Being frugal

Okay, I do a lot of fun things. When I go back to work after two days off, sometimes I feel guilty. I have so much fun, that I am a little embarrassed  to tell coworkers. It feels like bragging. One person said to me last year "your going to New Hampshire AGAIN???" to which I replied "the mountains aren't going to hike themselves". Truth is, I do a lot of things that I enjoy. Rarely, do I waste a nice day if the weather is nice. However, in many respects, I live my life in such a way I can do tons of stuff without making or spending a lot of money. I thought that if I wrote some of these money saving tips, maybe one or two could come in handy for the reader. First, three disclaimers

1. I have a lot of time. My son is grown up. So I pretty much can do what I want. When my son was little he played sports all year. I tried to get him to try different things, not just things I loved. However his love and best sport was baseball. From April until October we were at baseball 4-6 days a week for almost ten years. I loved it! When I was a coach, we would get there 45 minutes early and I'd hit ground balls. If any other kid got there early from either team, they were welcome to join in. Baseball took a lot of time. I know other parents that live and breathe baseball, cheerleading etc... One is at a cheerleading comp in Atlanta as I write this. These passions take a lot of time. No way could someone hike the mountains in New Hampshire when their kid goes from summer traveling team to Pop Warner football. So if you are a mother of two kids reading this, I do not think my life is better than yours. I loved making memories with my kid growing up, so although I love fishing and hiking, life is not better...just different.

2. I compare everything I do to a weekend in New Hampshire. The reason is, going to New Hampshire is my favorite thing I can do on a day off. This is a double edged sword. When I go to New Hampshire alone it only cost me about $40 for a weekend (that's my secret on how I get there so much). The only expenses I have are gas and food. Hiking is free, and if I fish, I buy my license in the winter. The problem with this is, I compare everything to this. Sometimes I can't justify concert tickets knowing I could go to New Hampshire for two and a half days, for less money than two and a half hours of live music.

3. Given the choice of doing something fun after work every day or saving up and doing a grand thing once a month, I choose the former every time. Luckily for me, my favorite things to do (hiking, fishing, and birding) are free. Other than the gas, it doesn't cost me anything to do these things almost everyday. Obviously, the closer to home I stay, the less money I spend. Which is why last summer was one of the best of my life. Stripers stayed in Narragansett Bay all summer only twenty minutes from my house. Other people might choose to go to a nice restaurant or get great seats to a concert once a month instead of going fishing every night. Again, how I choose to live life is not better, just different.

How I live at home

Now that I got that out of the way I have to be a little upfront about how I live-

1. I don't smoke
2. I don't drink
3. I don't gamble
4. I do not have any debt except car payment, One of my biggest fears is credit card debt, so I do not charge anything.
5. The better the gas mileage of your vehicle, the more places you can go for the same amount of gas money. I had a Santa Fe for eleven years. It got very good gas mileage for an SUV. When it was time to buy another vehicle I got a Corolla. I don't love it, but I can drive to and from Jamestown on three gallons of gas.

I get it, sometimes you want a beer. Sometimes, you want to have a few beers. For me personally, I do not like the hangover, so drinking isn't really for me. I had a quite a few on Aug 11 and woke up feeling like crap on Aug 12. So I am purposely going one year without a drink. I go weeks at a time anyway, but I decided to abstain for one full year for no other reason just to say I did.

As for the other things above, they are not for me. If you like gambling at Twin River so be it. Some people really enjoy it. For me, if I lost forty dollars in fifteen minutes (or as I said above, the amount of money I'd need to go to NH hiking) I'd be sick. Just by not drinking or smoking, I save a lot of money that I can use as disposable income.

Lastly, I rarely go out to eat. It's not to say I never do. When I do, it is to eat something specific, and not "as something to do". I love chicken wings and prime rib. I have favorite places to go for those things. I don't go often. As anyone reading this knows, for two people to go out to eat these days is no less than $35-40. It is certainly much more if you buy drinks or have kids.  And we have already established I can have two and a half days of hiking for the price of a meal.


