Blogging about personal growth in financial independence, health, and happiness
It’s been a wild year. Actually, 2018 was pretty rough for me, with a lot of turmoil and uncertainty. But this last month, it feels like things have started to clarify in my life, and I’m hopeful for what 2019 will bring.
I’m going to break this post down by my three main categories–financial security, happiness, and health.
Continue reading “2018 in Review”
Happy Thanksgiving! I love this holiday so much because it emphasizes reflection on what we’re thankful for, and it’s the perfect start to the holiday season. The air has started to get crisp, and my whole neighborhood smells like woodsmoke from people starting to use their fireplaces. It’s all very hygge. But it’s also a time to think about your charitable giving. Continue reading “Charitable Giving in My Budget”
It’s so appropriate that this post goes out today because it’s finally snowing for the first time in the Washington, DC area. Something about this weather makes me want to slow down and appreciate the small things. In other words, I’m ready to get hygge.
In every high school movie, there are the stereotypes. The jocks, the nerds, the music kids, etc. Take a minute—think of the stereotypes in your school. Which one were you? I’m assuming that some sort of answer, even if it isn’t a perfect fit, popped into your head. Or, at the very least, a hybrid of a couple archetypes. Having assigned identities provides security—a platform to define yourself upon and to explore from. But it also limits you. To reference a teen movie masterpiece, Zac Efron’s character in High School Musical (Troy) struggled because his identity was “jock,” but he wanted to perform in the school musical.
Those limits, the constraints of the identity that you either chose for yourself or that someone else assigned, can be stifling. And how do you break away from them, especially when the identity overall seems like a good fit or a natural choice? What opportunities are you missing because you have on blinders that only let you see a straight path forward?
It’s my birthday!!! I’m just a tad excited. I took the day off, and I plan on doing fun, relaxing things. I also plan on spending some money, but on things I value, which makes it worth it.
Continue reading “Celebrating My Birthday and Spending Money”
This weekly update is going to be super short because I’m currently with family celebrating my mom’s birthday. It’s great to be with loved ones, and I’m even more glad that I was able to surprise her for the weekend!
And StarDog is thrilled to be staying with the pet sitter. He views it as his own extended sleepover, and he always has a ball. She doesn’t have cats, so he gets to sleep in the bed there…
Like I mentioned last week, this will be a weekly section on what I’m grateful for every day. I’m hoping that by documenting these, it will remind me to be more mindful about the good things in my life.
Tuesday: StarCat had a relatively painless annual checkup at the vet, and everyone there could not get over how handsome he was!
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, I hope it brings you joy. I’d love to hear about your plans, and what you’re grateful for this week—write me a comment below!
I have a confession: I’m dropping $2,500 on a completely elective purchase in October. And on two weekend trips that were planned pretty last-minute. And I have no regrets. Having my finances together gives me the flexibility to address what’s important in my life. Financial flexibility isn’t necessarily frugal, but it does mean my money is going to things I value.
Continue reading “Financial Flexibility for What’s Important”
The last two weeks, since getting back from Peru, have been difficult. I was sick for a good portion of them and exhausted constantly. It’s also been stressful applying for jobs and not feeling like I’m getting anywhere. All of these factors meant that I wasn’t being very diligent about cooking at home and eating healthy. In an effort to prevent that this week, I did some massive meal prepping today!
Continue reading “Weekly Update: Meal Prepping and Gratitude”
In Thursday’s post, I wrote about my attempts at tracking good habits through the month. I came back from my trip to Peru full of motivation to keep improving. Then, reality hit. But instead of beating myself up about not succeeding as much as I’d like, instead, I took the opportunity to practice some much-needed self-kindness and self-care.
Continue reading “Weekly Update: Self-Kindness and Self-Care”
