There is a misconception that living a more sustainable lifestyle automatically means it’s more expensive. In many ways, it’s actually cheaper than living an unsustainable lifestyle. I’m going to provide different examples of how living sustainably will save you money, most of these are self-explanatory.
You can have a smaller trash can, which minimizes your garbage bill.
You buy less/spend less, especially in the long run. When you care about the planet, you try to consume/buy as little as you can.
Lower energy & water bills because you’re much more mindful to use less electricity & water.
Eating healthy/plant based/less red meat can save your health & therefore future medical bill costs. Also, health is wealth.
Less vehicles or using vehicles less= lower cost. (gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.) Or using public transportation!
Any reusable products. Examples: Reusable water bottles, reusable cotton rounds, reusable storage bags, etc. You most likely won’t have to buy that product again!
Buying second-hand is almost always way cheaper.
Now that I use period underwear, I don’t have to buy pads/tampons anymore!
Sustainability is all about using what you already have first. Then reusing items, reducing your consumption, buying second-hand, repairing what you have and borrowing or renting things you may only use a handful of times.
I didn’t realize how a lot of these practices save you a lot of money until I started doing them myself. When I started my sustainability journey, I didn’t even think about some of these aspects.
I’m not going to get into the large scale costs of climate change for governments (or the whole planet). Examples: The costs of cities being destroyed by hurricanes more regularly, droughts, wildfires, etc.
It’s nearly impossible to evaluate the true price of every living being on Earth & the Earth’s resources as a whole. In my opinion, there is no limit to the value.
What is the true cost of ignoring climate change? The death of every living being, or at least the human race, except the few billionaires that escape to Mars of course. 😉
So if living sustainably saves you money NOW and decreases the likelihood of the extinction of the human race, even if your action(s) only buys us one more second of time, I think it’s worth it. Don’t get me wrong, we need larger scale action, but as I have said before, most big businesses’ top priority is making more money, so if we stop giving them our money, they’ll start to care & make changes.
I do genuinely believe with a lot of people making small changes, we can seriously help stop climate change. We can see that governments most likely aren’t going to stop it in time, but we can still keep trying to get them to!
Please feel free to add anything I may have missed in the comments!
Thank you for reading!
-Meghan
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
Finding your reason for being here on Earth is not a simple task, well, for some it is. Some people don’t even care to think about why they’re here and what for. This blog post is for the people who do care and want to figure out why.
Why you’re here, is mostly up to you.
Some ways to help you find your life’s purpose:
Quote from Carl Jung: “Where your fear is there is your task.” -For example, I fear climate change. I also fear working my life away, & don’t want others to work their lives away at jobs they hate. I fear doing meaningless or pointless work, I need to feel like I’m making a difference. So, I am doing everything in my power to help solve those problems and support others who share the same fear(s). You can even think about what you dislike/hate and how you can help provide a solution!
Your purpose is somewhere in the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, and what the world needs. Create a Venn diagram or list for each category and circle the topics that that are in each category. You may need to look at two unrelated subjects & see how you can connect them. My example: I love creating financial plans, I’m good at it, and people need help getting their financial lives planned & organized.
Remember, your purpose can absolutely change & evolve over time. You can try something out & find out you don’t love it as much as you thought. Everything in life is temporary.
Ask yourself “Why?” frequently. Why do you do what you do? Why do you want to achieve that certain goal? Then when you give your first answer, ask “why?” again, and again, and again, until you find the real motivation behind what you’re doing. Example: Why do I want to retire early? Because I want to spend more time with my kid. Why do I want to spend more time with my kid? Because I prioritize the loving relationships in my life. Why? Because I’ve learned a job can’t hug you and I’ve seen other people miss out on their kid’s childhood because they prioritize their work instead. -See how it’s hard to ask “Why?” again now? We’ve learned the true reason/fear that provides motivation to achieve this goal. There are usually multiple “whys” to any given scenario too!
