the future and I’d like it to be as simple as possible. I don’t want to arrive with nothing in savings and struggle to get my life up and running again because I can’t afford it. Likewise, I want to travel as much and as often as I can. I hear about people flying across the world and all they could afford was that plane ticket and hope to figure the rest out when they arrive, that will never be me. And lastly for my significant plans, I very simply want to live the life I want. When I have children I don’t want to worry about whether I can afford them, if I decide to go back to school I want to be able to, if a last minute opportunity comes about I want to take it. Having a money cushion allows me to live the life I want, not just the life I can afford.


As I’m sure many people do, I make an effort to keep my monthly bills as low as possible and live below what I can afford. When I realized how much it was costing me to drive and park at work every day I started taking the train. When the city started charging to park at the train station I took the bus to the train. When I looked at how much I was paying just to have/park/maintain a vehicle that I only drove 1-2 times a week, I sold it. I do miss my van and the freedom it afforded me but it was no longer worth the price I was paying. Similarly, I paid off my phone in full to be able to take advantage of a deal that would lower my monthly phone bill from $100 to $60.


My monthly bills, fixed and variable, total about 49% of my income (on average) allowing me to spend save the remaining 51%. Sure, I could use that to pay for a vehicle I never use, or more clothes that I’ll wear once or go out for lunch everyday but I would much rather squirrel it away for future possibilities.


Here’s where that 49% is going:


38% - Rent takes up the biggest chunk but is also my favorite part to spend on. That probably sounds weird but living in an apartment that I genuinely love and really enjoy spending time in is well worth the cost. I also include home insurance and my parking stall with rent. I can’t really say if I’m paying a lot, very little or somewhere in between for rent because it is so variable depending on where you live, but I think it is pretty average for my location.

30% - Groceries, that thing we all need but would probably rather spend on eating out, or maybe a private chef.. This is the only chunk of my bills that really change from month-to-month. I try really hard to keep within the limits I’ve created for myself but it doesn’t always happen.

21% - Transportation includes my city transit pass and half of the insurance and gas for the car I share with my boyfriend. This total was significantly higher not long ago but selling my vehicle and paying off our shared car has done wonders!

5% - My cell phone is not only my connection to friends and family but also my entertainment, camera, GPS and note pad, among other things. For me it is worth every penny I pay into it.

3% - Electricity. I would say utilities, but everything else is included in my rent.

3% - Miscellaneous payments, bank fees, etc. Things I would rather not pay for but am anyways.


Spending bans are my next big contributor. I have done seven 1-month long spending bans over the past 2 years and they have contributed nearly half of my total savings! I usual choose my ban-months for particular reasons. Typically I’ll do one for the month before a vacation to help bulk up my account but I also try to do one in the month I’ll be getting a tax refund (if I do) as well as triple-pay months. One of these months also coincidentally lined up with when I sold my van so that was a great bonus!


On the very opposite side of the spectrum I try to keep contributions to my savings account as low-pressure as possible. Some months I only manage to save $50 because I have that set as an automatic contribution and others, like when I sold my van, I save several thousand. Any savings is better than no savings so I don’t beat myself.

In the process of living life I’m constantly learning and money is no exception. For example, I’m still trying to figure out how to stay on my monthly grocery budget, which shouldn’t be hard but it is. Sometimes I casually try to figure out how to buy a home, not because I want to, but because the process sounds scary and confusing. I’m trying to convince myself to be more minimal, an ongoing journey, and hoping that having less also means buying less and living more freely. Everything I’ve done to get to the savings point I’m at has been trial and error assisted by many internet searches and several YouTube channels.


I figured something else out very recently and I feel a bit silly having not thought of it before this year. In two and half years of budgeting I never once included spending money or savings into the equation. The thought did not ever enter my mind. I made sure to cover all my bills, groceries, gas and my automatic contributions but nothing else, the rest of my money was free to be spent or saved without a particular goal in mind. True, I was usually pretty good about shuffling some money over to savings, but for a long time it was just the excess after shopping, eating and entertainment. Having realized how much I allowed myself to spend in the past I have finally added a spending category to my budget as well as an amount I know I should be able to save. Sticking to the spending allotment is a work in progress, but that’s ok!


Throughout all of this I have still been able to live my life. I’ve made travel a priority and been on many trips, 9 I believe, near, far, budget and expensive. Ryan and I have paid off the car. I’ve shopped for myself, bought gifts, eaten out and enjoyed concerts and movies. I don’t feel at all like I’ve been held back by saving. I’m very happy with the apartment we live in. I’m not yet tired of the fact that I’ve worn the same clothes for ages. I’m not upset about sharing a vehicle.

I’m actively creating the life I want to live by living in a way I’m comfortable with, and for me that has huge value.

Twenty Eighteen Goals, Mid Year Review

I made quite a few goals for myself this year, some easier than others, but I have every intention of crushing as many of them as I can. Here’s how I’m doing so far.

Improve my health – I had to make a few changes here and there, add iron supplements to my daily regime, and just generally be a bit more conscious of what is going on. I’ve been eating a bit better, and by that I mean I’ve shrunken my portion sizes and am making a strong effort to resist the donuts and cookies that seem to end up in my office every week. I’m more active, spending more time outside and doing more things that make me happy, just because.


Get in shape – I’ve made this goal a part of my everyday life in hopes of it being a bit more sustainable and so far it seems to be working. I walk every day at work, run the stairs in my office building (17 stories,) run at home with Ryan and ride our bikes for leisure, exercise and occasionally instead of driving places we need to go anyway.

Run 10km – I managed to convince Ryan that he should run with me and we were doing really well. The first run we did was 2.4km and by week 2 we were up to 3.4km. We took a little break because it go so hot here, but hoping to pick it back up and continue working towards my 10km!

