Don’t enjoy cleaning your house, cooking,
or mowing your lawn? How to outsource
boring jobs in five easy steps.

My Story

I’m a lazy cook. Anything that takes longer than 15 minutes is longer than my attention span. So I end up cooking a lot of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese.

Since I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, I can no longer eat out at many restaurants.

I needed a solution.

Step 1: Decide What You Want to Outsource

My first thought was to research recipes online. After reading a few of them, I quickly realized cooking could become my second full-time job. Gluten-free cooking requires understanding a myriad of various flours–and which flour works best for which purpose.

Around that time, I was reading the new expanded version of The Four-Hour Work Week. Tim Ferriss added tons of case studies to it, and one of them was about a guy who was looking for an Indian vegetarian cook and posted about it on craigslist.

That hit me like a lightning bolt. I realized my dilemma–either eat a bunch of hot dogs and Chipotle or take on a new “job” of cooking–had a third option: Hire someone.

Step 2: Push Through Your Fears

Immediately, I was beset by fears. Would this be ridiculously expensive? Would I be able to find someone who knew how to cook gluten-free food? Would I find someone who cooked terrible food that I hated or that made me sick? Would they need to use my kitchen for hours on end?

The questions didn’t stop, but I realized that, like my business fears, I would simply have to push through them and try it out.

Whenever I get paralyzed by fear, I like to play this game called “What’s the worst that could happen?” I imagine the most outrageous scenario possible. I often do this before public speaking. Feel free to make it totally insane. Here’s one from public speaking: “I go up on stage, and aliens abduct the audience. Then an earthquake hits. Then I’m suddenly transported back in time to the Ice Age…”

Once you start laughing, your fears are usually gone. Whatever it is, it can’t be as bad as your crazy imagination makes it out to be.

I applied this technique to hiring a cook. “She charges $500 an hour, and claims she knows how to cook gluten-free, but then uses flour in everything…she makes the worst food imaginable…” (And then I started imagining food that looked terrible and tasted even worse.)

Step 3: Post the Ad

I needn’t have worried. My craigslist posting (below) generated 14 responses within the first day; the vast majority of the responders mentioned that they were gluten-free themselves!

My craigslist post. Within a week, I had hired my chef!

The prices were all over the place. I mentioned I wanted to pay hourly, but some of the more professional chefs wanted to charge per meal. That could get expensive quickly! I pretty much instantly ruled the pros out–I’ve learned that those at the top of their game probably aren’t the best to hire for this type of task, anyway.

Step 4: Follow Up With Questions and Do a Test Run

I responded to several emails with followup questions. The woman I ended up hiring has a day job and is also gluten-free in her daily life. She was looking for a way to earn extra cash on the side.

I decided to give her a test. If it worked out, I’d hire her. She agreed to the challenge, and I had her make some time-consuming gluten-free cinnamon rolls. I reimbursed her for the ingredients. The cinnamon rolls turned out great–and Richard and I spent a day gorging ourselves on them!

After I ate the cinnamon rolls, I hired her. Yum!

Step 5: Hire, and Make the Details Clear

Here’s how our arrangement works: I pay her $10/hour, plus reimbursements for food with provided receipt. That hourly rate includes time shopping and driving the food to my house.

Since her kitchen is gluten-free, she cooks at her own house every Sunday and Wednesday and brings food over. She lives close by–about 10-15 minutes from me. We coordinate menus via email. Richard and I read gluten-free blogs and cookbooks and send her recipes.

My total spent is about $300 a month (plus food costs), and for all that I get fantastic meals that would have cost us a lot more were we to eat them in a restaurant.

Am I paying a little more than I would have to make food myself? Yes.
Am I eating better, higher-quality food? Heck, yes!

Here I am enjoying some of the fruits of my chef’s labor–gluten-free shrimp scampi!

My Rule of Thumb

There’s no rule that says you have to do everything around your house–especially if you don’t particularly enjoy a certain task. If you don’t like cleaning, mowing your yard, doing taxes, or cooking, hire someone else to do it.

Here’s my rule of thumb: If it stays on my to-do list for longer than two weeks, it’s time to hire someone else to do it.

“But I Can’t Afford It!”

