Cheers To Half A Decade Of A Purple Life!

by A Purple Life, posted in Blogging, Hobbies
This post may contain affiliate links. For more info read my disclosure.

And here we are πŸ™‚ . According to the calendar that I’m becoming increasingly reliant on since I don’t know what day or time it is πŸ˜‰ , it’s been a whole 5 years since I took this blog public! That’s longer than any job I’ve ever had πŸ™‚ .

In that time, I’ve published a post at least every Tuesday. I’ve been posting consistently on this blog longer than I’ve done anything in my life – any hobby, even college. I can barely wrap my head around it πŸ™‚ .

So to celebrate, I’m going to go through the highlights of my year blog-wise, some cool opportunities I’ve had, some I’ve declined and generally, what’s been going on behind the scenes around here. Some of these are things I’ve mentioned in my monthly updates, but I find it helpful to put everything in one place, so that’s what I’m doing today πŸ™‚ . I’ve done something similar in past years and those posts are here if you’re interested:

So let’s get into it!

Blog Highlights

Here are some of my favorite things that happened this year on or because of the blog.

Meeting Readers

In addition to hanging out with some of my fellow personal finance creators, I also met readers during my travels! I had meet ups in Boston, New Hampshire, Sacramento, Seattle, Chicago, MontrΓ©al and other places I’m likely forgetting πŸ™‚ . It’s been super cool to connect with my community in that way. If you want to chat with me over coffee and notice I’m going to be in your area, let me know!

Plutus Awards Finalist

Outside of that, I was a Finalist for the Blog Of The Year Plutus Award. I hadn’t even mentioned that the awards were going on so it was a wonderful surprise to see that y’all nominated and voted for me – Thank you so much!

The 3rd Annual PurpleMas

After the success of NaNoWriMo, I was able to get ahead on posts enough to do PurpleMas for the third year in a row! For the month of December, I wrote two posts a week instead of my usual one, and it was a challenge, especially right after NaNoWriMo. As a result, I’m assessing if I’ll do this again this year. We’ll see πŸ˜‰ .

New Blog Thangs

I made my first pinned post on Instagram with the hopes of summarizing the many years of content on this very blog πŸ™‚ :

I also created aΒ Mastodon account here though I haven’t done much with it yet. My presence on social media in general has plummeted since I retired. I mostly post things I want to remember or that I think can help others and the GTFO – no scrolling for me πŸ™‚ .

So I’m not sure how Mastodon or any other platform will fit into my life going forward now that I’m barely on Twitter, but that’s something for Future Purple to figure out πŸ˜‰ . These days I’m mostly only over on Instagram.

Things That Warmed My Heart

Here are some unexpected things that happened in the last year that made my heart feel warm πŸ™‚ :

My favorite TexMex restaurant quoted me and used my pics with credit on their Insta page, which was cool to see!

Also, my JL Collins fangirl tendencies were not being helped by this amazing interaction:

Another fun thing that happened is that a reader told me they mentioned me when discussing a book I loved, Fluent Forever with the author (Gabriel Wyner) and he said this after checking out my blog, which was amazing:

Then, I posted the below about my first time seeing Hamilton and a few of the cast members (including Hamilton, Eliza and Washington) “liked” my review of the show and I was shocked with how excited I got! It’s usually hard to warm my cold dead heart, but knowing that these artists saw my words and knew how much I appreciated them lit me up πŸ™‚ .

Press

This year I was featured in 4 media articles and 1 published book!Β Check them out below:

In addition to those articles, I saw my name on the printed page for the first time in Cashing Out: Win The Wealth Game By Walking AwayΒ by rich & Regular:

Podcasts

I was asked to be a guest on a podcast, Journey to Launch, this year. It was my second time talking to Jamila on there. Here’s the new episode:

And here’s one from 2019:

One humorous thing that happened after our interview was that I accidentally convinced Jamila to retire early. Oops – my bad πŸ™‚ !

Accepted Opportunities

This year I was also asked to take on random opportunities and accepted some, such the below.

  • I was a guest for 2 hours in a virtual NYC FIRE meet up group with about 40 people. A group member reached out asking me to join and answer questions from the group and it was a lot of fun!
  • I did a random Q&A at a college in New Jersey
  • I was a speaker at a black woman’s investing club with about 200 people in the virtual meeting, which was really cool!
  • I was invited to join Woven, an off-Facebook Women’s Personal Finance space that’s now hosted through Mighty Networks. I joined Women’s Personal Finance years and years ago, but haven’t been very active since it’s on Facebook and that platform is not my cup of tea. The Facebook group also has surpassed 70,000 members, which can be a little overwhelming. Being a part of Woven has been a completely different experience and I’ve really been enjoying it. It’s an encouraging, helpful and positive space.

