“The most amazing lesson in aerodynamics I ever had was the day I climbed a thermal in a glider at the same time as an eagle.
I witnessed, close up, effortlessness and lightness combined with strength, precision and determination.”
– Norman Foster

We are in a constant state of motion, we are either soaring upwards, or falling down. Moving forward or going backwards. Every single day our financial state is either improving or getting worse. The direction we go, is ultimately our choice.

For Valentine’s day most couples go out to dinner, or dinner AND a movie. There’s nothing wrong with spending money, just as long as you do it in an intentional and responsible way. Instead of spending the holiday as consumers, my husband and I had a full day adventure photographing eagles, and it was awesome!

Eagles are fascinating birds and have been highly regarded throughout history by many different cultures. Native American tribes see eagles as sacred. When an emperor died in Ancient Rome, a golden eagle would be released at his funeral to carry his soul to the Gods. There’s the epic Kazakh’s in Mongolia who are still hunting with eagles to this day. In Greek mythology there is the Aetos Dios, the “Eagle of Zeus”.  In Christianity the eagle can represent salvation. The Garuda is a symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism. And obviously, the bald eagle is the national bird of the USA.

Now what does this have to do with becoming a saver not a spender? Let’s take a look at what eagles symbolize.

Guardianship. Action. Freedom. Control. Vision. Power. Authority. Inspiration. Loyalty. Optimism.

When you take action and save your money, that allows you to have more freedom, power, and control in your life. We should be guardians of our money, instead of being slaves to it. Treat our finances with authority. When you save money you feel more optimistic about life. It allows you to have vision and live with inspiration. When saving money is a priority, you are essentially showing loyalty to yourself.

Most people think you are either born as a saver or a spender. Growing up I was told I was the latter. It was nearly impossible for me to save. I’d get jealous of my siblings who could so easily save their money. I truly thought I was stuck and doomed to always be a spender while others built up savings. Up until my early twenties, I didn’t know I could change. I didn’t know I could stop being a spender and become a saver. None of us are born as spenders or savers, they are learned behaviors. YOU can decide who you want to be. YOU always have the power to change. 

Here’s a disturbing fact for you, 63% of American’s don’t have enough money in savings to cover a $500 emergency!

How to Become a Saver

Why:

Before you can make a change, you need to address your emotional and mental reasons for your current actions. Why do you have the urge to spend? Do you think if you don’t spend it now you won’t have the chance later?

Why do you want to save money? It’s important to be very clear with yourself about what your goals are and why. Is there something specific you want to save for? Are you saving so you no longer have to live paycheck to paycheck?

Why wouldn’t you want to have money in savings? Forgo the instant gratifications today, so you can have peace of mind and an even better tomorrow.

Ditch the excuses.
If you spend $3 every day on something non-essential (coffee, soda, snacks, fast food, impulse purchases, etc) … that equates to over $1,000 per year. If you are reading this right now, there is absolutely no reason on earth why you shouldn’t have some money in savings!

Perspective:

Change your perspective. Question your beliefs about money. Focus on developing an abundance mentality.

In the consumerism trap you will never have enough, you will always want more. Ever bought new clothes only to get tired of them and then need even newer clothes? Or that iphone that you desperately needed 6 months ago that is now totally ancient and you now need the latest version?  Going down the road of consumerism may bring fleeting “happiness”, but it will never give you lasting joy. Change your thinking, change your habits, change your life.

Spend less. Stop shopping as a hobby. Separate needs from wants. Realize when something is a first world problem. Stop putting yourself in situations where you are tempted to spend. Don’t aimlessly walk around shops or casually browse online stores. Be intentional. If you need groceries, make a shopping list and stick to it. Calculate the true cost of things. Delay making purchases. Find alternatives.

Stop being a slave to your appetites. Start having self control over your spending.

Action:

Make saving a priority. Create a plan. Have a designated place for your savings. A bank account specifically for savings, a jar at your house, whatever you want as long as it is separate from the rest of your money. Decide how much you want to save each month.

Get in the habit, start small if you need to. Only able to save $10? That’s better than nothing. Be deliberate. Don’t “wait til the end of the month and see what’s leftover”. Always save first! Budget your money so that saving is a priority.

Automate your savings if you need to. You can have your bank take a certain amount automatically from your paycheck and into your savings account. Or if you set up $10 a day to automatically transfer to savings, after one year you’ll have $3,650 saved. To me it feels more empowering to consciously transfer money to savings. It feels good when you are able to have self-discipline and transfer the money yourself. Do whatever works best for you.

Try making savings a game or challenge. Set a deadline. Save every $5 bill you get. Start saving a 1% increase of your income each month, after a year you will be saving 12% more. Get your family on board and be creative about it. Make it fun.