If you think you can’t afford it, do a budget. See exactly what you’re spending money on every month. Then take $200 of those expenses and get rid of them, and use that money to hire someone. Cell phone plans, car insurance, your cable bill, and miscellaneous junk (like, oh, stopping at the convenience store after work) are all easy targets.

You can also do a few hours of side work. Typically, you will be able to bill your skills out at a higher rate than you’ll pay someone to work on your house. I really enjoy giving advice over the phone, for instance. So one alternative would be for me to do an hour of consulting a month and bill it at $500. If I can confidently deliver at least $500 of value to the person on the other end during our hour, it will be well worth it for both of us. Even if your hourly rate is lower, it’s probably still higher than $10-$12.

I live in one of the most expensive areas of the United States (N. County San Diego), so you may be able to find a chef for even less than I did!

Life is too short to do boring chores you hate because you’re afraid to hire someone else. Do your homework (and trust your gut instinct if it says to not hire a certain person) and find the right people. Spend your time doing things you love instead. You won’t regret your decision!

Recommended Reading:

• The Expanded Version of The Four-Hour Work Week. I already had the former version of this book, but the new version includes 100+ additional pages of case studies. The information on hiring a chef alone made this book well worth the purchase price.

Review: Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Boot Camp.

I’m excited to help my friend Ramit Sethi in his quest to help you take back control of your financial future.

This video explains everything, but the story is also below for you…

My Story

In 2007, I nearly bankrupted my business because I didn’t keep track of my finances. I didn’t hire an accountant or financial planner because I “couldn’t afford it”. Little did I know that my business had far more money going out than coming in.

I always thought the numbers would work themselves out. I was smart; I read a ton of business books every month, and my business was growing like gangbusters. What was there to worry about?

It took our landlord locking us out of the building and me having to lay off most of my 6-person staff for me to hit bottom and realize what a terrible mistake I had made.

My lack of financial planning devastated not only my life, but the lives of others whose families depended on me for their well-being. That day, I made a critical decision: I set in motion a plan to take action and get my business and personal finances straightened out.

I didn’t like what I found. Between my business and personal debt, I owed over $160,000.00 to various creditors. I was sick to my stomach when I finally added it all up.

From $160,000 in Debt to Debt-Free

I am pleased to say I came out of it. Today, I am debt-free and proud of it; I save 55% of my monthly income, and I know exactly what I spend money on every month. I am free to make wise choices because I know what’s important and what matters to me.

In 2008, I ran a personal finance conference in San Francisco. My goal was to show the attendees what had happened to me and to give them the tools they needed to move forward and be successful.

My keynote speaker was Ramit Sethi, owner of the popular I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog. Ramit blew the audience away with tactical tips on how to “negotiate like an Indian”, save money, spend wisely, and invest for retirement.

Ramit is a friend of mine, and he has personally helped me with much of my financial life. Thanks to Ramit, I have a better credit card that pays me more rewards, I am in control of my spending, and I have automated many of my monthly bills so I no longer have to worry about money.

Now, Ramit is taking a select few of you by the hand and guiding you through his personal system to get your financial life on track. In just six short weeks, you will learn how to save for retirement (and start funding a retirement plan), how to earn more (whether you are an entrepreneur or you have a job), and how to save and invest your money wisely so you are in complete control.

Ramit’s 6-week bootcamp will get you out of the joy-fear-guilt cycle…where you spend money and buy something nice (joy!), only to fear the credit card bill, and feel guilty when it arrives.

Is It Worth the Investment?

From the bottom of my heart, I believe it is worth it for you to invest in Ramit’s program and get your financial life back on track. Not only does Ramit guarantee that you will save more than your investment in the program, but it’s a unique opportunity to set your life on the right path.

Your age and income don’t matter. Young or old; struggling to get by or with a ton of money…you’re not alone. If you don’t know what’s going in and coming out of your wallet every month…if you haven’t signed up for a Roth IRA or 401(k) yet…if you have big goals (like buying a house or retiring early) but you’re not sure if you’re on track to meet them…this is your chance to interact personally with one of the gurus of personal finance.

Who Would NOT Benefit from Ramit’s Boot Camp?