Create the most detailed vision of your dream life you possibly can, include the 5 senses & emotions. Once you have it all written up, break it down into categories and create actionable steps & timelines for each goal. While keeping in mind your “why”/life purpose. This method will propel you so much faster into your dream life. WITH THIS BEING SAID… things will turn out different than you expect, usually better. Plan & go for your dreams, but do not expect anything from them. I am always SO thankful every time something did not work out how I wanted. Something better always happened instead later on.
Talk with others & help others, you can go so much further & longer with other people, even if you can go faster by yourself.
Life is all about not taking short cuts, making meaningful & purposeful choices, being mindful, helping other living beings, focusing on the long-term, and not getting caught up on tiny details.
I hope this post helps people out!
As always thank you for reading & if you have anything to add, feel free to comment below!
-Meghan 🙂
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
Hello, this year I wanted to do something fun & helpful, by creating a sustainable gift guide! I’m really excited for this post & looking forward to what I come up with. If you have anything to add, please feel free to comment down below! 🙂
In addition to gifts, I will also be adding in some other ways you can make the holiday season more sustainable!
I’m going to start off with some facts about gifts:
$15.2 billion is spent every year on unwanted Christmas gifts.. of this number, 31% keep the gift out of guilt, letting it clutter their home, 31% give it to someone else, 20% exchange the gift, & 4% throw it away, with some sources saying up to 10% get thrown. (I’m not listing all of the different options.) That means at least 608 million dollars are thrown away annually & all of those items end up in landfill.
61% of Americans surveyed admit to getting at least one unwanted gift over the holidays, totaling roughly 154 million American adults.
So here is how we all can do our best to avoid this situation:
General Ideas to Make Your Gifts More Sustainable:
Shop local & small. Obviously, the shorter distance an item had to travel to get to you, the better it is for the planet. During Covid especially, small businesses need our support. I know in my town, there are a lot of cute boutiques/shops downtown.
Avoid gag gifts & joke wrapping. Sure they’re funny for a couple minutes when the person first gets the item, but then what about after that? If it’s a gag gift or a joke, they probably won’t use it after those few moments of laughter. Meaning it will most likely end up in being thrown away. As for joke wrapping, using one box after another & wrapping or taping things obnoxiously, it can be funny for a few minutes, but in the end, it ends up being super wasteful.
Do not give pets as gifts… they are a huge responsibility. Unless the person has asked multiple times for the animal & has shown how they are capable of taking care of it, then don’t do it. Don’t assume someone wants a dog because they mentioned it one or two times in front of you, there is a reason why they haven’t gotten one yet. You need to keep in mind the additional financial burden you are putting on the gift receiver. The cost of food, toys, vet bills, not to mention cleaning up after them, etc.
You don’t need to buy an entire gift set. Often in a set of things, you end up not using one or two of the items. So rather than buying a person a whole entire bath set, just buy them a single bar soap & bath bomb.
Second-hand gifts. This can be something you already have that you know they’ll love or buying it second hand online, at a thrift store, at an estate sale, etc.
Finally, make sure it is something person will actually use(& can use year round), not just something you think they will use, you need to be certain. I know people are worried about “ruining the surprise” but I’m sure the gift receiver would rather receive something they love because you made sure of it than something they don’t like and now have to deal with the guilt/hassle of keeping it or getting rid of it.
Sustainable Gift Ideas:
Soy candles in a glass jar (Be mindful of the scents the gift receiver likes or if they have kids or pets). Often, you can find someone who makes & sells these locally.
Gift certificates or gift cards to their fav place(s)! -Or for them to get a massage or their nails done or something, if they like things like that.
Useful things for their pet, like treats or toys you know they’ll love.
Books from ThriftBooks -If the person likes reading.
If you are planning to gift your child or spouse a more expensive tech item, like a phone or laptop, I highly recommend using Back Market! -They sell great refurbished tech items.
Anything they’ll use over & over and have asked for, like maybe they really want a clothes drying rack or an air fryer.
Ways to Have a Sustainable Holiday Season Overall:
Reuse Holiday cards people mail you as gift tags. You can cut out a tree on the front of it or the word joy, or whatever is on the front of it, punch a hole in it & tie a string through! BAM a new gift tag you can write your to/from on!