Ways to save money doing fun things.

1. This will only save money on shipping but it is easier to swallow- I buy my supplies in the winter. If I need a new fishing rod, replacement gear, or a new tent, I buy them in the winter. This way, I don't need to buy an expensive piece of equipment when I could be using the money on fun. If I had to buy a new rod in July, it is safe to say, I wouldn't be going to New Hampshire for a couple weeks. The one way this does save money is- many online stores have free shipping in December. It feels a little weird ordering stuff for myself right before Christmas, but I do save money.

2. Ask for stuff for Christmas. It sounds selfish, I look at it as money in the bank. I make everyone give me a Christmas list and they ask for one from me. If I want a guide book, map, or small order of fishing gear I put it on the list.

3. My brother taught me this one. Instead of buying gift cards to stores, buy presents that are a night out. His wife will buy them tickets to a stand up comic, while he might get tickets to a musical. I have a hard time justifying the price of Red Sox tickets. But I can easily justify spending eighty dollars on  one of my son's big Christmas gifts growing up. So a couple years in a row, I got us tickets.

4. Buy carp bait when it is on sale. I use a lot of corn and oatmeal for carp fishing. When there is a ridiculous sale, I stock up.

5. Buying food on sale is another easy money saving tip. Why spend two dollars on a gas station Poweraid when you can get them for 69 cents at the grocery store? This is obviously a money saving tip in  general. During the summer I go through a lot of sports drinks and snacks.

6. When I go camping I tend to eat the same few foods each time I go. For breakfast I eat pop tarts. Lunch is usually a can of ravioli or sandwiches. Snacks are usually candy bars, fruit snacks, fruit, granola since I burn a ton of calories hiking. Suppers are soup, pasta, stove top, or mac and cheese. Again, when they are on sale I stock up.

7. Go to second run movie theaters. My brother runs a theater and I love going to the movies. However sometimes there is a movie I want to see but missed it. Yesterday I went to see Underworld at a second run theater. Cost- $3.

8. If you have been reading my blog, you have seen I have gone to a lot of plays. However, the most I have paid for a ticket was $26 and that was for second row seats. There are so many small theaters out there, and I really enjoy going to them. I'm sure I'd like the Lion King at PPAC, but to spend a hundred dollars for two hours isn't worth it to me. At least I haven't found a play I want to spend that kind of money on. Until then, I will support local theaters.

9. Camping is way cheaper than motels. State run campgrounds are way cheaper than private campgrounds. Camping isn't for everyone. Some people hate it. However, if you like it, camping will save you a ton of money. State run campgrounds in state parks and White Mountains will only run you $15-25 a night. Private campgrounds are closer to fifty. Private campgrounds offer pools, arcades, volleyball and many other activities. I spend almost the entire day off hiking or fishing, so my tent is really just a place to sleep.

10. If you can find places to camp for free, do so. I sleep in the woods sometimes. This means my "lodging expense" is zero.

11. When we go on vacation, we do not go out for three meals a day. We rarely go out to breakfast. Instead we prefer, fruit, pop tarts, oatmeal, or canned fruit. The meal we usually do is lunch if we are around tourist towns. In South Dakota we bought a burger and fries most everyday for lunch. Going out to lunch is way cheaper than supper. I prefer to eat supper at camp or looking at a beautiful view anyway. Obviously, if I'm hiking all day, and eat supper at camp, then I am not going out to eat at all saving more money.

12. Take care of your gear. If you take care of your gear, and you bought good quality stuff it should last for year. I have freshwater reels that are fifteen years old. My tent is five years old and like new. I've had my backpacking backpack (long trips) since DJ was five years old. This goes for many other things. I just had to buy a new lantern after fifteen years. My daypack which I love and use a lot is
showing its age with some thin spots, I'm going to keep using it as long as I can, I don't ever remember a time I hiked before owning it.

I hope some of this helps. I try to enjoy every afternoon after work and all of my days off. If you try to have fun five or six days a week, obviously you need cheap entertainment. Luckily for me, even if I were a millionaire my favorite things would still be hiking, fishing, and birding. I'd just be doing them in more exotic locations.