Resist the temptation to spend what you’ve saved. Break through your self imposed barriers. Don’t self sabotage. In my late teens I had such a struggle to get my savings to more than $300. I’d save around that much, give up, then spend what I had saved. I’d get frustrated at how little the amount was, or something would come along that I “needed”. Once I was finally able to get over that hurdle, I was able to continue saving and feel strong against the temptation to spend it. Maybe you are the same as I once was. Your amount or reasons may be different, but the point is, we all have hurdles in life. Invisible limits we think we have. You can overcome anything. Put your heart, mind, and soul to it.

You just gotta do it. Don’t make it complicated. Simply just start saving your money. 

“The eagle has no fear of adversity.
We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror!”
– Joyce Meyer

I highly recommend reading or listening to “On the Wings of Eagles”. It’s a really great talk by Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
Remember, it’s never too early or too late to start saving, and no amount is ever too little.
It’s your choice to be a saver or a spender. I choose to be a saver.

Let’s be like eagles, kings of the skies!

“Farewell!” they cried,
“wherever you fare, till your eyries receive you at the journey’s end!”
That is the polite thing to say among eagles.
“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks,”
answered Gandalf, who knew the correct reply.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders,
cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage,
for your children and your children’s children.
Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

The motto “progress not perfection” is something we should all remember in life. Especially when it comes to striving for a zero waste lifestyle. It’s OKAY to not live 100% zero waste, it’s also AWESOME if you are able to fully live a zero waste life. It’s about progress. If your feeling intimidated, try swapping just one thing in your life to a zero waste alternative. Every little bit of trash you can save from the landfill helps. Not to mention all the waste that ends up in the ocean, littering beaches and harming marine life. 

Here are 15 tips to have a zero waste bathroom:

(note: nothing on here is sponsored, affiliate links or any of that crap. Just stuff I like and recommend.)

1. Bamboo toothbrush.
About 1 billion toothbrushes are discarded each year in the US alone. That’s a lot of plastic waste that will never decompose. Bamboo toothbrushes are awesome because you can recycle the bristles and compost the handle. Plus they look really cool! Check your local health food store or amazon.

2. Tooth powder.
Brushing your teeth with a DIY tooth powder is a great zero waste alternative. You’ll be avoiding artificial and toxic ingredients AND it’s so much cheaper than buying toothpaste. Unfortunately I haven’t found a good dental floss yet. There are kinds that are biodegradable, but the ones I’ve used have shredded like crazy and don’t glide as nicely as the oral b kind.

3. Bar soap.
You can easily find package free bar soap at health food stores or from local soap makers. I use this instead of liquid hand soap. There are shampoo bars you can get, which are awesome if you have short hair, but a hassle to use on long hair.

4. Handkerchiefs.
I wrote a whole post on why handkerchiefs are awesome.

5. Bidet.
If you got dog poop on your hand, there’s no way you would wipe it off with a dry paper towel! You would totally wash it off haha. Bidets save a ridiculous amount of toilet paper, plus your bum will never have been so fresh and so clean clean. I use this $25 bidet that easily attaches to your toilet. It was a little weird using it for the first few times haha, but Donovan and I have zero regrets about getting it. All pros, no cons.

6. Recycled toilet paper.
I use small amounts of tp because I’m not hardcore enough to use a “family cloth” haha.  It is absolutely horrendous that trees are being cut down, only to be flushed down the toilet. Single use disposable items should only be made from recycled materials, or avoided all together. I like the Natural Value brand toilet paper. It’s made from 100% recycled paper, the packaging is recyclable, it’s affordable, and they don’t use chlorine or other toxic stuff when manufacturing it. I buy it from Natural Grocers and it’s about $2.99 for a pack of 4 large rolls.

PER DAY in the US alone: “100 million rolls of toilet paper used resulting in… 41 thousand trees pulped… 1.3 billion gallons of water consumed to produce the paper… 693 tons of chlorine applied in the bleaching process… 47 thousand megawatt-hours of electricity wasted.” (mercola.com)

7. Menstrual cup.
Using a cup has been the best thing that has ever happened to my periods. There are so many benefits to this, I should probably write a post about it. I use the lady cup.

8. Reusable cotton rounds/balls.
These are so easy to make! I bought some purple flannel fabric for about a dollar. I cut it into squares then sewed two pieces together like you would when making bean bags. I use them to remove makeup, apply toner etc. I wash them along with the bath towels. They don’t fall apart like the disposables and are softer. Not to mention all the negative impacts cotton can have on the environment. (Statistics here.)

9. Recycle.
If you have some products that come in containers, just make sure to recycle them. Donovan and I use and love this shower gel instead of bar soap. It doesn’t dry out our skin like bar soap does and it’s nicer to shave my legs with. We also use it to wash our dogs. It’s natural, it lasts us quite awhile, then we recycle it. I haven’t found a good, natural shampoo and conditioner yet. If you wear contacts, just recycle what you can and don’t stress about it.