Plant based meals, this works for any time of year, but you can try to focus your food not on meat/animal products.
Use paper & string for wrapping. You can try to reuse your paper bags by turning them inside out, or reuse boxes you’ve saved, or reuse gift bags from previous years, or buy paper gift wrap instead, or skip the gift wrap & just tie a bow on it; the options are endless.
You don’t need any more décor, if you really do, there is a ton at the thrift store & in your mom’s basement.
Remember the classic phrase: 1. REDUCE 2. REUSE 3. RECYCLE. Try to focus on the first two the most.
Overall, if you’re not sure, just ask the person! They will appreciate it more than getting a gift they don’t like! 🙂
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
October 1st feels like it was three months ago, not one month. The beginning of October, for lack of a better phrase, was a cluster f**k. After freaking out a bit & doing some research, I calmed down again.
Since losing my job, I have been working on the easeyourfinancialpayne Instagram usually daily, as well as posting at least weekly on here. I would love to get it up to posting 2-3 times a week on here, but ideas for blog posts don’t come to me quite that fast. If you don’t follow me yet on Instagram, I suggest you do since I am active on there daily! I also got my first official affiliate link!!! I’m screaming because I’m so excited and have been trying so hard to work with this company! –ThriftBooks!! I love them & get all of my books from them! Now if you use my link I get a tiny commission off of your order! No added cost to you, you’re just helping me out! I’m going to go tell all of my friends and family now, lol.
We’ve also been working on house projects, nothing expensive just painting & tearing up old carpet. Other than that, I’ve been cleaning up after our new cat daily. He either pees somewhere or destroys something, every. single. day. Not to mention that the cats fight almost everyday too, but then they’ll be fine & cuddle each other later, so I’m not sure what’s up with that.
More info on our newer cat:
We have taken him to the vet & done everything we can to try & change his behavior & absolutely nothing is working. The vet said we were doing everything right (correct number of litter boxes, tearing up carpet, giving him other things to chew on, etc.) and that this is a behavioral issue (she tested his urine & did an ultrasound). Our new cat suffers from OCD & anxiety. I bought some different cat sprays too, some are for cleaning up the urine, one is to calm him, another is to deter biting/scratching & peeing on surfaces. We have 1-2 other things we can try that the vet recommended: Feliway outlet plug-ins (diffusers to help calm cats) & Purina calming care feline probiotic (this is better than just putting him on meds right away). If after all of this, he still continues to pee or wreck things daily, we will have to get rid of him. It’s really messing with my mental health, having to watch him as much as possible, having belongings I care about chewed up, cleaning up pee off my floor daily, the cats fighting & hurting each other, etc. It’s just not worth it. We’ve been trying to work with him for months. Like I said though, we will try the outlet diffusers & then the probiotic if that doesn’t work. Then we may try medication. I really hope one of these last options helps! We do not want to get rid of him.. we do like him when he doesn’t chew on our things or pee on our floor. I hate it when people just get rid of their pets, they’re living beings with feelings too. So even if these don’t work, we may just keep him anyway, we don’t want him being bounced around from house to house for his whole life.. Also I don’t know any sane person that would take him at this point, I know I wouldn’t have taken him off of our friend’s hands if I knew he was going to behave this way.
Anyway, on to the financial update..
Now that I’ve lost my job, our numbers will not be improving as much as they were, which we’re fine with. I don’t have to be employed anymore if I don’t want to, so I’m not complaining! I am working on monetizing this blog & my Instagram though!
Our Partial Financial Independence Goals:
$0 Debt.
Brandon works part time at his job.
I am self-employed through the Ease Your Financial Payne blog & Instagram. I can choose how much or how little I want to work & when.
We need $2,000/month in income, whether that comes from investments, Brandon’s part time job, or my blog, it doesn’t matter.
Once we pay off our mortgage we will be golden! Our expenses would only be $1,200/month, but I want to leave room in the budget for having a kid & emergencies, so that’s why I have a goal of $2,000/month or more in income.
