Cheers To 4 Years Of A Purple Life: Highlights & Answering Your Questions

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

According to the calendar that I’m becoming increasingly reliant on since I don’t know what day or time it is ๐Ÿ™‚ , it’s been 4 years since I took this blog public! In that time, I’ve published a post at least every Tuesday. That’s as long as the longest job I’ve ever had – wowza :).

So to celebrate, I thought it would be fun 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 ๐Ÿ™‚ . After that, I’ll answer some questions that people submitted on my Twitter and Instagram. So let’s get into it!

Blog Highlights

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

I Created The First FriendCon!

I was randomly in Austin, TX at the same time as FinCon, so I set up the first “FriendCon” at a coffee shop down the street. I had people sign up with Calendly (because I’m neurotic like that) for coffee dates, and got to catch up with people I hadn’t seen since FinCon 2019 – or ever. It was fun to see my money nerd friends once again!

Meeting Readers

In addition to finally seeing some of my fellow personal finance creators, I also started meeting readers during my travels! I had meet ups in Santa Fe, Austin, The Catskills, Saratoga Springs and other places I’m forgetting ๐Ÿ™‚ . 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!

I Was A Plutus Award Finalist

This past year I was a finalist for the Plutus Awards in 2 categories: Most Entertaining Content Creator for my (apparently hilarious) Twitter and Personal Finance Blog of The Year! I was SO honored! Thank you everyone who nominated me, voted for me, or even just thought of me ๐Ÿ™‚ . That was super cool to see.

I Completed The 2nd Annual PurpleMas!

After the success of NaNoWriMo, I was able to get ahead on posts enough to do PurpleMas for the second 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 shall see ๐Ÿ™‚ , but overall, wonderful comments like this do tempt me to continue this streak:

During December, I also tried something new. I wrote the “How Did I Get Here?” Seriesย (linked below) cataloguing my 9 year career with all the numbers, juicy drama, ups and downs that led me to early retirement. That series was a departure for me because it was more of a storytelling style instead of the stream of consciousness I usually do. It was fun to try something new ๐Ÿ™‚ .

Hearing Things That Warmed My Heart

Here are some unexpected things that happened in the last year that made my heart feel warm ๐Ÿ™‚ .

Something else shocking that happened was this:

As a result of the podcast I mentioned in a previous update, CNN tweeted about the episode after the fact. Wild. I also got this comment on the blog, which made my heart soar:

In addition to that, a local theater in Santa Fe that’s owned by George R. R. Martin, used one of my photos (with credit) on their Instagram feed! This was the first time that’s happened and I felt honored and like a part of the Santa Fe and film lovers community ๐Ÿ™‚ .

In a similar vein, a delicious NYC ice cream shop used my photos with credit on their Instagram page. Am I a good photographer now ๐Ÿ™‚ ?!

Press

In addition, I was featured in 5 media articles. Check them out below:

Podcasts

I was asked to be a guest on 5 podcasts:

Opportunities

I was also asked to take on random opportunities and accepted some, such as being:

  • A speaker for the Financial Feminist Summit that Bravely Go puts on every year. That was my first time doing something of that kind. I sent in a pre-recorded talk (which was basically me talking to myself for 40 minutes ๐Ÿ™‚ – Weird. I don’t know how YouTubers do it). Then I went on a Facebook Live on the associated Facebook Group to answer any questions people might have. It was a lot of fun and I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to try it
  • A speaker for a live webinar entitled “How to retire early” by Female Invest. They are based in Denmark and have a large membership of women from 60+ countries. It was a fun experience and different from anything I’ve done before because the audience was mostly from Europe and had assumptions that don’t reflect what’s happening in the US – like the existence of pensions ๐Ÿ™‚ . Anyway, we ended up having almost 1,000 people RSVP to watch a replay and 300 attend, which is my largest live audience to date. It was nerve-wracking, but fun
  • A speaker at an Introvert Writer Summit, which was a free online event you can check out here if you’d like
  • Invited to be a guest to a summer class on finances for underprivileged high school and college students in Delaware. It was a fun time and I got some awesome feedback from the students. My Mom claims I was “giving back to my community” with this call and while I won’t take it that far, it was awesome to feel like I was making a little bit of a difference in the world
  • A speaker for the second year in a rowย at the African American Finance Book Club that I had been a guest speaker at last year

Declined Opportunities

I also declined some cool things, such as:

  • Being featured in a Forbes article that someone suggested me for because I still refuse to give the media my human name – oh well. The downsides of anonymity!
  • An interview on CBS, which I once again declined because of my anonymity (since that doesn’t work too well for TV I’d imagine ๐Ÿ™‚ ), but after I declined, I thought more about it and realized…even if I wasn’t anon, that’s not something I want to do personally
  • Declining being interviewed for a Christian Science Monitor article about the economy
  • Being asked to be a guest on a YouTube series, which I declined because of my anonymity and Covid (it required travel)
  • Being contacted by a start up that reached out asking to partner with me to understand the finance space with the opportunity to make me an advisor down the line. They offered to pay me for my time and give cash and/or equity in the company as an advisor, but it sounds like too much work to me ๐Ÿ™‚
  • A request to join a financial crime themed game. How random and fun!
  • An NYC ad agency reached out on behalf of a financial client asking me to do a sponsored post and possibly paid Instagram stuff for them. I’ve never had a sponsored post on this site and I doubt I ever will so I said no. It was a cool situation though since that used to be me in my previous job (reaching out to ‘influencers’ on behalf of a client) and now I’m the talent turning people down
  • A production company noticed the film reviews on my Instagram and offered to send me a screener of a new movie they made so I could review it on my platform and gave the option that I could interview the director – COOL!!! I turned it down because I don’t want to be pressured into writing a review for a film when I don’t know if it meets my criteria of being awesome or unique, but it was shocking what can come from a love of film and random, mini-reviews that aren’t even on my main platform
  • A travel company reached out asking to send me a free product in exchange for an Insta post and story. Once again, I’m not going to do that because I don’t usually post about something unless I love it (and I wouldn’t know I love it before trying it so that’s a no go). Once again though, it was cool to be asked! Especially for things that align with my interests and are outside the realm of finance ๐Ÿ™‚
  • I was asked to do an interview with a Wealth Management App and declined. However, I found it interesting to see what new types of requests come through my email inbox
  • I was asked to review financial products on a YouTube channel (not my bag thx), to review a new finance book that’s coming out with a childfree twist (cool take, but naps are calling me) and asked to provide a media quote 12 hours from when email was sent (obviously not lol)
  • A hotel management company reached out asking me to stay at one of their hotels and review it. It’s kind of silly though because the hotels they manage are not in major cities and I’m not going out of my way to stay at a random mid-tier hotel ๐Ÿ™‚ . It was cool to be asked though – the email would have made Young Purple (who wanted to be a travel/food reviewer) jump for joy
  • I declined going on a podcast, declined the thousandth bitcoin shiller to reach out to me, declined an invite to an Instagram food influencers group and declined a partnership with a major brand that reached out to me

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 ๐Ÿ™‚ .

“How Did I Get Here?” Series

Early Retirement

Monthly Recaps

Nomad Living

Slow Travel Reviews

Travel

Medical Tourism

Finances

Personal Finance Reviews

Hobbies

Flight Reviews

Annual Posts

Questions & Answers

How long do you think you’ll write for?

Until it’s not fun anymore ๐Ÿ™‚ . Then I’ll announce that the time has come and stop.

Do you make money off your blog? How much of a time commitment is it?

Yes – I document all of that in my annual income report. Here’s the one from last year where I made $5,803 directly from the blog and $863 indirectly (from speaking, my Accountability Beast patreon and a writing gig).

I used to spend a lot of my free time on the blog and now it’s a lot less. Usually about an hour for every 1,000 words so only 1-5 hours a week. That’s after establishing the blog for years though, which is the hard part that takes a lot more time.

For taxes what address do you use?

I have a Traveling Mailboxย account and wrote a whole post about them here if you’re curious. I paid extra for a Seattle address.

Do you feel you could have as satisfying a retirement without your blog writing and community?

If I didn’t replace that community with another one: No. However, I suspect I would have just leaned into another hobby I have such as birdwatching or plant identification and found a community through that. Or maybe I would have just fostered the relationships I have now more. I’m not sure how I would have done it, but having a strong community has been wonderful in retirement.

When are you going to reveal your real identity?

Maybe never ๐Ÿ™‚ . I might reveal my face when my partner retires in a few years, but the cons outweigh the pros for putting my name on the internet while my entire financial life is on there as well. If I did reveal my identity, I would most likely have to follow in other bloggers footsteps for privacy/security reasons and stop sharing exact numbers, which I don’t want to do since I think that’s very helpful.

What makes you happiest about FIRE life? Do you miss anything from your old 9-5 life?

Having the time and energy to pursue my passions and to be the best version of myself. I’ve never been this mentally or physically well or happy. As for missing anything: Absolutely not ๐Ÿ™‚ .

Conclusion

So that’s a year of the blog in a nutshell. I hope answering some of your questions here helped illuminate some of what happens behind the scenes. I’ve had a lovely year continuing to publish blogs while retired, and am excited to continue for the foreseeable future. Thank you for being here ๐Ÿ™‚ .

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

30 thoughts on “Cheers To 4 Years Of A Purple Life: Highlights & Answering Your Questions”

  2. Thanks for all of your thoughtful content. You are a joy to read, and I hope you do Purplemas this year ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply

    1. That is so kind – thank you ๐Ÿ™‚ . As for Purplemas, we shall see. I don’t currently have a burning idea for the extra posts, but we’ll see if inspiration hits me before then.

