Category: Spending

Slow Travel Review: Amsterdam, The Netherlands – The Land Of Canals and Bikes

by A Purple Life, posted in Budget Check-In, Finance, Food, Reviews, Slow Travel Reviews, Spending, Travel, Travel Reviews

Since I retired in 2020 and started traveling the world, I’ve had a goal to only visit places that are 70F and sunny. My mood is instantly improved in sunny weather and a temperature that’s not too hot and not too cold makes exploration infinitely more comfortable.

So why did I live in The Netherlands for a month in the winter of 2024 🙂 ? I was in Amsterdam from early November to early December and I’m very glad I decided to break my rule and explore this beautiful city during those months. Let’s jump into why.

Continue reading “Slow Travel Review: Amsterdam, The Netherlands – The Land Of Canals and Bikes” →

I Became A NY Resident (Again): Real ID, Voting, Libraries, Healthcare and Taxes

by A Purple Life, posted in Early Retirement, Finance, Settling Down, Spending, Travel

It finally happened 🙂 . After 10 years as a resident of Washington State, I am once again a New York resident. I previously lived in NYC from 2011 to 2015 and now I’m back baby!

Continue reading “I Became A NY Resident (Again): Real ID, Voting, Libraries, Healthcare and Taxes” →

The Best Budget Earbuds: Soundcore Space A40

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

Last year I was on the search for the best over-ear headphones I could find. After a lot of research, polling y’all, and testing, I found them!

Well now it’s time to expand that search to earbuds, which up to this point I thought would never be for me. So let’s see what changed 🙂 .

Continue reading “The Best Budget Earbuds: Soundcore Space A40” →

I Bought A Car! What I Learned As A First-Time Car Buyer

by A Purple Life, posted in Early Retirement, Finance, Musings, Settling Down, Spending, Travel

So remember when I wrote a post 7 years ago saying I was going to be carfree for life? Well this is a great example of why I usually try to “never say never.”

I never would have imagined that I would want to move close to my Partner’s family and as a result live in a rural town in Upstate NY, which unfortunately has no public transit and requires having a car. So here we are 🙂 . Continue reading “I Bought A Car! What I Learned As A First-Time Car Buyer” →

I Got A Homebase! (But Will Still Travel 1/3 Of The Year)

by A Purple Life, posted in Early Retirement, Finance, Musings, Relationships, Settling Down, Spending, Travel

Well, it finally happened. But like a lot of things in life, how it happened was a complete surprise. Of all the reasons I suspected that I would settle down again, such as getting tired of traveling or wanting to create ‘roots’, FOMO was no where on that list🤣. But let me explain. Continue reading “I Got A Homebase! (But Will Still Travel 1/3 Of The Year)” →

My Packing List As A 5 Year, Full-Time Nomad

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

It’s finally here! Y’all have been asking me for literal years to write a post detailing my nomad packing list. I put it off because y’all requested, at minimum pictures and ideally video, and that sounded like a lot of work 😉 . But I finally found the motivation so it’s happening! Here is everything I pack to travel the world. Continue reading “My Packing List As A 5 Year, Full-Time Nomad” →

Lessons Learned After 4 Years Of Living In Airbnbs 

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

It’s been almost 5 years since I sold everything I owned and started living in Airbnbs. Every year, my thoughts, revelations and strategies for being a full-time nomad seem to change, so I like to record them here for posterity and in case they can help anyone else take full advantage of the awesome-ness that is long term Airbnb stays. So let’s get into it!

Continue reading “Lessons Learned After 4 Years Of Living In Airbnbs “ →