One Tweak a Week Challenge

Because I decided to do monthly and yearly challenges this year I was encourage to take up the Tweak a Week Challenge when I was listening to Paula Pants's Afford Anything episode called 26 Easy Moves to Improve your Finances in 2020. I joined the Mighty Networks app so that I could join the discussion with other people. So I have some record of the last 13 weeks.

Anyone can start at any time. Just visit the Afford Anything blog and look for one Tweak a Week for an e-book about the challenge.

Tweak 1: Automate 1 Extra Percent - of your income towards savings or debt repayment anything that will improve your networth. I added 1% to paying off my 0% credit card transfer for a total of $367.

Tweak 2: Track Networth - I already have an idea of my networth because I use personal capital. But I updated some numbers in an Excel spreadsheet for a total networth of $174,437.49. I also track the ratio of networth to lifetime income as suggested in Get Rich Slowly. My networth is 37% of my lifetime earnings. That is pretty good. About 50% of my networth is the value I have in my house. I think it is better if your primary resident is less than 30% of your networth. Obviously, when you are young your home will have a bigger portion, but if it's too high than you could be considered house poor. The other half of my networth is mainly in retirement accounts. So even though I am proud of my networth and my ratio, I have room to improve.

Tweak 3: Check Credit Report (bonus freeze it) - I check my credit report at least twice a year, once when I do my taxes and a second time when I get raises in the fall. So, I ran the report a little early, but everything looked normal. I also froze my credit. I don't need my credit right now since I'm not planning to take out a loan soon.

Tweak 4: Have a Throw Away Day - The tweak only required one hour to declutter. So, I went through some of my clothes and my kitchen's junk draw to declutter.

Tweak 5: Sell an Item - I didn't have an item from the last week I could sell. I tried to sell an old couch instead, but I had it on the curb for a bulk trash day before I got a response. At least I finally got rid of it.

Tweak 6: Write Your Why - The reason I am doing the challenge is because this is the year of challenge and I thought a financial tweak a week went well with the year's theme.

Tweak 7: Automate 1 more percent - I now pay $417 to the credit card and I set up Surprise savings at Ally bank. It will move money from checking to savings account randomly. I have had $133 surprise savings in 5 weeks.

Tweak 8: Research Your Salary - When I changed jobs last year I researched my salary. It wasn't different than it was last year. I have averaged 8.31% raises since 2009.

Tweak 9: Create a Catch Phrase - I would rather have a baby than retire at 52.

Tweak 10: Adjust Thermostat by one degree - I don't have the thermostat on this time of year. I try not to get as far into May as I can. Last year I made it all the way through. I will keep the thermostat at 79 once I do turn it on.

Tweak 11: Fill Tires - I have never done this. So I had my dad show me how. One of the tires was low. I have not noticed a different in getting gas, because I have been quarantined for almost two weeks now.

Tweak 12: Delay Online Purchases for One Week - I did badly at this because I just bought yarn to make a baby blanket for my cousin's rainbow baby. I want it to be ready before the gender reveal. I will restart today.

Tweak 13: Switch Mortgage to Bi-Weekly Payments - I started doing this years ago. When you do bi-weekly pay half your mortgage every two weeks, by doing this you are making a 13 full payments a year. If you do this for 12 years you have shaved a year off your mortgage. My paid in full date went from July 2026 to November 2025. I have added an additional principal payment every month since my roommate, Paloma, moved in. Today I paid half of my April 2021 payment. I only predicted having a roommate for a year. If that happens my new paid-in full date will be August of 2024.

Those were the first 13 tweaks this year and another 13 tweaks to go. I like the challenges so far even though some of the tweaks I already do. I have notice some changes in the last quarter. I recommend the challenge to other people.

Monthly Challenges

My monthly challenges for the year started with intermittent fasting in January. The rules were that I could only eat between noon and 8 pm. I have done one-three day fasts in the past. I learned as a teenager that the zoo only feed the lions six days a week. I figured if a lion could fast I could as well. More recently I will not eat before noon on the weekends. 

