Earn, Save, and Live Joyfully.
Two years ago, I planned to return to work after a nine-year stint as a stay-at-home mom. With my youngest heading to kindergarten, I no longer needed to be home all day. My husband urged me to find a job. He’s been waiting over a decade to build a waterfront house and wanted another hefty … Read more
For years, thoughts of money consumed me. How much did I earn? How much did I save? How much did I spend? I thought about money every day of my life. I ran calculations to project my future salary and worked as hard as possible to achieve the highest promotions and raises. In my twenties … Read more
One of the greatest gifts of financial independence is the gift of choice. It provides the opportunity to follow your heart instead of the money. I can decide where to go and what to do. After working twelve years as a software engineer and spending the last ten with my children, I stand on the … Read more
Have you ever heard the phrase the grass is greener on the other side? Is it really greener elsewhere, or could it be greener where you water it? My dad always considered himself lucky, and he kept an upbeat attitude even after he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Whenever the doctor asked how he was feeling, … Read more
Every day I jot down random notes. Today, for no particular reason, I decided to publish the list. So here it goes. 1. New Blog I’ve been cheating on this blog. After a decade and a half of writing about personal finance, I got the itch to write about something new. So I bought a … Read more
Are you a stay-at-home mom who wants or needs to return to work? I am too! After a decade of being home with my kids, I’m excited to explore the next chapter of my life. Ten years ago, I left my high-paying career to become a stay-at-home mom. “I’ll stay home for six months,” I … Read more
For about eight years, my husband and I subscribed to a high-deductible health plan. Every year I renewed our insurance and hoped we would stay healthy. In the best-case scenario, we would pay lower premiums, sock money away in our HSA, and never visit the doctor’s office. In the worst-case scenario, we would pay $6,000 … Read more
I’ve always had a strange fascination with the future. As a kid, I was mesmerized by the notion of fortune tellers and palm readers. I wanted to see my future laid out before me like a map indicating where I would travel and where I would land. But deep down, I feared that same future. … Read more
The year is coming to a close, which means it’s time for my annual blogging recap! I started summarizing my blog content in 2019 after Angela, Revanche, and FinCon 2019 rebooted my excitement for writing. In 2020, I decided to make it a tradition. In 2022, I published thirty-six posts on the topics of minimalism, financial independence, and exploring money mindsets and presented “How … Read more
How many gifts should you give your kids for Christmas? Is there a magic number of presents? The perfect amount that makes kids feel happy, satisfied, and grateful? In most instances, I think four is enough. After choosing something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read, you’ve got your kids … Read more