My policy is to be totally honest, so: this isn’t for everyone. If you’re already sporting a fully-funded Roth IRA and 401(k), kickin’ it with multiple ING Direct subaccounts for your savings goals, and you’re totally debt-free and on your way with flying colors to early retirement…well, this probably wouldn’t be of much benefit to you.

If, on the other hand, you just read that and said “Yeah, right! Who even does that?” well, then may I humbly suggest — Ramit’s program just might be right for you.

Have the Courage to Invest in Yourself

“But, Erica,” I can hear you saying. “The holidays are coming up. I’m cash-strapped as it is. And this boot camp costs money. There’s just no way I can do this.”

My response: Have the courage to say “Yes.” This is an investment in yourself and your education. (Compared to a college education, it’s a huge bargain!)

Close your eyes and imagine for a minute that, this time next year, you have:

1. A fully-funded retirement account.
2. A savings account set aside just for holiday gifts to others, so you can afford to give them gifts without the worry in the back of your head of the mounting bills.
3. An account set up (with money in it!) for a goal you have in the future — whether that goal is buying a house, taking that vacation you’ve always dreamed of, or starting a new business.

Now compare that to your current reality. Kind of hurts, doesn’t it?

If you desire all of this, but don’t know how to get there…Ramit’s boot camp is for you. No matter how many books you read, it won’t matter. The hundreds of business books I read didn’t save me from having to go into that conference room and lay off most of my staff.

Stop Doing the Same Thing and Expecting a Change…

Don’t wait. If you wait, your situation won’t change, and next year at this time, you’ll be no better off financially than where you are today. (And, as I can attest, it doesn’t matter how much income you make…if you spend more than you make, you’re still going to be in the same situation.)

An average college extension course runs $400-$500, and doesn’t even help you save any money. (You also typically have to take 2-3 of them to even accomplish anything!) On the other hand, Ramit’s program is tactical, strategic, and designed to help you take action now. Think about it: if you save just $25/month, you will pay back your investment in his program in just a few months!

Sign up for Ramit’s 6-week boot camp today. It’s a rare chance to interact personally with someone who really knows his stuff when it comes to personal finance. Your investment of $199 is an investment in yourself and your future. Have the courage to say yes to your goals.

For more information or to sign up, click here:

Breakdown of Exactly What’s In Ramit’s Boot Camp

Week 1 – Unearth secret credit card hacks. Find better credit cards and negotiate with your credit card companies. Get perks from free airline flights to free hotel stays with “secret” credit card hacks you aren’t currently using. Get a plan in place to pay off your credit card debt once and for all!

Week 2 – Stick it to the big banks. Negotiate fees and get rid of them with step-by-step scripts. Use the support of Ramit’s community to switch banks if necessary.

Week 3 – Retire early and happy. Why your friends haven’t invested; how to become rich on $100/month; how to legally evade taxes!

Week 4 – Spend guilt-free on the things you love. How to get out of the joy-fear-guilt cycle of debt spending. How to spend money on what you love and cut back on everything else.

Week 5 – Automate your way to freedom. Spend just a few hours a month managing your money, and stop letting it manage you. Special techniques for those who are freelancing, self-employed, or who have irregular income!

Week 6 – Invest like a pro without taking the risks. How to automate your investing so your money works for you. The top ten mistakes people make when investing — are you making one of these? Running the numbers on investment strategies (with Ramit’s help!)

Plus — Guest speakers will be demonstrating personal finance tactics, entrepreneurship, and career paths.

You will also gain exclusive access to a community of like-minded folks who can help you if you’re struggling or support you when you need it. If you have people in your life who aren’t fully supportive of your goals, you’ll find Ramit’s community to be invaluable!

How Others Have Used Ramit’s Tips to Make and Save Money

Jason Demant saved $50,000 in 2 years and is now taking a 1-year vacation…

“The reason I’m writing is to thank you for your help in automating my money, getting my 401K properly allocated, and pushing me to sell my crap to make some cash. Using your step-by-step instructions and advice, my girlfriend and I have been able to save over $50,000 the past couple of years and now, in a couple weeks, we will be quitting our Silicon Valley jobs and traveling around Asia on an extremely extended vacation (1-year minimum)! I’ve been reading your site for a few years now and I’ve never properly thanked you for the help, so I decided it was time. Thank you!”

