Between my bike challenge for April and May and my debt repayment strategy plan, I’ve been keeping myself in check  with accomplishing my goals through baby steps. My bike challenge is much more rewarding; at the end of the week I can successfully say that I’ve accomplished my 24 miles for the week, if not more. It’s great exercise, so I don’t feel guilty if I scarf down a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and I’m saving wear and tear on my car and gas. Basically I’m saving money by committing to this challenge.

My debt repayment plan is on track as well, I paid $400 in April towards my crummy line of credit (my original goal was to pay $525, so I’m a little short). In contrast to my bike challenge, it’s not nearly as much fun! As much as I like seeing that total debt shrink, I also notice my bank account going in the same direction. Yet, I must keep persevering so that I can pay it off, then save that monthly payment for my down payment. At that point, I will also be in a good position to open an IRA and begin seriously contributing.

Summary of my goals and challenges for April (to keep me honest!):

• Bike Challenge: 60 miles in 16 days. That’s 12 miles more than what I had committed to. Whoo hoo!
• Debt Repayment Plan: reduced line of credit to $7,930. I would have liked to have paid off another $125 so I’m a little behind on this goal.

Crummy Loan Count Down

April / May Bike Challenge

Late summer goals that I will be pursuing by August:

• Open IRA (for a work at home mom and dads spousal IRA)
• Increase my savings account by a significant amount (I really can’t compute an actual number yet since I’m moving funds around and my income fluctuates greatly!)

I will continue end of the month status reports to help me stick to my goals. Hopefully, my current goals will help me meet my late summer goals!

What goals have you made this year? Are you meeting them? What about the goals you are behind on, do you feel guilty?

I love biking. Now I need to challenge myself to bike more.

I fizzled out on my 30-day Shred challenge, motivated by Well Heeled Blog. I think I just got bored of the same video; I know my husband was tired of hearing the music over and over again. However, this month I’ve set a goal that I’m pretty sure I can complete: bike to work 2 times a week, totaling 24 miles. Before December, I was very dedicated to riding my bike. But then, the cold, wet weather set in and the slightest cool breeze or dark cloud gave me reason NOT to ride.

Now, with the clear skies and warm temps becoming the norm, I have no good excuse not to ride at least twice a week. Riding on the days I go to school is even more motivating: I don’t have to pay a parking fee! And it’s much easier riding directly to the door, rather than hiking a mile from the parking lot lugging my books on my shoulder. Some benefits I hope to see during this two month challenge:

• No more tummy bulge. I used to have a six pack. However, after a few too many six packs, that area has become slightly jiggly. My husband is kind enough to say he likes my stomach more now than the earlier version, but I think he’d prefer our stomachs to match .
• Stronger legs. Compared to my wimpy upper body, my legs are superior. I recently helped unload a very heavy fountain basin and used my legs to do all the work (i.e. push it out of the back of our car). Since I have little hope of ever achieving super-woman arms, my legs will have to take their place. So,the stronger,the better.
• Limit the wear and tear on our single vehicle. Last week, we replaced our rear brakes. Luckily, we’re very diligent about car repairs, so only the pads needed replacing. My bike riding will limit the car being used, decreasing the span of time needed for our next set of repairs.
• My husband won’t feel stranded. As a single car family, when I have the car, my husband feels a little stranded. Since he works at home, he rarely needs to go anywhere on the spur of the moment. However, that doesn’t mean I need to hog the car all week.
• Save gas. Biking riding is one of the most efficient modes of transportation. I’ve noticed that gas prices are beginning to climb a little. Biking means I won’t have to fill up as frequently.

I’m clearing out my cycle meter tomorrow and will update my progress on my right side bar. Beware, drivers!

Do you use alternative transportation to get to and from work? Do you ride your bike to work or school?

Tuesday Tips, Just Another Great Post from Little House. I'm so humble.

This week’s Tuesday Tip is bicycling as an inexpensive mode of transport. Have I mentioned that I love my green, Raleigh Comfort bike? Probably, right?

Tip # 3: Bicycle your way to the grocery store, save money and lose inches!

Why Cycling is Frugal

• When gas prices were hovering around $5.00 per gallon here in sunny Los Angeles, I bought myself a bicycle. My trips to Starbucks, the grocery store, and even the bank were all under 2 miles. I saved money on filling up my Honda with gas less often -and smiled to myself as I rode past the gas stations. (I love my Honda, but it’s not very fuel efficient ).
• Pedaling my way around town, I realized I didn’t have to spend the extra time working out. I was never a gym-goer, I like being outside more often than not. However, I saved time in the evenings by getting in my exercise while completing an errand. Save time, save money – bike!
• Fit people cost our health care system less money. Cycling not only strengthens your legs, but your heart as well. And, heart disease is the number one killer among humans.
• You don’t have to pay for parking. Biking to school saves me over $300 on parking permits. Whoo-hoo!

