Dreamcatcher: Posts and podcasts that inspired me this week

Welcome to the Dreamcatcher, where I share the things that inspired me in some way this week — to act, to ponder, to think differently.

Before you retire: Powerful lessons from mini-retirement – Keep Thrifty

I’ve been talking with Chris at Keep Thrifty about his mini-retirement, which he’s about midway through right now. From all accounts it sounds like an amazing experience that has helped solidify some things and clarify others. Want! While Chris is six months into his first mini-retirement, he mentioned a new mini-retirement course from Jillian at Montana Money Adventures, who has taken five! I figured if this is something I want to do, I might as well get some guidance from a pro. So I signed up for the course (which just closed registration yesterday, so if you’re interested I’ll be posting my thoughts/actions from taking it and let you know when it opens up again). How’s that for inspiration?

Butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter – Budget Epicurean

I’ve been in a food funk lately. Everything feels like spaghetti and sauce or rice and something. My wife is vegetarian, and that can sometimes limit my creativity. Not because vegetarian cuisine is at all limiting; only because my imagination when trying to crank out a meal after work just fails me. So I was pretty excited to see this recipe show up. It’s different enough to feel “special,” but not so complicated that it would take me forever to put together. I probably ought to spend some time going through the Budget Epicurean archives. Surely there’s more delicious cheap vegetarian fare in there!

OMGF podcast episode 1: Be prepared – Open Mouths Get Fed

It turns out Liz isn’t only a highly entertaining and thoughtful writer, she’s also got a natural podcasting voice. In this episode, she talks with a friend who was super healthy, right up until doctors figured out on the operating table that she had lymphoma. The bills for her treatment have eclipsed $1 million, and yet not only has she paid less than $5,000 out of pocket, she may actually end up making money when it’s all done because of critical illness insurance she had. This is a perfect example of why healthy people need to A) have damn good insurance, and B) lock in as many health-related insurance rates as they possibly can WHILE THEY’RE HEALTHY. Don’t wait until after you’re diagnosed with something potentially life-threatening to get life insurance! Get a million bucks of insurance right when you get that first job and pay $20 a month for 20 years with a smile on your face, because the alternative is you’re dead (and your loved ones are financially secure) or you’ve got health issues that mean you’re going to be paying double or triple that amount, or worse. It’ll be fun to see how Liz progresses with the podcast. I can tell she’s got talent!

I’m taking on Warren Buffett’s million-dollar bet – Retire By 40

OK, this is partly to share my own entertaining photo. When Joe tweeted this post out, he accidentally got caught with a typo in the headline saying “I’m taking on Warrant Buffett’s million-dollar bet.” That put an image of The Oracle of Omaha in an 80’s glam metal band in my head, and since I had 10 minutes to kill I decided to make it happen. How convenient that Warren Buffett actually plays guitar! Anyway, the post itself is a good one, too. If you haven’t heard of Warren Buffett’s bet, basically he slaughtered a hedge fund manager in a bet that an index fund could outperform a hedge fund manager over a decade. Joe has an interesting notion: Putting his own net worth growth above the index fund. That’s putting your money where your mouth is!