Talofa Friends,
Unfortunately last week I got COVID and was left without much energy to do anything other than lay in bed and watch movies. So I haven’t gotten around to starting the mini-series on financial planning I announced in the last post… until now. Here I am, here we are!
Money Matters
In exploring what it means to live a well-planned, intentional life, money is undoubtedly an influential factor. It’s one I’ve focused on lately as the rising cost of living (funny phrase) has me needing to budget better. As my father says, “You need gas in the tank for the engine to run.”
However, it can be difficult to talk about money and make a plan for how to best have it, use it, and steward it to live well. It’s a tender topic with a generous heaping of triggers on top.
When there’s a lot of money it can be liberating… yet potentially dangerous.
If there’s not enough it can threaten safety… and be a point of shame.
When there’s just enough, there can be contentment… as well as stress and vigilance to keep everything together.
In this way, money is a tool, a toy, a weapon, a gift, a burden, and a means to an end.
What does money mean to you in 3 words?
Whether perceived as good, bad, or neutral, money supports everyday life. What I want to explore is a bit of “life admin”: how to think about and care for money in support of living an intentional and happy life, regardless of how much I have. Perhaps my research, musings, and tools can add value to your money journey too. That’s my hope, anyway!
This series will be covered in 2 parts:
With Alofa,
Eva
Bits & bobs for planning
Don’t pay more for toxins!: When out shopping, I’ve gotten into the habit of looking up body products on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database to see their rating. It’s amazing how a soap can claim to be clean and green, but the ingredients used are full of toxins. I’ve found that the green/lower-scoring products tend to be cheaper.
Tomato Time(r): It’s getting busy at work with competing writing, editing, and presentation assignments. To help me focus, I’ve been using the Pomodoro Method of working on a single task in 25 min focused periods and then taking a 5 min break. The quality of my work and attention span has greatly benefited by using this free Tomato Timer.
Traveling through books: Lately, I’ve been craving overseas adventure and have been finding it through exploration of the Scottish Hebrides via Madeleine Bunting’s fantastic memoir Love of Country.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days.” - Annie Dillard