Our Current Numbers as of November 1st, 2021:
Investments: $50,232
Savings: $20,608.33
Debt: -$122,984.77 (Mortgage)
Just Brandon is working full time.
As always, thanks for reading!
-Meghan
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
I had a conversation the other day that led to some very interesting realizations: I equate my value as a person to how much I accomplish in a day. I also only consider days a “good day” when I get a lot completed. When I don’t get a lot done, I feel guilty and shameful. If you do this too, or know someone who does, this post is for you.
Our society, particularly in the United States, operates by this standard. We always think more is better and our job performance, reviews, & raises depend on our productivity. I also realized some personal reasons why I feel this way: because of how I was raised and the family dynamic I witnessed as a child. These are the main factors that influence my behavior.
Now that I am unemployed, the fear of not doing enough to be a “valid” person who is worthy of love and attention, has been amplified. I find myself listing off everything I have done that day to my husband when he gets home, seeking compliments & validation.. fascinating.
Generally, we as humans, love to see tangible results of our efforts, but the most important things in life are not tangible: energy, love, knowledge, etc. Valuing tangible results isn’t all bad, and a lot of it is necessary work, like the dishes, laundry, house repairs, etc.
But.. we need to make sure we are doing a task or two a day that aligns with our purpose, something we can not see immediate results from. Examples: Spending time with your child to strengthen your bond, reading a self-help book, listening to a finance podcast, meditation, etc. and doing these things purposefully & following through on the advice they give. This is what makes us feel truly fulfilled in our lives.
People who value tangible results too much, often overspend on items to have a way to prove to others what they’ve accomplished/how productive they’ve been/what they can afford. They feel like they need the validation from others; the compliments and the attention. At the end of the day though, those things are hollow, leaving people feeling unfulfilled, looking for the next rush, often a bigger purchase than their last, or a trip, or a drastic life change like moving.
This goes back to principles, choose what you do with your day based off of those and you can’t go wrong. Recognize that just because you cannot see love, spiritual growth, or mental growth, doesn’t mean it is any less valuable. In fact, they are the most valuable things in this world. You can’t buy love, intelligence, or non-physical growth.
So I challenge you to find your “why” and write out your principles. Also to do at least one task a day that supports your purpose that you can’t see tangible results from. I will be doing the same, as well as try not to report what I accomplished that day to anyone, to try and break the habit of needing external validation for my work.
I think I’m going to write another blog post to help people find their why/life purpose.
Links to more of my posts that will help you with this:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
As always, thanks for reading! Please share with anyone who may need it.
I always preach that to achieve FIRE you need to stop all unnecessary spending, but to be honest, over the years, we’ve (particularly me) been terrible with this.. I would say only in the last two years, we’ve greatly improved.
So if we can be on track for FIRE after making all of these dumb purchases, so can you!
Perfumes -I used to buy designer perfumes through out my teen years with the money I would get from working at a sandwich shop, so stupid.. One perfume, was over $100. Insane. I am embarrassed, I was a VERY different person back then & put value on things I shouldn’t have. Estimated total wasted: $300 -not terrible, only bought a couple.
Makeup/Skincare -I used to buy so much makeup all the time, not just drugstore, but a lot of it was from Sephora, which we all know is so expensive. To be fair, I used to wear a lot of makeup everyday, now I wear makeup maybe 10x a year. I also used to buy so much skincare from Sephora, I haven’t in over 2 years & I’m STILL using it up… Again, this was mostly in my teen years.. I still have a lot of makeup that I have not used up. Yikes. Estimated total wasted: 0h god, probably thousands.. I just did the math and I want to cry.. I was spending about $200/month on beauty products.. for about 3 years… that’s $7,200.. going to go crawl in a hole now.
B’s Car -Finally, a mistake Brandon made instead 😉 lol. In 2018, not long before we got married, Brandon bought a 2017 used Chevy Malibu at 21 years old. Now, no 21 year old needs a basically brand new car.. he had a loan for about $27,000.. Jesus.. he did get a very low interest rate of about 2% for a 6 year loan. We paid it off early in August 2021, so we had the loan for a little over 3 years. Not sure if I did the math correctly, but I got that we spent approximately $28,400 on this car… but then we sold it for $15,800 cash, so we lost a total of $12,600 on it..
