What Is Your Alterna?
In 2017 I rode 6350 miles on my bicycles. Los Angeles to New York is about 2800 miles, so that comes out to about 2.3 trips from L.A. to NYC. Or, about the distance from Washington D.C to Tehran, Iran.
My 25yr. Old Grocery-Getting Beast After A Snowy Trip To Trader Joe’s
#CarsDontLast25Years #SheHasAnother50InHerIfIMakeItThatLong
Yep, I’m in a self-congratulatory kinda mood. I drove around 7800 miles in my car during that same time. Damn…getting close. My goal is to have a year when I put more miles on my bikes than I do my car, but having family obligations in a city that’s 60 miles away doesn’t make that easy.
I’m not gonna tell you that you have to ride a bike to work and to get groceries or you’re a clown-car victim. I do use my bike for those things most of the time, but sometimes I don’t. It’s all good. We all choose our own paths to try to get to financial independence and I’m not going to judge yours.
Riding brings me joy, obviously keeps me fit and healthy, makes me feel like a kid, and of course saves me lots of money.
My main point in telling you this is to say, find that one thing that you love and that also saves you money, and do it till the cows come home. And here’s the thing – it doesn’t have to be hardcore. Sure hardcore is nice and gets you stoic bonus points, but there are other ways to buck the normalcy of modern life that aren’t “hardcore”.
I’m So Not Hardcore
Sammy Probably Keeps His Thermostat On RAWK!!!
Tanja at Our Next Life wrote a piece highlighting that she and her husband keep their thermostat at 55 in winter. That’s hardcore! Normal people probably think they’re lunatics, but us in the FIRE community no doubt just smile and give a golf clap.
But some might have read her article and said “I’m not an extreme badass at anything, but I’m still striving for FIRE… will I make it?”. I’m not knocking Tanja’s article, but I think it’s important to know that you don’t necessarily have to have a “hardcore thing”, you can just have an “alterna thing”.
In other words, differentiating yourself to save money towards your goals does not necessitate badassery.
I know that goes against the tagline of a certain juggernaut blog, but I think it’s true.
What’s An “Alterna Thing”?
Well, alterna is not a real word and you can’t use it in Scrabble, so I’m violating every rule of good blogging SEO by using a non-word in my title. But it’s my blog and I frankly DGAF about that kind of stuff.
Alterna is something that “normal people” don’t do. Let’s face it, most people seem to be helpless victims of “The Way You’re Supposed to Do Things” syndrome. By all appearances they seem to be following a script in life. Finish school, get a job, make money, upgrade your lifestyle as your salary progresses. Start hating job, etc etc.
Being that the average 50 yr. old only has about $124k saved for retirement, I’d say it’s wise to not fully follow that script. That’s not nearly enough.
You don’t have to diverge from all of these normal things, jobs are good and necessary to make money. But you do need to diverge from the script of normalcy in some ways or you’ll be doomed to be that same 50 yr. old who’s woefully undersaved.
One alterna habit turns into two and then three and before you know it you’re killing it. And here’s the thing – lot’s of alterna things added up can indeed constitute collective badassery….
An easy alterna is taking stairs over elevators or escalators. Given a choice, I will avoid an elevator every time unless there are no other options. No one would claim that climbing two or three flights of stairs is hardcore. Even 5 or six. I agree. But it’s definitely alterna, especially in America. Most people just don’t do it, stairwells are calm peaceful retreats of quiet and solitude in most buildings.
Non-Hardcore Carrots, The Best Kind
Does this save me money? Not now, but it probably does on future medical costs. I burn more calories. It’s great for bone and joint health. Psychologically it definitely reminds me that I’m winning.
Is the old frugal standby of bringing your lunch to work alterna? I think so. At my job I’d guess only about 30% of my colleagues do so. So if you do this you’re well in the minority, at least at my office.
Is it hardcore? There’s nothing about your little baggie of cut and peeled carrots that’s hardcore my friend, but it’s outside the mainstream and saves you money. Bank it.
How about rain barrels? I’ve had them for years and collect all the water that falls on my roof. Most summers I literally don’t have to turn my water on once to water my plants and flowers or to refill my koi pond from evaporation loss.
My Pond
#WeHaveAPoolAndAPondButThePondWouldBeGoodForYou #Caddyshack
I even use the water from the barrels to wash my car. Rain barrels are not hardcore, but they’re alterna since at least in my area a small minority of houses have them. When Mother Earth spits free water on your roof, take it for crying out loud. Why more people don’t have them is beyond me.
