Getting the most out of Wanderlust Festivals

Getting the most out of Wanderlust Festivals

I recently attended two Wanderlust Festivals – in Aspen-Snowmass, Colorado and Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe), California. They were wonderful experiences, full of yoga, music, food, fun, and new friends.

After my first Wanderlust in Aspen-Snowmass, though, I didn’t feel like I’d taken advantage of the whole experience so I changed my strategy a little bit at Lake Tahoe. If you only have the time or money to attend one Wanderlust, I offer these tips to help you get the most out of the experience.

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Austin, Texas: So Much of Everything Good

Austin, Texas: So Much of Everything Good

I knew I would like Austin, Texas, but I had no idea how much I enjoy the city nor for what reasons. Everyone knows Austin as the live music capital of the world, but I soon discovered a mind-blowing food and coffee scene in the Texas capital as well. Apparently, I’m not alone in appreciating the city. Austin Demographer Ryan Robinson has document 150 people moving to Austin each day and 40 leaving each day, for a net gain of 110. Can you imagine the U-Haul business?

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Slow Travel in Asheville, North Carolina

Slow Travel in Asheville, North Carolina

I recently spent 16 days in Asheville, North Carolina. I housesat for a couple and their dogs, which gave me a really affordable way to explore the city slowly and from a location just a few miles from downtown.

I’ve heard great things about Asheville. One coworker just returned from the area and another was heading there. It also popped up on my radar screen a few times as a burgeoning beer and food mecca while I was learning about the hiking opportunities in the area.

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6 Tips for the Best Beach Vacation (Landlubbers Edition)

6 Tips for the Best Beach Vacation (Landlubbers Edition)

This post was previously published on the BucketList.org blog in August 2014.

As cold temperatures move in on the northern hemisphere, many are looking to book beach vacations in the coming months. In my first year of getting out of debt, a beach vacation was a top bucket list priority for this Midwesterner living in the Northeast.

Now, there are lots of websites to help you find a great beach spot and figure out what to do once there, so this post is written more for those who’ve never really spent a week on a beach before.

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Food Stamp Challenge: Day 7, Finances and Reflections

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 7, Finances and Reflections

Alright, I’m crunching the numbers on this Food Stamp Challenge, called 3SquaresVT in Vermont. As a single person, I’d be eligible for food stamps if I made 185% of the poverty level, which is $1,723/month gross. I may then be eligible for up to $38/week in benefits. That would be $152/month for groceries. Here’s how it would work for my personal finances:

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Food Stamp Challenge: Mid-Week Check-In

Food Stamp Challenge: Mid-Week Check-In

This Food Stamp Challenge, called 3SquaresVT here in Vermont, to live on $38/week of food was not at all easy. I blew it in so many ways.

Day 4 (Wednesday) was a relative good day. I ate half an apple for breakfast, with coffee, cream and sugar. I ate the beans, rice and veggies that I’d prepared in advance for lunch. I skipped snacks and sodas at work, and then had sesame tofu for dinner.

Unfortunately, I had a coffee pot malfunction in the morning and lost a lot of coffee. I looked at the bag of grounds and looked at what was left in the pot of coffee. I decided I couldn’t really waste the coffee, so I filtered the grounds out of the pot and drank what I could.

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Food Stamp Challenge: Days 1-3

Food Stamp Challenge: Days 1-3

This Food Stamp Challenge, called 3SquaresVT in Vermont, has been an unique experience.

Here’s a check-in from the first few days on the Challenge:

Day 1 (Sunday) was pretty easy, considering that I (unwisely) blew money on a coffee shop visit, did the grocery shopping for the week, and then enjoyed beans and rice for dinner (actually, one of my favorite meals).

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