About
Financial freedom … one dollar at a time
Welcome! I am delighted you’ve found your way here.
I have few regrets in life. I’ve followed my heart, traveled the world, loved fully, owned my own business and have met many amazing people along the way. And I’ve learned along the way that:
Ignorance is bliss…until it’s not.
One day, feeling stuck in a job I didn’t enjoy, I decided for shits and giggles to take a quick peek into my financial situation to see how long it would be until I could retire and be free from cubicle land once and for all.
Financial Wake-Up Call
According to my calculations, if I didn’t make changes (and stat) to how I
was approaching my finances, I was going to breathe my last breath within the walls of a cubicle.
I felt hopeless and overwhelmed thinking about my finances, and I was suddenly aware that this was an area of my life I could no longer avoid.
Fast forward 2 years and I had 6-months’ worth of living expenses stashed away and felt an incredible sense of peace of mind from this, especially as the country headed into a recession. I had enough cash saved to buy a new car outright (no car payments- woo hoo!). I had made a full-time income from side-hustle efforts and I doubled my net worth and felt financially secure for the first time—ever. I felt confident and in control of my proverbial ship.
For many people this comes naturally. For me, this took effort.
I like to follow my heart, and while this approach has led to many fun adventures, it had also led to years of neglecting my finances (for what seemed like very valid reasons at the time). Over the years, I’d told myself things like…
- I’ve got student loan debt to deal with before I’m ready to start saving.
- I’m traveling and following my passions… I’m only young once.
- My husband deals with all things money (which, honestly, worked out fine by me until he wasn’t my hubby any more)
- I’m going through a soul-crushing heartbreak.I deserve this massage/vacation/new clothes to make myself feel better.
- I NEED to live in San Francisco because it’s been a lifelong dream. (A city where you can ‘just get by’ on a six-figure income.)
And when I had my wake-up call, like any good researcher, I turned ‘the Internets’ for a quick-fix to my dilemma.
A lot of the information I found wasn’t for me.
Moms with young families wrote about couponing, bulk buying and cooking at home. Young 20-somethings wrote about penny-pinching to the extreme to save every penny towards the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) lifestyle. As an independent gal in the city, that did not fit my lifestyle. I enrolled in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, which gave me a solid foundation, but Ramsey’s cash-only, family-focused approach didn’t address some of my unique struggles as a single woman. I was managing a financial journey on my own—not as part of a family unit with dual-income and shared responsibilities.
I slowly started implementing steps I learned from all of these different sources, and customized a path that worked for me.
I started this blog to document my journey and my learnings. This blog serves, in part, as a way to hold myself accountable. It also exists to share what I’ve learned in the hope it can help others.
Creating a Community
I know many smart, educated, successful women who share the same financial fears and questions. None of us are alone in this.
We’ve got to break down the barriers that keep us from talking about money and create a world where we can lean on each other for support and encouragement in reaching our financial goals.
If you feel like you are struggling, I invite you to join this community to be inspired and learn practical steps you can implement to feel more in control of your own financial journey.
If you are just getting started, here are a few resources to get you going in the right direction!
- Start Here with your free Ultimate Checklist of Chic Money Moves
- Free Resource Library
- Find an Accountability Partner to support you on your journey!
- Take Control of Your Money in 5 Simple Steps
If you would like to get in touch with me, please reach out to me here. I would love to hear from you. And make sure to follow be on social (below) for money inspiration and tips!
