Blog

 

One of my ex-bosses tried to sleep with female employees.

I probably should have quit.

I ended up sticking around at that job for four years.

Sure, there was harassment and lots of illegal practices going on at that place, but it wasn’t a soul sucking job. The boss ended up being fired, leaving the country (I was an expat in China at the time) and the new principal that came soon after was nice. Yes, there were the usual problems of alcoholic expats, lack of prep time between lessons and incompetent co-workers, but what place (in China international schools anyway) didn’t have all that? [Read more…] about What if Quitting Your Soul Sucking Job Isn’t The Answer?

When I was a child, a close family member won a significant amount of money from playing the lottery. I’m taking about enough money for this person to quit their job and never work a day in their life.

A few years later, this person was back at a minimum wage job. We never spoke of the lottery winnings again.

Why am I sharing this story? It’s proof that financial freedom isn’t just about having lots of money in the bank. It comes from manifesting what you know to be true about money.

Think about it. If you were a careless person, how does that manifest in your spending habits? If you hate to spend money and have friends that do, what would your social network look like?

Money has the potential to give us everything that we want, but it’s not a mind reader. It can only look out for your best interest if you allow it to.

Take a look at my family member. This person’s dream was to construct a Japanese Zen garden, complete with a koi pond. You’d think with the lottery winnings, that would have at least been built.

Nope.

[Read more…] about Why Knowing Your Money Story is Crucial to Getting Rich

 

I’m a gal known for living large. It never ceases to amaze me how many people look at me with wonder when I talk about buying a one-way ticket to Australia, living in Asia for nine years, moving across three different states and still manage to keep my money stuff together.

I can honestly say it sounds like a glamorous life, and I’ve lived a great life so far filled with adventure. Definitely no regrets here.

Perhaps my biggest adventure to date is not only giving birth, but taking care of a rowdy infant while working at home in a small rural town in the US. I’m sure it sounds totally mundane to you, but for someone who is used to sprawling urban areas and interacting with lots of people on a daily basis, this past year was a real challenge for me.

What was the most surprising to me was the money lessons I learned in the past 12 months. At the risk of making this blog post becoming too focused on me, I’ll try to distill the lessons I’ve learned into stories you can take and try to apply it in your own life.

[Read more…] about 3 Uncomfortable Money Lessons From Living in a Small Rural Town

Want to find a way to save money fast?

Actually, it’s not as hard as you think.

[Read more…] about How to Save Money Fast: Some Overlooked Tricks

Does budgeting give you the heeby jeebies? Don’t worry, it does for me too. Whether you’ve never started one or were so frustrated in the process, having a plan for your money isn’t a bad thing. Before looking at some of the tips to help you with budgeting, let’s talk about why many people get scared about budgeting. The most common reasons I found is that people feel like they have to deprive themselves when they’re on a budget. They think of that they have to cut back on all this stuff and they’re not willing to do that. That’s absolutely not true. [Read more…] about Stressed About Budgeting? Here’s What You Can Do