How I Survived 6 Months Of Public Blogging

by A Purple Life, posted in Blogging, Hobbies, Musings

Of course I’m not being overdramatic – ME?! 😉 But yes – shock of shocks I’m still here!

According to a few often quoted statistics (that I can’t seem to source right now…) most blogs give up in the first 6 months. I was worried I’d be one of them. That’s one of the reasons I wrote privately for 3.5 years. I knew blogging was hard work, but I had no idea how hard until I went public.

In addition to actually writing, there seem to be a million things to learn, fix and do at all times and I’ve still only taken a small bite of my long to do list even though it’s been half a year. Phew! But I’ve made it! I kept to my posting schedule and posted every Tuesday without fail. I responded to every comment and email. I made it through what I’m told is the toughest stretch. Continue reading “How I Survived 6 Months Of Public Blogging” →

How I Spend $125 A Month On Groceries

by A Purple Life, posted in Food, Musings, Spending

After publishing my 2018 spending a few people have asked me what exactly I buy and eat to hit that spending level. Obviously groceries is only one part of the food equation with eating out on the other end, but I wanted to try to explain what it is I buy and eat in case it could help others decrease their grocery bill. Continue reading “How I Spend $125 A Month On Groceries” →

My 2018 Financial Recap

by A Purple Life, posted in Budget Check-In, Early Retirement, Finance, Investing, Jobs, Net Worth Update, Spending

Also known as every dollar I didn’t spend in 2018! One year ago I declared the following monetary goals for 2018:

  • Max my 401K ($18,500)
  • Max a Roth IRA ($5,500)
  • Overall invest $65,000
  • Decrease my spending officially to $18,360 ($18,000 + 2% inflation)

Continue reading “My 2018 Financial Recap” →

How I Saved $1,348.74 With Travel Hacking In 2018

by A Purple Life, posted in Travel Hacking

Here’s a quick update on my travel hacking in 2018. This year I went to:

  • Singapore
  • Ecuador
  • Portland
  • Atlanta x2
  • Oregon Coast
  • Upstate New York
  • (Planned) Costa Rica
  • (Planned) Mexico

Continue reading “How I Saved $1,348.74 With Travel Hacking In 2018” →

2018 Goals & Accomplishments

by A Purple Life, posted in Annual Accomplishments

The last few years I’ve started to record non-monetary goals and accomplishments (for monetary goals check out my annual State Of The Union posts at the end of the year). Despite my whining, in hindsight time seems to pass very quickly and without documenting what has changed from one year to the next I have a hard time differentiating them and seeing what progress was made and how I’m advancing as a person. So buckle in and let’s dive into what I got up to in 2018! Continue reading “2018 Goals & Accomplishments” →

Beating Impatience In The Final Stretch To Retirement

by A Purple Life, posted in Early Retirement, Jobs, Musings

I’m a little over 4 years into my early retirement journey. I have less than 2 years to go and I’ve found myself becoming impatient lately…which then leads me to mentally berate myself. I have 2 years left instead of 39. That’s amazing and something to celebrate! But alas, my heart doesn’t feel it. Continue reading “Beating Impatience In The Final Stretch To Retirement” →

How To Thrive While Working From Home

by A Purple Life, posted in Jobs, Musings

I received an email from the wonderful Ms. Mod over at Modest Millionaires asking for any advice I could provide about transitioning to remote work. She is taking the leap soon, which is super exciting! After writing her a (probably too long) response, I realized these suggestions might be able to help others in a similar situation and so the idea for this post was born!  Continue reading “How To Thrive While Working From Home” →