the money tools you need to be set free
Tons of people responded to my last post answering questions about living in The Netherlands, and it seemed to spark even more questions. I decided to write a Part 2 to make sure I could answer follow-up queries. This time I’m tackling more stereotypes, some money management tips abroad, and other things I’ve learned as […]
I arrived in The Netherlands seven months ago, in the middle of spring hailstorms. Now the leaves are changing color and more people are asking about how my experience has been so far, beyond just working abroad. There were many things I was warned about before I moved: that it would be hard to make […]
Shockingly I’ve lived in The Netherlands for 6 months now. After getting my bearings, I’ve had a decent amount of time to get adjusted to living and working in an entirely new culture. One of the questions I get the most is about what it’s like working in The Netherlands at a Dutch company. Is […]
A lot has happened since you created this blog post about my dilemma: Should I Take A Mini-Retirement or Stick It Out? A quick update from my side…
“But what do I do about all of my things?” I asked, standing in the hallway with my phone pressed up against my ear. All day I’d been shaking with adrenaline, my fight or flight instinct on high alert. “I remember that one of my biggest worries when I left was my stuff, but I’ll […]
“How much is it? Actually, wait, you know what, just put it in the cart.” After the words came out of my mouth, my sister looked at me like I had grown another head. We both come from a family of famed frugality, so she wondered what had gotten into me. May was my anti-frugal, […]
I’ve Lived In Amsterdam For One Month It feels unreal that an entire month has already passed. I’m now officially an expatriate with a Dutch bank account, phone number, and residence card. In one month I visited multiple towns, saw some friends old and new, and found a place to call home. I figured it […]
Can you feel it too? The way the mind splinters, zipping around like a hummingbird with too much sugar in its system? Bzzzzrrrr, flitting from one thing to the next. I wrote that sentence, and then I remembered that I wanted to buy my sister a gift. She had casually mentioned that she wanted a […]
I have a big announcement to make. I’m moving. Again. To Amsterdam. If you’ve been following the blog, this might come as a shock, as I just finished a coast-to-coast move. Although I thought I would be sticking around in Santa Barbara for the next four years, things changed. Life demanded a pivot, so I […]
How did this happen? I am reviewing my finances, and the number on the screen bamboozles me. I’m not complaining, but I don’t really understand how it all happened so fast. The numbers are all there, the graphs show a steady increase of my net worth all the way to the current mind-boggling number. My […]