Long time no see (or write? š¤Ŗ)! The first quarter of 2024 has been eventful to say the least, but I really canāt complain too much. Iāve had an amazing start to 2024. To wrap up the first quarter of 2024, I will do a mini recap that will be a bit different than my usual budget/debt review format. Travel To start with, I went on a Northern Lights chasing trip to Alaska which unfortunately ended in a failure. We…
Goodbye 2023, hello 2024! As I started writing this post, I struggled to find a defining theme for this year. It truly felt like a big extension of my 2022. I continued with travel revenge and overall just enjoyed my 30ās not being completely broke like I was in my 20ās. If Iām being kind to myself, I would mark this year a success with the accomplishment of fully paying off my student loans. More realistically though, I really have…
For the first time in 5 years, I missed reviewing and posting my monthly budget and spending. š„ However, in the spirit of being kinder to myself, Iāll give myself some grace. I was gone for almost 2 weeks on my international trip and I was quite busy the weeks before finishing up preparations for the trip. The whole truth though is that I was getting burned out. I even debated whether I should continue this blog. But Iām back,…
July was a pretty busy month for me. I had a couple of back to back weekends with a wedding and a baby shower that I had to help with. Work has been crazy busy so that has also been mentally draining. As for my free time, I spent a great deal of it planning for my family trip this fall. This is the first time Iāll be going with my extended family and I wanted to tread lightly as…
I went on a week-long Mediterranean cruise this month! It was my first time ever cruising and my first time ever in the Mediterranean so a very eventful trip indeed! So hereās my honest (what else would it be lol) review of this trip. Things I Like I loved all the shows and entertainment offered on the cruise! I saw a broadway musical, aqua show, magic show, and ice skating show to name a few. All within the span of…
A couple years ago, I worked in a contract position (yes, the one I was laid off from) where my trainer was someone who normally works from home, but was coming into the office to do the training sessions. While WFH is a dream for an introvert like me, I was shocked at a remark she made about sometimes going āfor daysā without leaving her home. While Iāve never been a super social person, I couldnāt fathom the idea of…
The time has come! After my most recent paycheck I finally hit $300k net worth. š„³ Thereās no telling if this number will stay as the market continues its roller coaster ride, but Iāll take it! The default view on Empower (previous Personal Capital) where I track my net worth is a 90-day lookback. I rarely switch from this view, but yesterday I decided to go as far back in time as possible. And boy was it fun to see!…
I canāt believe the first month of the year is officially over. As for the title of this post, it is very literal. I really did get a brand new vision this month. After years of thinking about it, I finally got LASIK surgery! LASIK Experience I opted for Contoura Vision LASIK which is a newer technology that I was a candidate for. Iāve been having a harder time using contacts especially with allergies and dryness making my eyes itchy….
After two years of pandemic, 2022 marked the year of a new start. It marked a turn as I restarted international travel. It also marked the turn of a decade for me as I entered my 30s. But it was so much more than that. It was a start to a new mentality, one that I aspired to have ever since learning about FIRE as reflected in some of these highlights of 2022. A Stressful Start The first quarter of…
November was one of the best months Iāve had in a while. I went on my last trip of the year and it was so relaxing. I definitely went into it with the mindset that I wanted to have a really relaxing tropical vacation after the year Iāve had so while I did some planning, it was a pretty laid back trip. Mid-November, my team also finished up a huge project for work and since then, if Iām being completely…