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Expense Reports, Money Tracking, Travel

How Much I Spent Living in Amsterdam This Summer

September 4, 2021 16 Comments
woman posed on dutch bike in amsterdam

Summer appears to be rocketing by at light speed. Here in Amsterdam we had a mild summer, with a few nice weeks of sun but still a lot of rain. I packed July and August full of activities, including a vacation to Croatia, Pride Week, dog and cat sitting, kayaking the canals, hosting guests at […]

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Intentional Living, Opinions, Travel

First Month Living Abroad In Amsterdam – An April Recap

May 7, 2021 10 Comments

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 […]

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Financial Independence, Intentional Living, Travel

Budgeting for a Massive Life Change – I’m Moving to Amsterdam!

March 17, 2021 33 Comments

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 […]

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Financial Independence, Guest Post, Retirement, Travel

How Financial Independence Changed Our Lives [AOC Pandemic Edition]

November 4, 2020 7 Comments

** NEW SERIES – Financial independence has far-reaching effects on our lives, and for many the pursuit of independence and the obtaining of it has impacted us in profound ways. I decided to start a series on how FI has changed the lives of people all over the world. Today, I’m launching this series with […]

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Expense Reports, Frugal, Intentional Living, Travel

How Much It Cost To Move Across the Country

July 15, 2020 11 Comments

We did it! We moved from the East Coast to the West Coast, from New York to Santa Barbara, from sea to shining sea. This included selling all of our furniture, shipping our car, packing our stuff, and — last-but-not-least — trundling our cat along for the ride. Are you curious how much it cost […]

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Expense Reports, Money Tracking, Spending, Travel

How Much I Spent in a Month Of Solitude – February 2020 Expenses

March 3, 2020 7 Comments

I’m so curious to see what a month of (mostly) solitude did to my spending in the month of February. 

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Intentional Living, Money, Travel

4 Ways I Traveled The World For Free

September 26, 2019 15 Comments

Four major trips have taken me across the globe, and I didn’t pay full price for a single one of them.

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Expense Reports, Money Tracking, Travel

Wait, I Only Spent $255 Last Month? – July 2019 Expense Report

August 3, 2019 3 Comments

June was the month of uprooting, as we packed and hefted and drove and ended our lease—and July followed quickly after, which I now dub the month of homelessness. The Apartment Situation If you recall from last month, I was sleeping on a pad in our empty apartment, living out of my suitcase. The reason: […]

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Money, Opinions, Travel

It’s Time To Skip The ‘Must-Sees’ And Do This Instead.

May 29, 2019 21 Comments

You have looked forward to this rare slice of time away from work for weeks. You have spent hundreds of dollars to venture across state, national, or continental borders. You have planned each day meticulously to make every minute count. And now you are waiting in a line. “Surely it will be worth it,” you […]

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Money Tracking, Spending, Travel

What To Do When You Only Have 7 Days In Colombia (And How I Only Spent $300)

May 27, 2019 6 Comments

South America has been on our minds for a while. I have wanted to go ever since I stumbled across a little shop in Spain run by a Colombian man, who sold me the most delicious fried ball of food that I have ever eaten. My partner likewise had it on his list of intriguing […]

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The Mechanic

I'm a mechanical engineer turned programmer with a pretty big DIY project: save enough money to become financially independent. Financial Mechanic is all about frugality, career climbing, and investing.

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