So there I was in 2008 finishing graduate studies at Texas A&M University with a job offer that required moving to a little town called Gillette, WY. I remember my recruiter mentioning the name of the city and all I could think of was “holy crap this place is going to be freezing cold”. Before you run with the idea of saying … “how were you able to say yes without even knowing where in the world this place was” …, well that’s not how it happened. My employer actually flew me there to have a look around before embarking on a great adventure.

And So It Begins

My wife joined me in 2010 and soon after we came up with a pretty lengthy bucket list that included outdoor activities and locations this beautiful area of the country had to offer.

The best part of our stay was the friends and relationships we built, and the opportunity to save a big percentage of our income [~50+%].

The pictures below show some of our adventures.

Our stay in Gillette, WY as a couple was short-lived by a sooner than expected move to Denver, CO. Initially, we were upset with the move but welcomed a career development opportunity. In addition, my wife was excited about the next chapter of our lives.

Our First Mistake

My office was located in downtown Denver so we figured renting in the area would work best for us. This would eliminate the need to commute and would give us the opportunity to enjoy downtown living. This was all good but it came with a higher price tag.

Gillette was cheap and the difference in $/sq.ft between a 1 and 2-bedroom was insignificant. We knew that wasn’t the case for Denver.

The difference in price between a 2×2 and 1×1 was pretty significant at ~ $150-$200/month. We found this awesome place and started negotiations for a 2×2 and did not consider a 1×1. Why? we needed enough space to host family and friends.

After some back and forth we were able to negotiate a 1-r lease for $1,625/moth … not bad right?.

One thing we were told was that “rents in Denver are market-driven and can have big swings”. As soon as we signed the lease we were on the hook. To our surprise. A year later our renewal note arrived with a 32% rent increase. To this day we’re not sure if this was legal.

Their argument was that rent in the area had increased due to demand but for us, that was bull shit. As soon as we got the letter we started looking for other options. We soon realized the rent increase was not far away from reality. If we wanted to stay in the area those were the numbers.

An AHA Moment

While visiting other places, we reflected on the need for having a 2×2 apartment. The reality was that we only had visitors once or twice in that year. Paying ~$200/month or $2,400 extra for a storage room during our first year didn’t make sense. We took a step back and decided to now focus on a 1×1 with a rent of around $1,475/month.

The moral of the story is we should have let our situation and needs drive our decisions instead of assumptions on what others would expect from us

The state of the Denver market triggered conversations with the property manager. We figured, moving to a different place to save a few $$ was not worth it. She worked with us and was able to offer a fair deal that enabled us to stay.

This time we went for a 1×1 apartment. Not only was the size appropriate but it facilitated decluttering. Funny enough, we had more visitors in the 1×1 than the 2×2 with no issue at all.

Key Takeaways

We can honestly say this experience caused a positive inflection point in our lives. Here’s the definition in case you’ve never heard of it.

“An event that results in a significant change in the progress of a company, industry, sector, economy or geopolitical situation and can be considered a turning point after which a dramatic change, with either positive or negative results, is expected to result”. Wikipedia.com

In other words, it basically represents situations and experiences, we as human beings go through, that require a decision on our part. It often requires making fundamental changes in hopes of achieving better results; however, if you remain passive you’re at risk of walking down a path that will lead to sub-optimized outcomes and ultimate failure.

We strongly believe our first year in Denver brought major lessons learned. Today, we let our needs drive and influence our decision-making process.

Peer Pressure

You can consciously or unconsciously allow others to influence the way you live your life. I don’t know about you but that seems exhausting.

You should know who you are in your core and reflect on the things you value in life.

Our experiences have certainly helped us better shape not necessarily who we are but more importantly who we want to be.

Teamwork s key and it translates to having (1) well-defined goals, (2) open communication, (3) collaboration, and (4) support for one another.

Let me share some personal peer pressure examples:

Brand new cars

We bought a brand new Toyota Rav4 back in 2010 and to this day we don’t believe it was the smartest decision. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great SUV and we loved it; however, we should have realized it was (and it still is) bad business to put a lot of money on depreciating assets. Back then we didn’t know better so lesson learned.

Upgrade vehicles

We had the Rav4 for a while and it was big enough for a family of three. Soon after, we started getting questions around timing for a bigger car. The excuse was requiring more space to accommodate a future baby and/or relatives.

A few years later, my wife got into an accident and the Rav4 was totaled. As a result, instead of buying a new and huge vehicle, we settled for a decent-sized certified pre-owned (CPO) SUV super comfortable for us and for our needs.

Restaurants

We enjoy going out and experiencing local restaurants; however, we don’t do that every day. The reasons are obvious … it adds up. If we get an invite from friends and we know the place is going to be expensive we either offer a less expensive option or politely find a way out.

Spend Money

We’ve been told we don’t spend enough money. This might make you laugh but it’s true. We’ve been out to the mall (not my preferred destination) with family and friends and they get surprised to see we can go in and out empty-handed. They don’t realize IS NOT that we don’t like spending money IS that we like spending money on things we need and to a lesser extent truly want.

Final Thoughts

• Make decisions based on your personal situation and your immediate needs.
• I know it’s important to think about the future especially as it relates to financial decisions; however, don’t let it get ahead of yourself in situations that might not be beneficial.
• Peer pressure is overrated, live your life, and don’t let others get in the way on your path to happiness.
• Teamwork, collaboration, and open communication are key for staying on target for achieving your goals.
• When in the presence of peer pressure, don’t be rude. The point is not to destroy your relationships, instead, it is about sharing and providing perspective on things you value in life.
• I encourage you to take a step back and reflect on who you are at your core and what happiness means to you.

How do you manage outside influence in your decision-making process?

Until next time … JJ