A lot of clothes & shoes -Ah shit, me again, I wasn’t as bad with clothes as I was makeup & skincare, but still, let’s do the math.. I would spend about $200 every new season refreshing my wardrobe for again, 3 years, so that is $2,400 of mostly unnecessary spending. I only bought new clothes back then too.. I still buy a piece here or there, but it’s like maybe 2-5 items a year and they’re very consciously chosen & I try my best to get secondhand.
The amount I spent on my wedding dress. -I originally found a dress I loved for $129! But then a month before my wedding, the dress shop called me & said they were going out of business and had to find a new dress. If you’ve ever planned a wedding, you know having four weeks to find a dress & get it altered before your wedding is a tall order. I ended up finding a very expensive one, but it was the only one I could find that I liked for me, I also had to get it altered, which added on a couple hundred dollars, it had all sorts of tiny intricate beading all over it. Total, if I’m remembering correct, was about $1,500… but we tried our best to save money everywhere else when it came to our wedding, had it in a backyard and my mom helped out with a lot of the costs too, which was amazing. Taking into account that I would’ve spent probably about $200 on a dress either way, I will say we wasted $1,300 on my dress.
Paying for stuff for my ex boyfriend -I would have to pay for his train tickets to come visit me after he went off to college, I won’t go into detail, but he owes me about $2,000…
New Technology, notused. -Now that I’ve found out that buying refurbished tech second-hand is better for the planet & your wallet, I’m not going back. I would say we’ve wasted about $2,000 from 2016 to now on new iPhones, which we each only bought 1 new phone since then.
Alright, I think that’s it.. the grand total, drumroll please… $27,800…. OMG. Is what we wasted from mistakes we made in 2015-2019. The worst offenders were buying a newer car & my beauty spending…
Brandon’s total for his errors: $13,600
My total for my errors: $14,200
My mistakes as a teenager were worse than buying a new car, let that sink in.. We could have an extra $27,800 invested right now, or if he never bought the new car, we could’ve put all of the extra money we would’ve saved towards paying off the mortgage over the last couple years, rather than towards his car loan.
As you can see, we’re not perfect, at all, but over the last two years we’ve MAJORLY improved our spending habits & grown a bunch as people.
It is important to analyze your past spending & to do the math because you may be shocked at how much you’re actually spending on unnecessary things. This may shock you enough to make you change your ways.
Hind sight is 20-20, can’t go back and change it, but we can change our behaviors now to get back on track, which we have been for about two years now.
Thanks for reading!
-Meghan
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
I read the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People a while back and have since focused even harder to center my life around a few core principles, rather than things like: what would benefit me the most, what would make my spouse happy, what would make us the most money, etc.
The book explains in detail why centering your life around principles is so important, I also explained why in one of my recent posts: Grief, Ego, & Principles. I highly recommend reading the book. It can get kind of technical, but it’s worth powering through, because the lessons in it are valuable. People greatly underestimate how helpful the knowledge in books are. If you don’t like reading, you can listen to audio books instead.
Health is Wealth. A cliché, but it is true. If you’re not healthy, you can’t enjoy life as much as you could if you were.
I ask myself, is the choice I’m making what is best for my health? If not, I make a different choice. When I say health I don’t just mean physical, I mean mental, emotional, & spiritual health too. Maybe what I need more than exercising somedays is rest. Maybe I need to unplug & get off of social media for a day.
I once heard an example that really puts everything in perspective: Imagine you win the lottery, you’re all excited that you get to quit your job, travel, & purchase some things you’ve always wanted. 2 weeks later you have a doctors appointment & they tell you you’re going to die in a month, does all that money really matter then? Some could argue yes, for their heirs it matters, now your kid(s) or your spouse may not have to work or worry about funeral costs, but from your perspective, the money doesn’t mean much now. What you would probably want more than anything is your health back & to be able to have more time with your loved ones, something money can’t buy.