Josh G has saved $14,000 in a few months…

“I have saved 14k so far since I started May 2008 and I’m on track for 20k by the end of the year!

Fear kept me from automating my savings previously. I had bills and it seems that was all I thought about every month.

Ramit mentioned using ING Direct to create sub accounts. I decided to try the full automated savings because I could do sub accounts for future purposes.”

For more information, or to sign up, click here…

Special — Just for My Readers!

If you sign up through any of the links on my blog (you have to sign up through me to get your exclusive invitation), forward me your receipt to erica@erica.biz and I will invite you to a free 1-hour group conference call where I will answer all of your questions regarding personal finance and entrepreneurship.

Here are some questions you should ask me:

• What are some great business ideas that I can start right away?
• Should I start a blog?
• What’s the best way to make money on the Internet?
• How should I market my business online?
• How can I utilize Twitter and Facebook to grow my business?
• What are the top strategies to get more customers for my business right now?
• How can I make some extra money if I only have a couple hours of free time a day?
• How do I make my income more “passive” and stop trading hours for dollars?

Pretty much anything related to personal finance or business is fair game.

This is only when you buy Ramit’s product through my link.

For more information or to sign up, click here.

If you have any questions that aren’t answered by this link, feel free to contact me and I will reply.

I believe in you and want you to achieve your goals. However, I know from experience that you can’t achieve your goals unless you have your finances in order. Give yourself permission and have the courage to invest in yourself, and watch your life change as a result. Sign up for Ramit’s boot camp today!

Note: This program is time-sensitive, so you must sign up by Friday, November 6. If you miss your chance this time, Ramit will offer it again, BUT the price will double…so don’t miss your chance!

Ramit is offering a 100% money-back guarantee for 30 days, so if this program somehow isn’t effective for you, you can request a full refund. You really have nothing to lose (and everything to gain, including meeting your financial goals!) by joining.

I do get some money for referring you to Ramit’s program. Ramit is a friend of mine and I have full faith and confidence in his ability to deliver. I look forward to hearing your success story!

My Past Week

I haven’t had the easiest time of things lately. Several financial irritations hit all at once, causing me to have to dip into my savings account (some call it an “emergency fund”, but I have a distaste for that name.) I was angry not only about having to resort to my savings account, but about the circumstances that caused it. I felt like a failure; worthless. Emotions welled up inside me, and though I’ve had an acupuncture treatment and a massage, I can still feel the emotions causing tension in my body.

Being frustrated about money rolled over into several other areas of my life, and today was yet another rough day, with Richard being frustrated about me not wanting to spend money to hire someone to do handyman chores. This resurfaced the failure feelings in my head and caused a downward spiral.

I was unable to concentrate on my tasks at hand. My intention for today was to create some new videos, but my feelings of failure stopped me. Angry at myself for not being able to overcome my emotions, I finally hopped in the car and started driving.

As I was driving, I remembered something that had calmed me down from bad emotional spots in the past. I’m not sure where I picked this up, but it really works, and it’s darned simple.

The “Gratitude Countdown”

Here it is: Say out loud ten things you are grateful for.

This “gratitude countdown” works best when you are by yourself, so if you live with someone else, I recommend that you go out driving or walking to do this.

At first, you may have trouble thinking of any. You can start out with simple ones: I am grateful to be able to breathe freely. I am grateful I have food. I am grateful to have a place to live. I am grateful for the tree in my back yard that provides shade on hot, sunny days.

Count each one down. (I say the numbers out loud to help me keep track.) At some point (it usually hits me around #4), you’ll start to feel your emotions come out. Let them out! Release them. Get rid of them.

Later in the sequence, after you’ve released some emotions, you can start healing some of the wounds. Today, I posted an ad on craigslist for people to come pick up our old moving boxes. “Bring a truck, SUV, or large car,” I wrote. “Must take ALL the boxes.” Well, who shows up but a young couple in a tiny Ford Focus. They start packing the boxes in, but of course they can only take about half of them. I come outside to find they’ve picked only the best boxes, leaving the rest sitting on the driveway!

