Since deciding to own less, I’ve experienced countless benefits: more time, more money, more freedom, more energy, less stress, and less distraction. Owning less provides me the opportunity to pursue my greatest passions. It’s great. And I’ll never go back to my previous lifestyle. But along the way, I discovered Read more…
Abandon Guilt, Embrace Your Truth While there’s certainly merit in learning from others and sharing our stories, I find that blatant comparison almost always yields frustration or guilt. We only have incomplete understandings of other people’s lives and trying to model our choices off of theirs is naturally flawed. Hiding her face Read more…
#1: You Can Afford Anything. You Just Can’t Afford Everything. Don’t tell me your values. Show me how you spend your money, and I’ll know what you value. Don’t tell me, for example, that you “can’t afford” to travel the globe or invest for retirement if you’re simultaneously buying nice Read more…
Number 6: Stick close to home. This one is debated a lot. Some of the very best deals these days are in cities like Detroit. However, if you live in Oklahoma, trying to buy right and manage a rental property in a city far away is probably not the right Read more…
Such a life is not just the quaint habit of a few lucky rich people in a friendly, safe neighborhood. It is the foundation of human civilization itself. We are meant to live in medium-sized groups, to walk between each other’s dwellings, and to collaborate and play freely with an Read more…
Mutual fund types Initially, mutual funds only invested in equities (stocks). Because the bond market is roughly twice the size of the stock market, it didn’t take long for mutual funds to start investing in bonds too. As time passed, the number of funds increased as they began to specialize Read more…
2. No bills. Before I woke up from the “American dream,” I owned a house and a car, both which came with lots of bills. With the hotel lifestyle, I pay no utilities, no property insurance, no property taxes, etc. I also don’t have any unexpected fees or risk of fines. Instead, virtually Read more…
But, what SIM card or company should you use before heading abroad. First, if you have T-Mobile, there is free data and texting through their partner MoviStar. No LTE in the countryside where we are, but there is strong 3G-HSPA. With WhatsApp and Hangouts over data, there isn’t a big need Read more…
Simplifying Our Tasks When we realize we’re trying to fit too much stuff (tasks, errands, obligations) into a small container (24 hours), it becomes obvious that we can’t get a bigger container … so we have to get rid of some stuff. It just won’t all fit. We do that Read more…
Our culture espouses continual consumption as the answer to all ills. But in reality, it only serves to chain us to the consumer carousel of endless buying. Conversely, if we allow ourselves to step outside of this buying-focused mindset, we can start to address the actual stuff of life. How are we Read more…