So I don’t usually write a Slow Travel Review unless I’ve lived in a place for at least a month (hence the “slow” part”), but I’ve now visited Iceland for a total of two weeks across 2024 and 2025 and I have to talk about it. I love Iceland so much that I gush about it to anyone who will listen and today I’ll do a deep dive into why.
Continue reading “Slow Travel Review: Iceland – The Land Of Fire And Ice”
I’m about to wax poetic about a piece of luggage of all things, but that’s what I want to do today so strap in! After 5 years of using a $21 40L Foldable Backpack and a free Vanguard Tote, I upgraded my travel luggage. Why? Several not fun reasons 🙂 – basically: Old age, injuries and jealously🤣. Continue reading “The Best Carry-On Luggage: The Travelpro Platinum Elite Collection”
This is only my second time writing a post like this. In retirement I’ve posted about my spending, my income and that’s basically it.
But I wanted a place to talk about my money moves in general and sum everything up for the year, so that’s what this new annual post is. So let’s look at my overall financial picture and see what the future holds!
Continue reading “2025 Financial Review: Investment Withdrawals, Dividends And The Future”
Oops 🙂 . My spending goal for 2025 was $24,000 and I spent $35,950.70. As you can see – I went over budget. Way over budget, but that’s for a very good reason. So let’s get into it!
For years I’ve paid for Spotify Premium and used their service for hours every day. I’ve mentioned in my Annual Accomplishments posts how part of my weekly routine was to listen to the 1.5 hours of personalized music Spotify put out for me every Monday in Discover Weekly, and the 1.5 hour Release Radar they released every Friday. No longer 🙂 – and I’m better for it.
I left Spotify Premium this year and am now a happy customer of TIDAL. So let’s get into why I felt the need to change my music service and how it’s going. Continue reading “Review: TIDAL – A Better Spotify Alternative”
Let’s talk about something wild: the surprising amount of money I made in retirement this year. It’s surprising because I expected this amount to be $0 after I quit my job in October 2020, but like a lot of things in life, I was wrong 🙂 . So let’s get into it! Continue reading “How I Made $7,553 While Retired In 2025”
When I first visited Auckland, New Zealand with my Mom in 2023 I thought, “My Partner would love this city”. It’s gorgeous, close to nature and filled with unique Mom and Pop coffee shops.
In 2025 after my Partner asked that we “meet in the middle” while I was in Japan and he was in New York, we met in Auckland and stayed for 6 weeks. I’m happy to report that he loved it for the reasons I suspected he would.
Continue reading “Slow Travel Review: Auckland, New Zealand – The Land Of Nature And Cafes”
I’m not sure if I’ve said this explicitly on this blog before, but I have a small family that is not at all close to each other geographically. As a result, I’ve always assumed that you have to do everything yourself – there’s no safety net or ‘community’ to fall back on. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and a city that large isn’t known for its camaraderie.
Continue reading “How I Furnished My Apartment For Under $2,000”