Magda Olchawska

Each visit included cleaning one of the bedrooms, which had gradually become a storage for all the unwanted stuff we had all gathered over the years. Last year, I found so many items of clothing that it made me cry just to think how hard I had to work to buy those things, only to…

After my granny’s death, my mum and her sister took it upon themselves to clear out her closet. To their biggest surprise, they found unopened packs of tights and a few never-worn long johns that belonged to my grandfather, who passed away long before my granny did. Both items were from the ’80s; my granny…

When I was at the peak of my personal half-assing, I knew I was stuck and couldn’t get out of that circle of self-sabotage, which, in everyday life, translated to a fear of committing to myself. At the end of 2020, I realised that for most of my adult life, I’ve been half-assing. I did…

In my 20s, I used to visit designer shops a lot. During those visits, I usually bought clothes (I still have some of those items and they still fit me, since the more expensive brands have much higher quality than fast fashion, so it’s good for sustainability), bags, and shoes, of course. Over the years,…

For a very long time, I didn’t really understand how budgeting worked I used budgets only to limit myself, rather than realistically assessing my needs and how much/what percentage of my income I allocated to meeting them. Without knowing my actual spending, it was pretty impossible to figure out what percentage I could save or…

Wikipedia says, “The 4% refers to the portion of the portfolio withdrawn during the first year (of retirement). It is assumed that the portion withdrawn in subsequent years will increase with the consumer price index (CPI) to keep pace with the cost of living.” Your investments will pay dividends and appreciate in value at an…

Recently, I’ve been thinking about the non-essential things that we buy but don’t really need; the possessions that don’t add much value to our daily life or to our level of happiness. Everyone will have a different list of non-essentials and a different definition of them at different stages of their lives. When I was…

On the way to financial freedom, many of us will have to learn how to adapt our mindset, spending, and goals, and adjust to new lifestyle choices. Throughout human history, to survive, we all had to learn to adapt. Unfortunately, the more comfortable people become, the less they want to venture towards new territories if…

Over the years, I’ve asked many people I considered good with money, or who worked in the financial sector, how to teach kids about investing. The best I got was, “Open a savings account and add some money each month to show your son how the money compounds.” WHAT?!?! Well… that sounds really boring even…

Since I began my journey toward financial mastery, I’ve discovered that mastering personal finance has a lot to do with finding your true self. Learning about investments and financial independence set me on the road to sorting out and facing my long-standing financial issues. Thinking about and recording my spending let me see how much…