SMART Living 365

Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

Why Happy Marriages And Relationships Are Key To Healthy And Positive Aging

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

SMART Living 365.com

During January Thom and I decided to experiment with our diet. We had attended a lecture in December that warned us about how eating wheat and sugar was detrimental to a healthy and aging brain. That caught our attention. So during the month we avoided bread, pasta or anything containing wheat. We also eliminated desserts, juice or any beverage with added sugars. While it wasn’t without challenges, it wasn’t that difficult either—mostly because we were doing it together. Perhaps with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s SMART to remember that some of the greatest gifts of long and happy relationships are our collective health, happiness, and well-being. [Read more…]

Why Rightsizing Works For Anyone At Any Age And Any Location

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Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

Rightsizing SMART Living 365This last week Thom and I led a discussion group about Rightsizing. It is something we’ve wanted to do ever since writing about it here on the blog during the last four or five years, and then after publishing the book, Rightsizing—A SMART Living 365 guide to Reinventing Retirement last year. Because we are so passionate about the topic, it was great to gather with others who are either curious or equally excited about the benefits.   And as we suspected, the topic is so rich that no matter where any of us are on the path, each of us can learn something from every other person’s example. It boils down to the simple fact that quality always tops quantity. [Read more…]

In Praise of the Frugal

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

A good friend named Mark recently bought a new truck. To call it a pickup is grossly inadequate. Mark arrived one day in this shiny enormous vehicle with four doors, cushy soft leather seats, a fully digital dashboard with onboard space-like technology, a moonroof that spanned the entire length of both the front and back seats, and automatic retractable step-bars that lower and raise as you open the doors.   I’ll admit I was a bit envious as I looked at my aging twelve-year-old Nissan Murano sitting next to it. But after hearing the “great deal” Mark got by paying only $50,000 for a $65,000 priced truck, all envy evaporated. My Murano is free and clear, still looks decent, and reliably gets me everywhere I want to go. Meanwhile, our family savings sits safely secure in investments that generate automatic cash flow. Instead of envy, I now have pride—pride in the benefits of a frugal and rightsized life. [Read more…]

Kathy’s Tips On Writing, Publishing and Blogging

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Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized

SMART Living 365Several weeks ago I gave a talk hosted by the library here in La Quinta, CA entitled, “Local Author Series.” In an effort to promote reading, writing and greater community connections, I agreed to share some of the things I’ve learned after nearly 30 years of writing.   But rather than just make it a show-and-tell all about me, I approached the presentation with the intention of helping others curious about writing and who might be looking for encouragement. After all, I believe like author and mentor Julia Cameron, that we are all innately creative.  And what often leads to artistic success is mostly the audaciousness of not giving up.  [Read more…]

Ten SMART & Frugal Ways To Save Money And Enjoy Peace of Mind

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

SMART Living 365.comA question that my husband Thom and I get every now and then is: “Are you guys independently wealthy or did your parents leave you a bunch of money?” The answer to both of them is “No!” As I’ve written before, both of us grew up in blue-collar households and we’ve been self-employed our entire lives. We’ve never once received financial assistance, unemployment benefits or won the lottery. Regardless of whether it sometimes look like we live the life of leisure, let me assure you, we’ve earned everything we have. It wasn’t always easy, and we made a bunch of mistakes early on, but fortunately, that’s changed. Along the way, we picked up some SMART and frugal practices that helped us hang on to much of the money we make. Now we use our money to do things we enjoy, and support people and projects we believe are worthy. I’m convinced we all have the potential to do the same. [Read more…]

Are You A Ruminator or An Anticipator?

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

A mind stuck on rumination.

 

Yesterday it occurred to me that people are generally of two types—anticipators or ruminators. Sure most of the attention goes to whether or not people are positive or negative. But I’ve witnessed some people who claim to be optimists, and yet they overthink and obsess over their past, their worries, or their claims of injustice nearly every day. Perhaps it is SMART to consider other possible directions of our focus and explore ways to calibrate our attention in a more helpful way. [Read more…]

SMART Lessons From Renting Our Home on Airbnb

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Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

SMART Living 365Over the last two weekends, my husband Thom and I rented our personal home out on Airbnb. We’ve used Airbnb when traveling and have stayed in over ten different properties ourselves during the last couple of years. This, however, was the first time we have ever “hosted” strangers in our home. And while doing it twice certainly doesn’t make me an expert, I came up with some advice for anyone who might want to consider it in the future. [Read more…]

How To Make The Right Choice Or The Power of the Bigger Yes

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

kg-yesThis last weekend I faced a big choice. Just over five miles from my home in La Quinta, CA a mega-concert aimed at Baby-Boomers called “Desert Trip” was scheduled. Legendary rockers like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCarthy, The Who and Bob Dylan were slated to perform. Sure, the concert was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear some amazingly talented icons in the business. However, the prices to attend for a good seat were equally astonishing—at least for me! I did make an effort to buy tickets online within my budget, but when those tickets sold out, I decided to make the best of the situation and try something else I’ve always wanted to do—rent out my house on Airbnb. Did I make the right decision? For me, yes. But how I arrived at that decision is something that I need to remember over-and-over as time goes by. [Read more…]

4 Ways To Build Wealth, Be Financially Secure and Live With Less Stress

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

SMART Living 365.comA recent article in Money Magazine listed four simple strategies that many millionaires use to get rich. While I have nothing against being wealthy, I believe that finding meaning and purpose, achieving happiness, and discovering our unique rightsized lifestyle is far more important. But interestingly enough, the four tips offered by Money Magazine actually translate into four keys for living SMART 365. So, even though my examples won’t be the same as those shared in the magazine, the similarities are remarkably close. Ultimately, these four lifestyle hacks can help to make each of us more financially secure regardless of our age. Even better, they can lead to a more stress-free and right-sized life at the same time. [Read more…]

How SMART Is It To Travel Using Airbnb?

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

SMART Living 365

Thom and Kloe in front of our Airbnb rental at the beach in August.

One of the greatest improvements to travel in recent years has been the rise of Airbnb. Pronounced “air b and b,” this company allows travelers to stay in private homes, apartments and rooms around the world rather than traditional hotel rooms. Not only is the cost often less, it also provides a more unique and special way to visit a location. Over the last several years, my husband Thom and I have enjoyed staying at a variety of Airbnb properties.   So I thought it might be valuable to share some of our experiences to help explain how it works, and why it is SMART to consider using it in the future. [Read more…]