I charge all of my gadgets with free electricity from the sun. A relatively cheap solar charger in the window and a small battery is all it takes. Far from hardcore, but alterna. The savings on my electric bill are minor for sure, but after three full years of this now I’d like to think it’s probably paid for itself and a little more. Bank it. (btw that’s an affiliate link and the one I use, I love it!)
Maybe you reuse twisty-ties and those annoying super thin plastic disposable grocery bags. Or better yet maybe you bring your own reusable bags to the store. Couldn’t be further from hardcore. But alterna? Yep.
Be Abby Normal
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. – Ernest Hemingway
Most people in America don’t ride bikes regularly, sad but true. It’s such a wonderful mode of transport. You feel the air, you see things you’d never see in a car. It’s cheap. It has huge health benefits. And for the most part it’s non-polluting, although middle aged guys in spandex are a special kind of visual pollution.
I use my 6000+ annual miles of cycling as my hardcore base to a better financial life. It checks the boxes for me on enjoyment, health benefits, and of course monetary gains among other things. As mentioned in a previous post, fitness and health have been the backbone of my success in achieving financial independence.
But if you don’t have a bike or even like bikes, or if you don’t want to keep your thermostat on 65 much less 55, then find that one other thing. Find something that you can do different than the majority of people that helps you save money and live better. And make a habit of it.
Your turn readers!! What’s your alterna? Chime in below!
Nice work dude. Not everything needs to be hardcore but finding a few things here and there surely make saving money easier. My 6 cent breakfast of plain oatmeal is famous at work. As is the fact that I roll onto the office on a folding bike. That thing is bad ass
Saw a pic of your folding bike on Twitter, awesome. It’s alterna, a lifehack, and just a plain cool gadget!
i’ve never had a cell phone and that saves some bucks. anyone who thinks i need to be available to contact “right now” doesn’t know me. i just wrote about it. our thermostat is at 62. our kitchen table is a curb shopping item. mrs. smidlap loves other peoples’ trash. the only place i try and drive is to work and back. i almost never use the car on the weekend.
we gotta try and get on the bikes a little more once the snow and ice are gone.
Wow, you’re racking up the alterna’s! Only crazies like me bike in the snow, it can get dangerous. No shame in waiting for better weather!
This is a fun new way of thinking about things. I like it!
I save all my veggie scraps and make my own veggie broth out of them. I also smash the tiny little ends of soaps onto the new bar of soap so I’m not cumulatively wasting hundreds of showers worth of stink fighting power.
I’ve done the soap thing too, sweet!
“…although middle aged guys in spandex are a special kind of visual pollution.” lol!! I’m a homebody and don’t have much of a desire to go out and spend a lot at a bar or restaurant. Very rarely. This isn’t a painful choice for me. Alterna? I also go home for lunch. Probably bad I’m using gas for that 1.6 mile commute, but I like having the break from the office in my day and I also don’t have to get caught up in work gossip if even I bring my lunch to work. Just a few things…and oh yeah, it drives me crazy when I see people taking the elevator ONE floor in the parking garage. Seriously?
I rarely go to bars anymore either. Unfortunately, I did so much of that in my 20’s that even if I never go again I’ll probably still have more time spent at bars than most. Going home for lunch is great, that would indeed provide a great break in the day!
Hey Badass, well done! You make the planet and yourself better in many ways, that deserves some praise! We need more people like you that realize that the hard way actually is an improvement and should be celebrated, not discouraged or avoided.
P.s. funny not, my brother cycled the same distance in 10 weeks to get from the East coast to the West coast with a Canada detour. Crazy little bugger!
Wow, that’s great! Riding across the US is pretty high on my bucket list but I still have the part time job. I’ll do it one day!
I think “alterna” is where we live. We drive the ugliest car on the block and wash it sparingly (in Los Angeles, where people have monthly car wash memberships or valet washes at work). We let our green lawn turn brown and replaced it with drought-tolerant landscaping that we tend ourselves–this is becoming more common but not the norm. Of our 84 weekly meals for our family of four, we buy probably 2. None of this is hardcore, but our neighbors probably think we’re a little weird.
Monthly car wash memberships? Absurd!!! I’m proud of how long I can go without washing my car – being weird is good!
“Alterna” — love it! I buy my cashmere at Goodwill. They price all the long sleeves the same, 4 or 5 bucks. They are my main winter attire. I can’t explain it, but finding one without holes makes me happy.
Cashmere at Goodwill is alterna and eccentric too! The 4 or 5 buck that you pay is what others pay in sales tax alone for a new one!
I always charge my car at the dealership. It sometimes takes 1 hr but it gives my time to take a walk or read a book.
One day I might have a car that charges, hopefully Mr. Musk and others can get the cost of those down to a reasonable level. I’m sure I’ll make the most of “charging time” once I have one!