Which is a perfect Segue into my next most important principle…
#2 I Prioritize My Relationships:
I make sure that the choices I’m making are good for my relationships with others and that I make space to spend time with family & friends. With this, I also make sure my relationships are healthy ones. I may need to disconnect from some people or set boundaries for the health of our relationship and for my own personal health.
I will prioritize my health over my relationships. I need a lot of alone time as an introvert, for my mental/emotional well being. So, I may decline spending time with someone if I know I need alone time for my own sanity. If I’m not healthy, that may shorten my life span therefore shortening the amount of time I have with loved ones. Also, if I’m mentally unwell, I’m not going to be the best friend/spouse/whatever I can be. I am then less capable of helping & supporting those around me.
Your relationships are the second most important thing after your health.
#3 Live an Eco-Minimalist Lifestyle:
We need a healthy planet to live on.
Our Earth & Eco-Systems are dying, so I want to do everything in my power to change that. If the Earth dies, we won’t have the human race, let alone things like the economy or social issues to worry about.
In order for me to help the planet, the healthier I am, the more I can accomplish. Then I can also use my relationships & network to get the word out on different ways we can help Earth, & in turn help absolutely every living creature on it.
So before I make a choice, pretty much anytime I go anywhere, use anything, or buy anything, I ask myself: “Is this the most sustainable option available to me right now?” Then if it is, great, if not, I try to find an alternative. I am very mindful about each choice I make everyday and how it impacts our Earth. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s to do better. Slowly make better choices for the planet. Like once your laundry detergent runs out, replace it with a more sustainable version.
Along with making more sustainable choices, I include minimalism. –The idea of “Less is more.” because it absolutely is. For this, I highly recommend the book Lightly, the blog The Minimalists, as well as checking out the Minimal Mom & Nick Keomahavong on YouTube. Minimalism is so freeing, great for the Earth, great for you financially, & great for your health! I can’t hype it up enough, you will not regret it. Trust me.
And finally,
#4 Achieving Financial Independence & Being Debt Free:
The final principle I base my choices on, is: Will this choice help me get closer to Financial Independence/Becoming Debt Free? If not, I walk away. Often it is an item I don’t need to buy.
Now, if the thing I am questioning is great for my health & the environment, but costs money, I’m going to do it anyway because I prioritize my health, relationships, & sustainability over money. For example, I pay quite a bit of money each month to have a weekly therapy session. Is that helping me towards my financial goals? Not at all, in fact it is setting me back, BUT it is great for my mental health! And that is my #1 priority. Another example, is shopping at our local co-op for most of our food instead of HyVee or Walmart. It is more expensive for sure, but it is better for our physical health & better for the environment, so we do it anyway.
Conclusion:
If whatever I am trying to decide isn’t good for my health, my relationships, the earth, or my finances, then I’m not going to do/buy it. Every choice I make has to benefit at least one of those options. Whatever doesn’t align with these 4 principles, I kick it out of my life. For example: Alcohol (bad for your health & expensive -is often bad for relationships too!), people who I feel crappy around (bad for my health & relationships), unsustainable products (bad for my health & the Earth), etc.
I am by no means perfect in any of these areas either! I have a long way to go when it comes to health, sustainability, minimalism, etc. It’s a journey though, not a destination. I want to continuously improve in these 4 areas.
These are just my personal core life principles. Yours do not need to be the same as mine! I do think Health & Relationships are/should be the top 2 priorities for everyone across the board though. You can have more than 4 principles too, I suggest keeping it to 5 or less, otherwise it can get to be too much to keep track of.
What are your core principles? Do you agree or disagree with any of my principles?
Thank you for reading! 🙂
-Meghan
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
First of all, try not to panic. You will survive and everything happens for a reason. This doesn’t make it any less sucky, but recognize that panicking & fighting against what is done will not help the situation.
The best thing to do is be pro-active. Prepare for job loss, before it even happens.
This is obvious, but have an emergency fund of AT LEAST 3 months of expenses, so that you aren’t screwed if you can’t find a new job right away, or don’t want to.