10. Shaving cream alternative. 
Donovan uses coconut oil instead of shaving cream. He says, “It will leave your skin feeling more moist afterwards, there’s no crap in it, it’s 100% natural.”

11. DIY deodorant.
Donovan uses plain baking soda as deodorant and I make my own deodorant paste. Both actually work better than regular deodorant!

12. Compost.
Some people stop using q tips all together, but I have slight q tip addiction. I make sure to buy the kind with a cardboard middle so they can biodegrade. Avoid the plastic centered ones. This is really gross, but you can compost your hair and nail clippings.

13. DIY skincare.
I make my own cleanser (recipe here). Bentonite clay and raw honey both make great face masks.

14. Multipurpose items.
Try using things that have multiple uses. I use jojoba oil to moisturize my face and my hair. Baking soda can be used for brushing teeth, deodorant, facial scrub, and cleaning your bathroom to name a few. Coconut oil can be used for oil pulling, as a body moisturizer, deep conditioning treatment etc.

15. Quality tools.
Use quality tools that will last forever (or at least a very long time haha). I adore my Mason Pearson hair brush, which was ridiculously expensive but worth every penny. Get a stainless steel nail file instead of emery boards. A lot of zero wasters love the single blade safety razor, I haven’t tried that yet though.

I don’t have any recommendations for zero waste makeup. Just use up beauty products you have, then buy less in the future. You don’t need a million products to be beautiful or get the job done.

Thank you for reading this. I really appreciate it! I hope that you found this info helpful. If you have any questions you can ask me over on instagram. 

Peace & Love,
Kayla Oliver

My hands were shaking as I sat at the computer and got my final student loan payment ready. Queen’s “We are the Champions” was playing loudly as I made my last dang payment. I jumped up in the air, a rush of adrenaline overtook me. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I did it!! I poomed* my student loan debt! Tears filled my eyes. I didn’t realize that I’d have so many emotions. A two hour solo dance party followed in my living room. (Seriously. I actually danced for two hours, by myself, while my dogs gave me weird judgmental looks.)

I feel accomplished. I feel excited about what this year will hold. I feel free! It seemed like i’d never get it paid off, and now it’s finally here and it feels better than I even imagined! I can chase after my dreams more this year without debt holding me back. My student loans were a nuisance, good riddance! 

Total paid in 2016 on my student loans: $13,429.16
Our total income for 2016: $37,000
Percent we lived off of: 40%
The other 60% of our income went to charity, investments, savings, and to my student loans.

Note: if you want to know anything more in depth, just leave me a comment on here or on instagram. I will either comment back or write a whole blog post for you.

I consider myself luxuriously frugal. It’s all about knowing what your priorities are. As Paula Pant says, “you can afford anything, but not everything”. It’s important to decide where you are willing to be extremely frugal, and what luxuries you like to have in life. You don’t need to live like a hobo in order to pay off debt quickly.

You need less than you think. You can live a really great life on very little money.

Take action. Be a go-getter. Be dedicated. Be tenacious. Make it happen. Challenge yourself. Lose the “I deserve it” attitude and learn to say no to yourself.
You got yourself into debt, now get the heck out of it!

You can apply these tips to paying off any kind of debt, not just student loans. Or if you don’t have any debt, use these tips to build up your savings.

How to pay off debt

Short version: Cut your expenses, bring in more money, and pay as much as you possibly can on your debt. It’s really quite simple.

Long version: ↓↓↓

Attitude:

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
– Thomas Jefferson

• Be charitable. It’s a universal law that the more you genuinely give, the more you receive. I strongly suggest that you start donating at least 10% of your income to charity. If you are feeling like, “WTF Kayla, I’m so broke as it is! There’s no way I can donate any portion of my money to charity! You’re crazy girl!”… then you my friend, can’t afford NOT to give some money to charity. Seriously trust me on this! Please just try it out. I challenge you!

• Focus on your blessings. Keep a gratitude journal. Write down at least 3 things you are thankful for every single day. Have perspective. Recognize when something is a “first world problem”, then stop complaining and realize how freaking blessed you are!

• Have an abundance mindset. There is plenty more where that came from. Ditch the scarcity mentality.

• Let go of limiting beliefs. Let go of what you think is impossible.

• Budget every single month. Pay everything you think you can to your debt, then pay even more.

• Check your bank account every day. Take control of your finances and your life.

• Think about WHY you want to get out of debt.

Cut expenses:

• Cut every expense possible! Use the concept the power of half. It’s easy and effective! Here is a list of 30 things I don’t buy anymore. After you’ve lowered your expenses, lower them even more and work on eliminating expenses. 

• Live in an affordable house. (Move somewhere cheaper, get a roommate, live with your parents etc) Small and inexpensive homes are cool!