So the month of January wasn't too difficult. I was allowed coffee as long as it was black so that was a life saver. Some days I would be ready to eat at noon but other days I would not be hungry until later. I didn't notice a change in energy or anything like that, but I didn't feel deprived either. 

I found not doing something was easier compared to doing something like the 10k steps challenge in February. I wasn't sure if my steps would count on the treadmill and I felt guilty walking but not walking my dog. So I opted for walking him instead of going to the gym. I usually got about 3,000 steps at work, and I would get 2 miles in or 5,000 steps with my dog. I got the additional 2,000 steps at home. I could get about 100 steps walking from one room to the next. 

Mid-way through the month Paloma, my roommate, and I went to a dive bar and line danced. I got enough steps for that Saturday and the next Sunday. So after that I would put on a line dancing youtube video to boot, scoot and boogie my final 2,000 steps. 

On the last Saturday in February I walked to the shopping center and grabbed pho. Paloma came to pick me up after and said I was like an old man with dementia wandering away from my home.

Mediation March is the current challenge. I was doing well with it, but I was sick last week skipped a few days, so I paid a dollar to the jar! The rules are that I must mediate 30 minutes a day or try to. I use youtube or a podcast to help.

I am a skeptic so I only use mediation for relaxation. It is the only claim that has evidence and that evidence does not compare mediation to other forms of relaxation. So an activity like listening to calm music or journaling may be just as good. I believe I am good at relaxing, but when I mediate I do notice that I feel like I do when I get a massage. So maybe I don't relax as well as I thought prior to March.

April is Keto diet challenge. I figured that only way to get through Keto is to plan ahead because if I have to figure out what I'm doing in April I will mess up. So two weekends ago I bulk prepared 8 freezer meals that feed 6 people so that should be enough for dinners. I am planning to fast in the morning until noon, so I will probably break the fast with hard boiled eggs and cheese squares or steamed veggies and avocado simple meals like that. I have no expectations for Keto. It is just a challenge to beat.

Future challenges include, No Internet, Walk Up at 5 am, No Coffee, Vegan, No Added Sugar, Mediterranean Diet, Stephen King's Writing Schedule and Bedtime at 8 pm.

Year of Challenges

Hey, it has been a while. I have been out of touch because after my first IUI. I had some LIFE changes. I changed companies for the first time since 2008. I rented one of my rooms to a friend and her two puppers. I also became an Aunt.

So I haven't been back for the second IUI, and I just paid to store the semen for longer. All these changes have allowed me to save and earn more in preparation. My HSA from my previous employer is set to pay all the medical expenses of pregnancy. 

I'm not sure when I will try again, but with the coronavirus postponing non essential procedures, I'm waiting at least a little longer. I will reassess in the summer. 

In the meantime this year is themed the Year of Challenges. Years previously I have give up fast food and soda successfully and this year I decided to do the same. Fast food is anything I've seen with a drive thru usually I allow Starbucks but I'm not it this year. Soda is any sugary drinks with a fizz. I also decided to give up alcohol until my birth which is 5 months of the year. 

But I have been watching Wheezy Waiter videos over the last year or more and he has completed many monthly challenges that I decided to do the same. I used monthly goals that he has done or is planning to do this year to label each month.

Lastly, I added the One Tweak a Week for 26 weeks challenge from Paula Pant when I heard her episode regarding the same.

Another podcast, Cortex, that I listen to says to give years a theme instead of a goal. So this year's theme is Challenges. 

So far I have been pretty successful in my challenges except for drinking occasionally during family dinners. If I break a challenge then I have to put $1 to $5 in a jar. My roommate has her own goals so she also contributes to the jar. We will probably use the money to throw a party at the end of the year.

Well until next time. Wash your hands.