I wasn’t happy about it, but there wasn’t much I could do. So, as part of my gratitude countdown, I forgave them. I said I was grateful that I had been able to help them out by giving them free moving boxes, and that they were forgiven for only taking some of the boxes. Now someone else deserving can come pick up the rest, or we can save them for our next move. I don’t need to hold any anger about them. I can just release it and move on.

By the time you get to the end of your gratitude countdown, you will feel completely different. It probably won’t be perfect, but you will feel like you’re on the right track again.

Your Results

Some of the other things I am grateful for today: An Internet marketer who lives here in San Diego recently inviting me to his mastermind group; Erica O’Grady helping to keep me accountable in my own goals with weekly checkups; Ramit Sethi encouraging me to get stuff done; Srini Saripalli, whose conference I recently spoke at and who is now a friend and business partner.

There are lots of good things happening in your life right now. Sometimes, they just tend to get overshadowed by the drama. What are the ten things you are most grateful for? (Feel free to post them here as a comment if you wish.)

Try this now, and then try it again next time you are feeling down. Heck, try it every day for 30 days. Let me know how it works out for you!

Update: I wrote this post on Saturday night. After doing a gratitude countdown, I overcame some mental hurdles and figured out some business issues that had been bugging me for weeks. This really does work!

Recommended Reading:

• Feeling Lonely, Depressed, or Underappreciated? Read This! Another great exercise I did when I was feeling down. This one works really well, too.
• True Visionaries Think Backwards. One of my favorite posts. This one will help you if you’re feeling mopey or sad about the future, or don’t know where you want your life to go.
• How Can You Have That Perfect “Flow State” More Often? You know those amazing feelings you get when you’re in “the flow”? How can you have those more often?

Feeling underappreciated? Try this simple remedy.

I was having one of those today while taking a shower, bemoaning my life, when a new thought occurred to me.

Background

I have real problems talking on the phone. While I know the phone is an essential communication mechanism for many people, I still have a tough time actually picking up the phone and calling anyone. I always feel awkward once I actually call someone, and my goal is often to relay information and hang up as quickly as possible, resulting in confusion for the person on the other end!

I managed to get over this quite effectively for business, since I always had an end goal in mind (”Is your issue resolved? Is there anything else I can help you with? Okay, great, thanks. Have a great day!”) but for simple personal calls, I just can’t do it. There’s no goal!

Kicking Myself out of My Self-Pity

I decided today that I could kill two birds with one stone and take a great leap by actually calling people. Since I needed a goal, I made one up: I would call ten people who had helped me out, either recently or in the past, and tell them thank you. Since it’s near Thanksgiving, this seemed appropriate.

After nearly having a heart attack at the thought of this, I plunged ahead. I picked up the phone and started calling. And amazingly, after talking to just four people, my mood totally shifted.

What I said was basically “Hi, it’s Erica Douglass. It’s near Thanksgiving and I just thought I would give you a call and say thank you for [specific things you have helped me with.] I really appreciate you being there for me.”

This was insanely awkward for me. I had no idea what they would say! I couldn’t script the conversation in my mind! I just had to wait.

The Result

What came back was amazing. It was, every time I got an actual person, a compliment about me, and/or some way I had helped them.

Some of you may be thinking, “Duh, Erica. That’s reciprocity in action.” But it’s not just a simple marketing concept — it’s a whole new way of thinking for me.

What I concluded is this: If you’re feeling underappreciated and unloved, chances are it’s because you aren’t giving out enough compliments and thank-yous to the people you appreciate.

Think about it. We’re all so quick to criticize. I admit that I’m the worst about this. I’m quick to point out what’s wrong. But how rare is it that you just get a phone call or letter — a real phone call or personal letter, not some quick email or form letter — saying “Thank you! You’ve made THIS SPECIFIC meaningful difference in my life, and I appreciate you.”

Why don’t you be the one to start this chain?

Don’t be so quick to write this off. Try it yourself. Make it your Thanksgiving goal to call ten people you love, and tell them why you appreciate them. Don’t pitch them, sell them, or expect anything in return. Next time you’re depressed, do it again. You may be amazed at how it will change your life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here, then, are five strategies you can use to give meaningful gifts your recipients will love — and actually use!

