Podcast Episode 7 – Life Hacks with Linda, Melissa and Mary – Part 2
Today we will be continuing the discussion on Life Hacks or Life efficiencies learned with Melissa, Linda and Mary
A series of questions into the world of your podcast hosts (disclaimer: subjective and there were no double blind studies done – just one person’s view of life and to be taken as a grain of salt and applied as you see fit into your life.)
Question 6: How do you save money?
Mary:
At different phases of life we go through growth phases where we need to save money.
- Getting a house – how to fill the interior? – Estatesales.net & Craigslist
- Kids stuff – Pop up consignment sales & Garage sales in really good neighborhoods
- Nanny – Saving on the agency fee (hire your own) – check out our blog article about hiring a nanny
- Groceries – Aldi’s (unbranded vs branded)
- Travel Insurance – I don’t want to promote or sell, but this is just something that has truly saved our family money when we have had medical accidents while traveling out of network.
- Extras:
- UberConference – Free Conference Line and ScreenShare
Melissa:
- I have minimized any spending right now. So basically I just spend money on healthy food, health insurance and my home needs.
- Since caregiving for my parents I have not really spent more than the necessities.
Linda:
- don’t need as much
- mindful spending, saving
- simplify stuff – what am I not using that someone else could use
Question 7: What is considered healthy eating in your family?
Mary:
Looking for ways to eliminate sugar in our daily intake …
- Making healthy food – granola (saves on average $30 a month)
- Making my own baby food – momtastic website for great healthy ideas for young children
- Making breakfast, lunch and dinner weekly menus – meatless Monday, Chicken or Fish Wednesday, Red Meat Fridays (Left overs Tuesday and Thursday) – controls buying habits
Melissa:
- I did a mental paradigm shift on food…not what my stomach or brain says I want but what is good for my body. Shift from ‘I can’t have that’ to ‘I don’t want that’.
- Since I have a problem of high blood sugars when I eat and then it goes to low afterwards. I have a system of what I can eat. I eat very low low-carb designed meals and then before my blood sugar drops I have timed snacks.
- I have to 2 weeks of written down meals that are all under 20 carbs per meal. I have a lot of vegetables, very little fruit and some protein like eggs, meat and fish.
- Have all my snacks prepared. I make my own low-carb snacks – crispy crackers from almond coconut flour with cheese. Chocolate pudding from avocados, sour cream and chocolate. Baked taco shells from green squash & cheese. Low carb cereal baked from nuts, cinnamon, whey protein powder and almond flour.
Linda:
- mindful – taste, texture, where food came from, how it was prepared
- gratitude
Question 8: What is the best criteria to measure success?
Mary:
- Long term Happiness.
- Setting long term goals with the ability to evolve them and truly find clarity. I think we become so set on our ways we forget about evolution! I was a swimmer and got very unhappy to the point I hated swimming that I looked for other opportunities to evolve and get away … found salsa dancing and then found triathlons … there is always an opportunity to evolve.
Melissa:
- Success is something that is earned. You strove for it.
- It should be about the process not the end result and you should realize that it will have struggle in it.
Linda:
- make sure you are defining success for you – social pressures can crept in such that we can be acting toward success vision that is not our own, not fulfilling, underpinning our sense of dissatisfaction
- value of life plan – assure you are living to fulfill your mission and vision
Question 9: What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
Mary:
- Moved to Paris without even visiting or speaking the language!
Melissa:
- Adventure travel…hiking in the wilderness, etc. New Zealand, Scotland, England, Nova Scotia, Italy, France, Swiss Alps, Grand Canyon, Canadian Rockies, and Sierras
Linda:
- Know yourself – take time to get to know yourself via meditation, mindfulness practice, acquire personal insights and life wisdom
- example: I became aware that I had a conflict of values that attributed to some dissatisfaction. That is, I valued spontaneity and seizing the moment but I also value living fully in the moment and becoming my personal best. I learned that my spontaneity value lead to choices that conflicted with my living fully in each moment. I then shifted away from my spontaneity carpe diem value in favor of mindful living.
Question 10: How would you like to be remembered when you are dead and gone?
Mary:
- As a contributor to making this world truly a better place and helping others figure out their place in this world. I would rather be known as a giver than a taker.
- Truly be disruptive and not just follow the norm, but be disruptive in a proper etiquette way
- Creativity – Hopefully my videos and podcasts will survive to help my kids and grandkids make sense of their purpose in life.
- We are all a piece of something greater.
- I would like to be able to share to the world, to not let fear paralyze you. I think we are all born to give. I think all to often we get stuck in a holding pattern and listen to those around us and they force us to stay on our normal course of life. After being bullied enough by these insecure people that were maybe more concerned about their own agenda, I decided to raise up and those around me and search for those that would join me in helping me achieve my goals and truly wanted to make a contribution to the world. Life is too short to be mean to others. Move on. If they can’t value you, find someone who can!
Melissa:
- That I was a good person.
- What they say people regret at the end of their lives is not showing their real feelings to people they love
- Too much time worrying and not enjoying the moment
- Not taking risks or following their passions
- So hopefully I do all that.
Linda:
Be mindful of my actions ripple effect and strive for positivity in attitude and action
What are some of your life hacks? Leave us a comment below.
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