Author: A Purple Life

The Month Of Freezing My Balls Off: January 2022 Recap

by A Purple Life, posted in Early Retirement, Early Retirement Updates, Finance, Fitness, Food, Hobbies, Keto, Net Worth Update, Spending

So I haven’t experienced real winter since living in NYC in 2015 and a few months ago I had the (not so) bright idea of spending December and January in the northeast. I was born and raised in Georgia and even during that time, my Mom and I usually went somewhere even warmer like Florida or the Caribbean to tan over Christmas. Well, these last few months were my first foray into snow and sub-zero temperatures in years. Let’s see how it went 🙂 .

Continue reading “The Month Of Freezing My Balls Off: January 2022 Recap” →

How I Read 52 Non-Fiction Books In 52 Weeks

by A Purple Life, posted in Annual Accomplishments, Hobbies

In 2021 I set a wild goal: to read 52 non-fiction books in the 52 weeks of the year. I did this as a result of feeling like I struggled to even finish a non-fiction book before retirement. The list of things I’m curious about and want to learn is long, and I thought this ambitious goal would be helpful and fun (what an idiot I was 😉 ). Continue reading “How I Read 52 Non-Fiction Books In 52 Weeks” →

The Month Of Family: December 2021 Recap

by A Purple Life, posted in Blogging, Budget Check-In, Early Retirement, Early Retirement Updates, Finance, Fitness, Food, Hobbies, Investing, Keto, Net Worth Update, Spending

I named this month “The Month Of Family,” but am now realizing that’s not completely accurate. I spent this month with my partner’s family who I have co-opted into my “Found Family” since we’re not legally related. Continue reading “The Month Of Family: December 2021 Recap” →

Slow Travel Review: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA – The Land Of Chili Peppers

by A Purple Life, posted in Finance, Reviews, Spending, Travel, Travel Reviews

A theme has emerged since I started doing these Slow Travel Reviews: I need to have less assumptions and be more open, and living in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the month, continued to drive this lesson home. Because Santa Fe is in the Southwest I assumed it was:

  1. Flat
  2. Hot
  3. Void of Trees

Continue reading “Slow Travel Review: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA – The Land Of Chili Peppers” →

Lessons Learned After 7 Years Of Blog Writing

by A Purple Life, posted in Blogging, Hobbies

Well, I’m still here 🙂 . I’ve now been on this blog for 7 years and I’m happy to see that the famed “7 year itch” is no where to be seen. Writing on here continues to be the longest running hobby I’ve ever had and on the anniversary of penning my first words for this blog I like to reflect on the past year and if I’ve learned anything new. So let’s get into what I learned about writing in the last 12 months!

Continue reading “Lessons Learned After 7 Years Of Blog Writing” →

How I Lived On $20,415 As A US Nomad In 2021

by A Purple Life, posted in Finance, Spending

First, I just want to express how surprised and delighted I am to see that I spent $20,415 in 2021. While I did estimate that I would spend $20,000 the first few years of retirement, (after living on $18K on Seattle) and built in no spending ceiling into my plan so I can spend more than $20K down the line, all of this was based on the assumption that I would be spending about half of the year outside the US. Obviously with ‘Rona that was not the case. Continue reading “How I Lived On $20,415 As A US Nomad In 2021” →

The Year Of Flexibility: 2021 Goals & Accomplishments

by A Purple Life, posted in Annual Accomplishments, Blogging, Film, Finance, Food, Hobbies, Keto, Musings, Travel

Throughout the year, I like to jot down new things I’ve learned, read, watched and experienced to try and remember what each year entailed. I then summarize all of that in my annual goals and accomplishments posts. The goal of these posts is not just to curate what I’ve been up to, but also to document how I have changed from one year to the next and how I have grown as a person. Continue reading “The Year Of Flexibility: 2021 Goals & Accomplishments” →