• Spend less on food. Cook from scratch. Don’t buy junk and packaged foods. Stop eating out so much. Don’t waste food. Eating a healthy plant based diet is important to me. Regardless of what most people think, it doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Nor do you need to slave away in the kitchen daily. My husband and I spend between $75-$150 per month on groceries, for both of us!

Embrace minimalism & a zero waste lifestyle:

• Start using reusables instead of disposables. It’ll save you loads of money, and it’s way better for the environment! Win win.

• Stop buying crap! Only buy the things you actually need. There’s more to life than acquiring possessions. Become aware of why you shop.

• I didn’t buy people gifts in 2016 (with a few exceptions). I did have more reasons than just finances of why I didn’t buy gifts. My 5 year old niece called me out on it at her birthday party haha. No one else seemed to notice or care though.

Enjoy life (frugally):

It’s so important to still live your life as fully as possible when paying off debt. You never now how much time you are going to be given. Make the most of your life, but do it frugally so you can make major financial progress. If you go too extreme on a spending freeze, most likely you will feel deprived and end up counteracting all of your progress with a shopping spree. I know this from experience haha.

• We do a lot of free activities. We only went to the movie theater once in 2016… to see Fantastic Beasts of course. We have state park and national parks passes, which does cost money each year, but it’s totally worth it for us. If you need ideas, here is a list of 50 free things you can do.

• We still traveled, but we did so as cheaply as possible. I’ve read about people who didn’t travel at all for a couple of years in order to pay off their debts. I couldn’t do that. I would legit go insane if I didn’t travel and adventure often. I will probably write a whole blog post on traveling frugally.

• Living a healthy lifestyle will save you a lot of money in the moment and in the long run. Don’t drink or do drugs kids.

Get more money:

• Sell and donate your stuff. Check out man vs. debt for some really good info.

• Ask for money instead of gifts. Use it to pay down your debt.

• Get a part time job, start a side business, or increase what you earn from your current job.

• Correct your mistakes. You are human and will inevitably make mistakes. Recognize when you’ve made a mistake, then do whatever you can to fix it and learn from it. Return impulse purchases. Sell items that you can’t return. I paid cash for an old motorhome last year. It was awesome but the maintenance on it was much more than I anticipated. After realizing my mistake that maybe an RV wasn’t right for me at that point in my life, I posted it on craigslist and sold it for a profit. So my “mistake” actually turned into a money maker.

I hope that you have found this information to be helpful. If you really want to change your financial life, you can! You got this. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for reading this and for visiting The Bohemian Life. 

Peace & Love
– Kayla Oliver

*Poomed is a word that my little brother used when he was 3-4 years old. Our mom had cancer and he wanted to “poom” the cancer. Synonyms for it could be, defeat, kick in the butt, slayed etc… it was funny and tender when he used that word, and now it’s become a regular in my vocabulary.

I try really hard to be present and enjoy each season of the year. I do alright at it for awhile, but then in January, the inevitable hits. I get those dang winter blues! I’ve tried using special light bulbs that mimic the sun, only to have them cause headaches. It seems like I buy more houseplants every year, only to have them wither away just like my soul in my cold, dark house. A tropical vacation is the perfect solution to the winter blues, but unfortunately it isn’t always feasible. So instead, here are 25 free and inexpensive tips to help us through!

1. Ditch the dark colors and wear white or bright colored clothing. Opting for a Hawaiian shirt is even more epic.

2. Drink a green piña colada smoothie. (coconut milk, spinach, pineapple, frozen banana)

3. Listen to some island music. Te Vaka, some steel drum awesomeness, or The Beach Boys are all good choices.

4. Put on some bronzer.

5. Dance! Try hula or salsa if you want to be extra cool.

6. Wear some seashells or other beach inspired jewelry.

7. Get outside! (this is probably the most important tip)

8. Eat more fruit.

9. Paint your fingers/toes a fun summery color.

10. Embrace winter and do a fun winter activity.

11. Open your curtains and blinds every morning. Let there be light!

12. Drink ginger tea daily. It is warming and calming.

13. Sport some hot pink lipstick.

14. Watch a relaxing ocean waves video.

15. Go inside a garden center greenhouse. It’ll be warm with plenty of green plants all around.

16. Remember that winter is only temporary. It will pass… eventually.

17. Wear a tropical fragrance.

18. Go swimming in an indoor pool, sit in a hot tub, or take a hot shower/bath.

19. Do something creative.

20. Turn the heat up a couple of degrees in your house, or sit in front of a space heater (which I am totally doing right now).

21. Watch a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean or another summer favorite.

22. Deep clean your house. A clean home is a happy home.

23. Cook a new recipe. Possibly something like coconut mango rice or teriyaki rice with pineapple and broccoli.

24. Use coconut oil to moisturize your skin.

25. Do something kind for someone else.