If it’s just MrsSLM and I, anything under 2 hours is considered walkable, even when it’s -20 out. We also live in a ridiculously lcol area.
When I was single, I used to have an “alterna” meal I made every day for lunch/dinner, which was ground beef + random veggies, stir fried together with sriracha sauce. Cost next to nothing to make, MrsSLM isn’t fond of it though so we make proper meals now 🙂
Walks at -20 are invigorating. Hard to sleep through that! And my favorite easy meal is simply brown rice, a bag of frozen veggies, and teryaki sauce. Easy peasy and cheap!
I think I’m alterna in terms of being different from mainstream America but I’m quite extravagant compared to my parent’s thrifty immigrant circle. I wish I tracked my biking stats- but it’s been too cold for me to go around very much!
Yeah I wanted to get a good ride in today but Mother Nature has other plans for me. There’s lots of great tools to track riding, they’re great for motivation!
Ooh, I’m all about the alterna lifestyle. Do whatever you want, but find a cheaper way of getting it. Higher-end clothing is my thing, but I mostly shop secondhand. It kind of stuns me that lots of people will only shop brand-new. Clothing depreciates so quickly, it’s a better business decision to have someone else take that hit first.
You’d be proud of me, I got a pretty high-end suit at Ross a few years back for about $180. It retailed for $750 originally… to me at least that’s high end 🙂
My Alterna is my woodstove. Collecting and chopping firewood is great exercise and burning wood in my glass door woodstove always relaxes me. I love me some heat and I’d gladly pay the higher utility bills to stay warm in the winter, but the woodstove allows me to keep my living room, dining room, and kitchen warm in the winter and my sleeping area is cool with the thermostat around 63-64. I think I’m the only fool in my neighborhood walking around my house in shorts and no shirt in the winter. Maybe I should close the curtains in my street-facing living room!
That’s a great one Brian! I’d really love to have one of those, or even just a regular fireplace. One day when I have a cabin in the woods……
Stairs and bringing your own lunch for the win! I brought lunch throughout my first full month of work after college. After realizing I spent $150 on lunch alone I started being my lunch everyday. Been 4 years now! (With the very rare occasional visit to Chick-fil-A with friends 🙂)
A chick fil-a here and there won’t kill ya, you’re winning!
Hell yeah, I’m sure I’ve got a few of the common ones……. low thermostat tick, heating off Easter to November tick, bringing lunch, not eating out, banger of car that I don’t use that much and I could go on…….
“banger of a car” – love it! You sound “alterna accomplished”!
Great article. We literally just bought bikes and I’m discovering just how awesome they are! I rarely rode up until now, but now we’re riding several times a week. It is a fantastic way to explore. How are you tracking your miles? Do you have a favorite app for that?
As for alterna…. everyone looks at us funny because we’re a one car family and I *gasp* take the public bus to my workplace. It’s a great way to read, reliable, and my work pays for it. Not sure why more of us in the DC area don’t rely on the bus system. I love it!
So cool, welcome to the wonderful world of riding bikes! I track all my fitness activities with Strava. Other good options are Ride With GPS and MapMyRide. All of them have apps for your phone that will record using your GPS.
After this last bit of winter (snow tonight!) we’re gonna have full-on spring and the riding is gonna be great!
Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll be trying some of those apps out. 🙂 As for the weather, someone needs to tell Mother Nature it’s Spring!
To throw another app in the ring I really like using Strava to track my bike rides
I cannot even imagine people who regularly go out for lunch. I am a HS librarian. Leaving the building just isn’t feasible most days. Small portion of pasta with homemade tomato sauce = frugal…I guess. I cannot do 55 in the house during the day, but night is the colder the better for me and the cats. (I am a librarian, cats are mandatory.) Oh, and car washes….in the DC area, my car is filthy…but silver so no one knows but me. In the spring in a good rain I will go out with some rags and do a wipe down. I wish I could bike to work, but I don’t think I can get from DC to Vienna without putting my life at risk (open to advice if there are safe paths the whole way – I could shower at the other end in the locker room…ick, but maybe I could do it for the health and frugality.)
You’re in luck! You can get from DC to Vienna easily using the WO&D trail and, depending on where you are in DC, either crossing on the 14th street bridge, or crossing at Georgetown on the Key bridge. The WO&D trail goes right through downtown Vienna.
Feel free to email me at my contact link (bottom) and I can send you more details!
I’d say my most alterna habit is probably my run to work (tomorrow – hooray!) but also our penchant to not replace electronics for a long time after they break. Nor never, in the case of our microwave.
Wow, no microwave is alterna indeed! I thought I was weird with no dishwasher but I need my microwave. Goes to show once again that everyone’s path to FI is different and we all have our individuality in this journey.