Write a backup plan & keep it somewhere safe, I have a Google doc. List things you can cut back on to limit your expenses as much as possible, write down other potential employers, write down things you would be willing to sell if you had to pay your rent, etc. If you have a side hustle, use this as an opportunity to kick it into gear.
Follow through on your back up plan, start cutting expenses (ex. stop eating out, get rid of Netflix, cancel all travel, etc.), start selling items online, and update your resume & start submitting it to other businesses.
Apply for unemployment. I know each country & state has a different site/place to go to do this. I suggest Googling what you need to do for where you live.
If you do not have an emergency fund or backup plan, start one right away. Even after you lose your job you can start brainstorming what expenses you can cut by looking at your online banking (My post on how to drastically cut your spending), you can start posting stuff for sale, you can update your resume, etc. You are not helpless, take some control back.
Most successful business people have a story of how they were laid off or fired, and used it as an opportunity to work on their own business.You could be one of those people. Again, trust that everything happens for a reason. In my post, The Power of Manifestation, I explain how I have gotten so distraught when things weren’t working out how I planned or wanted, but something bigger & better always came along afterwards. Always. It just takes time. There will come a day where you will be thankful you lost that job, whether it was your choice or not.
I know this is a shorter post, but I want to keep it simple & straightforward like usual.
Thanks for reading! I know everything will work out & you will understand why this had to happen one day.
-Meghan 🙂
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
So… I wrote this blog post, and mere hours later I unexpectedly lost my job. This changes things a lot.
It’s really funny reading this post & editing it now because of how things have drastically changed in just a few hours. It just goes to show that you can’t predict the future, but you can do your best to be prepared.
I think this is a blessing actually, it’s what is meant to happen. I have learned to stop forcing & fighting against things. It is what it is. I’m going to take this opportunity to work on my blog & Instagram A LOT more while I’m on unemployment. If we get to the point where we can’t cover our bills, then I will get another job.
Here’s some more good news: We will be fine financially. We have $20,608.33 in savings, and Brandon’s income now covers all of our expenses. So even if I don’t have any income for a while, it’s not a big deal. We also have a ton of items around our house we’ve been meaning to sell, so now I have the time to post things for sale on Facebook.
Thank goodness we just paid off B’s car & sold it back in August and that he got a raise. I also have always had a google doc of a back up plan I can put in motion if I ever lose my job.
It was the craziest 5 days, with Millennial Revolution sharing my blog, then me losing my job. I believe everything happens for a reason…
I haven’t even enjoyed the fall season very much yet, it’s mostly been in the 80s during the day here in MN, which is extremely concerning, so I don’t feel like it’s fall. It has been way warmer than usual the last couple of years here, even today, October 1st, up in Minnesota, it is a high of 82 degrees.
I did take this picture at the Pumpkin Patch though 🎃
Other than that I’ve just been working on this blog & Instagram account in my free time, and spending time with family a bunch. This blog has gained a lot more viewers than usual over the last week, thanks to Bryce & Kristy at Millennial Revolution, which has been amazing & very unexpected.
I’m going to have a lot of time now to do what I love: writing & creating content, spending time with friends & family, cleaning, reading, etc.
Our Current Numbers as of October 1st, 2021:
Investments: $48,097 -Market went down in September, so our investments are lower than they were at the beginning of September.
Savings: $20,608.33
Debt: -$123,648.29 (Mortgage)
Just Brandon is working full time
I’m no longer going to share our Net Worth, except for large milestones, from now on because our Net Worth doesn’t really matter when it comes to achieving FIRE. What matters is being debt free, how much we have invested, and how much we have saved.
Our Partial Financial Independence Goals:
I’m adjusting our goals again, we don’t necessarily care about fully not working, just working less hours & when we want to.
$0 Debt.
Brandon works part time at his job.
I am self-employed through the Ease Your Financial Payne blog & Instagram. I can choose how much or how little I want to work & when.
We need $2,000/month in income, whether that comes from investments, Brandon’s part time job, or my blog, it doesn’t matter.
