Friday, November 15, 2013

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Tomorrow morning, before the sun rises, I'll kiss my dogs goodbye and leave for the Phoenix airport. And before I go to sleep that night, I'll be in another country and back in the arms of Mrs. Done by Forty. We'll get two whole weeks together! One in Peru, one in Ecuador. While we're gone, I'll be logging in briefly and posting when I can. But I have to apologize to all my favorite bloggers, as it might be a while before I can catch up on your posts and comment. Sorry, guys! I will be reading, but it probably will be delayed. On the plus side, if there is anything you'd like me to write about covering either country (e.g. - local customs, negotiating abroad, using airbnb, etc.) just let me know in the comments and I'll try to put together a post on that.
This will be my first time visiting South America, and I can't wait. My Spanish is terrible, but luckily Mrs. Done by Forty is fluent and knows how to say, "I am sorry my husband is speaking loudly instead of learning your language." I especially want to check out Cuenca as a possible early retirement destination. We'd love to see our nest egg grow during early retirement, and living in a lower cost country seems like a fun and effective way to do so. Plus, Mrs. Done by Forty and I want to raise our future kids in a foreign country for a while, if only to teach them a new language at an early age, when it's really easy.

We'll also be spending Thanksgiving in Ecuador this year, which is kind of bittersweet. It'll be fantastic to be together on the holiday, but we won't be able to see our extended family and do the stuff we normally do. So, as an alternative, I am hoping to recreate a little holiday down there for us. I am going to bring down cans of cranberry sauce and green beans, as I think the other big items will be available to purchase: maybe a chicken as a substitute for a turkey, potatoes, and hopefully some flour for a tiny bit of gravy from the chicken juices. Here are the other things we'll try to recreate:
  • Skyping with the family in our p.j.'s and toasting sparkling cider (or whatever we can find)
  • Catching a soccer match, as a substitute for football
  • Camping outside of an Ecuadorian shop all night so we can be the very first ones in the store
  • Knocking over some poor, old lady en route to Black Friday deals
Okay, we won't do the last two unless the opportunity presents itself. Still, for my family that reads this blog, we love and miss you and will make it next year.

Personal Training for Your Pocketbook
I also wanted to let you know that, thanks to the help of some great podcastersbloggers, and new blogging buddies, I will be taking action on an idea I've kicked around for months, and launching a business that offers personal training for your pocket book. I notice that a lot of my friends and colleagues completely "get" the concepts of personal finance but, in this particular area, they are not self-starters. Just as I need an accountability partner if I am going to run five miles after work three times a week, they often need an accountability partner if they are going to follow through on paying down debt regularly or start investing for retirement. It's not as though they don't understand what to do, they just need someone to meet with once in a while to get a "push". That's the niche I want to fit in: being the guy who gives regular encouragement, motivation, and pick them up when they feel like quitting.

More to come, but wish this soon-to-be-entrepreneur good luck. He's going to need it!

On a final note, since I may not be able to say this on Thanksgiving, I want to say how thankful I am to those of you who come to the blog and read and even leave your thoughts in the spaces below. Reading your comments here and the posts on your blogs is the very first thing I want to do in the morning. I look forward to it, and the relationships I have with you guys make this blogging thing feel pretty easy. Thank you, sincerely. I'll talk to yinz soon.


*Photo is from epSos.de at Flickr Creative Commons.

43 comments:

  1. Woo hoooo!!! Lots of exciting things in this post. Can we be accountabili-buddies? HA! For real though, have an awesome time in Peru/Ecuador. Can't wait to hear all about it.

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    1. Hell yeah, we can be accountabili-buddies! For real. Thanks for the encouragement and advice you've given, Matt.

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  2. Your trip sounds like it will be a ton of fun! I'd love to read about any tips you have for saving on international travel when you get back :)

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    1. That's a good idea, Kali. I'll try to spend some time down there writing about how we're trying to have fun on the cheap. :)

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  3. Yay how exciting! Hope you savor the two weeks you're there, and good luck on your new accountability project!

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    1. Thank you, Tonya. I'm definitely going to have a great time with the missus (how can I not?). And I'd like to use the time for reflection on how to best launch and run the business. I'll be joining you in the world of the entrepreneur soon enough...

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  4. Have a fantastic trip! I've been in DC the last few days and even here, I'm having trouble keeping up with all my favorite bloggers.

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    1. It's funny how life gets in the way of that...even a small hiccup in my routine makes it hard to read all the stuff I want to.

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  5. I hope you and the Mrs. have a wonderful holiday together! Safe travels!

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    1. Thanks, GMD! I'll definitely try to make it fun...and safe!

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  6. Have a safe and fun trip! I hope you enjoy your slightly different celebrations of Thanksgiving. I would definitely enjoy reading a recap of everything, even if it were broken down into a few posts, especially your thoughts on your possible early retirement destination. Your business plans sound interesting, too. Exciting stuff!

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    1. Hi E.M.,

      Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be sure to give a wrap up of the trip and maybe a separate post on what we thought of Cuenca as an early retirement destination.

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  7. Have a great trip. I'm looking forward to reading more about Cuenca.