We also don’t have a working tv at the moment…. but I don’t *think* that will be permanent.
I like the word. Nice work.
I’m not hardcore either. We used to keep our indoor temp at 65. Now, my mom lives with us and she can’t handle the cold. So now it’s up to 72. Still not too bad because we use a space heater to heat our living room.
We share one car and take public transportation. We lived on one paycheck and saved the other for a long time now. I learn to cook good food instead of going out all the time.
You’re right. All the little things add up.
Thanks Joe! You certainly show your alterna-creds on your blog all the time. That’s why we keep coming back, to find that other thing we could do!
Thanks for putting a name on it – Alterna! We don’t wanna be hardcore but we don’t live lavishly either – somewhere “in between” with quirky choices that work for us.
You’re welcome, thanks for reading!
This is great, we have many alterna:
Eating normal adult carrots instead of baby carrots (dude you should totally switch)
Riding bikes as adults
Taking the stairs the six floors up in my office building
Dumpster diving
Keeping our house 58-63 degrees in the winter (so not as hardcore as the ONLs, but definitely colder than the norm) and not using AC in the summer (that’s what our basement is for)
Growing 80% of our food in the summer on our 1/3 acre lot
Yeah, I guess we are frugal weirdos (or super odd hipsters), but that’s okay. We like it this way.
Daaaayum! That’s a great list. Dumpster diving!! And growing 80% of your food? You guys are PROS!
I do buy regular carrots sometimes. I mix it up 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Well 80% in the summer only…that’s a pretty big caveat in Michigan when summer is 2-3 months of the year 😉
I’m all about the alterna lifestyle, but I can’t do the frigid house. It’s 68* in here right now AND I’m still wearing two sweatshirts haha! Don’t worry, we turn the heat down at night and when we’re out. I bring my lunch to work every day, partly to save money, but mostly because I’m a huge food snob and wouldn’t eat a school lunch (ew!) and don’t care for most of the take out options in town. When we move I’d like to try bike commuting. It’s six miles each way, so totally doable!
Yeah man, 6 miles is a walk in the park. You’re going to find that you’re so invigorated when you get to work, it beats driving hands down!
Aside from a few bike rides on study abroad trips or brewery tours I haven’t really been on a bike since middle school. I have an uncle that constantly needles me about living in such a bikeable city but not biking anywhere but it’s been so long that I’m not confident on a bike anymore and the traffic scares me.
I met some of my coworkers from my second job out for happy hour last week and found out that one of them lives fairly near me. We were going to maybe split an Uber back to her place, but it was a decently warm day (I’d walked the 50 minutes to the bar from home) and we’d both only had one drink so she decided she was going to bike home. I decided I’d join her since there wasn’t a ton of traffic (and I was absolutely willing to pay $2 for a bikeshare ride).
Yeah I totally see how riding a bike is exhilarating! It was a fun 20 minute ride (helped that it was decently flat haha) and I was in a great mood when I walked the rest of the way home from her place. Perhaps one day I’ll start doing that more often.
Walking everywhere, lunch from home (leftovers are the best!), and stairs over elevators/walking up escalators for the win!
Bike ride & brewery tours, now you’re talking! But you probably need to get more comfortable again before you drink and ride 😉
Bikeshare is such a great resource, and now you have tons of companies doing dockless bikeshare too (Limebike, MoBike, Jump, Spin). If you ever get a bike I can help you with maintenance and I have gazillions of spare parts!
This is great! I just started cleaning up my finances, and I’m sooo not hardcore with things. But I’ve noticied good habits beget even more better habits! I quit spending $100/mo at Starbucks (see? I’m the worst frugal person), and went down to $40/mo. And now, it’s actually been three weeks since I’ve even stopped for coffee! Little changes really help!
Good habits do indeed become contagious, keep it up Steph!
I actually got here because of your bike numbers and I was expected bragging. I didn’t expect to find this great piece of article and it’s truly amazing that people usually don’t try out the alterna.
I think it may be one of our cognitive biases that are actually making us pretty dumb in some areas and we are doing things just because we are used with that.
Thanks Alex. I hope I don’t come off as too braggy, and believe it or not many of my cycling friends ride way more than I do. I think they’re kinda nuts!
I agree that many folks just get into a routine or go on autopilot (like with elevators), and they need someone to jolt them out of certain habits. Thanks for the comment!
Really glad to hear some fresh ideas on how to do things, I have to confess that I had my blindspot with the elevator as well. I’ve been taking the elevator almost every-time without thinking.
From now on, that’s not going to happen anymore, each small improvement counts.
Wow, glad I could help you with the discussion. That made my day!!