Recap of my weekend review to-do list

 More or less failed on my list. Although I did get one thing checked-off so it would be worse with 0 for 3. But instead I settled for 1 for 3.

1 - Side Yard: Threw out a bunch of debris. Ripped out dead plants. Now have to think up some landscaping.

2 - Donations: Not quite. I did add a few things to the donation box but I didn't sort through my closet so I'm marking this one "not done."

3 - Veggie Garden: Spent the yard time on #1. But really want to get this item going.

Well, I'll do better next time....

My weekend declutter and to-do list

I have three goals in mind this weekend.

1 - Side Yard: Pull out the dead shrub on the side of the house. After 1 year I'm pretty sure it isn't coming back. Funny how things that are out-of-sight can be ignored for ages. I also bought 2 azaleas that need to be planted. There is some misc. debris that can be thrown out as well.

2 - Donations: I have a few boxes of donations to take to the thrift store. But I think I can add one more box of clothes. I'll comb through my closet and look for items that are begging to be donated. I know that I have a few shirts that I haven't worn in over 4 years. I suppose that's a good signal that they aren't needed!

3 - Veggie Garden: In the past years we've done flat bed and raised bed gardening. But this year I want to try a building garden box for veggies. Luckily I had a free source of 2x6 boards. I have all the materials and just need to spend an hour building them. And another hour getting some veggie starters from the store and planting them.

What is on your weekend's to-do list?

15 year mortgage - 7 months in and all awesome! And it will change your financial future...

After just 7 months of payments on our 15-year fixed mortgage we've paid down more principle than we had in the previous 20 months of our old 30-year fixed. Wow, that's some awesome!!

Here's a quick breakdown of the fantastic math:
$$ amount applied to loan principal for past 7 months
April - 908
March - 905
Feb - 903
Jan - 900
Dec - 897
Nov - 894
Oct - 891
Total applied to principal = $6,298

Looking over the notes from our old 30 year fixed mortgage for the last 7 months before the refi we paid a total of $2,046 towards principal. So the math is clear that the 15 year is awesome! $6,298 is much better than $2,046. It's basically money back in our pocket, albeit a pocket in some bank's database.

If you are at all able to refi to a 15 year fixed do it! It will change your financial future.

1 month Reflections on my sit stand work desk

For the past month I've been using an Ergotron sit-stand desk at work. It's a cool gadget that holds both my keyboard/mouse and monitor. It raises and lowers as I choose with minimal effort. I've seen Ergotron products used in hospitals for nurse stations and the company definitely makes a great product.

There's no shortage of companies offering products in the market space and plenty of DIY options available using free items like paper reams and soda cans.

My thoughts on the functionality of sitting and standing so far is great. It is important to note that I don't spend a full 8 hours at my desk each day either -- I come and go throughout the day. And some tasks I prefer sitting, such as when I have to write notes with pen and paper.

The main benefit of the standing part is health and longevity. The body burns more calories while standing so there is the subtle benefit of burning fat while working! You can find calculators online that will estimate how many more calories burned while standing compared to sitting. For my weight I will burn 255 more calories over 6 hours for standing rather than sitting. Over a 5 day workweek that is 1275 calories! And with 3500 calories in a pound a fat it means I burn one pound for every 14 days I stand for 6 hours. And I know this sounds too good to be true, but it is 19 pounds of fat over the course of the year!

Of course I might eat a little more each day and the result will be less but needless to say burning more fat calories is fantastic. And another benefit is the ergonomics on the body. Standing is better for the joints and more natural than sitting. And you can't slouch while you stand.

So far I'm enjoying the new sit/stand desk and will write another update a few months from now to see how I have found it after a few months.

Do you use a sit/stand or standing desk? How have you found it?