The Mind Trick That Got Me Out of Credit Card Debt for Good

woman with laptop carrying shopping bags

Credit card debt has a way of taking over — slowly, then all at once. If you’re stressed, juggling payments, and wondering how your balance keeps growing, I’ve been there. I once believed I’d be in credit card debt for life. I wasn’t just overspending — I was completely disconnected from the money I was … Read more

Budgeting for Long-Term Travel: How Our Family of Four Does It

At some point in your life, you may have dreamed of taking an extended break. Renting a local beach house and learning Spanish with your kids in Costa Rica. Or spending months traversing Europe by train. Long-term travel allows for a richer experience, whereas short holidays barely touch the sides. I’ve circumnavigated the globe three … Read more

How to Semi-Retire in Your 30s

How to Semi-Retire in Your 30s Featured Image

This article was first published in 2016. For many years I was all about early retirement. I remember telling anyone who would listen that I’d be retired by 30 back when I purchased my first investment property at the age of 24. I was cocky in a way that only a 24-year-old with a high … Read more

How to Save Your First $1000 When You’re Starting From Zero

Inside: Saving your first $1000 can feel impossible — especially when you’re starting from scratch or juggling debt. These are the exact steps that helped me save $1000, build momentum, shift my mindset, and eventually save tens of thousands. When I first started paying off my consumer debt, I knew I needed a quick win … Read more

How I’m Creating a Life I Don’t Need to Retire From

How I'm Creating a Life I Don't Need to Retire From

This post was first published in January 2016.  My husband started work last month after 15 months of travel with our kids. That means we are now receiving something we haven’t seen in nearly two whole years – a regular paycheque! I’m so freaking excited, mainly because a regular paycheque lifts the pressure on our … Read more

How to Create a Survival Budget Before You Need One

How to Make a Personal Survival Budget And Why You Need One Featured Image

What would you do if you lost your job tomorrow? You’d be shocked, sure – but would it be the end of the world? For some people, the answer is a resounding YES! You’re thinking ‘how the heck am I going to pay the bills without my regular paycheque?’ Look, it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll … Read more

What We Really Spent Living in Spain for 6 Months

Ever dreamed of packing up the family and living overseas for a few months instead of just taking a holiday? Back in 2015, we did exactly that — moving to Spain’s Costa del Sol for six months with our toddler. Instead of rushing around like tourists, we rented a little apartment, sent our son to … Read more

Why We’re Downsizing the Family Home With Kids

Downsizing with a Family Why We're Downsizing with Kids

If you’re interested in downsizing with a family, this is my first blog post about our decision to downsize our family home. We spent 2015 in Spain, renting a small apartment and living like locals. We had just found out we (me) were pregnant and planned to head back to New Zealand to have the … Read more

How to Budget Backwards and Stop Living Beyond Your Means

START-LIVING-WITHIN-YOUR-MEANS

How do you know if you’re living beyond your means? It might go something like this: You have a job. Pay rent. Have a car. You didn’t have the cash for the car so you got a car loan. Each week or month you commit a large chunk of money to maintain a depreciating asset. … Read more

How We Afford to Travel With Our Child

we afford to travel with our child

My son turns 3 this year. By that time he will have spent over half of his life outside his country of citizenship. In 2012 when he was four months old we headed off to Ireland, Mexico and the USA. We then spent a year in New Zealand – alternating our work arrangements around him … Read more