      Reply

  3. I look forward to Tuesdays so I can read your blog. I always learn something new! I especially love the diversity of topics on your blog: birds, food, travel, and finance!

    Reply

    1. That makes me so happy to hear that you always learn something new! And I’m so glad you look forward to Tuesdays – I do too ๐Ÿ™‚ . I’m also happy someone appreciates the diversity of topics like I do. Thank you!

      Reply

  4. 4 years well spent! Your blog is a bright spot on Tuesdays for me. It’s wonderful to see you expand your interests and activities during FIRE. I liked the opportunities lists in this post – for some reason, in my head, I have this idea that outside organisations/people aren’t interested in retired people, but here’s evidence to the contrary.

    Cheers to you and your blog *toasts with a pint*

    Reply

    1. That warms my heart to hear – thank you! And yeah I’ve been surprised by the interest. I didn’t even note down all the opportunities I’m asked about – just the ones I found unique/interesting ๐Ÿ˜‰ . *Clink!*

      Reply

  5. Very interesting review. It’s crazy to see all these opportunities (those you’ve accepted and those you’ve declined) all collected together in one place!

    Here’s to another four years of Purple helping the world master their money ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply

  6. Your anonymity puts you in a unique position of being able to preserve your personal life and be truly transparent. I really respect that.

    The “cool opportunities you declined” section is very interesting! FI can help us live in a way that’s aligned with our values. I hope to be able to do that more often in the future.

    Reply

    1. You’re so right and I haven’t thought of it that way so thank you ๐Ÿ™‚ . And I hope you will!

      Reply

  7. What a year and I’m so glad you continue to write. I look forward to it every Tuesday. I really enjoyed the work history series. It might even deserve it’s own heading up there next to “THE NUMBERS”.

    Does your traveling mailbox allow you residency for such purposes as taxes, library membership, etc.?

    I agree with staying anonymous. It allows you freedom to write whatever you want.

    Thank you for being an inspiration and for the knowledge you continue to share.

    Reply

    1. I’m SO happy to hear that – thank you ๐Ÿ™‚ ! I’ve added the work history series to my “Start Here” page, but I’ll put some thought behind if more is needed – thank you for the suggestion!

      I haven’t tried to use Traveling Mailbox for residency, but I suspect it wouldn’t work. Luckily I’m a Washington resident for the next 3 years so I’ll worry about that later ๐Ÿ˜‰ . And that’s an interesting take on anonymity – why do you think it allows me to write whatever I want compared to someone whose name is out there? Just curious. I haven’t heard that before.

      And of course! Thank you for commenting ๐Ÿ™‚ .

      Reply

      1. As for writing freely as an anonymous writer – for me because I like my privacy and maybe a little bit scared of being judged?

        Being anonymous is almost like writing fiction in a good way. Just a character in a story that you can develop and unpack any way you want.

        I suspect you don’t care about what other people think and this doesn’t apply to you. As for privacy I think you have a good boundary there.

        Reply

      2. Hi Purple,

        Congratulations on your four year anniversary! I actually found you from the Business Insiders article listed above and have been addicted ever since! I loved your “How Did I Get Here,” series along with all of your other posts. They are relatable, informative, and often have me laughing out loud. I always get excited when I come across you on other platforms such as recently the Bravely Go Webinar and the Bigger Podcasts series! I hope you continue to give us informative, hilarious Tuesdays and wish you continued success.

        Reply

        1. Thank you! That’s awesome you found me there and that you enjoy my posts – hearing that you laugh out loud makes me so happy!!! I thought I was just cracking myself up over here ๐Ÿ™‚ . And I’ll do my best!

          Reply

  9. You are such a rock star! There is a reason so many people from young twenties to fossils like me keep up with you. Your content is fascinating and your takes on life are cogent and appealing. Just very very cool.

    Reply

  10. Another great year in the books! Canโ€™t wait to read more interesting day-to-day observations as you explore the world (both near and abroad)! Your blog is so refreshing, because there are 5,000 articles about โ€œThe Top 5 Things To Do In _____โ€ and then thereโ€™s you saying, โ€œIf youโ€™re from the US, you might be used to blue jays. Well, LOOK at what kind of jays (and other birds) they have here, plus this cool tree, and also, hereโ€™s how to pay with your phone at the store if you need groceries.โ€ Those are the kind of hot takes Iโ€™m looking for in my life! ๐Ÿ˜„

    Reply

  12. Congratulations!!! And may I remind you that you’re awesome and a very kind person for sharing your knowledge and ideas? Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Reply

  13. Congrats on such a clear and ongoing success, Purple! I remember stumbling across your blog via Financial Mechanic some years ago. I love the personality you’ve infused throughout not only the site–but your writing! You have your own beauty. Keep it!

    Cheers to 4!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *