I’ve never written about finances on my blog before. I’m changing that now for a few big reasons.
I believe being intentional with money is an important aspect of living a happy life.
Which is NOT to say that I believe more money equals more happiness.
Having money might not make you happy, but not having enough money will make you miserable.
Working a stressful job does not add to happiness.
Taking the time to figure out one’s priorities and really consider financial goals and plans is important. It’s important to question which things and experiences in life are worth trading your time (life) spent working and which aren’t.
Working towards a life with financial stability and prioritizing the things, experiences or people that are important to YOU does increase happiness.
That’s the first reason I want to write about finances right now. The second has to do with the current global economic situation.
The economic changes and uncertainty of the COVID-19 era have impacted almost everyone.
I feel very fortunate because the things I’ve done over the last several years have put me in a position where I don’t have to really worry about my financial situation right now. I’m not set for life or anything, but I could weather being unemployed for several months without any real change to my lifestyle.
I know there are people out there struggling right now and if I can share tips or ideas that will help someone I want to do that.
There are also a lot of lessons to be learned right not about making financial plans that will hold up to emergency situations. I want to use this as a time to analyze the things I do and change some of them.
Passing on what I’ve learned
I’ve read quite a few personal finance blogs and had some good (and bad) role models over the years and they’ve had a big impact on me. I want to pass that on.
There is so much useful information out there from small, practical tips to changing one’s perspective, goals and outlook about money.
(I know personal finance can sound like a dry topic, but it’s deeply meaningful when you make the connection to how it lets you live the life you want.)
I want my blog to reflect the things that I am passionate about.
My goal is to share the things that I’ve found that interest me or improve my life.
Sometimes this makes me feel like I have topics that are all over the place. In the end, it’s more important to me to have the flexibility to write about what is important to me at the moment than to keep on a specific topic.
Often my finances are on auto-pilot to some degree. At times, I also get extra energy or motivation to apply to them and make spurts of progress. Like the time I first started really tracking all of my expenses in a spreadsheet or when I got brave, started a retirement account and began learning how to invest.
Recently, I’ve been on one of those little bursts of energy when I start reviewing everything and trying to see where I can make tweaks. Since it’s what’s on my mind, it’s something I want to write about and share.
Read my last post on how reading FIRE blogs changed my life.