What are good gifts to give —
for even the pickiest recipient?

1. Avoid giving “stuff” if at all possible.

   All of us get an inordinate amount of “stuff” every year. Most of it clutters up our houses, and therefore, our life. I’m a big proponent of reducing the amount of stuff in my life, so I don’t like these gifts. Instead of giving stuff, why not give an experience they will remember for a long time to come?

   Here’s an easy question. Simply ask the gift recipient where they shop, eat, or would like to have a spa day, nail treatment, etc. Don’t let them get away with vague answers like “I buy most things at my local grocery store.” Ask them, “Where is your favorite place to shop?” Then give them a gift card fom that place.

   My mom gives me Amazon gift cards, which are nice — but they do contribute to the stuff accumulation in my life. I wouldn’t mind gift cards to my chiropractor, for instance, or my massage therapist. Heck, even paying a month of my gym membership would be awesome. The point is, these are all experiences I enjoy and that make me feel better. Why not contribute to someone’s well-being instead of contributing to their closet?

2. Give gifts that will save the recipient money.

   I admit to being a rather quirky gift-giver. Last year for the holidays, I gave everyone in my family about $75 each worth of compact fluorescent bulbs. With each gift, I explained why I had given it. “Installed properly, these will save you about $5-10/month on your electric bill,” I said. Then I helped them figure out where to install them in their house for maximum savings.

   If we all switched to compact fluorescent bulbs, we’d save 15-20% monthly on our electric bills, and our overall electricity demand in the U.S. would drop by 18%! [source]

   I’m definitely a crusader for environmentally friendly products, and I’ve been known to give away many CFL bulbs. But I can’t think of any better gift to give than one that takes less than 5 minutes to install and saves the recipient money, month after month. Who couldn’t use an extra $10-20 a month?

   Another gift in the same vein is a programmable thermostat (though you might want to consider how handy your recipient is, or offer free installation with it). Finally, a “smart” power strip that shuts off all devices when the primary one is turned off can help avoid “vampire” energy-sucking appliances by automatically turning off a DVD player, video game console, etc. when you turn your TV off.

3. Consider “add-on” gifts that the recipient would have to buy anyway.

   Find out what printer they have and buy cartridges for it. Find out what kind of razor they use and buy extra blades for it. If they have a video game console with only a single controller, consider a second or third controller. Buy them some blank DVDs or CDs so they can burn backups or music. If they print photos at home, get them some nice photo paper. Find out what exact bathroom and household supplies they have and buy them more of what they already own.

   These are great gifts because you practically guarantee they will get used. Instead of buying them something new (and therefore less likely to be used), you’re helping them use something they already own without outlaying additional cash.

4. If they have a subscription they like, continue it for them.

   Subscriptions and other “small luxuries” are often the first to go in a downturn. If your recipient loves Netflix, for instance, help them out by extending their subscription for a few months. Other subscriptions to consider extending include magazines, gym memberships, newsletters, and newspapers.

   The catch is that they actually have to be using that membership for this gift to be worthwhile. There’s a simple solution to this — ask them! We all love to talk about whether a certain service helps us or not. You won’t look foolish for asking “Hey, I noticed you had a couple Netflix DVDs on the table. Do you like their service?” Rather, you’ll appear interested in their life — and thoughtful when you later give the gift!

5. Buy gift cards for an experience they will remember — not for stuff they won’t use.

   One of my fondest memories was when a client we had gone above and beyond for sent my company a Ruth’s Chris gift card. Ruth’s Chris is a fantastic, high-end steakhouse. I wouldn’t typically eat there on my own, but the gift card made for a truly enjoyable experience. I can’t remember most of the gift cards I’ve gotten, but this one I will never forget.

   What’s a local, really nice restaurant near your recipient? Where can they go and have an amazing experience? Try to pick a place you’ve been to yourself. If you don’t know the area, use Yelp or Citysearch to help you find the cream of the crop in restaurants or spas.

What’s the point? We can all do a lot better at identifying what gifts to give recipients. Often, my friends and relatives complain that I’m hard to buy for. But by using these simple tactics, you can figure out what even the pickiest gift recipient would find useful.

