A Plan for Adventuring

When we left Idaho, a big reason was to be closer to the ocean. For a while, we seriously considered buying a home right on the coast somewhere in Washington or Oregon, but after a few pivots, and a very long time waiting for our house to sell, we landed on our current home - close to the amenities of Seattle, but also a day trip away from the coast. Last year we visited so many beaches - but this year its dropped off a bit. But, I want to be intentional with the time left with kids here at home and I think we’re all a bit lighter when we spend time in nature. With meal planning, if I am a bit more intentional or have a theme, the grocery budget is lower and cooking feels less stressful. I also have to bribe my scattered brain with novelty by trying new recipes often. So, my logic is to apply some of that same intention and planning to adventuring. When I know what I plan to spend on groceries, it doesn’t feel like overspending to get the good cheese, because its already accounted for. So for our adventures there is now a dedicated budget for both family outings and date night to alleviate some of the guilt. This is how we want to spend our money.

I’ll be creating an adventures channel in the family discord to start gathering suggestions. On our oddities trip we had daily photo challenges and mad libs, I’d like to incorporate some of that magic here as well, maybe with a scavenger hunt, but we can work up to that.

The Parameters:

• 2 Family Outings a Month
  1. Outdoor Adventure
     • Low or no cost - gas and park passes excluded
     • 3 hour drive or less
     • We eat outdoors
     • We dress for the weather that shows up
     • A running list of ideas can be shared in the family discord channel
  2. Other Adventure
     • There’s a budget limit that can be flexed if needed but gives a starting point and a plan
     • It doesn’t need to be everyone’s favorite thing, and we can take turns picking the activity
     • Some possible options - trying a new restaurant, exploring a new town, going to a local festival or renfaire, a book store browse, checking out a museum
• Dates!
  • One intentionally planned date a month - also with a dedicated budget line. Life got expensive
  • Can be going out to eat, an activity, or something else
  • Banned topics: work, parenting, politics

Next up I’ll be drafting a list of destinations. I would love to have them as physical cards we can draw at random, but I can feel that I’m over complicating this. Starting with just a few suggestions can be what we need to get started and I can add more bells and whistles later.