JL Collins is a financial blogger and an author who was the most influential force behind my desire to seek financial independence. In his book “The Simple Path to Wealth”, he says that if individuals follow the tips listed below in the next ten years, they will be on their way to financial independence. According…
2021’s Most Unnecessary Purchases—My Honest Review
Some financial goals I set for myself for 2021, I didn’t manage to reach by the end of December. But I’ll reach them by the end of January 2022; I’m a month late. That makes me, in some respects, upset with myself. However, this is the first time in my life I’ve set financial goals…
Money Management for People Who’ve Never Been Taught
This type of assumption is misleading, giving a false belief that money management is a gift rather than a skill anyone can learn. Yes, our early childhood indeed influences our financial decisions and our understanding of how money is used. However, the financial choices our parents, carers or adults in our lives made when we…
The Treasures I Found in My Mum’s House
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…
What Our Grandparents Knew About Money That We’ve Forgotten
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…
Spoiler: Half-Assing Doesn’t Work
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…
Decreasing the Amount of Money You Need to Be Happy
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,…
No Budget, No Control: Why Your Money Needs a Plan
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…
What Does the 4% Withdrawal Rule Mean?
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…
How Non-Essentials Quietly Drain Your Wallet
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…