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    1. Thanks, Joe. Will definitely report back with some info on that city (recommended to us by Jim Collins).

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  8. YAY, so glad to hear you're going to be reunited soon with Mrs. DbF!! Have a blast, and I'm for sure curious about the cost breakdowns in case we meander that way in the next few months! Safe travels and early Happy Thanksgiving to both of you!! :)

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    1. Thanks, Anna! I'll try to track our costs, definitely, though a lot will be spent in cash so it may not be as detailed as it could be. But we'll keep a log and hopefully it'll be of some value if you go there. :)

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  9. Have a great trip! Very interesting that you guys want to live in a foreign country when you have kids. I don't think me and the Mrs. can swing that but that would be cool. We are hoping to teach our child a foreign language though. My wife speaks Spanish, Chinese and English fluently. I'd be curious to see how your Spanish improves by the time you return.

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    1. That's pretty cool that your wife is fluent in all those languages, Andrew. With that kind of knowledge at home, you get a lot of the benefit without having to move abroad.

      As for my Spanish, it can't get any worse...

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  10. Wow, have an amazing trip! And congrats on the business stuff--looking forward to seeing how it all goes :)

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    1. Thanks, Jen! I am, too! Totally nervous as I am not a natural born entrepreneur, but hopefully can make myself into one.

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  11. I'm going to miss you, you know... and I'm jealous.
    Hope you have a wonderful time down there. I'd love to hear about the customs, cost of living, and anything else you can share. I've never been out of the country so I must live through you.

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    1. I'll miss you too, buddy! I'll definitely write a bit on that. I haven't really traveled that much either...Mrs. Done by Forty is the real globetrotter in our relationship.

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  12. Congrats on finally being able to visit the Mrs. I know you've probably been waiting for this trip for a while. You shall be missed while you are away :'(

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    1. Thanks, Micro. Yes, I've been looking forward to seeing the missus for a couple months now. I'm totally thankful that I get a chance to see her.

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  13. How amazing that you get to have an experience like that one. Be sure to share some pics on here!! I wish I could have been able to do some more world traveling before I had a pack of kids following me around!

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    1. Hi Jefferson! I can understand how much more difficult (and expensive) it would be to travel abroad with children. We are hoping to see 6 of 7 continents before we have kids, but you never know when your family might grow unexpectedly! :)

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  14. Really exciting stuff! Have fun in Peru and Ecuador and don't kick too many old ladies. I am really looking forward to hearing more from this experience, maybe with a lot of photos too :)

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    1. Ha! So far, no old ladies pushed to the ground. That said, I can't be held responsible for my actions on Black Friday.

      Uploading photos has proven painfully difficult with this slow internet connection, but maybe it'll be much faster in Ecuador.

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  15. I teared up with giggles and nostalgia at the black Friday traditions. It's a funny age we live in when Thanksgiving is associated with elbowing your way to the last flat screen television on the stack that is oddly in the back of the garden section, which of course just makes you feel shrewd rather than irritated because you persisted and found it.

    The last black Friday I shopped, I brought my week old newborn daughter (9 years ago) and bought a pool table and a weight set, which are totally odd items I would never purchase under normal circumstances. I took the pool table back the next day, but let the weight set collect dust for a couple years before I gave it away for free on KSL. Good times.

    So happy for you and the Mrs. reintegrating back into the same timezone. Enjoy your travels and best wishes on locating a sweet geoarbitrage arrangement for your soon to come early retirement!

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    1. Your comment was sweet and made me laugh, Emily! I can see you with your week-old daughter, protecting her from the madness that is Black Friday. I think part of the 'success' of Black Friday is that it puts consumers into a pressured buying scenario. If you don't buy this discounted big ticket item right now (tv, weight set, pool table), they literally might not have enough for you to buy later in the day. It's an oddly effective way to create scarcity.

      Thanks for the well wishes and I'm really hoping Ecuador proves itself to be a possible geoarbitrage locale.

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  16. How exciting! Have an amazing time in Peru and Ecuador! :) I would love to hear about both of these destinations and hope you will write a summary of your trip when you get back! Have fun!!

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    1. Thanks, Eva! I'll definitely provide a summary (or three), and can hopefully wrap them into the theme of personal finance somehow. If not, oh well. :)

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  17. Have fun and enjoy your time in the new country. I can't wait to hear about your trip and exciting experience.

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    1. Thanks, Mrs. Y. I'll definitely write a few times while away.

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  18. Yay, the much-awaited trip is finally going to happen! Here's to wish you a safe trip. Enjoy your time with the missus. Um, have you recorded that Christmas CD yet? :)

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    1. Ha! I did not record it yet, but I think that may or may not be a youtube upload for the Mrs. to "unwrap" in December.

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  19. Hope you have an awesome time on your trip!

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  20. Have an awesome trip and bring back/post pictures!

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    1. Will, do! I'll be sure to throw up more pictures once we get a quicker internet connection.

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  21. Glad you finally get to be with your wife again! hope the trip is fantastic. I am so jealous as I've never been to South America so please take lots of pictures.

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  22. Sounds like you're off on an awfully big adventure, best of luck with it!

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