Sort everything I own, again – To be honest, I haven't felt the need to do this again, but I am making an effort to get rid of things as I notice they are un-used or unloved. I’m still working on the mental block that has me keeping some things though, so any ideas how to do that would be great!


Reading – As of the end of June I have read 10 books! I can only think of one other time in my life that I read this much and I’m realizing how much I actually do enjoy it if the story is right. I’m not sure what I will read next, but I will continue to read!

Travel – Continuing to travel is always going to be a goal, whether I write it down or not. I have an ever growing list of places I want to go, extended trips to take and experiences to have. So far this year I have been to my third Hawaiian island and it was an absolute dream! I finally booked a trip for Ryan and I as well but that isn't until October.

Do more outside – I’ve been doing really well on this front so far, fingers crossed I can keep it up! I have been going for walks outside nearly every day at work, walking, running and biking with Ryan at home, spending some time at the nearby National Parks and we’ve been for our first camping trip of the season! We’ve also been going for picnics with friends at one of the city parks and I’m loving that.

Take a road trip – Ryan and I took a spontaneous road trip to Jasper National Park in May and it was a perfect day. Even though we came and went in a single day, it is always worthwhile to get out! I have high hopes for several more road trips throughout the summer including 2 trips to Saskatchewan and maybe a few more to the mountains!

Take a course or 2 – I was registered for my first course, Birth Doula, in May but it got cancelled at the last moment when the instructor was hospitalized. I have since re-booked for the end of July and cannot wait to get started! The second course I would like to take, scuba diving, is an ongoing potential. It doesn’t take a huge time commitment but it does require me to spend several days in another city. One of these years I’m sure it’ll happen for me.

6 Reasons to Start a Spending Ban

I know that excess and deprivation can both be bad and sometimes is much more ideal, but going for a full month without spending any money feels amazing. I started this practice back in August 2016 and have done 7 month-long bans since then totalling $16,000 in savings. That total isn't necessarily going to be very realistic for everyone but for me it worked on the basis of selling my vehicle for cash and lining up ban-months with tax refunds and months that I get 3 pay cheques instead of 2.


Here’s the idea. Every few months, or more/less, take one full month and commit to spending no money outside of necessary bills and groceries. For me, that also means making a stronger effort to stay within my grocery budget (which I am not great at!) If I can help it, I also try to pre-purchase items before the ban if I know I’m going to run out within that month. I also follow a strict rule about buying food, in and out of the spending ban. If I need to buy breakfast because I didn't have time for something before leaving home it must be bought in cash. Cash that I already have, not that I've taken out for the purpose of spending. Cash is my "free" money.


I’m not sure how I came up with this idea, possibly from an article I read about a woman who didn’t spend for a year (including occasionally dumpster diving for food..) I’m very attracted to the idea but I also have no desire to deprive myself even half as much as she did, I like my food from the store, thank you very much!


There are so many great reasons to take up the occasional spending ban, here are a few:


ONE:
You get more time to consider the things you want to buy.


Impulse buying, seasonal shops, social media.. these are all big purchasing influencers and sometimes convince us to buy things we don't really need. Do you really need that top? Is it worth it to eat out again? Don’t you already have that in 2 other colors? Will you wear that for more than one season? If you see something you really love this gives you the chance to really consider it, evaluate if you truly need/want it and if you can afford it – all before making the purchase. If it turns out you don't really want it, you've saved some money, if you do need it then you get something that will feel more valuable to you.


TWO:
If I don’t buy ____, that’s $___ that I can put towards _____.


I think this is my favorite reason. Realizing that the fewer things I buy and therefore the more I put in savings, the more I have to put towards my next trip! Not buying a $2.50 bagel for breakfast before work might not seem like a big deal, but that is over $50/month if you’re buying every day. $50 can then become a nice dinner out, a room upgrade on your next trip, a new piece of clothing or simply 50 extra dollars in your emergency fund.


I’ve been asked many times how I afford to travel as much as I do (which isn’t even that much!) and this is a big contributor. The other thing to remember is that saving feels more worthwhile if you have a goal and something you truly value to potential spend on later. Travelling is important to me so I make it a priority.

THREE:
Watching my savings grow is way more satisfying than buy stuff.


I have a spreadsheet where I track my budget, spending and savings and watching the savings number grow month-by-month, even though I don’t really know what I’m saving for, is so thrilling! Once you get over the need to spend money to feel good, you’ll realize it feels even better not to.


FOUR:
The big pay-off.


In the end of the month, or quarter or year when I look at everything I’ve saved and realize everything I can now do, it really can buy happiness. Financial comfort and safety allow me to point my life in the direction that pleases me and I can reach for more. Not buying lunch every day, shopping on the weekends or missing an event can feel shitty at the time, but when it allows you to take a spontaneous trip later, or buy something special or go on a fancy date it will feel worthwhile. Your choices shouldn’t be save money OR have fun. The more you save the more freedom you have for spontaneity!


FIVE:
Remember that it isn’t the end of the world if you spend a bit.


I have flexible rules for myself while living on my ban and I keep them flexible because it isn’t the end of the world either way. I love months were I spend nothing at all, but if my phone dies I’m going to get a new one. If I run out of a product that I use every day, I’ll replace it. If something I have decided 100% to buy in the near future anyway goes on for 40% off, I’m probably going to buy it. It really isn’t a big deal.


SIX:
A new appreciation for not spending.


Since starting this journey I have spent more time outside, had more game nights, re-learned to ride a bike and ended up in a wardrobe I love to wear. I now have an arsenal of free thing that I love to do and a lot of the time I do them even when I could be spending money.


Writing all of this out to share has me feeling like I might be ready for a new challenge and I've never done ban months back-to-back, maybe I should try for 3 months?