Need a quick idea? Check out the most popular books others give as gifts:

We all have goals, dreams, and hopes, but all too often they’re quashed as we join the rat race to make more money, to then spend that money, which means we have to make more money, to spend more money…an infinite treadmill that, judging by many of the statistics I’ve read recently, some of us are never able to get off of.

I don’t want that someone to be you. I don’t want you to look back in 30, 40, or 50 years and say “Where did it all go?” I don’t want you to regret not doing the things that are really important to you — like spending quality time with your family and friends, and traveling — because you were working just so you could pay the bills.

Step Off the Treadmill and Live Your Dreams!

I want you to be able to step off that treadmill, because only then will you truly be able to rock this world. Want to spend 5 days a week working for your favorite cause without concern for how much the job pays? Want to buy a boat and sail across the ocean? Want to actually watch your kids grow up instead of sending them off to daycare? I want you to, as well. But you won’t be able to do any of that if you don’t start planning now for that future.

That’s why I have started a new mission — WealthCamp. WealthCamp is a unique personal finance conference. I have brought together some of the top personal finance speakers and authors and put them together in one room. They will be there to answer your questions and listen to your stories.

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich will be there explaining how to get started saving and investing. Judy Lawrence, who has sold over 400,000 budget books, will teach you how to make a budget. And Fred Ecks, who retired at a young age without winning the lottery, is going to show you how this is all possible and open your eyes to a new way of living.

Why Should You Be There?

Why should you come to WealthCamp? Simple. You have questions about personal finance. You have stories to share. You can learn from the gurus and in turn help others. But above all — you should come to WealthCamp because you understand this:

Financial education earns you financial freedom.

It’s true! If you want to retire early, how much money do you need to do that? Where should you invest? What’s the difference between a 401(k), a Roth IRA, and a traditional IRA? If you don’t know, WealthCamp is your opportunity to find out. And if you do, WealthCamp is your opportunity to share your story and help others.

Don’t Follow The Crowd…

Our economy is at a critical inflection point right now. There are massive amounts of Baby Boomers who wish to retire, but can’t, because they don’t have the money. At the same time, some 90% of 30-39-year-olds are in debt, and 76% of 20-29-year-olds are in debt. Financial education is the key to making sure we can live the life of our dreams. WealthCamp is the first personal finance conference in the world to engage a community of those who want to live their dreams and let you — the community — have a say in the conference.

I am passionate about living my dreams without having to worry about money or personal finances. If you want to learn how to start living and stop the treadmill, join us at WealthCamp on Saturday, May 31 in San Francisco. Use coupon code “friend” to bring your price down to just $50 — a bargain considering all of the excellent advice you will receive and all of the great people you will meet.

You will get a chance to reach out and connect with others who will support you in living the life of your dreams and fulfilling your goals. And you’ll become the first part of what will become a global community of people passionate about using money and investments as a tool to enable their true destinies.

I hope to see you there!

1) Waxing is painful.
2) Waxing is expensive.
3) Waxing takes a lot of time (about 45 minutes per treatment.)
4) I was left with sticky wax on my legs and some irritation after waxing.

At $55 per waxing treatment, 4-6 times per year, for the rest of my life, waxing wasn’t a pleasant alternative. Neither, however, was shaving. Shaving was also time-consuming and, worse, was causing irritation and ingrown hairs — to the point that I couldn’t shave very often. Plus, shaving is just annoying. I also have a “treasure trail” of hair on my stomach below my belly button that I’ve always hated, and neither shaving nor waxing ever got rid of that to my satisfaction.

There was a small forest growing on my legs, so I needed to do something in order to feel comfortable wearing shorts. The answer came when I found out my chiropractor’s wife, Kathy, does hair removal treatments. Since my chiropractor (his name is Todd Bragg, and if you’re in or around San Jose, look him up) is awesome and I trust him, I decided to give the laser hair removal a shot.

My first appointment with Kathy was last week. She explained that I needed to shave before doing a laser hair removal treatment and did a couple of “test spots” on my stomach. I was surprised by how little it hurt. The laser hair removal practitioners usually describe it as a flash of white light followed by a zap/sting that’s approximately equivalent to being flipped with a rubber band. I wasn’t bothered by it much at all, however. It mostly felt hot.