Declined Opportunities

I also declined some cool things, such as:

  • A reader offered to pay for travel hacking advice. I put my noggin’ together with my Mom (the real travel hacking MVP these days) and sent over our recommendations for free
  • Several readers have been so kind to invite me to their places of work, such as a lavender farm outside Seattle and a regular farm in New Jersey. Sadly I didn’t have the time to go, but I hope I’ll be able to visit soon
  • I was asked to be a speaker at a FI Retreat in Bali. I’ve previously always said no to speaker requests that require me to get on a stage and give a presentation, but I must admit I was tempted by this one simply because of the location – I’ve never been to Bali. However, they didn’t offer any travel compensation or anything like that and I’m not paying thousands to do one of the greatest human fears (speech giving πŸ™‚ ). If business class travel had been comped, I would have been tempted though πŸ˜‰
  • I was asked to provide a quote for a travel article, but they wanted it within 48 hours…and I was too busy sampling the food and brews in Sacramento so I told them that timing didn’t work for me. I’ve got my priorities you know πŸ˜‰
  • Redfin reached out asking to feature me in an article to provide tips on a city…that I’ve never been to or written about so that was an obvious pass
  • I was asked to be interviewed by a Pulitzer winning publisher
  • I was asked to work with several new finance apps, investing companies, a cellphone service,Β an outdoor brand, andΒ a Bolivian Travel Agency (This was weird because my Mom and I were just talking about where we could go swimming with whale sharks and the exact city this agency mentioned in their email was on that list…how’d they know?!?)
  • Several companies requested that I interview someone who wrote a book about financial topics
  • A DAF (donor advised fund) company reach out about a partnership
  • I also was offered early access to a new finance app if I would provide feedback
  • I was asked to write an article for pay

I was also asked about (and declined) some random opportunities, such as:

  • A company reached out to invite me to influencer events in Chicago, which I contemplated for a while, but decided not to join. It was cool to be invited, but I don’t like the idea of anyone telling me what to post on my social media
  • I was offered a stay at a golf course hotel including a free of charge stay, golfing, food and drinks…but I’ve never played golf in my life (I assume putt putt mini golf doesn’t count πŸ˜‰ ).
  • I was asked to visit a restaurant in Paris – and the email was partially in French. They’re really overestimating my French abilities there πŸ™‚
  • I was offered a discount to a house booking platform

In addition to that, I declined some not so cool things, including:

  • Shilling an art investment platform similar to Masterworks and then the ACTUAL Masterworks reached out about the same thing, which I found hilarious
  • A website wanted to feature me in list of “Top 20 Mommy Bloggers of 2023“…I can think of one problem with that…
  • A company promoting “Alternative education” reached out to work with me, which was another no thx. I’m all about Montessori and the like, but doesn’t seem to be what they’re talking about πŸ™‚
  • A financial company (that is not a fiduciary and has incorrect claims on their website as well as sketchy selling tactics…HARD PASS!) as well as a different, suspicious looking investment community
  • A money transfer company called Instarem (that appears to be a scam) and an online travel company called Almosafer (which also appears to be a scam #FuckNo)
  • A different site wanted to include me on a list of “Top 20 Personal Finance Blogs of 2023,” but didn’t provide the website name, which is sus πŸ™‚ . No thanks!
  • I also seem to be getting weekly DMs and emails about being a ‘brand ambassador’ for their products, which is a scam πŸ™‚ . Heads up in case you get those requests:

I was also approached to promote some strange things:

  • I was asked to become an ‘expert’ that provided advice on a side hustle website despite the fact that…I’ve never had a side hustle πŸ™‚
  • I was asked to work with a”Pets to Lawn & Garden and Backyard Farm brand” (which is very strange since I have none of those things πŸ™‚ ), a credit union of a state I’ve never lived in, a Law Firm (…why? πŸ™‚ )
  • In more ridiculous news, a luxury watch flipping business, a “music investing” company and a company that somehow combines cannabis and blockchain technology, reached out to me to work together. My inbox is great ground for comedy at times πŸ™‚

Companies also tried to tempt me to other products, but when I find one I like I stick to it:

  • I was asked to consider using a different nomad travel insurance, but before I could reply, (my turnaround time is very different in retirement) they sent me 2 more emails. Oops – I’m slow! Anyway, I don’t recommend anything on here I don’t use and love and I’ve already bought my travel insurance until next year so that’s a no. However, I did find it funny that I’m too sloth-like for even email communication these days.
  • I was also asked to partner with a credit monitoring software I’ve never used so that’s a no. However, my go to (Credit Karma) was bought by Cash App about a year ago, which is a company I don’t necessarily trust. So maybe I’ll look into alternatives in the future, but at the moment I’m too lazy to do so…I’m sensing a theme here πŸ™‚ .

All Posts

Here are all the posts I wrote in the last year organized by topic. I was a bit all over the place, but that’s my favorite place to be πŸ™‚ .