My Favorite Outdoor Thing to Do During Each Month of the Year (mostly free)

I came up with the idea to figure out my favorite places for each month, not as a blog post, but just to see if I could. I decided to share my favorite places in case anyone else was interested in checking any of these places out.

January- Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge

Sachuest is my favorite place to go for a winter hike. Deer are always visible. There is also a good chance to see an owl. I go there multiple times each winter. The photo ops of the deer, coastline and ducks are pretty good.

February- Snowshoeing

My favorite thing to do in February is go to outdoor shows. since I am keeping this as "free" things I'll say snowshoeing. Snowshoeing is just an excuse to get outside during the long winter. I love ice fishing. Snowshoeing has one thing ice fishing doesn't, it keeps you warm. Snowshoeing is pretty strenuous exercise. You will build up a sweat no matter how cold it is.

March- Race Point

You will probably see a seal on the beach if you walk
to the Race from the parking area

This is a new favorite destination since 2016 was the first year I have ever been there. The main attraction is seeing whales from shore. You get closer to them on a whale watching boat. But, there is something special seeing them without paying someone to take you to them with two hundred people you don't know. Seeing them alone from shore is just more wild, more surreal.

April- Trout fishing in Plymouth, MA or the Cape

I look forward to my daytrips to fish the trout ponds down the Cape or Plymouth. Trout are stocked everywhere, including a half mile from my house. It's more fun to catch them in the kettle ponds. Places like Fearings and Russell Sawmill are pretty settings to catch fish. Also, the state stocks the hell out of these ponds, so you can get big numbers of fish. Of course trout are stocked all spring. I choose April as the month I most enjoy this trip. In May, there is too much going on and I forget about the trips to the Cape. Although I also take these trips in March, the water is still really cold and fishing isn't nearly as good.

May- Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

If I took a non-birder to Plum Island in May, even they would not get bored. There are so many colorful birds. So many species migrate through this area. I'm only going a couple times this May.

Common Yellowthroat at Parker NWR

The reasons, I'm starting to detest the 3 hour round trip drive, and I'm doing a Rhode Island Big Year.Plum Island is great for birding any season, but the spring migration is something special

June- Prudence Island

I enjoy taking the ferry to Prudence during the summer. I choose June to go the most because there is a "lull" in my fun activities. Prudence is beautiful. I snorkel there and eat a raw little neck or two. The quiet roads are perfect for exploring by bike.

July- New Hampshire

I go to New Hampshire as often as I can, so I love going there during any month, not just July. I can't say enough about how great the state is. The mountain views, waterfalls, and mountain lakes in the Whites are awesome. I used to spend a lot of time in the lakes region catching smallmouth also. When I'm not there, I miss it.

August- The mudflats at Charlestown Breachway

In Ninigret Pond behind the Charlestown Breachway are some large mudflats. Thousands of returning shorebirds going south stop there to rest. There is nothing like being on those flats. I get to walk barefoot through the mud. I can get wet in the canals around the flats. The birds are easy to see and the other birders are really friendly. There is a good chance of seeing a Peregrine falcon blow another bird out of the sky while hunting

There is never a bad time to think about albies

September- Duh, Albies

Any day off in mid-September means I will be in Narragansett looking for false albacore. If the bay anchovies are around, then there is the chance to catch albies, blues, and stripers in the same day. The weather is usually perfect in September. Fishing from dawn until after dark goes by way too quickly

October- Foliage

I try to spend more time in October just looking at the leaves. Laurie and I take a trip to New Hampshire to see the peak if good weather coincides with our days off. One year we went up, it was snowing on Oct 3, so we monitor the weather report now. Even when I'm not in NH, I try to enjoy the last few weeks of color, since the next six months will be dull.

My other option, and the one I choose on days off are trips to the ocean to catch migrating blues and stripers. I try to go for walks after work looking at the leaves on local trails. On days off, Surf fishing!