Cycling is Good for the Environment

• When you pedal, there’s no petroleum based byproduct to worry about. You are conserving petroleum, reducing your emissions, and getting fit all at the same time.
• If you worry about the amount of energy that went into making your bike, you can always purchase a used one. That’s one of the great things about bicycles, their simple, but effective, design. A good tune-up and some new tires on a used bike and you’re ready to go.

Don't believe me? Check out this cool image. Image from BikeNow.org

Do you ride your bike? Does your city make it easy for you to do so? Do you ride offensively or defensively? How many of you ride weekly?

This is the last part of the Half Dome hike. When I first saw this, I said no way! But then I did it and it wasn't that frightening.

As I am remaining to keep my blog quasi-anonymous, I realize that there are some things you should know about me. (I’m kinda stealing this post idea from Ryan’s 8 Random Things About Me post from Planting Dollars – Sorry Ryan!) So here are just a few quick and dirty facts about me:

• I’m short. Barely 5′ 2″. My husband, on the other hand, is a foot taller than me.
• I’m a Starbucks addict. You probably already knew this, especially if you checked out my guest post at gobankingrates.com.
• I love my green, Raleigh, Comfort bike. I bike as much as I can to Starbucks (of course!) to school, to the bank, to the grocery store. (Though lately I’ve been a little lazy !)
• I use Quickbooks to help track my spending. I’m the bookkeeper around my house, including handling all of my husband’s client invoices (he’s self employed), purchase orders, and even help out on projects occasionally.
• I’ve been able to pay down about $8,000 in debt. I still have more to go, but I’m getting there. I should be seeing that finish line in under 24 months, whew!
• My husband and I are hoping to purchase a house in the next year to year in a half. Perhaps a little house, under 1,500 square feet.
• I’ve increased my credit score by almost 200 points this past year. I need to raise it about 60 more points, but if I continue making on time payments and using my credit cards lightly, that should happen this year.
• I love architecture, especially little house plans. For those of you who are looking for terrific house plans, I finally created a ‘House Plan’ category and organized my posts that include links to house plan sites I’ve found. You can see this category on the right side bar. I notice that much of my Google traffic is from people searching little house plans, so here’s to you!
• I like to hike. I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon twice, hiked Yosemite’s Half Dome in a day (up and down), hiked Vernal Falls twice, and I hope to someday hike Mt. Whitney. (I’m not at all interested in Mt. Everest!)

Random facts that confirm I’m boring!

I’ve been feeling lazy lately. Instead of pedaling my way to work on the majority of week days, I’ve been tapping the gas pedal instead. I can blame it partially on the weather, the cooler weather makes it more difficult to get going in the morning, which makes me run out of time for cycling. Of course, this week we finally had some much-needed rain, and that too curtails my riding. If only I could figure out a way to ride in the rain without getting wet!

Wednesday, I rode to work after a rainy beginning to the week. I felt much more alert and ready to teach my 24 students how to write an expository piece on city wildlife. Yesterday, after driving a mere 5 1/2 miles, I felt sleepy and forced myself to look peppy. I quietly told myself on Wednesday, that I would ride my bike again on Friday. But of course,  I woke up to a rainy morning and just can’t justify getting soaked on the way to school.

So how do cyclists in cities like Copenhagen do it? Well, for one they have an awesome bicycle infrastructure. Their bike paths are clearly marked and safely separated from vehicles. Another bonus, when a large number of people commute by bike it encourages others to do the same. I know that if a few hundred people were also on the streets bicycling to and fro, it would motivate me even more (I’m also secretly competitive so I would be out there peddling more often!)

Most cyclists in Copenhagen commute roughly between 2 to 8 miles a day (I found a very rough estimate in kilometers and estimated it into US miles, so it’s not exact). In contrast, most people in the United States including myself, commute a little further every day. When I ride to work, I end up riding a total of 11 miles round trip. Due to the distance of my commute it takes me about 45 minutes, and in inclement weather exposes me to the elements for a longer period of time. My one experience riding to work in light rain left me slightly drenched from the knees down. My rain attire only covered me from my head to my thighs since I needed to move my legs for pedaling.

Until I find the ultimate rain gear or humongous umbrella to cover my body while riding, I will continue wimping out. So, kudos to those mighty Nederlanders and their riding through rain, sleet, or snow! If you’re interested in city cycling, check out Cycle Chic, it’s a really inspiring bicycle site from Copenhagen.