As always, thank you for reading! I’m looking forward to sharing this next exciting & challenging chapter of my life.
-Meghan
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
Yes, you read that right. Something amazing happened the other day, the authors of Quit Like a Millionaire and the blog Millennial Revolution decided to do my reader case & promote my blog.
I sent our financial situation to them 2+ months ago and honestly totally forgot about it. I just went to their blog like normal, started reading their newest post, then saw my face! The crazy thing is, they “MATHED SHIT UP” like they do for all of their reader cases, and according to their projections & math, Brandon and I can “retire” in just 5-11 years… at 27-36 years old. I already knew this, but seeing it confirmed by prominent people in the FIRE community that I look up to and bought their book almost 2 years ago in Barnes & Noble, made my head explode.
They retired at 31 & 33 years old, with six figure, computer engineer, incomes, but even they asked us, how did we do this?? On just office admin & sandwich shop manager salaries??
Well, Here’s How:
Stop buying stuff, forthe love of god. You don’t need a new car, a new iPhone, that décor from target, etc. Pump the brakes. Pause and ask yourself before you buy ANYTHING. Put it back on the shelf. This includes traveling & home remodeling. Only buy what you NEED, I mean what you would literally die without, food, water, etc. and buy what you can secondhand. We are not perfect with this & have wasted SO much money over the last couple years, it’s insane. So, you don’t need to be perfect, but you need to do better. Here is my post on how to drastically cut your spending. Also, stop wasting your money on drugs, alcohol, nicotine products, and/or gambling. It’s expensive AND bad for your health.
We didn’t go into any student debt & got moderate paying jobs instead. I did get a 2 year associates degree at a local tech school. This saved us tens of thousands of dollars & while others were in school for 4 years, we just worked our way up at our jobs for 4 years. How I got my degree debt-free.
Honestly, don’t even bother with buying a house, for the most part, they’re money pits. Something always breaks. Also it’s not just the mortgage you have to pay for, there is insurance, taxes, repairs, etc. It racks up quick. If we never bought a house, we’d already be financially independent, no joke. I could quit my job today and never work again, at 23 years old..
Just avoid debt like the plague, it’s not worth it, nearly ever. Save up & pay cash for everything. If you have debt, pay it off before you worry about anything else, at least, if you want to retire ASAP. Sell your cars and buy a cheaper one, sell your house, bike, do whatever you possibly can to minimize debt.
To do all of these things, you need to be disciplined. Discipline is key, without it none of this will work. Do you want a new car or to retire in 10 years instead of 40? that’s up to you. Every penny counts. With that being said, so many people are penny wise, but dollar stupid. They try to buy things on sale, use coupons, flush less, but then go out and buy a new car.. come on dude..
If you want to be average and retire at 67, then ignore all of this advice & you keep doing you.
It’s really that simple, don’t go into debt, don’t buy a house, stop buying stuff/paying for non-necessities, that’s it.We bought a house, went into debt for cars, went on trips, & bought non-necessities & are still on track because we decided about 2 years ago we were done with all of that. Use all of your extra income, to save, pay down debt, & invest. I make $3,000/month and my husband makes $2,400/month after taxes, we do not make a lot of money at all. We are currently 23 & 24 years old, and are on track to retire by 30. If we can do it, you can to. I believe in you.
If you are beyond your 20s, you can follow this path to retire in approximately 10 years, depending upon your financial situation.
For more details & advice, you can check out the following:
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the bit of tough love in today’s post.
-Meghan
My Links:
ThriftBooks -I LOVE them as a company & order all of my books from them now! They ship super fast, great service, books always show up as described, super cheap, & good for the planet because they’re second-hand, but you get to choose the quality!
Back Market -My referral code: 6888f588d6f85083 -$10 off your order! Refurbished Tech! My sister & I both got “new” phones from there. They’re awesome, great quality, so much cheaper than buying new (by up to 70%), came super fast, was super easy to buy, AND we saved 123 pounds of carbon emissions, each!
Ease Your Financial Payne 