November- Museum of Fine Art

The MFA is free (donations accepted) on Wednesday nights throughout the year. I love the MFA, but I'm not wasting a day off during the warmer months. The place is not just an "art gallery". It is loaded with history such as mummies, Greek shields, and swords and much more. The MFA is one place we should all cherish.

December- Christmas stuff

Call it the Christmas Season or the Holiday Season, I don't care. I really try to enjoy the holidays. Without them, I'm sure I'd be dwelling on the fact it is dark at 4:30 pm. I try to go to a Church Bazaar and LaSallette. Although not free, going to Holiday Concerts, Sturbridge Village and other things I have written about the last two Decembers is more fun than opening presents.

Honorable Mention

Concord, MA

During any warmer month, Concord is awesome. There is so much to see that an out of stater could
easily plan a week vacation there. The Revolutionary War started in Lexington/Concord. Much of the battlefield has been preserved. There is a "Battle Road" and the North Bridge where shots were exchanged. The Concord Museum is terrific. Many authors lived in Concord including Emerson, Alcott, Thoreau, Hawthorne. Their houses are open for tours. Great Meadows NWR is a great place to see wildlife. There are two man made ponds that support all kinds of turtles, snakes, birds, etc. Concord is my favorite town in MA


Cape Cod Baseball League

During the summer the CCBL hosts college kids in a great summer league. Most towns on the Cape have a league. We go to the games in Wareham, because they are closest to us. You want to feel like a character in Field of Dreams, go to a game

Provincetown

You could make a case for just about any town on the Cape. For example, Hyannis has a ton of stuff to do. The thing that Provincetown doesn't have is the crazy Cape traffic.

It would be hard to spend a day in P-town and have it be free. However Commercial Street is a great place. There is tons of shops and art studios. More importantly to me, lots of food. Laurie and I went last year and drank pina coladas on an outdoor deck while eating key lime pie. Also, P-town has the best bike trail I have ever been on. It goes up and over hundred foot sand dunes.

Block Island

Provincelands BikePath

Block Island is awesome. I didn't make it part of the list because the ferry is so expensive. Once there, you can have a great day without even spending money. The beaches are beautiful, the fishing is amazing, there are two lighthouses and the scenery is spectacular

Opening Night at the Wizard of Oz

Crappy phone picture

I haven't done much lately. The last time I went skiing a couple weeks ago, I hurt myself. I slipped a disk in my neck. Since then I have been trying to heal. I've had this injury before. The slipped disk pinches nerves which can lead to a lot of pain. This particular time, the pain hasn't been too bad. However, I'd like to get better soon, so I haven't done much in the way of excitement in a couple weeks. Also, my skiing days are over...I retired

Needless to say, I was looking forward to our plans tonight. We bought tickets to see the Wizard of Oz at the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket. I only bought the tickets a couple weeks ago so we didn't get the best seats. Our tickets were in the 16th row. They cost $21 a piece with a four dollar service charge. For twenty five dollars we were entertained for almost three hours.

The play was like the movie so I won't give you the details because I'm sure everyone reading this has seen the Wizard of Oz. The acting was terrific. The girl that played Dorothy was unbelievable. She had a great singing voice also. Although it was classified as a play, there were a bunch of musical numbers. I thought I'd get bored, but they were quite entertaining. They were the same songs as in the movie such as "We're off to see the Wizard" and "Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!" The show was awesome. I spent the entire night smiling because of how much fun I was having.

Tonight was opening night. The play runs this weekend and next. There are two price levels for seats $21, and $26. There is ample parking in the lots and streets around the Stadium Theater. Show time is at 7:30 pm. I highly recommend going. For tickets and info here is the link

http://www.stadiumtheatre.com/events/the-wizard-of-oz/195

Finally a Good Day Birding

Two Tundra Swans on the island

Normally going birding is my plan for days off  in the winter that I don't have anything scheduled such as a fishing show. The two times I've gone in 2017 were so bad, I really haven't wanted to go since. I had Thursday and Friday off from work. I had so little motivation,  I went to two movies of Thursday. So Friday I decided I better go birding.