Early Retirement

Monthly Recaps

Nomad Living

Slow Travel Reviews

Travel

Travel Reviews

Flight Reviews

Medical Tourism

Finances

Hobbies

Blog

Guest Posts

Annual Posts

Reflection

So my 5th year of having this public in the public sphere has elapsed and it’s onto Year 6! Because yes, I’m still going to be here πŸ™‚ . In thinking about my time publishing this blog, the big thing that jumped out to me is that I should celebrate my own consistency.

In 5 years I’ve never missed a Tuesday post and during that same time, I’ve seen most of my favorite blogs decrease posting from weekly to monthly and some have stopped altogether. So I’m giving myself a huge pat on the back for keeping it up – not just for y’all, but for myself!

I really enjoy writing on here and while I’m still trying to find a balance of how to do so weekly while exploring the world, I love looking back and seeing all the posts above and what I’ve been using my time actually doing and thinking about. Extra bonus points when y’all tell me that I’ve showed you or helped you discover something new about yourselves or the world.

I also think that having that weekly cadence is one of the reasons I’m still going. Rain or shine, I’m here on Tuesday with some thought of mine – no matter how random πŸ™‚ . And that has helped me keep a relatively consistent writing schedule no matter where I am in the world.

One thing I have noticed though is that more often in retirement, my weekly writing interests lie in 7,000 word posts on how I learned a language in 1 year or 4,000 word posts on what I did in a month. That’s a big increase from a quick 800 word vomit of a post πŸ™‚ .

However, this entire endeavor is about doing what I want to do and since my writing interests have become wordier lately, I just need to carve out time to write when I’m feeling creative and I’m excited to take that challenge on πŸ™‚ .

Conclusion

So that’s my last year of the blog in a nutshell – 5 years in WOOHOO! I can barely believe it, but I’m excited to see what happens next. I suspect I’ll continue wondering if this is indeed a finance blog while talking more about travel and food…and then still writing whatever I want πŸ˜‰ . Thank you for being here!

Do you have any blog questions for me? If so, drop them in the comments below!

20 thoughts on “Cheers To Half A Decade Of A Purple Life!”

  1. A big win for you, Purple! Keep it up. It’s been very cool to read along with your adventures, and that you’ve been so consistent with blogging them for this long. That PLUTUS nomination was well-deserved.

    Reply

  2. Nice one! Well done on achieving an amazing level of consistency and always providing quality content.

    Reply

    1. Thank you! Consistency seems to be one big reason I’m still here so I’ll keep at it πŸ™‚ .

      Reply

  4. In this space, there aren’t a lot of people that look like me. Thank you for taking the time (every Tuesday) to share your journey. I wouldn’t have known this was possible, if it wasn’t for you. You are truly inspiration to our community!

    Reply

    1. And thank YOU for saying that! That’s the main reason I took this blog public and I’m so happy to hear that goal was achieved πŸ™‚ .

      Reply

  5. Long time reader, first time commenter. There are only a handful of personal finance blogs that I read these days, A Purple Life being one. I read your blog weekly and always look forward to each post. I love your easy to read writing style, and your down to earth view on life and money, which makes for an entertaining and interesting read. I’m glad to hear you’ll be doing a sixth year.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for commenting πŸ™‚ ! They make my day. I’m honored to be one of the few PF blogs you read! Thank you for being here.

      Reply

  6. Congrats on the consistency, I do check the blog once a week if that provides any extra little motivation to keep it going lol!

    Reply

  7. Congrats on five years of A Purple Life!

    I’ve been retired two years myself (I wasn’t as brave as you, I retired later), and I’ve really enjoyed reading this blog. You paint a portrait of FIREd life that makes it seem both appealing and achievable. Also, I keep getting good ideas for places to see and things to do by following your travel updates!

    It makes me happy that you intend to keep writing. I’ve followed too many FIRE blogs whose authors spend years chronicling their retirement journey, actually quit, write a few more updates about that… and then stop updating and disappear.

    I’m sure they’re just off having great lives. But it feels like they’ve left us, like they ascended to a higher plane of existence or something. I still wish I knew how some of them are doing now.

    Reply

    1. Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoy the blog – and congratulations on 2 years of retirement!! And I’m so glad to hear I’m providing good ideas for places to see and things to do – goal achieved πŸ™‚ !

      I too understand the bloggers that have stopped writing are off having awesome lives, but I would love to see what they’re up to as well…though writing regularly is a fairly large commitment so I get it πŸ˜‰ .

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  8. Hi Purple. Thank you for your blog. I especially appreciated the “it’s easy to find a job” advice you gave about preparing deeply for interviews.

    I always that finding one in marketing/advertisnig would be hard.

    Reply

    1. Hi – thank you for reading! I’m glad I could provide another perspective. At least in my experience, there are a lot of marketing/advertising jobs out there.

      Reply

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