10 things that used to be free but now cost money
Business Insider – February 12, 2018
This is an interesting article. It talks about all the things that were previously free that you now have to pay for…but is that necessarily bad?
For instance, the first example is airline freebies. Now, I still appreciate getting half a cup of tepid ginger ale instead of paying $3 for it, don’t get me wrong. But I also appreciate lower ticket prices and not having to pay for services I don’t use. For instance, I’ve gone carry-on only for nearly all trips for the past several years. So why should I pay for checked baggage availability that I don’t want to use?
And as someone who realizes we shouldn’t trash the Earth just because we can, I appreciate penalties for using the store’s whisper-thin plastic bags. It is cheap and easy to buy a sturdy reusable bag. Make the investment not only for yourself but for our planet, please!
I am curious about what restaurants charge for tap water. Filtered or no, that’s not something I’ve experienced. They’d better not try that on me…
Where Backpacking and Financial Independence Cross Paths
FI Ideas – February 20, 2018
I’ve thought a lot about the connections between backpacking and financial independence. I wrote before about how my backpacking gear has helped me build a comprehensive emergency kit without spending a lot of money.
But there are more connections too. For one, you’ll find that a lot of people in the FI community like activities like backpacking. Why? Because it’s relatively cheap but with incredible physical and mental health payoffs. We also like the other kind of backpacking (the traveling through foreign countries kind) because again – lots of benefits for a relatively low cost.
This post compares how the planning and perseverance necessary for backpacking translates to pursuing financial independence. There is a lot of overlap, so if one of the two is interesting to you already, maybe you should check out the other?
CampFI Main Page
ChooseFI
This isn’t an article to read, but I thought some of you might be interested in learning about these opportunities.
Some people in the Financial Independence community have been putting together retreats where you can get together with like-minded people for a few days of all-inclusive nerdiness/togetherness/fun. Each CampFI is 3 nights and includes accommodations, food, and activities. This includes discussions by some of the more popular names in the personal finance sphere. It does cost money, but really not much when you consider everything that is included.
I will be attending CampFI Mid-Atlantic in April and I’m considering signing up for CampFI Southwest in August. Maybe I’ll see some of you there? The Southwest one is in Joshua Tree – perfect for all those Marines at Twentynine Palms!
Uh yeah the compressed air thing has made me mad on one occasion, especially since one of my front tires seems to have a very slow leak. Now if I know my tires are on the low side, I’ll deliberately stop at a gas station that doesn’t charge me to fill them up!
I’m still sad I’m missing Camp FI. I sincerely doubt I’d be able to swing it, but Joshua Tree sounds AMAZING.
We need to find a way to get you to CampFI Mid-Atlantic!
I hide in your suitcase and then SURPRISE I just happen to also be one of the participants??
I am okay with this plan.
Not satisfied by this summary.. only telling about issues but no solid solution was mentioned in the summary..
Hi Jada,
My Summary Sunday posts aren’t meant to offer solutions. They don’t even really present problems. It’s just a quick list of 2-4 articles I enjoyed reading that week. It’s what is called a “roundup” post and it’s meant to give you a few extra things to read from bloggers other than me.
Mil$
Yuck, why is CampFI southwest during the terribly hot summer months?? Also – I fully support plastic bag bans, and agree that reusable bags are just so much more functional regardless.
lol, I hadn’t even noticed that. Maybe they are planning a lot of nighttime-under-the-stars activities??
Hello Paul, you have great ideas. I enjoyed your video. Thank you. I am still researching what kind of sleep system I am going to go with. Tent or hammock? Everything I guess depends on where I am going to be backpacking/camping..thank you Rocky 🙂Â
…what?
Who is Paul? What video? I think you may have meant to post this on another blog?
But if you are looking for sleep system ideas, I love the Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XTherm, REI Flash Sleeping Bag, and Sea To Summit Aeros pillow!