There was a Tufted Duck in Providence that was reported on Thursday. I had never seen one so I decided I should go look for it. Ironically, the spot it was seen was five houses away from my boss's house.  I drove down there. There was a guy that I run across a couple times a year (Don H) there. He has seen the duck mixed in with a bunch of Scaup. After a few minutes I saw it in my scope. It was a little smaller than the Scaup with a black back. The species is named because it has a small  feather hanging off the back of the head.

Besides seeing the lifer Tufted Duck, in the flock of Greater Scaup were Lesser Scaup, this was a first for the year. Across the bay was a  Bald Eagle, another first of the year (FOY) but more importantly, just awesome.

After I left Providence I drove down to Trustom. I saw the recorded  Tundra Swans.  Tundra Swans  seem to go to Trustom almost every year, why I don't know. While watching it, a Mute Swan beat the hell out of one of the Tundras. Not my favorite thing to watch. Other ducks included American Widgeon, Blue Wing Teal, both Scaup, and one of my favorites, Northern Pintails. Two rare species were also on the pond, Redheads and Eurasian Widgeon.  I saw the Redheads. I counted six, which is four more than I had ever seen before.  While at Trustom I also came across the popular song birds.

All in all, I saw four rarer species for our area. I got a lifer in the Tufted Duck. It was a fun day.

There were a lot of ducks on the pond yesterday

Who does the ordering for Sporting Goods Stores?

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend that just went to Bass Pro Shops. He went for about five different things, but only walked out of there with two. Have you ever been to BPS? The store is immense. It is two stories. Almost the entire downstairs is filled with fishing gear. How is it even possible that they do not carry what an angler could want?

Unfortunately, my friend is absolutely right. I have put a list together of things I needed (restocking my lost gear, not things I wanted on a whim). I'll be lucky to walk out of there with half the stuff. How is this possible? First off, as the name implies, it caters to bass fishing, specifically largemouth bass. There is no doubt that if you can't catch fish with what they carry, then you suck as a largemouth fisherman.

However, largemouth are not the most important fish in the northeast. For freshwater, trout rival the bass but truthfully the seven lined bass rule New England. Yes, stripers. BPS carries four or five aisles of saltwater gear. However, it is not the right stuff. This leads me to believe whoever orders their gear is not a local, maybe not even a fisherman. Examples? My friend went in for Daiwa Salt Pro Minnows. This is by far the hottest plug out there. He could not find it in the best fish catching color (white). They do not carry Rebel Jumpin Minnoows. Again, this plug is super effective. An example I thought of was the Sebile swimmer. They have a bunch in non-fish catching colors such as gold. Almost every angler at the Cape Cod Canal has a Sebile in silver, they didn't get it from BPS. There are many other things I really could write, but I must move on.

I'm not trying to bash Bass Pro, I go there as little as possible because they sponsor bow fishing tournaments. Other retail stores are just s bad. Cabelas in Berlin, is worse. The store is less than half the size of Bass Pro. I can never find any gear I want there and usually end up buying it online. You would think Cabelas would carry Cabelas gear. Not completely so. I wanted to buy some Cabelas saltwater jig heads one day. They don't even carry them because of space limitations.

Walmart is even worse. Of course I don't expect an aisle or two to compare to a outdoor store. However, it would be nice if they carried "the right gear" Look at there section on spinners. Would you buy any of their Roostertails. They have the least effective colors I have ever seen. I can only assume they order them based on how pretty they are.

Lastly, look at how much gear we have to buy online because sporting goods stores do not even carry it. As my friend said, "Why doesn't Bass Pro carry treble hooks and hardware?" It's true, you can't buy any replacement trebles, screw eyes, or split rings there or anywhere but online. The hottest soft plastic bait for saltwater are Cocahoes. Other than Quaker Lane good luck finding them at your local tackle shop (Buy them direct from H&H Lures, Queen cocahoes are the 4 inch ones).

I have not run out of examples, I could go on (bucktail jigs, saltwater jigheads, carp gear)
Seriously, who does the ordering for these places?