Treatments are done approximately every 6 weeks since hair grows in cycles. Each treatment for legs+stomach runs $204 if I pay in cash or $215 to pay by credit card. Kathy said that it would take approximately 6-10 treatments to be completely done, but once the treatments are done, you don’t have to shave or wax for at least 20 years (during mid-life most people have a second hair growth phase which will require a few more treatments to completely laser away.) While $1200+ may sound expensive, consider that I was spending $55 per leg wax treatment at least 4 times per year. It doesn’t take very long to make that back up. Furthermore, it’s not the money I’m most concerned about, but my time. Life is short and I don’t want to deal with waxing, shaving, and ingrown hairs. One of my goals in life is to focus my time carefully so that I never spend time doing things I don’t want to do (more on that in a later blog entry.) Suffice it to say that the time and money saved by doing laser hair removal now will pay out many times over in my life.

Since the test treatment went so well, I decided to get both of my legs done (I’m doing the bottom half of each leg only) as well as my “treasure trail.” My first treatment was today and overall, it went really well! It took about an hour start to finish, with 40 minutes of actual treatment. Basically, the practitioner puts a small device over the area that is getting hair removed. The device does about 1″x2.5″ every time. You see a light flash (she asks you to keep your eyes closed) and then feel a heat flash. I noticed that my left leg tended to feel more “sharp” tingles and my right leg seemed to feel more “burn” sorts of feelings. Either way, it’s relatively painless and not nearly at the level of waxing. The most sensitive area was the back of my knees, which felt like someone jabbed me pretty hard with a fingernail. (I have lots of experience with this since I have two cats with claws. Cat scratches are way more painful than anything I experienced today.) Most of the time my legs just felt hot for a few seconds, and that was it.

I tuned out of most of it, put some chill music on my iPod, and listened to my own breathing, and by the end of the treatment I was mostly asleep and relaxed. The key for me was listening to my breathing…that way I didn’t anticipate anything and force my legs into a reflexive recoil. I had to really mentally focus for a while to get my thoughts onto my breathing and not onto “I wonder if this next one will be painful?” I realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t very painful. Listening to my breathing and keeping my thoughts on the breathing and the beat of the music enabled me to completely tune out of what was going on.

My next appointment is in 6 weeks. I meant to take a picture of my legs today so I could showcase this on Flickr, but I forgot. Hopefully I’ll remember to take one next time so I can further track my progress. I should be able to see a noticeable difference even 6 weeks from now. We’ll see!

I will be without Internet access, email, or phone coverage until September 4. For those of you attending Burning Man, I will be at the Bioluminati camp at Wheel of Fortune/Brave@6:30 (right behind Camp Arctica.)

I should arrive at the camp very late tonight (probably between 2-3AM.) I still have a ton of stuff to do before I go… ugh! (You can never be too prepared for a week in the desert with no supplies other than those you and your camp members bring!)

I will post pictures when I get back!

The meme: Google the phrase “(Your name) looks like” and find the best one from the first page of results. Don’t forget to put it in quotes; otherwise it won’t work.

I went for it, Googled “Erica looks like” and got a hilarious page of results, but by far my favorite one was Erica Looks Like A Lion. (Yes! Click it! It’s a Flickr photo!) Now I do not know this Erica, but I can appreciate the inherent lioness in this Erica, as I feel I too have an inherent lioness.

My other favorite link, since we’re sharing, is Would the real Erica please stand up?, which is a blog entry about the trials and tribulations of being an Erica Vonderheid and meeting another Erica Vonderheid. I totally get what this Erica is saying, too, because I know if I met another Erica Douglass, well, that would just be freaky.

What can you guys find when you Google this phrase? Post away! I hope to see this make the /. journal rounds.

I’m in support of events like the Women 2.0 conference because it is important for women, especially younger women, to meet and get to know women who have become successful. If you are a woman entrepreneur or woman techie in the Bay Area, I encourage you to attend. If you know of a woman who would benefit from being a part of this, please forward this blog entry or their website on to her.

Thanks!